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Project stages and gates

See which stage a project is in and what it needs before it can move on, advance it, move it back, or reject a stage with a recorded reason.

Updated 19 October 2026

Who this is for: business analysts and company administrators.

A project moves through stages, shown as a bar of steps on the project dashboard and on Project Status. Each stage can have an exit gate: a short list of checks, such as all sign-offs resolved or no open blocking risks, that is checked when you try to move on.

A gate is either advisory — you can move on while it fails, and the failure is recorded — or blocking, where the checks must pass first.

See what the project needs next

  1. Open the project and choose Project Status in the left navigation.
  2. Under Where the project is, see the current stage.
  3. Under What it needs next, read each check. A tick means it passes; a cross means it does not.
  4. Choose View on a failing check to see the items behind it.
The Project status page showing the stage bar and the What it needs next section, where the one check passes.
Fictional demonstration project. All names and details are invented and do not represent any real organisation, including any that shares a name with it.

Advance to the next stage

  1. On the project dashboard or Project Status, choose Advance on the stage bar.
  2. Read the checklist in the window. It is checked again as you advance.
  3. Choose Advance to the next stage. If an advisory gate fails, the button reads Advance anyway.
  4. If a blocking gate fails, resolve the failing checks first, or ask someone allowed to override it.

Move back or reject a stage

  1. On the stage bar, open the … menu.
  2. Choose Move back…, pick the earlier stage, type why, and choose Move back.
  3. Or choose Reject stage…, type why, and choose Reject stage. Every pending sign-off for the stage is rejected with your reason, and the requester is told.

The checks you may see

  • Analysis coverage — every analysis the project declared has content.
  • Sign-offs resolved — nothing is still waiting for a signature.
  • Mandatory fields — requirements carry the fields the stage needs.
  • Open blockers — no open risks or issues beyond the limit.
  • Archive criteria — every item is in a final status.

Overriding a blocking gate

Someone with the manage project settings permission sees Override… when a blocking gate fails. They type a reason and choose Override and advance. The reason and a snapshot of the failed checks are recorded permanently on the project’s timeline.

Who can do what

  • Advance and Move back… need the advance workflow permission.
  • Reject stage… needs approve reject, and is offered only on a stage with a blocking gate.
  • Project Status is a read-out for everyone on the project; nothing on that page moves the project by itself.

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