The Phase-Gate Lifecycle
Every AIPM project moves through the five PMBOK phases, and each phase has a gate the sponsor must sign off before the project advances.
The five phases
A project always runs the phases in the same order. Each phase bundles its own set of artifacts, and the sponsor’s sign-off at the end of a phase confirms that those artifacts are complete and accurate before the next phase opens.
| Phase | What it covers | Gate approves |
|---|---|---|
| Initiating | Project charter and stakeholder register. | The sponsor confirms the project is properly chartered and the right stakeholders are recorded. |
| Planning | Project management plan and risk register. | The sponsor confirms there is a sound plan and the known risks are written down. |
| Executing | Progress and status reporting on the work as it is delivered. | The sponsor confirms the work is progressing as reported. |
| Monitoring & Controlling | Performance reporting and change control. | The sponsor confirms performance is being tracked and changes are handled in a controlled way. |
| Closing | Closure report and lessons learned. | The sponsor confirms the project is wrapped up and the lessons are captured. |
How a gate works
Each phase has a gate status that moves through three states: open, then in review, then signed off. From the Phases overview at /project/<id>/phases — which shows every phase’s gate status and highlights the current phase — you open a phase to see its artifacts at /phase/<phase-id>.
When the phase is open and its artifacts are ready, the sponsor clicks “Submit for sign-off.” This routes the gate through the normal three-role decision flow. When the decision is approved, the phase is marked signed off and the next phase opens.
The hard rule
A project cannot advance out of a phase until that phase’s gate is signed off by the sponsor. There is no shortcut: even closing the project cannot skip an unfinished gate.
Who can sign off a gate
Only the sponsor may submit a phase gate and decide it. While a phase gate reuses the same three-role decision flow used elsewhere in AIPM, no one but the sponsor can submit or decide it. For how the underlying evidence and decision mechanics work, see approving with evidence.