Check 3-5 yes/no gate criteria at each pipeline stage…
At each pipeline stage transition, check explicit gate criteria (3-5 yes/no questions) before advancing the output, and if any answer is no, keep the output in its current stage until deficiencies are addressed.
When This Fires
- At every stage boundary in your production pipeline (Move outputs forward through pipeline stages…)
- When outputs advance to later stages with quality problems that should have been caught earlier
- When subjective "gut feel" is the only criterion for advancing outputs through stages
- Complements Move outputs forward through pipeline stages… (forward-only pipeline) with the specific transition mechanism
Common Failure Mode
Rushing the gate: checking the criteria while wanting to advance, which biases toward "yes" answers. The gate only works if you're genuinely willing to keep the output at its current stage when criteria aren't met. Treat "no" as diagnostic information, not as a failure to overcome.
The Protocol
(1) For each stage transition in your pipeline, define 3-5 binary yes/no gate criteria specific to that transition. (2) Draft → Review gate: All sections complete? Key argument present? Evidence cited? Within scope? (3) Review → Polish gate: Structure logical? Arguments clear? Feedback incorporated? No major gaps? (4) Polish → Deliver gate: Error-free? Formatting correct? Distribution plan ready? Meets output-type quality standard? (5) At each transition, check every gate criterion. All yes → advance. Any no → stay in current stage, address the deficiency, then re-check. The gate is pass/fail with no partial credit.