A phase gate is a decision point at the end of a project phase where the work done so far is reviewed and a decision is made whether to continue to the next phase, change course, or stop. It is a control point that keeps a project aligned with its business case.
At the gate, agreed criteria are checked – deliverables, quality, cost and continued justification – before resources are committed to the next phase. Phase gates are common in predictive, phase-based projects.
Related: project phase, governance, business case.
Last updated: 4 July 2026 · By Tom, PMP-certified since 2004