Executive gate keepers must identify and manage risk, as well as assess problems that have arisen as the project team attempts to make progress towards goals and requirements. Gatekeeping is a very serious task conducted in parallel with the ongoing efforts of the project team. Gatekeeping has the following characteristics:

1. It is a process with tasks and deliverables.
2. It is a skill with associated tools, methods and best practices.
3. It requires training and coaching and with experience, it becomes a core leadership competency within an enterprise.
4. It requires the gate keepers to prepare by reading and analyzing summary results from each project team that is approaching an "event-driven" gate review.
5. Gate reviews are held as the project schedule dictates based upon pre-planned task progression.

All the gate keepers I have ever worked with share a common desire to make the gate review process as simple and efficient as possible. A common sentiment among gate keepers is, "I don't have time for motherhood and apple pie statements and many dozens of Power Point Slides - just give me the facts that I can do something about and we'll get this over with quickly so we can all get back to work!" Gate review meetings should present what the project team needs the gate keepers to do something about using their unique authority, skills and experience. It is a waste of time to present the project status during the meeting; that can be communicated in a succinct report delivered a week in advance of the gate review meeting. The status report should be accompanied by a summary of supporting data that illustrates any problem, issue or roadblock so that the gate keepers can easily understand any dilemma needing their attention. Gate keepers want to solve problems and they are often very good at it.

Here's a summary of the roles and responsibilities for the executive gate keepers:

1. They are required to make decisions at gate reviews.
2. They have the right to surround themselves with subject matter experts to help them adjudicate issues so that they make reasoned decisions under proper advice and counsel.
3. They have the authority to cancel, redirect and/or modify a development project based upon assessment of conditions, circumstances and facts associated with the project and the portfolio of projects in which it resides.
4. They are strategic partners with regard to one another and enablers to project managers.
5. They have ultimate authority with regard to the status of the project as part of the enterprise's portfolio of projects.

Here are some tips for the project team to support the gate keepers:

1. DO send out a well written summary of the project's status against its goals 5-7 days in advance of the gate review meeting so the gate keepers can educate themselves on the project's status.
2. DO include a brief summary of the project in the advance information. Gate keepers have many things on their plate and may need a refresher on what you are trying to accomplish.
3. DO present a one page list of specific items for the gate keepers to adjudicate (hear and settle, award, judge/decide).
4. DON'T present a broad status of progress during a gate review meeting - that is what the pre-read summary is for. Gate keepers can be relied upon to prepare and will use their time well if you write succinctly, clearly and accurately.
5. DON'T ask for things for which the gate keepers have no authority. Gate keepers should be presented ONLY with issues, problems or requests that are within their sphere of authority and control of resources, policies, procedures and finances.

Make it a rule in your organization - the first half of a gate review is to deal with problems from the prior phase - adjudication! The second half of a gate review is problem prevention with an intense focus on what the project team is about to do. This is what the gate keepers can do to help prevent down-stream problems. In Lean terms, this would be called Mistake-proofing a well-defined project plan and schedule. Adjudication and problem prevention are the actions that a good gate keeper must do to help assure efficiency in the flow of a development project.