Governance Gate Evidence Log

Used in STEP 3 STEP 7 STEP 8 STEP 9 STEP 10

A glimpse inside

Preview of the GG worked example — structure and colouring shown, detail deliberately softened

3 tabs: Cover · blank tool · Meridian worked example. One row per gate: the date, the decision — Proceed / Recycle / Stop, or Release / Recycle at the Release Gate, coloured automatically — the evidence it rested on, any conditions attached and the sponsor who signed it.

In a sentence — keep a straightforward audit trail of every governance-gate decision, what evidence it rested on, and who owned it.

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What this tool does

Six months after a gate decision, the only question that matters is: what did we actually know when we said yes? This log exists so a regulator, auditor or new sponsor can reconstruct that, after the fact, from the evidence pack referenced rather than from anyone's memory of the meeting — governance discipline is only as strong as what's written down.

The final gate is treated differently on purpose — Step 10's Release Gate releases the organisation from support rather than committing further resource, so it uses Release or Recycle rather than Proceed, Recycle or Stop, and the sheet keeps that distinction rather than forcing every gate through the same options.

WHY THIS HELPS

Evidence referenced is a named field, not a footnote. A decision log that only records the outcome (Proceed, Recycle or Stop) is a diary; one that also names the evidence pack reviewed is something you can actually stand behind later.

WHY THE RELEASE GATE USES DIFFERENT WORDS

Proceed and Stop are both answers to a commitment question — whether to put more resource into the programme ahead. The Step 10 Release Gate is the opposite kind of decision: it's confirming the organisation no longer needs dedicated transformation support, which is a statement about sustainment, not commitment. Using Release instead of Proceed for that row isn't cosmetic — it stops a reader skimming the log from mistaking ‘programme closed successfully’ for ‘another phase approved’, which matters if this log is ever read by someone who wasn't in the room for any of the earlier gates. Recycle stays available at every gate, including the Release Gate, for the same reason: sustainment can fail a check just as a design can, and the log needs a way to say so without inventing a new word for it.

What's included

GG · Governance Gate Evidence Log — the blank tool

Ready to complete for your own engagement. Blue-tinted cells are for you to fill in.

Worked example

The same tool completed end to end, using the fictional Meridian Wealth Management scenario — see what ‘done’ looks like before you start your own.

How it's used

A quick walkthrough of the sheet:

Using this tool

1Add one row per gate — the step or gate, the date, and the sponsor who owned the decision.

2For the Phase 1 and Phase 2 Gates, set Decision to Proceed, Recycle or Stop.

3For the Step 10 Release Gate, use Release or Recycle instead — it's releasing the organisation, not committing further resource.

4Reference the evidence pack that was actually reviewed, not just the decision reached.

5Record any conditions or actions attached to the decision — colours apply automatically: green for Proceed or Release, amber for Recycle, red for Stop.

Matches the sheet's own columns exactly: Step / gate, Gate date, Decision, Evidence referenced, Conditions / actions, Sponsor.