Regardless of whether you organize your project portfolio with Lean PPM or another method, your projects go through different stages: from creation to approval to completion. These stage gates help you to make decisions and prioritize your projects.
The first step is to define the stage gates needed for your planning. Then, to specify which stage gate each project is currently in. This ensures that all project participants know the current status.
Where to Find:
In the Portfolio Designer, on the left sidebar under Manage, click on Fields. Then click the pencil icon to the far right of the Fields pane to configure the Stage Gates.
Please note that the Fields view is only available to administrators.
How to Configure:
There are eight preconfigured Lean PPM stage gates in Meisterplan. You can use these even if you're not working with Lean PPM. Or you can adapt the configuration to your own planning process. To add a new stage gate, click on Add Value. To change or delete a value, use the appropriate icon on the far right.
How to Use:
Select a stage gate for every project.
You can now filter out projects that are waiting for a decision and present them to the appropriate people. We recommend updating the stage gate as soon as a decision is made. This way, the project participants are up to date on what stage the project is in.
Result:
Stage gates allow you to transparently map out the life cycle of your project. The current stage gate of a project can be viewed by everyone, and the filter function provides a quick overview of all projects with the same stage gate.
You can also create portfolios including all projects currently in one or more stage gate, and assign specific access rights to them. Meisterplan contains pre-configured portfolios that can be used directly, or adapted to your needs:
Best Practice Tips:
- Determine early on which stage gates you want for your planning process. If you have a lot of projects, retroactive adjustments can be time-consuming.
- Define your stage gates according to the principle "As much as necessary, as little as possible." Every additional stage gate requires maintenance.
- Update the project stage gate in the meeting where the next stage is decided. Not only do you save time, you avoid overlooking an adjustment.