What are the benefits for departments undertaking a Gateway review?
How is 'procurement' defined for the purpose of the Gateway Review Process?
How long does a Gateway review take?
Who initiates a Gateway review?
Do all projects go through all stages of the Gateway Review Process?
When should I have a Gateway review planning meeting?
How does a Gateway review differ from an audit?
Does the Gateway Review Process apply to programs?
Are the Gateway reports confidential?
Are Gateway reports subject to FOI?
Who receives copies of Gateway reports?
What is the meaning of the Red, Amber, Green (RAG) status in a Gateway report?
I am interested in taking part in Gateway reviews. How can I find out whether my level of skills and experience is relevant and what should I do next?
The Gateway project assurance methodology assists public authorities to improve project management and project delivery. It is designed to assist project owners to achieve optimum success in delivering business outcomes.
Gateway provides three key deliverables:
a consistent, disciplined process applied to major procurement projects, which assists in reducing project variance against agreed time, cost and scope parameters;
increased confidence by Government and agency CEOs and project sponsors in the health of major projects, at all stages of their life cycles; and
improved alignment of major projects with Government and agency strategic objectives.
Gateway provides early identification of corrective action (where necessary) on a project, helping to avoid potential costly mistakes.
The adoption of Gateway should lead to the improved delivery of major projects with the potential to reduce project overruns, price escalations and scope changes.
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'Procurement' is defined as the entire process of acquisition from third parties (including logistical aspects), and covers goods, services and construction projects. This process spans the whole life cycle from initial concept and definition of business needs, through to the end of the life of an asset or end of a services contract. Both conventionally-funded and innovatively funded projects are included.
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A Gateway review takes between three to five days.
The length of the review is determined by the number of stakeholders to be interviewed and the complexity and risk of the project. A complex project may involve interviewing up to 20 people.
A stakeholder is anyone involved in the project, either by way of being impacted by the project, or part of the project teams. This may mean members of the community, politicians, consultants, and public sector employees.
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The responsibility for initiating a Gateway review rests with the Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) of the project. The program or project manager should identify the level of risk of their project and in consultation with their SRO may nominate the program or project for review. Around 8-12 weeks before the review will take place, the SRO and the Gateway unit will agree on the dates for the review and the skills and experience required for the review team.
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No, not all projects need to proceed through all stages of the Gateway Review Process. The application of the Gateway Review Process to a project that has reached a Tender Decision, Readiness for Service or Benefits Evaluation Gateway without having gone through a Strategic Assessment, Business Case or Readiness for Market Review should be discussed with the Gateway Unit.
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The Gateway review planning meeting is set up with the SRO and is essential to the delivery of Gateway reviews. The planning meeting is a facilitated workshop where the SRO and the Gateway review team jointly plan their review approach.
The planning meeting is a mandatory part of all reviews.
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A Gateway review is held before key decision points in the lifecycle of a procurement project. Review teams consist of independent, experienced practitioners who identify key project management issues to be addressed to assist the project succeed. The work of a Gateway review team is for the SRO and ownership of the review report and recommendations lie with him or her. A Gateway review takes between three to five days with the review report presented and discussed with the SRO at the end of the final day of the review.
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A program coordinates the delivery of the range of work – including projects – needed to achieve outcomes, and benefits.. A program approach should be flexible and capable of accommodating changing circumstances such as opportunities or risk materialising.
Program reviews are carried out under the Gateway Review: Strategic Assessment of a Program. A program will generally undergo a number of strategic assessment reviews including an early review; one or more reviews at key decision points during the course of the program, and a final review at the conclusion of the program.
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A Gateway review is conducted for the SRO on a confidential basis. Hence, ownership of the report rests with him or her. The Gateway unit receives copies of review reports only in order to identify and disseminate generic lessons learned.
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Gateway review reports provided to the SRO, like all other government documents, are subject to the Freedom of Information Act.
Freedom of Information (FOI) requests for Gateway review reports will be handled through the SRO.
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A Gateway review is conducted for the SRO on a confidential basis. The SRO is the only person who can circulate or distribute the report and so any requests for reports will be forwarded to them for action.
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At the conclusion of a Gateway review the review team will prepare a written report to the SRO outlining recommendations for the project moving forward. The review team will issue the individual recommendations, as well as the program/project as a whole, with a Red, Amber or Green (RAG) Status as follows:
The overall project/program RAG Status is not a 'Stop/Go' sign through to the next phase, nor is it a sign of a 'good' or 'bad' project. It is rather an indication of the urgency and criticality for which remedial action is required on a project to achieve success.
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If you are interested in becoming a Gateway reviewer, the ‘How to become a Gateway reviewer’ brochure provides a guideline as to the level of skills and experience required.
The Gateway unit will contact you once your details have been assessed for suitability.
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