Definition gate
The front-end-loading gate. Checks a pasted project definition against six criteria and can refuse it outright.
- Takes
- A pasted project definition — a charter draft, a proposal, a Slack message, anything.
- Returns
- A PASS/MISSING verdict per criterion (stated objective · named sponsor · scope boundary · measurable success criteria · named constraints · identified stakeholders), each with the matching sentence quoted as evidence, and an overall PASS/FAIL gate.
Deterministic — no model call, no network. Pure function, not a probabilistic rater; the T1–T3 reliability-tier doctrine does not apply.
Will not
- Judge whether your objective or success criteria are GOOD — only whether the text contains recognizable language for each.
- Understand paraphrase — this is pattern matching, not comprehension; a criterion stated in unusual phrasing can be misread as MISSING.
- Catch boilerplate that matches the pattern without real content — a false PASS is possible if you paste jargon.
Project definition
Gate verdict
FAILMissing: Stated objective · Named sponsor · Defined scope boundary (what is explicitly OUT) · Measurable success criteria · Named constraints · Identified stakeholders
- Stated objectiveMISSING
No sentence states what the project is meant to achieve — look for "objective", "goal", "purpose", or "aims to".
- Named sponsorMISSING
No named sponsor or executive owner — look for "sponsor", "sponsored by", or "executive sponsor" followed by a name or title.
- Defined scope boundary (what is explicitly OUT)MISSING
No explicit out-of-scope statement — look for "out of scope", "not included", "excludes", or "does not include".
- Measurable success criteriaMISSING
No success criterion tied to a number, percentage, or date — look for "success", "measured by", "target", or "KPI" near a numeral.
- Named constraintsMISSING
No stated constraint — look for "constraint", "budget of", "deadline", "must not exceed", or "limited to".
- Identified stakeholdersMISSING
No stakeholders named or listed — look for "stakeholder(s)" followed by names or roles.