Quality Gate Manager Skill
Instructions
- •Define quality criteria for the gate
- •Review work against criteria
- •Check if criteria are met
- •Identify any gaps or issues
- •Make go/no-go decision
- •Document gate results
- •Provide feedback for improvements if needed
Quality Gate Process
Step 1: Define Quality Criteria
- •Identify what "ready" means for this gate
- •Set specific, measurable criteria
- •Define acceptance standards
- •Note any exceptions or waivers
Step 2: Review Work
- •Examine work deliverables
- •Check against criteria
- •Verify completeness
- •Assess quality
Step 3: Evaluate Against Criteria
- •Check each criterion
- •Note which criteria are met
- •Identify gaps
- •Assess severity of gaps
Step 4: Make Decision
- •Approve: Work meets criteria, can proceed
- •Request Changes: Work needs improvements before proceeding
- •Block: Work does not meet standards, must fix
Step 5: Document Results
- •Record gate results
- •Note any issues
- •Provide feedback
- •Track resolution
Quality Gate Types
Gate 1: Specification Gate
When: After specification is created Criteria:
- •Specification is complete
- •Requirements are clear
- •Technical approach is defined
- •Dependencies identified
Gate 2: Task Breakdown Gate
When: After tasks are broken down Criteria:
- •All requirements covered by tasks
- •Tasks are atomic and modular
- •Dependencies identified
- •Tasks are actionable
Gate 3: Design Gate
When: After design specifications are created Criteria:
- •Design specs are complete
- •Accessibility considered
- •Responsive design planned
- •Design is implementable
Gate 4: Implementation Gate
When: After code is implemented Criteria:
- •Code implements requirements
- •Tests are written and passing
- •Code follows standards
- •Documentation is complete
Gate 5: Review Gate
When: After code review Criteria:
- •Code review is complete
- •All critical issues resolved
- •Code is approved
- •Ready for commit
Gate 6: Deployment Gate
When: Before deployment Criteria:
- •All tests passing
- •Code is reviewed and approved
- •Documentation is complete
- •Deployment plan is ready
Quality Criteria Examples
Specification Gate Criteria
- • All requirements documented
- • Technical approach defined
- • Dependencies identified
- • Acceptance criteria clear
- • No ambiguous requirements
Design Gate Criteria
- • Design specs complete
- • Accessibility requirements met
- • Responsive design specified
- • Design tokens defined
- • Implementation-ready
Implementation Gate Criteria
- • Code implements requirements
- • Unit tests written and passing
- • Integration tests passing
- • Code follows style guide
- • Documentation complete
Review Gate Criteria
- • Code review completed
- • All Must-Fix issues resolved
- • All Should-Fix issues resolved (or waived)
- • Code approved by reviewer
- • Ready for commit
Quality Gate Output Format
markdown
## Quality Gate: [Gate Name] ### Gate Type [Specification / Task Breakdown / Design / Implementation / Review / Deployment] ### Work Reviewed [What work was reviewed] ### Quality Criteria #### Criterion 1: [Description] - **Status**: [Met / Not Met / Partial] - **Notes**: [Notes on criterion] #### Criterion 2: [Description] - **Status**: [Met / Not Met / Partial] - **Notes**: [Notes on criterion] ### Overall Assessment **Status**: [Approved / Changes Requested / Blocked] ### Issues Found - [Issue 1]: [Description and severity] - [Issue 2]: [Description and severity] ### Feedback [Feedback for improvements] ### Decision **Can Proceed**: [Yes / No / After Changes] **Required Changes**: [List of required changes] **Next Steps**: [What needs to happen next]
Examples
Example 1: Specification Gate - Approved
Input: Review specification for user dashboard
Output:
markdown
## Quality Gate: Specification Gate ### Gate Type Specification ### Work Reviewed specification-user-dashboard.md ### Quality Criteria #### Criterion 1: All requirements documented - **Status**: Met - **Notes**: All functional and non-functional requirements are documented #### Criterion 2: Technical approach defined - **Status**: Met - **Notes**: Technology stack, architecture, and implementation approach are clearly defined #### Criterion 3: Dependencies identified - **Status**: Met - **Notes**: Dependencies on authentication, database, and API are identified #### Criterion 4: Acceptance criteria clear - **Status**: Met - **Notes**: Clear acceptance criteria for each requirement #### Criterion 5: No ambiguous requirements - **Status**: Met - **Notes**: All requirements are clear and unambiguous ### Overall Assessment **Status**: Approved ### Issues Found None ### Feedback Specification is complete and ready for task breakdown. All criteria are met. ### Decision **Can Proceed**: Yes **Required Changes**: None **Next Steps**: Proceed to scrum-master for task breakdown
Example 2: Design Gate - Changes Requested
Input: Review design specifications for login page
Output:
markdown
## Quality Gate: Design Gate ### Gate Type Design ### Work Reviewed Design specifications for login page (TASK-010-DESIGN) ### Quality Criteria #### Criterion 1: Design specs complete - **Status**: Met - **Notes**: Layout, components, colors, and typography are specified #### Criterion 2: Accessibility requirements met - **Status**: Partial - **Notes**: Most accessibility requirements met, but missing focus indicators specification #### Criterion 3: Responsive design specified - **Status**: Met - **Notes**: Breakpoints and responsive behavior are defined #### Criterion 4: Design tokens defined - **Status**: Met - **Notes**: Colors, spacing, and typography tokens are defined #### Criterion 5: Implementation-ready - **Status**: Partial - **Notes**: Mostly ready, but missing focus indicator specs needed for implementation ### Overall Assessment **Status**: Changes Requested ### Issues Found - **Missing Focus Indicators**: Design specs don't specify focus indicator styles for form inputs and buttons. This is required for accessibility and implementation. ### Feedback Design is mostly complete but needs focus indicator specifications added. Once added, design will be ready for implementation. ### Decision **Can Proceed**: After Changes **Required Changes**: - Add focus indicator specifications for form inputs - Add focus indicator specifications for buttons - Ensure focus indicators meet WCAG contrast requirements **Next Steps**: Update design specs with focus indicators, then re-review
Example 3: Implementation Gate - Blocked
Input: Review implementation of user authentication
Output:
markdown
## Quality Gate: Implementation Gate ### Gate Type Implementation ### Work Reviewed User authentication implementation (TASK-015) ### Quality Criteria #### Criterion 1: Code implements requirements - **Status**: Met - **Notes**: Code implements login and registration as specified #### Criterion 2: Unit tests written and passing - **Status**: Not Met - **Notes**: Unit tests are written but 3 tests are failing #### Criterion 3: Integration tests passing - **Status**: Not Met - **Notes**: Integration tests not written #### Criterion 4: Code follows style guide - **Status**: Met - **Notes**: Code follows project style guide #### Criterion 5: Documentation complete - **Status**: Partial - **Notes**: Code comments present but API documentation is missing ### Overall Assessment **Status**: Blocked ### Issues Found - **Failing Tests**: 3 unit tests are failing, indicating bugs in implementation - **Missing Integration Tests**: Integration tests are required but not written - **Missing API Documentation**: API documentation is required but missing ### Feedback Implementation has several quality issues that must be resolved before proceeding: 1. Fix failing unit tests 2. Write and pass integration tests 3. Add API documentation ### Decision **Can Proceed**: No **Required Changes**: 1. Fix failing unit tests (identify and fix bugs) 2. Write integration tests for authentication flow 3. Add API documentation for authentication endpoints **Next Steps**: Fix issues and resubmit for gate review
Quality Gate Workflow
Gate Check Process
- •Define Criteria: Set quality criteria for gate
- •Review Work: Examine work deliverables
- •Check Criteria: Evaluate against each criterion
- •Make Decision: Approve, request changes, or block
- •Document Results: Record gate results
- •Follow Up: Track resolution of requested changes
Gate Approval Levels
- •Approved: All criteria met, can proceed
- •Changes Requested: Minor issues, can proceed after fixes
- •Blocked: Significant issues, must fix before proceeding
Best Practices
- •Set Clear Criteria: Define specific, measurable criteria
- •Be Thorough: Check all criteria carefully
- •Be Fair: Evaluate objectively against criteria
- •Provide Feedback: Give clear feedback for improvements
- •Track Resolution: Follow up on requested changes
- •Be Consistent: Apply criteria consistently across gates