Quality Gates
Quality Gates
Quality gates decide if a change is allowed to progress to the next stage.
In enterprise delivery, gates are not bureaucracy—they are controls that protect reliability and trust.
What to gate
- Acceptance criteria checks (functional).
- Performance budgets (non-functional).
- Security baseline checks.
- Observability readiness (alerts, dashboards).
- Rollback readiness (verified path).
See also
Acceptance Criteria Evidence Pack Performance Budgets Security Baseline Release RunbookFAQ
What is a quality gate?
A decision point that verifies a change meets defined acceptance criteria before it progresses.
What should be gated first?
High-impact checks: acceptance criteria, performance budgets, security baseline, rollback readiness.
How do we prevent gates from becoming bureaucracy?
Automate and keep them fast. Only gate what prevents costly failures, and document evidence requirements.
Where do gates belong in the workflow?
Before deploy, during progressive exposure, and after deploy verification.
What evidence should gates produce?
Timestamped results, version identifiers, and links to verification artifacts.