Gate Documents    

In some Product Innovation Processes, these documents take the form of slides or overheads that are then used in the gate meeting.  This works well for incremental product development or 'fast-fail' prototyping.  Creating more complete documents could become a burdensome part of the product innovation cycle time.

Larger product innovations, on the other hand, demand significantly more documentation.  Good gate documentation plays an important part.

In a large portfolio, templates help vital information reach the gatekeepers in a consistent format, so the task of reading and digesting is made easier.

Off-the-shelf templates should be carefully adapted to the local process.  They will have a strong impact on both project management and portfolio management.  We want that impact to be the intended one!