4D Framework Overview

The 4D project has four main phases of activity, as described below.

Mandate and Gate 0

The Mandate is the original request for a project and may be a very short problem statement. Discussion about this leads to it being initiated through Gate 0 for investigation in the Discovery phase.

Discovery and Gate 1

The first purpose of Discovery is to find out whether there is a worthwhile project to complete. This starts with interviews with stakeholders to understand the problem and any conflicts. The problem is then formulated, the overall approach chosen and the approximate timescale determined. It is presented and agreed at Gate 1.

Definition and Gate 2

The Definition phase follows up the understanding of requirements from Discovery by detailing a specification of exactly what will be delivered. This is accompanied by a detailed plan of who does what and when. As with Gate 1, the commitment from other people also needs to be carefully included at Gate 2.

Development and Gate 3

Gate 3 is the ‘go live’ decision and the Development phase includes all activity to prepare for deployment in the wider organization. This may include redesigning processes, writing support materials, development of training and so on. The development needed varies greatly with projects – for some it is the main aspect of the project, whilst for others the delivery and deployment is more significant.

Delivery and Gate 4

In the Delivery phase, the project is deployed into the organization. This may require significant behavioral and cultural change and thus needs strong support from the whole management team. At Gate 4, the project manager hands everything over to ‘business as usual’, archives materials and reviews the overall project for lessons learned.

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4D Framework Overview

Mandate and Gate 0

Discovery and Gate 1

Definition and Gate 2

Development and Gate 3

Delivery and Gate 4

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