Best for
- Stopping expensive builds of undecided designs
- Making sign-off a recorded event, not a vibe
- AI teams that will otherwise happily build ahead of decisions
What you give it
- The area about to be built, or the sign-off you are granting
What you get back
- A clear gate answer: signed off, or not — with what is missing
- Sign-offs recorded with date, scope and the agreed version
- Amendment tracking when a signed design changes later
How it works
- Keeps one sign-off record per product area.
- On a gate check, compares requested work against recorded sign-offs.
- On a sign-off, records scope, date and the version agreed.
- On later changes, records amendments so the agreement stays true.
- Blocks with specifics — what is open, who can close it.
Example
You: Backend work is about to start on the subscriptions area — check the gate.
Result: Gate: NOT signed off — the cancellation screen has an unresolved note from review; the other four screens are agreed. Build blocked for that screen, cleared for the rest, record updated.
Limits — please read
- The gate is as strong as the team's respect for it — wire it into process.
- It verifies recorded agreement, not design quality.
- Partial sign-offs are supported but must be explicit.