How to run a DMAIC tollgate review (and not get sent back)

What sponsors actually look for

Regardless of phase, the sponsor is asking three questions: (1) Do I understand what you're working on? (2) Do I believe your evidence? (3) Do I believe your plan? Every piece of the tollgate deck either answers one of those or wastes the sponsor's time.

Define tollgate checklist

• Problem statement includes baseline, target, and timeframe — not adjectives
• Scope explicit — what's in, out, deferred
• Primary metric named with data source
• SIPOC complete with suppliers, inputs, outputs, customers
• Team and sponsor confirmed, not assumed

Measure tollgate checklist

• Gage R&R or Kappa study complete — measurement system validated
• Baseline data with 30+ points per stratum (continuous) or 100+ (attribute)
• Stratification done by shift, line, SKU, operator — not just total
• Control charts show whether baseline is stable or drifting
• Problem statement v2 rewritten using new data

Analyze tollgate checklist

• Fishbone + 5-Why complete
• Hypotheses tested, not just listed
• Each confirmed root cause has evidence from the process, not from theory
• Problem statement v3 rewritten to name the cause

Improve tollgate checklist

• Countermeasures tied 1:1 to confirmed root causes
• Impact/effort matrix completed — best candidates chosen with logic
• Pilot plan with defined scope, duration, metrics
• Pilot verification shows statistically meaningful improvement
• Full rollout plan with owner, date, dependencies

Control tollgate checklist

• Control plan per CTQ: spec, method, sample size, frequency, owner, reaction
• Standard Work updated and operators trained
• 30/60/90 day sustainment schedule on the calendar
• Benefit verification signed off by finance
• Handover to process owner — with a named person, not a team