How to enforce stage-gate approvals in Microsoft Project workflows

Question

How do I enforce stage-gate approvals in Microsoft Project workflows? I need to make sure that certain deliverables can’t progress until formal approval is logged.

Answer 1

Stage-gate approvals in Microsoft Project help control project progression through formal checkpoints. While Microsoft Project does not include built-in gates, you can emulate and automate them using custom fields, workflow flags, and Power Automate.

• Create a field like "Stage Gate Approval" with dropdown possibilities like "Pending," "Approved," or "Rejected."
• Link Gate Milestones to Phases – Add crucial milestones such as "Design Approval" or "Funding Authorization" as dependencies for the following task group. Without approval, downstream tasks stay stalled.
• Use Predecessor Logic: Set gates as predecessors to critical deliverables. Tasks cannot proceed until the gate milestone is marked complete or approved.
• Integrate with Power Automate by creating a flow that notifies approvers when a gate is reached, collects approval answers, and updates project status accordingly.
• Track in Timeline View - Use the Gantt chart to visually indicate stage gates and track when projects are stopped or awaiting approval.

This configuration adds a lightweight governance mechanism without decreasing Agile response.