1. Purpose of the gate
Concept approval is the first commitment of money and people to the system. There is no design yet, so the question is not whether the system will work but whether the opportunity is worth defining properly. The review accepts the case for the system, funds a small core team and sets the questions the requirements stage must answer before the next gates.
A system is more than its chips. The concept must cover the boards, the enclosure, the firmware and software, the certifications each market needs and the support the product will carry for its life in the field. A case that prices only the electronics and leaves out software, certification and support is the most common reason system programmes later overrun. The review should see that each of these has at least a first estimate and an owner.
The gate criteria are a reviewed and approved business case, documented and reviewed market requirements, and agreed funding and core team. The one gating work product is the system business case at initial maturity, produced by product management from the market requirements.
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