You are managing a product development project using a stage-gate approach. The project is approaching the gate review for Phase 2 completion. During quality inspections, you discover that three of the fifteen deliverables have minor defects that do not prevent functionality but fall slightly below the quality standards documented in the quality management plan. Correcting these defects would take two weeks and consume the remaining schedule buffer. The gate review is scheduled for next week, and senior management is eager to proceed to Phase 3. What should you do?

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is A. In a stage-gate process, the integrity of the gate review depends on transparent disclosure of project status, including quality issues. Option A correctly prioritizes transparency and allows decision-makers to determine whether to proceed with defects, delay for corrections, or pursue another option. This maintains the governance purpose of stage gates. Option B would delay the gate review without management input, potentially impacting downstream activities and removing management's ability to make risk-based decisions. Option C inappropriately accepts non-conformance without proper change control or stakeholder approval. Option D seeks to retroactively lower standards rather than addressing the quality gap, which undermines the quality management approach. This question tests understanding of quality management, governance, and stakeholder communication in predictive projects.

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