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Sage
Process

The SAGE process.

SAGE is a four-phase program execution lifecycle. Every program flows through Situation → Assess → Generate → Embed, separated by three governance gates and preceded by P0 Intake. Ten worksheets capture the thinking. A TAP Log tracks touchpoints, alignments, and problems end to end.

Before SAGE: P0 Intake

Intake is the filter. Requests arrive as problem statements (not solution proposals), get scored and prioritized, and either proceed into SAGE's Situation phase or get a clear no. Intake decides whether SAGE runs at all — so it lives outside the four phases.

Read about P0 Intake →

The four phases

  1. Situation (formerly Initiation)

    Define the problem with evidence.

    BEARINGS: B — Baseline

    Work: WS01 Situation Statement · WS02 Root Cause Analysis

  2. Assess (formerly Planning)

    Turn the problem into a governed plan.

    BEARINGS: E — Engagement · A — Aims · R — Routes · I — Instrument · N — Navigation · G — Governance · S — Signals

    Work: WS03 Stakeholder Analysis · WS04 Business Objective · WS05 Trade-off Table · WS06 Decision Matrix · WS07 Strategy Table · WS08 Accountability · WS09 Decision Hierarchy · WS10 Evaluation Plan

  3. Generate (formerly Execution)

    Deliver the work through gated sprints.

    Work: Blueprint · Sprint 0 · Delivery Sprints · Cutover Readiness

  4. Embed (formerly Closure)

    Prove the benefits in production.

    Work: Hypercare · KPI/QBA Reviews · Benefit Verification

The three gates

Gates separate approval from execution. Each gate ties a phase transition to a specific artifact and a named approver.

  • Gate A — Initiation Gate — approves the BRD (Part A); sits inside Assess, after the pre-Gate-A cluster (E·A·R·I). Details →
  • Gate B — Planning Gate — approves the FD (Part B); sits at the end of Assess, after the post-Gate-A cluster (N·G·S). Details →
  • Gate C — Execution Gate — approves the Go-live; sits at the end of Generate, before cutover. Details →
  • Methodology overview — the philosophy behind SAGE
  • BEARINGS — the 8-letter artifact framework inside S and A
  • Worksheets — the ten structured worksheets (WS01–WS10)
  • TAP Log — how SAGE organizes touchpoints, alignments, and problems