The standard · IDEA v3
The seven operational gates
In operation, IDEA is expressed as seven gates, numbered 0 to 6. They are the schedule an independent Assayer works to, and what the Register records gate by gate for each engagement. The seven map onto the four conceptual gates without remainder — the two are never conflated.
The seven operational gates
- Gate 0 Specification
Engagement & scope
Establishes the engagement: the parties, the system in scope, the case population it will act on, and the terms under which it is put forward for assessment.
- Gate 1 Specification
Specification of intent
Fixes the success criteria as measurable thresholds, together with the cases the system must refuse or escalate. Nothing measured later may be agreed after this point.
- Gate 2 Implementation
Data & build fitness
Tests the provenance, permission, and representativeness of the data the system was built on, and records known gaps.
- Gate 3 Implementation
Governance & control
Confirms change control, access control, version records for model and data, and a named owner accountable for the system.
- Gate 4 Test & Acceptance
Independent test
Measures the system against the Specification thresholds on a held-out evaluation, assembled or reviewed by the Assayer. This is the gate most often returned for correction.
- Gate 5 Test & Acceptance
Acceptance
Records the formal result against each threshold — met or not met, on first submission or after resubmission — and the Assayer’s determination to proceed.
- Gate 6 Operation
Operation & monitoring
Confirms monitoring for drift and degradation, alert and withdrawal thresholds, and the route by which the engagement returns for re-assessment when it materially changes.
Gate 0 establishes the engagement and its scope; the gates then map upward to Operation. An engagement does not advance to a gate until the gate before it has passed.
Mapped onto the four conceptual gates
Four conceptual gates, seven operational
The four conceptual gates of IDEA are the public frame; the seven operational gates are their working expression. They reconcile as follows.
| Conceptual gate | Operational gates |
|---|---|
| 1 Specification | Gates 0–1 |
| 2 Implementation | Gates 2–3 |
| 3 Test & Acceptance | Gates 4–5 |
| 4 Operation | Gate 6 |
How the Register records the gates
The gate record is public
The gate schedule is published, not internal procedure. Each engagement on the Register carries its full gate record: for every gate, whether it passed, the date it passed, and whether it passed on first submission or after the work was returned for correction. A resubmission, where one occurs, most often lands at the independent test at Gate 4.
A reader can therefore see not only that an engagement was Hallmarked but how: on first submission, or after correction. The record is permanent.