The short answer
A go no go decision template is a one-page record that lists the criteria a venture must meet, the evidence for each criterion, and the decision: go, conditional go or stop. This page gives you a complete template with five dimensions, binary criteria, decision rules and a signed decision record, plus a worked example and the mistakes that make gate reviews fail.
Download the Go/No-Go Template (Excel). It counts your results and suggests an outcome.
What is a go/no-go decision template?
A go/no-go decision template is a standard form used at a gate review. It forces a team to say, before the meeting, what must be true for a project to continue, and then to show evidence for each point. The reviewers score every criterion as met or not met and record one decision.
The phrase is used in several settings. Sales teams use it to decide whether to bid for a tender. Product teams use it between the stages of a stage-gate process. Corporate venture teams use it to decide whether a new venture earns the next round of funding. The structure is the same in all three, but the criteria are different, which is why a generic template often fails. This page is written for the third case. If you are deciding whether to build and fund a new business, use the venture version below.
Table 1. The same decision, three settings. Sources: Rocket (bid/no-bid), Asana (stage-gate), TURN8 (venture gates).
Why use a template at all?
Without a fixed form, gate reviews drift. Three things happen again and again: the criteria change depending on who is in the room, the team shows only the evidence that supports a yes, and a hold decision turns into months of unclear status. A template does not make the decision for you. It makes the decision comparable from one review to the next and makes it hard to reverse quietly afterwards.
There is also a reason to put customer evidence first. A widely quoted analysis of 101 startup post-mortems by CB Insights found that 42% of the failed companies named “no market need” as a reason, ahead of running out of cash (29%) and not having the right team (23%). The sample is small and the data dates from 2017, so treat the exact figures with care, but the pattern is consistent with what gate reviews should test first: is there proof that customers want this?
The go/no-go decision template
The template has four parts. Copy each table into your own document, or use the Excel scorecard above, which counts the results and suggests the outcome for you.
Part 1. Decision header
Part 2. Criteria scorecard
Set the criteria across five dimensions. Each criterion must be binary: met or not met. Replace the example thresholds with your own, and agree them before the evidence is collected.
Table 2. Scorecard with example thresholds. The five dimensions follow the TURN8 phase-gate method; the numbers are examples, not rules.
Mark the criteria that cannot be waived as must-meet. In the Excel scorecard, an unmet must-meet criterion stops the sheet from suggesting a plain conditional go, so the panel has to agree a dated fix or stop.
Download the Go/No-Go Template (Excel) to score your own venture. The workbook has the same five dimensions and a worked example.
Part 3. Decision rules
Table 3. Three outcomes. This gate has no open-ended “pause”; pause without a deadline usually becomes permanent drift. A conditional go gives the same breathing room with dates attached.
Part 4. Signed decision record
The decision record is the one document that closes the gate. It states the outcome, lists the scorecard result, records any conditions with dates, and carries the signatures of the decision-makers. Share it with everyone involved within 48 hours of the review. A decision that is not written and shared can be reopened by whoever lobbies hardest.
How to run the review: step by step
- Set the criteria at least two weeks before the review. Hold a short session with the decision-makers only, without the venture team, and agree every threshold in writing.
- Make every criterion binary. Avoid phrases like “strong team” or “exciting market”. If you cannot measure it, it does not belong on the scorecard.
- Compile one evidence package. For each criterion, link the exact document that proves it, for example “15+ interviews: interview log, tab 1, 18 interviews across three segments”.
- Present the evidence for about 40 minutes, then take questions for about 30. No decisions are made in this part. The facilitator makes sure every criterion is covered.
- Deliberate in private for about 20 minutes. The venture team leaves the room. The decision-makers fill in the scorecard and apply the decision rules.
- Sign the decision record and share it within 48 hours. Include conditions, owners and dates, or the reasons for stopping.
The timings above come from the TURN8 framework for Phase Two reviews. Adjust them to the size of the decision, but keep the order: criteria first, evidence second, discussion third, decision last. For the full method, read the go/no-go decision framework guide.
Worked example: a logistics venture reaches its gate
This is an illustrative example, not a real client. A regional logistics group has spent a phase validating a freight-matching platform. The decision-makers agreed the criteria below in advance. The team presents its evidence and the panel scores each line.
Table 4. Ten of twelve criteria met.
Decision: conditional go. Two gaps remain and both can be closed. The record sets three conditions: secure a written commitment from a third buyer within 60 days, present a pricing or cost plan that reaches a 35% gross margin within 60 days, and release the capital in two tranches, with the second tranche released only when both conditions are met. If either condition is missed, the venture moves to a stop review.
Facing a decision like this one? Discuss a Mandate.
Adapting the template to other decisions
Table 5. Keep the five-part structure and change the criteria. Bid criteria follow RocketDocs.
Five mistakes that make go/no-go reviews fail
Table 6. In many GCC organisations, hierarchy can also lead junior team members to hold back negative data, so ask for it explicitly.
Where this template fits in the venture process
TURN8 runs ventures in four phases: Discovery and Thesis, Validation and Design, Build and Launch, and Scale and Optimize. A gate review closes each phase. The template on this page is built for the gate at the end of Validation and Design, where the question is whether to spend real build money. Earlier gates use fewer criteria and lighter evidence. Read how TURN8 runs go, hold and stop decisions in the first phase and see the full TURN8 method.
Need an independent view on a go/no-go decision?
If your corporate is deciding whether to fund a new venture, TURN8 can facilitate the gate review and prepare the evidence package. Request a Private Briefing
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a go/no-go decision?
A go/no-go decision is a formal checkpoint where decision-makers review evidence against agreed criteria and decide whether a project, bid or venture continues. In venture work the outcome is usually go, conditional go or stop.
What should a go/no-go decision template include?
A good template includes a decision header, a scorecard of binary criteria grouped into dimensions, the evidence required for each criterion, clear decision rules, and a signed decision record with conditions, owners and dates.
What is the difference between go/no-go and go/hold/stop?
Go/no-go has two outcomes, while go/hold/stop adds a pause. The TURN8 Phase Two gate uses go, conditional go or stop, because a hold without a deadline usually turns into permanent drift. A conditional go keeps the benefit of a pause but sets conditions and dates.
Who should make the go/no-go decision?
The decision should be made by senior people with authority over the funding, who agreed the criteria beforehand. The venture team presents evidence and answers questions, then leaves the room while the decision-makers deliberate.
How long should a go/no-go meeting take?
For a venture phase gate, plan about 90 minutes: around 40 minutes for the evidence presentation, 30 minutes for questions, and 20 minutes of private deliberation. Smaller decisions can be shorter, but the order should stay the same.
Should go/no-go criteria be scored or binary?
Binary criteria are easier to defend. Each criterion is either met or not met, which avoids debate about what a score of 6 or 7 means. Use a scored model only where the criteria cannot be measured in a yes or no way.
Important information
This article is general information about corporate venture building and is not financial, investment, legal or tax advice. Figures are taken from the sources listed below and were checked in October 2026; they may change. Examples and thresholds are illustrative unless stated. Past results do not predict future performance.
Sources
- TURN8, How to Design and Run a Go or No-Go Decision Framework(phase gate method, five dimensions, timings, 48-hour rule).
- TURN8, How to Run Go, Hold, Stop Decisions Without False Certainty
- RocketDocs, Go/No-Go Decision (glossary)(bid/no-bid criteria and decision-makers).
- Asana, Stage Gate Process: Phases, Gates and Templates(stage-gate model introduced by Robert Cooper in 1988; go, kill, hold and recycle outcomes).
- LaunchRock, Why Startups Fail(summary of the CB Insights analysis of 101 startup post-mortems).
Partner · TURN8
Ahmed Hassan is a Partner at TURN8, the venture operating partner for GCC corporates and sovereign-linked institutions. He leads the firm’s corporate venture offerings, the venture studios, accelerators, and CVC platforms. TURN8 builds and runs for its partners, and owns go-to-market across every engagement.