Operational Readiness Review
An operational readiness review (ORR) is the formal checkpoint at which management confirms — on evidence — that a venture may begin operating. Activities can run in parallel throughout implementation; the review gate cannot be bypassed.
What the review examines
The review verifies that all mandatory gate criteria are closed with reviewed evidence, that the overall weighted readiness score meets the threshold, that residual risks are named and accepted, and that every remaining open point has an owner, a deadline and required close-out evidence.
Best practice adds an end-to-end operational simulation shortly before the review — a full rehearsal of admission, operation, incident and reporting processes — so the decision rests on demonstrated capability rather than plans.
The recorded decision
The review ends with a signed decision: GO, CONDITIONAL GO with named conditions and dates, or NO-GO with a recovery plan. Recording the decision and its evidence basis protects both the launch and the decision-makers.