The method
Discussion informs. Evidence verifies.
Discussion informs the assessment; a controlled document, record, demonstration or physical inspection verifies it. An unavailable document remains an unverified finding.
The evidence-to-decision sequence
Every readiness criterion runs through the same five steps — developed and proven in real institutional launches.
1. Understand
Define the criterion and why it matters for operating safely at launch.
2. Review
Review the current finding and the gap against the minimum condition.
3. Validate
Confirm the facts with the responsible actor — not with the reporting chain.
4. Evidence
Inspect documents, records, systems or facilities. Claims without evidence stay unverified.
5. Decide
Classify readiness and agree actions, owner and deadline for every open point.
Claimed vs. proven readiness
A positive status alone is never sufficient. IORS tracks a readiness status and an evidence status separately, so the gap between what is claimed and what is proven stays visible — and a criterion can only be Verified once its evidence has actually been reviewed. Read more →
Gate logic
Certain criteria are mandatory gates: launch conditions that cannot be bypassed. A project can reach a high overall score and still not be allowed to start — because a single central safety, financing, staffing or approval precondition is missing. Read more →
The decision rule
GO requires two things at once: every mandatory gate criterion is Verified (or formally Not Applicable) AND the overall weighted readiness score meets the project threshold (default 80%). If only one of the two holds, the decision is CONDITIONAL GO. If neither holds, it is NO-GO. A single open gate blocks GO regardless of how high the score is.
Each criterion contributes its weight × a status score: Verified = 1.0, Conditional = 0.5, In Progress = 0.25, Not Started = 0. Not Applicable criteria are excluded entirely. The weighted average across all criteria gives the readiness score.