How gate questions work

Gate questions are the entry point for assessing a capability. Before Forest asks how well you perform a function, it asks whether the function exists at all. That sequence keeps maturity scores grounded in reality.

Why the gate comes first

Maturity describes the quality of a practice you actually run. It makes no sense to rate the maturity of a process that is not in place. The gate question settles that first. If the capability exists, the assessment continues into the maturity detail. If it does not, the path ends early and the result reflects the absence.

This is why two organizations can answer the same set of questions and land at very different scores. One has the practice and can describe how disciplined it is. The other does not, and the gate captures that honestly.

What a gate answer means

Gate answers are not just yes or no. An answer can be affirmative, negative, or unknown, and each carries weight in how the capability is scored.

• A clear affirmative opens the path to a maturity rating above the floor.

• A negative or unknown holds the capability at the low end until you can confirm otherwise.

Because the Forest Intelligence Service is deterministic, the same gate answers always produce the same scoring effect. Nothing is estimated or guessed.

For what happens specifically when you answer No or Unknown, see Why a No or Unknown affects maturity.