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Checkpoint Gates v4

This page defines the v4 plan execution gates to avoid studying without evidence.

Approval rules​

  • A gate is considered green only if published, verifiable evidence exists.
  • If a gate is yellow, a 2-week recovery plan is activated.
  • If a gate is red, new certification work pauses and the deliverable backlog is recovered first.

Weekly operational tracking: Weekly Tracker v4

Gate CP1 (Week 4)​

Objective: Technical foundation + positioning ready to execute the portfolio.

Minimum checklist:

  • AI-103 readiness documented by domain (gaps and closure plan).
  • CV and LinkedIn with quantified achievements.
  • Initial outreach executed (minimum 4 relevant contacts).
  • Initial work repository in publishable state.

Gate CP2 (Week 12)​

Objective: Strong technical evidence of execution.

Minimum checklist:

  • 3 public projects with professional README files.
  • At least 1 reproducible benchmark (evaluation, quality, or cost).
  • At least 1 published technical write-up.
  • Technical narrative prepared for architecture whiteboard.

Gate CP3 (Week 16)​

Objective: Enterprise architecture and security credibility.

Minimum checklist:

  • AZ-305 completed or scheduled with a firm date.
  • Security decision gate executed (SC-500 or SC-900) and evidence of progress.
  • 1 published AI security artifact (checklist, threat model, or red-team report).

Gate CP4 (Week 21)​

Objective: Market visibility + value narrative.

Minimum checklist:

  • 3 technical pieces published (comparison, benchmark, or applied case).
  • Value realization framework with documented KPI tree.
  • Active networking with weekly follow-up (conversations and referrals).

Gate CP5 (Week 26)​

Objective: Interview pipeline in execution.

Minimum checklist:

  • Interview package ready: executive story, technical deep dive, and postmortem.
  • Applications and referrals underway with tracking.
  • At least 2 loops advancing to final stages.

Suggested operational KPIs (weekly)​

  • Real execution hours: 7-9 h/week.
  • Published deliverables: 1 every 2 weeks.
  • Networking: 2 conversations per week.
  • Portfolio technical debt: 0 critical items open for more than 2 weeks.

Recovery protocol (if a gate fails)​

  1. Freeze new courses/certs for 1-2 weeks.
  2. Close pending deliverables with high priority.
  3. Publish minimum evidence for the at-risk gate.
  4. Reopen the roadmap only when the gate returns to yellow or green.