Go or no-go decision criteria: turning a score into a decision

What does a go or no-go decision test add to a score?

A go/no-go test is a two-step verification that uses two boundary conditions, a binary classification, and it gives no information about the degree of conformance (en.wikipedia.org, Go/no go). The test answers a single question quickly. A project either clears the line or it does not, and the answer is easy to communicate to a board.

A score supplies the degree that the binary test leaves out. Two projects can both pass a gate, and a score of 0.9 tells a different story from a score of 0.63. Combining the two gives a committee a fast verdict and a measure of how comfortable the margin is. The criteria below show how to set up that combination.

Which hard gates belong in a go or no-go decision?

A hard gate is a condition that must hold whatever the score says. Typical gates include legal permission to operate, funding that covers the first 12 months, and a named owner for the decision. Each gate has a yes or no answer, a source, and a date. If a gate is closed, the decision waits until it opens, and the score is a second step.

Keep the list short, between 3 and 5 gates. A long list turns every decision into a checklist and hides the real trade-offs. Choose gates that a single document can prove: a licence, a signed term sheet, a board minute. A gate that needs a judgement belongs in the scored dimensions, where it can be rated and discussed.

How does a score threshold become a go or no-go line?

Published lines give the score its meaning. The EQOS Asia method page places the STOP zone below 0.618 and the OK zone above it, and it states that a master equation value of Λ at 1.0 or above marks a viable system (EQOS Asia method page, as of October 2026). The case studies add a critical threshold at 0.3, below which the guidance is to realign before acting (EQOS Asia case study pages, as of October 2026).

These lines support a simple decision rule, shown in the table as an illustration built on the published thresholds. A score below 0.3 calls for a no-go until the fundamentals are repaired. A score between 0.3 and 0.618 calls for a conditional go. A score at 0.618 or above calls for a go with a plan to sustain it. The rule is a convention, and the executive owns the final call.

What is a conditional go in a decision?

A conditional go approves a decision on the basis that named conditions are met by named dates. It suits a score that sits close to the line, or a profile that is strong overall with one weak dimension. The approval has value because it is specific: the team knows what must change, and the sponsor knows when the next review takes place.

The WeWork back-test on the EQOS Asia site shows the format. In its counterfactual, a φ(S) of 0.309 moves the system out of the critical zone, and an investment becomes conditional, with quarterly monitoring of integrity, communication and stability (EQOS Asia WeWork case study, as of October 2026). The page lists 4 conditions, each tied to a target for a dimension.

What 5 parts make a go or no-go condition trackable?

Write each condition with five parts: the dimension, the current rating, the target rating, the owner and the date of review. The WeWork page gives the pattern with targets such as integrity from 0.12 to 0.45 and transparency from 0.08 to 0.40 (EQOS Asia WeWork case study, as of October 2026). A condition with a number and a date can be checked, and a condition without them drifts.

Limit the list to the 3 or 4 conditions that move the score most. Each condition should map to a lever the owner controls. At the review date, re-rate the dimensions with the same anchors as before and recompute. If the targets are met, the conditional go becomes a go. If they are missed, the committee holds a second discussion with fresh evidence.

Who signs the final go or no-go decision?

The executive owns the call. The score documents the basis of the decision, so a team can say why it proceeds, pauses or reshapes a project. A decision recorded with its score, its gates and its conditions can be reviewed a year later by someone who was not in the room, and that record is itself a benefit of using criteria.

Name one person, not a committee, as the owner of each condition, and one date for the next review. Record dissent too: if a board member rates a dimension differently, write both ratings. When the outcome is known, compare it with the record. Over a few cycles, the team learns which gates and thresholds predict well in its own setting.

How can you apply go or no-go criteria to a real decision?

Rate your 9 dimensions in the public Λ simulator, read the structural value that the simulator calls the reference value to decide, and compare it with the lines above (EQOS Asia simulator page, as of October 2026). Then write your 3 to 5 gates and, for a conditional go, your conditions with targets and dates.

A 30-minute pre-diagnostic by video, scheduled in Singapore time (SGT), applies the EQOS Asia equation to a real case at no commitment, and a systematic NDA protects what you share (EQOS Asia contact page, as of October 2026). The pricing page lists the tiers for a fuller study, from a Reading at US$358 to a Mapping at US$22,976 (EQOS Asia pricing page, as of October 2026).

Frequently asked questions

About the author

Stéphane Jambu

President, EQOS Forecast Asia

Stéphane Jambu leads EQOS Forecast Asia and works as a consultant in e-commerce, search visibility, and AI. LinkedIn profile