Three review gates that do not murder momentum

Publishing Systems cohorts fight the same ghost: informal approvals. We separate craft (looks and sound), brand (voice and claims), and legal (risk). Each gate has a timebox and an owner.

Craft can be messy and chatty. Brand should be concise and documented. Legal needs lead time—never a surprise drop. When gates stack on top of each other, you get whiplash; when they are serial with buffers, teams stay civil.

Document what “done” means per gate. A vague “approved” is how mistakes return as memes. A signed checklist with timestamps is boring and protective.

Iterate the gates quarterly. Tools change, platforms panic-update features, and your gatekeepers deserve realistic workloads.