What makes a good milestone
- It's a moment, not work. "Beta live" is a milestone. "Build the beta" is a task.
- Anyone can tell if it happened. "Contract signed" is clear. "Good progress on design" isn't.
- It matters to someone outside the team. A client, a launch date, a board meeting.
- There are only a few. 1 every week or two is plenty. If everything is a milestone, nothing is.
Milestones, tasks and deliverables
- A task is work someone does: "write the onboarding emails".
- A deliverable is something produced: "the onboarding email sequence".
- A milestone is the point it's done or approved: "onboarding emails approved".
Examples
Software release
- Scope agreed
- Feature complete
- Beta live
- Release candidate signed off
- Released
Website redesign
- Sitemap and content plan approved
- Designs signed off
- Content loaded
- Site live
Marketing campaign
- Brief approved
- Creative signed off
- Campaign live
- Results reviewed
Event
- Venue booked
- Save the date sent
- Final numbers to the caterer
- Event day
Hiring a role
- Job description approved
- Shortlist agreed
- Offer accepted
- First day
Product launch
- Pricing decided
- Launch page live
- Launch day
- First 100 customers
How to set milestones
- Start from the end. What's the date that can't move? Work back from it.
- Mark the decisions. Approvals and sign-offs are where projects stall, so make them visible.
- Put a date on each. A milestone without a date is a wish.
- Review them weekly. When a milestone slips, say so early and move the ones after it.
Milestones in craaft
Every craaft board has dated milestones, shown beside the board with today marked between them, so anyone can see how far it is to the next one. Tick a milestone off when you reach it.
The cards on the board are the tasks; the milestones are the moments they lead to. The product roadmap template and event planning template both lean on milestones for the dates that matter.
Questions
What is a project milestone?
A point in a project that marks something meaningful is done or decided, such as a beta launch or a signed contract. It has a date but no duration.
How many milestones should a project have?
Usually 1 every week or two of the project, and rarely more than 10. Enough to show progress, few enough that each one matters.
What's the difference between a milestone and a deliverable?
A deliverable is something produced, like a design. A milestone is the moment it's done or approved, like designs signed off.
Do milestones need a Gantt chart?
No. A list of dated milestones beside the board shows where the project stands. craaft doesn't draw Gantt charts.