Intro to Milestones

Video Placeholder Duration: 4-5 minutes Topics covered: What are milestones, creating milestones, linking work, tracking progress

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What are Milestones?

Milestones are key dates or deliverables that mark significant points in your project. They help teams align work items and epics toward shared completion dates, providing visibility into progress toward strategic goals.

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When to Use Milestones

Milestones are perfect for:

• Product launches — "MVP Release"
• Quarterly objectives — "Q2 Goals"
• External deadlines — "Client Demo"
• Release dates — "Version 2.0"
• Key checkpoints — "Design Approval"

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Milestones vs Other Features

Feature	Purpose
Milestones	Key dates/deliverables to hit
Cycles	Time-boxed work periods
Epics	Large work containers
Due Dates	Individual task deadlines

Milestones complement these by marking important checkpoints.

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Enabling Milestones

Milestones are a Pro-tier feature:

1. Go to Project Settings
2. Navigate to Features
3. Toggle Milestones on

Once enabled, Milestones appear in the project Overview page.

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Creating a Milestone

Access Milestones

1. Go to your project's Overview page
2. Find the Milestones section
3. Click Add Milestone or New Milestone

Milestone Details

Field	Description
Title	Name like "Q4 Launch" or "MVP Release"
Description	Context about what this milestone represents
Target Date	The date this milestone should be completed

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Linking Work to Milestones

Connect Work Items

1. Open the Milestone
2. Click Link Work
3. Select work items to include

From Work Items

1. Open any work item
2. Find the Milestone property
3. Select the target milestone

Connect Epics

Milestones can also include Epics:

1. Open the Milestone
2. Click Link Epic
3. Select Epics that contribute to this milestone

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Tracking Progress

Completion Percentage

Milestones show progress based on linked items:

MVP Release - March 15
[████████████░░░░░░░░] 60%
Completed: 12  |  In Progress: 5  |  Remaining: 3

Visual Indicators

Indicator	Meaning
🟢 On track	Progress aligned with timeline
🟡 Approaching	Deadline coming soon
🔴 Overdue	Past target date

Target Date Tracking

See at a glance:

• Days until milestone
• Current completion rate
• Projected completion

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Milestone Management

Edit Milestones

1. Find the milestone in Overview
2. Click Options (⋯)
3. Select Edit
4. Modify details and save

Update Linked Work

As work progresses:

• Add new items as scope clarifies
• Remove items that are descoped
• View what's blocking completion

Review Metrics

Check milestone health:

• Are linked items progressing?
• Is the target date realistic?
• What needs attention?

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Milestone Best Practices

Clear Definition

Each milestone should have:

• Specific deliverable or state
• Measurable completion criteria
• Meaningful name

Realistic Dates

Set achievable targets:

• Consider team capacity
• Account for dependencies
• Build in buffer for unknowns

Regular Review

Check milestones regularly:

• Weekly for near-term milestones
• Monthly for longer-term goals
• Adjust if circumstances change

Not Too Many

Avoid milestone overload:

• Focus on truly significant dates
• 3-5 milestones per quarter is typical
• Too many dilutes their importance

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Milestones in Practice

Product Release

Milestone: Version 2.0 Release
Target: March 31

Linked Work:
├── Epic: New Dashboard
│   ├── [Done] Design mockups
│   ├── [In Progress] Frontend build
│   └── [Todo] User testing
├── Epic: Performance Improvements
│   └── [Done] Database optimization
└── Work Items:
    ├── [Done] Update documentation
    └── [In Progress] Release notes

Quarterly Goal

Milestone: Q1 Growth Targets
Target: March 31

Linked Work:
├── Epic: Onboarding Redesign
├── Epic: Referral Program
└── Epic: Mobile App Launch

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Key Takeaways

• Milestones mark key dates and deliverables
• Enable in Project Settings → Features (Pro tier)
• Link work items and Epics to milestones
• Track completion percentage automatically
• Visual indicators show on-track/at-risk status
• Use for launches, releases, and quarterly goals
• Keep milestones meaningful — quality over quantity

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Next Steps

Organize work by team instead of project with Teamspaces.

Next Lesson: Intro to Teamspaces