Milestones

Release milestones are dated checkpoints attached to a project. Each has a name, due date, owner, status and notes. The Delivery Lead can use them to discuss whether the project is meeting its schedule, while the Project Manager checks the tasks and issues behind each checkpoint. A milestone is a concise commitment rather than a substitute for the work plan.

• Project link. Every milestone belongs to a project, so its due date can be read beside the project’s end date.
• Owner and notes. A named owner can record the context for a pending, met or missed checkpoint.
• Status. Pending, Met and Missed show what happened against the date.

Define what counts as a checkpoint in the project. For a release effort, it may be a delivery review or a planned handoff date. Give each checkpoint an owner who can confirm the outcome. Set due dates only when the team has agreed the sequence of work. If multiple tasks affect the same checkpoint, use the package and task records to explain progress instead of stuffing the milestone name with detailed scope.

Agree who changes Pending to Met and what evidence they inspect first. A missed checkpoint should be marked Missed and discussed with the project owner. Notes can capture the decision and next action; a formal approval belongs in review decisions when a reviewer decides on a delivery subject. The milestone status does not itself identify who approved a deliverable.

Create a milestone for a planned release review and attach it to an active project. Assign an owner and due date. Add the work package and tasks that must be finished before that review. In Pending Milestones, check that the owner can find it in time to prepare. When a task is blocked, open Blocked Tasks and the associated issue or risk to understand the effect on the date.

If the date passes before the team completes the work, mark the checkpoint Missed and note the next action. It should then appear in Release Milestones At Risk. The Delivery Lead can inspect the project, the owner and the underlying task state before changing the project’s status to at risk. When a later checkpoint is actually completed, mark that milestone Met. Rehearse both paths so the team uses milestone status as a factual outcome.

• Pending Milestones — Owners find dated checkpoints still waiting for an outcome.
• Release Milestones At Risk — Delivery leads inspect missed checkpoints by project and owner.
• Project Schedule — Managers compare checkpoint timing with the wider project window.

Follow delivery control for schedule exceptions and delivery review for decisions.