Defining the Role of Milestones in Project Management
Project milestones are reliable scheduling tools that assist in preventing projects from going over budget, keeping them on track, and delivering on time. When you add milestones to your timeline, you can catch issues earlier and take the appropriate course of action to reach better results.
In this post, we define the role and the power of milestones.
What are milestones in project management?
A milestone is a tool for tracking the project progress and measuring the performance of teams. It could be the start or end of a project. Or it could note the completion of an important phase.
Here we share some essential facts about the importance of these checkpoints in project management, their benefits, and some examples of typical milestones. You will also learn how to determine milestones using online management software. So here we go.
The key goal of a milestone is to showcase how things go and determine whether they go as it was scheduled. They are called Gantt chart milestones when you apply them on Gantt charts. Using them, teams can easily estimate how long certain project phases should take.
What can we set as a milestone?
- Critical deadlines.
- Important internal dates (any meeting or the start date of the entire project).
- External events and dates.
- Sign-offs.
How do we define milestones?
Before scheduling your timeline, make sure you understand where your milestones will be. Estimate their completion date and compare it with the actual end date.
At this stage, it is crucial to recognize the difference between milestones, goals, and objectives.
Milestones or tasks?
Any project includes tasks that require some time to complete. Milestones are about moments that indicate forward progress.
Milestones or goals?
Anything you want to achieve in the future is a goal. For example, the goal of your business is to build a new grocery store. The route to reaching that goal will include several tasks, split into milestones. The milestone is a checkmark between one stage and the next that does not have a time duration.
Milestones or deliverables?
Project tasks result in deliverables. If you manage a grocery store, a deliverable might be to make a new order. A milestone marks the completion of that as the event to celebrate the achievement.
What is the importance of milestones in project management?
- They let us know the deadlines.
- They assist in identifying bottlenecks.
- They contribute to creating a straightforward plan.
What is an example of a milestone in project management?
A pretty simple example of a milestone in project management is a product launch.
We usually break up project phases by critical events — for example, final design approval for the product. These checkpoints help to mark all stages of the project life cycle, from its initiation to closure.
Here are some more examples from various industries:
- The start and end dates for project phases.
- Key meetings or events.
- Getting approval from a stakeholder who will let you move to the next stage.
Creating milestones with a project management tool
How do you create and use milestones in your project?
The most reliable way to do it is to apply a powerful software system.GanttPRO is one of the great solutions to set Gantt chart milestones.
But before outlining these checkpoints, you will have to go through some initial stages in creating your project. Here are these stages.
Defining a goal
Goals and objectives are obligatory for any project. The well-defined objectives will show you how you’ll be able to accomplish the goal.
Creating a project
GanttPRO allows creating a project in a couple of seconds. Just follow the Create a new project page and enter all the fields required.
Structuring the project with tasks and subtasks
Splitting your project into tasks and subtasks will allow you to organize all the things and make your project easy to track. Such tools as GanttPRO assist you in splitting any massive project into smaller parts.
What you need next is to click Add task/subtask on your timeline and set all the parameters required.
Mapping milestones on Gantt charts
Now you can set all tasks and group them according to project phases. Add critical tasks and the tasks that need approval. Then map milestones. in GanttPRO, you can actually do it in two ways.
1) Click on three points on the right of the task setting line and choose Add sibling milestone or Add child milestone.
2) Or click directly the Add a milestone button.
Name your Gantt chart milestones if needed, drag them and change their date. You can also set dependencies with tasks and milestones. Just drag the dependency line to the task and the milestone you want to link it to.
Inviting people
Friendly task settings will help you to invite people who are already part of your project and assign any task you want.
Exporting projects with milestones
Using the online Gantt chart generator, you can also export your projects with all tasks, milestones, and dependencies.
Read more about a milestone planner https://ganttpro.com/milestone-software/.
Final thoughts
The role of milestones in management should not be underestimated. These checkpoints define your project’s success.
Milestones help to track project progress and keep all team members focused on their overall goals.
Make sure your project is well-structured and organized to get the most out of your milestones. Build online charts to plan and schedule your work with ease, using a powerful Gantt chart maker.
Feel free to get more facts about milestones here: What is a Milestone in Project Management? https://blog.ganttpro.com/en/project-milestone-planning-tips-and-tricks/.
