What are they?

A milestone is an important achievement in a project.

It enables those less familar with the actual tasks involved to be kept informed of the Project progress.

Milestones are placed within the Project Plan / Schedule and agreed before implementation starts.

They are measurable and observable and serve as progress markers so must be defined accurately, clearly and without ambiguity. They are promises to deliver.

There could be thousands in a large project so only a few very key milestones are selected and the rest are managed as high level tasks.

In a large project a milestone every couple of months may be ideal compared to a smaller project where weekly milestones may well be more appropriate.

Why are they important?

• At a glance you see those reached and those still to complete.
• If they are date dependant it can track progress against the project end date.
• Succesful completion of each milestone can trigger certain conditions such as payment, phase completion or an action such as ordering new hardware.
• Manages expectations for busy clients with as little information as possible to keep them informed of progress.
• They determine whether costs to date are expected. If not a fixed price contract then any new costs will need to be analysed and agreed to.
• They ensure the project is still on schedule.
• They are tangible.