I Heart Milestones

Milestones do a LOT.

Milestones are not just markers of achievement - they are practical tools for pacing the project, structuring delivery, and ensuring that each phase is completed to the required standard before moving on. This approach helps keep the project on track, supports better planning, and increases the likelihood of successful delivery.

Here’s why I love them.

Milestones Break A project into manageable phases

By defining milestones at key transition points (e.g., “Complete project setup”, “Begin build phase”, “Begin testing phase”, “Begin phased Go-live”), you divide the overall delivery into clear, sequential stages. This helps the team focus on immediate objectives without being overwhelmed by the entire project at once.

Milestones reduce risk and allow for course correction.

By spacing out delivery, you can identify issues early at each milestone, make adjustments, and avoid compounding problems later in the project.

Milestones create natural checkpoints.

Each milestone acts as a checkpoint where progress is reviewed, decisions are made, and readiness for the next phase is confirmed. This ensures that work is not rushed and that quality is maintained before moving forward.

Milestones enable staged delivery and resource planning.

Milestones allow you to plan resources and activities in waves, rather than all at once. For example, you might only need your testing team after the “Begin testing phase” milestone, so you can schedule their involvement accordingly.

Milestones support communication and stakeholder engagement.

Milestones provide clear points for reporting progress to stakeholders, celebrating achievements, and managing expectations about when key outcomes will be delivered. They are also often logical places around which to plan other project communications like change comms, announcements or training.