Milestones make it easier to manage project progress. In addition, milestones can be used regardless of the type of business, and milestones are increasingly used in projects with long periods or processes that require a lot of man-hours.
In this article, we will explain the meaning of milestone, how it differs from similar words, and usage examples and precautions for each genre. If you want to learn about project management methods and how to write milestones, please refer to this article.
What does milestone mean?
Milestones are indicators for managing the intermediate points and progress of projects, tasks, and tasks. Originally, stones used to mark distances were called milestones to mark intermediate points along railroads and roads.
Changing from the above meaning, the word has come to be used to refer to a point that marks a break in a series of tasks or things.
What is a milestone in business?
Nowadays, the original meaning of milestone has been lost, and it has become a term often used in business settings to manage progress.
Progress management is important for medium- to long-term projects and work that requires a lot of man-hours, so by using milestones in the project process and work process, it becomes easier to aim for goal achievement.
Milestone is a word that is widely used in various industries and industries, so it is worth remembering.
Especially for those responsible for project progress management, active use of milestones is useful for sharing and understanding progress. Additionally, a term called “milestone payment” has come to be used to refer to a form of payment for each work process.
What is the difference between milestone and schedule?
While a schedule refers to an entire project or a fixed period of time during which a task or work is to be carried out, a milestone has a strong meaning as a break between work or tasks.
The schedule is only a guideline for the period and dates in which the work will be carried out. Milestones, on the other hand, are used to separate consecutive, related tasks.
Milestones are used as a means of progress management to avoid delays in schedules such as delivery dates and releases.
What is the difference between milestone and task?
Milestones are indicators placed in the process of achieving a goal, so they are used differently from tasks that refer to specific tasks.
[Example in making curry]
● Task: Refers to each task such as “washing vegetables,” “cutting ingredients,” “sharpening rice,” “frying ingredients,” “simmering ingredients,” etc.
● Milestone: Refers to an intermediate goal, such as “gathering the ingredients,” “adding the roux and simmering it,” and “cooking the rice.”
Milestones are often set at points that mark the end of several tasks. Milestones may be set for each task, but in medium- to long-term projects, multiple tasks are often combined into a single milestone.
Be sure to identify each task one by one, as missing any tasks may prevent you from achieving your milestones on time.
Milestone usage examples
Milestones are highly versatile indicators, so they can be used in a wide range of fields regardless of industry or occupation. This article introduces the following cases.
I will explain each in turn.
Examples of website production
The following are examples of milestones in website production.
The above is the general flow of website creation. You may set milestones for each step, or you may subdivide the steps and place milestones for each task.
If the work is divided into tasks, some tasks can be done in parallel, but if the work involves many steps or has a fixed release date, setting milestones will make it easier to keep things on schedule.
The larger the project, the more people will be involved and the number of days involved, so it is important to use project management tools to carefully determine milestones.
Examples in system development
The following are examples of milestones in system development.
Depending on the scale and content of the development, most system development projects last from a few months to two or three years, and the longer the period, the more difficult it is to manage progress.
In addition, there are many processes in which you cannot move on to the next task until one task is completed, so it is necessary to accurately manage progress within the schedule.
Therefore, in the case of system development, it is necessary to accurately set milestones and frequently manage progress. Because there are many detailed tasks, there are many cases where many milestones are set, but if you set too many milestones, it becomes difficult to manage progress.
Talk with the person in charge of the work and set appropriate milestones with plenty of time in your schedule.
Example of use at service launch
Examples of milestones in service launches include:
When launching a service, it is important to build an MVP and continuously monitor and improve it using a model service.
Since we need to finalize the service before release, we need to monitor it in plenty of time until we see satisfactory results. The results of monitoring investigations need to be reflected in the service, so be sure to set milestones with plenty of time in your schedule so that you can repeat monitoring and conduct thorough analysis.
Correct way to write milestones
The flow of writing milestones is as follows.
1. Create a Gantt chart
2. Set milestones
I will explain each in detail.
Creating a Gantt chart
A Gantt chart is a horizontal axis chart that divides a project or work process into tasks, and allocates the approximate schedule and task personnel.
By creating a Gantt chart, you can visualize the schedule and progress of the entire project or process.
Gantt charts are often used to manage progress, especially in projects such as system development that have a long period and require a lot of man-hours.
Another benefit is that it is easy to set milestones because each task is divided into sections.
Gantt charts are distributed free of charge as Excel templates, and can be easily created by simply entering the necessary items using a Gantt chart creation tool or app.
Milestone settings
After creating a Gantt chart, set milestones. When setting milestones, be sure to identify processes where delays will disrupt other tasks or schedules.
If you set milestones incorrectly, if a problem occurs in one process, it may affect other processes, causing delays in the schedule for the entire process.
It is also important to use appropriate boundaries not only to check progress within the team, but also to report progress to members involved in the project and customers. Set goals in a Gantt chart that defines milestones and share them with your team as a measure of progress.
It is also recommended to use a project management tool when writing milestones.
When writing milestones, you can easily track progress by using a project management tool.
By using project management tools within your team, you can communicate smoothly within your team and keep track of the progress of the entire project.
Progress management can be completed on one
platform
, which has the advantage of making it easier to set milestones and share them within the team, as well as making it easier to deal with problems such as work delays.
In addition to the basic functions listed above, project management tools have various features such as automatic budget calculation and the ability to link with other tools. When choosing a project management tool, compare not only the ease of use and price of basic functions, but also the tool’s unique specialized features.
Points to note when writing milestones
When writing milestones, keep the following points in mind:
Milestones must be managed together with schedules and tasks. Therefore, it is important to set milestones on a Gantt chart or project management tool rather than managing them individually.
Also, setting too many milestones can actually make it difficult to manage progress. Milestones will be less effective if they are not set in an appropriate number and on a reasonable schedule, so discuss the setting of milestones with your team in advance.
summary
In this article, we have provided an easy-to-understand explanation of the concept of milestones, how to use them, how to set appropriate milestones, and points to note.
By using milestones wisely, you can smoothly manage the progress of a project and prevent schedule delays. However, if everyone does not share the meaning of milestones, it can be difficult to manage progress as a team. That’s why it’s important that everyone involved in a project or process understands milestones.
Additionally, if milestones are not set properly, release dates and delivery dates may be delayed. Leave plenty of time in your schedule and set milestones appropriately so you don’t miss any tasks. Please refer to this article and use it to manage your projects.