Milestone
DE: Meilenstein
A significant point or event in a project with zero duration.
Detailed Explanation
A milestone is a significant point or event in a project schedule that has zero duration. It marks the completion of a major deliverable, the end of a phase, or a key decision point. Milestones do not consume resources or time — they are markers.
Milestones serve as checkpoints for progress reporting and stakeholder communication. A milestone schedule (or milestone chart) provides an executive-level view of the project without the detail of a full Gantt chart, making it ideal for steering committee presentations.
Common milestones include: project kickoff, requirements sign-off, design approval, development complete, user acceptance testing start/end, go-live, and project closure. Each should have clear, objective criteria for what 'complete' means.
Key Points
- Zero duration — a point in time, not a period
- Marks completion of deliverables, phases, or decisions
- Used for executive-level progress reporting
- Milestone schedule ideal for steering committees
- Must have clear, objective completion criteria
- Typically shown as diamond shapes in Gantt charts
Practical Example
A website project has milestones: Requirements Approved (week 2), Design Signed Off (week 5), Development Complete (week 12), UAT Complete (week 15), Go-Live (week 16). The PM reports green/yellow/red status for each milestone to the steering committee biweekly. When 'Design Signed Off' slips by 1 week, the PM presents a recovery plan.
Tips for Learning and Applying
Set milestones at natural decision or handoff points
Define clear, binary completion criteria for each milestone
Use milestone charts for executive communication
Track milestone trends to predict future delays
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