Milestones and steps

Mark deadlines as milestones, add loose sub-milestones inside a group, and break a deliverable into steps.

Milestones #

A milestone is a zero-length point in time: a submission, an approval, a deadline, a meeting. It shows as a diamond in the Gantt.

To make one, tick ◆ in the task's row, or pick Milestone under Kind in the task details panel. A milestone has no duration, so its Days cell is off.

Milestones are red by default. Star the few that matter most so they stand out.

Make milestones stand out #

Turn on ◆ Moments in the toolbar. Every milestone gets a contrasting ring and a faint guide line at its date, so it stands out even when it's the same color as the bars around it. This is a display setting only.

Milestones are also what goes into the schedule's calendar by default. See Calendar contents.

Sub-milestones #

A sub-milestone is a lesser, loose checkpoint that belongs to a group, like "zoning sheets done and updated". It feeds bigger deadlines but isn't one.

To make one, open the task details and pick Sub-milestone under Kind. The row then shows a small sub mark.

A sub-milestone:

Must be in a group. It can't be a step, and it can't have steps.
Can follow other tasks, but nothing can depend on it. If tasks already depend on it, remove those links first.
Is never on the critical path, and never moves a real date.

Use sub-milestones for sub-deadlines and check-ins. Keep real deadlines, like submissions and approvals, as full milestones.

Show sub-milestones #

Sub-milestones are hidden until you click Sub-milestones in the filter bar's Show row. This is your own setting: nothing in the schedule changes, and other people see them only when they turn it on.

While they're hidden, they're also left out of PDF and picture exports, the CSV, Excel and the calendar download. The calendar subscription leaves them out unless you tick one in under Calendar contents.

If you make a sub-milestone while they're hidden, Schedule turns the switch on so it doesn't vanish.

The staffing plan tool, Bullpen, can also add, rename, move or delete sub-milestones in a group its package follows. Those changes show in the task's history as made "via Bullpen".

Steps #

Steps break one item into parts, like send to document control, process, then submit. The parent task becomes a summary bar that runs from its first step's start to its last step's finish.

Add steps #

Open the task's details.
Under Steps, click + Add step.

The first step takes over the task's dates, so nothing moves. Each step after that is added at the end and follows the one before it.

To turn tasks you already have into steps, select them (Ctrl/⌘-click), then click ⤷ Make these … steps of a new parent in the side panel. A new parent task goes above them, and their dates don't move.

How steps behave #

A parent's Start and Days are set by its steps. You can't drag its bar.
Steps also follow the parent's dependencies and start date.
Steps sit in their parent's group.
Steps go one level deep: a step can't have its own steps. Milestones can't have steps.
A step without its own code shows the parent's code plus .1, .2 and so on. See Groups and codes.

Fold steps #

Click the arrow next to a parent's name, or ▾ Fold steps in its details, to show just the summary bar. Folded parents show that way in the views and in exports. Collapse steps in the filter bar folds every parent at once.

Detach a step #

Open the step's details and click Detach — make it a plain task. Its dates stay where they are.

Deleting a parent keeps its steps as plain tasks.