I loved Ryan Sievers introduction to milestones concept. Ryan is perfectly right with describing how the proper project framework, including milestones, can help to achieve goals.

A milestone with missed deadline in FoxyTasks

There is one place where I strongly disagree. I love deadlines.

I believe that no project can be successful without deadlines. No project will be on time without deadlines. No project will be unambiguously successful without a reference to time axis.

Projects: Different Points of View.

The first is the point of view from the customer’s (or sponsor’s) perspective. They perceive project as a very simplistic triangle of the scope, budget and time frame. They believe they can place some input to this triangle: enough amount of €€€, the team, the project manager, and at the end of day they will see the output: specified scope done, resulting in particular benefits, like a new product sold, a business process optimized, or a marketing campaign done and successful.

The opposite view, which Ryan seems to represent, is the one I saw many times when setting up a new project plan with my team.

Somebody tells: “why we need to plan these dates? they will move anyway!”. The rest of group supports this statement with nods and murmurs.

Ryan states roughly the same opinion: Date-driven project planning is inherently problematic, requiring numerous rewrites over the life of the project

In my opinion, not setting dates is the best way to have project never done. It is the best way to obstruct it. The best way to make your customer or investor angry and insecure. And that’s because…

… Where Milestone Is, The Date Must Be

Andrew Kuchling, Milestone

Setting up milestones as important events is meaningless if you won’t set the dates for them. Even if your project is a very risky research initiative, and you are afraid of committing any dates — set them up. You will help yourself, your customers and bosses.

Not setting dates takes away from you the opportunity to plan your cash flow and to find the moment when it is the high time to abandon the project or to radically change its direction. Which, in case of risky projects, shall be done, sooner or later. The milestone with the deadline is the tool helping you to become pretty sure that current approach won’t produce the hoped results. Having the time-framed milestone is the right moment to review the results and decide they justify continuing the direction.

I am the creator of a creative project management application where a milestone is the key concept. My advice for all managers doing projects is: setup the deadlines, even if there is a risk or certainty they will move. This is very important managerial tool, helping you and your team to self-discipline and focus.