Milestone Chart Template & Example

About the Milestone Chart template

What is a milestone chart?

A milestone chart is a visual representation of important events, known as milestones, planned in a project’s timeline. Milestone chartsIt shows one milestone per vertical line, with a description on the left-hand side of the milestone, and a horizontal timescale for the whole project.

When to use a milestone chart

Anytime your team collaborates on a large project with multiple tasks and deadlines, you can use a milestone chart. You may also find it useful to share the milestone chart with your managers or customers to update them on your progress and likelihood of meeting your overall deadline.

Benefits of using a milestone chart

Unless your team tracks your milestones, you have no way of knowing whether you’re getting closer to your destination. By deciding on and tracking key milestones for your project, you can stay on schedule and reach your goals on time.

How to create a milestone chart

If your project has been planned, or is in the process of being planned, here’s how to create a simple but effective milestone chart.

Step 1: Determine major milestones

For project managers and stakeholders, it can be difficult to parse out milestones from tasks. Milestones are distinct because they signify shifts in a project’s development. Think of them as road signs that help you stay on the right path as you work to complete a project. 

To decide on a milestone, you might find it helpful to ask the following questions:

1. Does this task impact our deadline?

2. Is this a task or a deliverable?

3. Will this point in the project signify significant forward progress?

4. Does this task need to be reviewed by stakeholders?

5. If this task doesn’t get done, can we still complete the project?

Step 2: Create milestone chart from a template

Miro’s whiteboard tool is the perfect canvas to create and share your milestone chart. Get started by selecting this Milestone Chart template. Use our simple template to visually track the smaller steps within a large project. For each milestone, we’ve pre-populated the template with several columns; as well as rows to track deadlines, steps, and deliverables. Then, customize the template to fit the needs of your particular project.

Step 3: Track each major milestone as a column.

In our milestone chart template, each column is for a unique milestone. Once created, you can customize the milestone chart by adding as many columns for unique milestones as you need to. Remember, be careful to distinguish between major milestones, and minor tasks. The amount of milestones you chose to track will vary by project type and size, but it’s generally helpful to isolate only the most important milestones. 

Step 4: Define dates, steps, and deliverables.

The first row of a milestone chart is dedicated to displaying the date or dates that the particular milestone is expected to be completed. These can be specific dates, or time ranges depending on your need.

The second row of the milestone chart is for the high level steps that need to be completed in order for the milestone to be reached. These don’t need to be very granular to avoid cluttering the chart.

The third row of the milestone chart is for specific deliverables. Ideally, these deliverables will be used to measure whether or not the milestone has been reached. Take the time to make sure these deliverables account for all major indicators of your milestones completion. 

Step 5: Customize and track!

Milestone charts are by design customizable for the specific projects needs. As project progress, you may find the need to make changes to accommodate for unforeseen  problems. Keep track of each milestone’s progress, and make sure to collaborate regularly with your team on new developments.