Managing Milestones

As projects grow larger, the real challenge is often not the number of tasks, but not knowing how far you’ve progressed. In the past, you might have only focused on task counts; in a project, it’s more useful to look at stage results first.

Milestones are exactly such stage checkpoints. Tasks tell you “what to do next,” while milestones tell you “how far along this stage you need to be to call it done.”

Name Stages by Results

Suppose you are launching a course. Don’t write milestones as “Phase 1” or “Phase 2,” because a few days later you’ll have to think again about what they mean.

A better approach is to name stages by tangible results:

| Not So Good | Better | Why | | --- | --- | --- | | Phase 1 | Course outline finalized | Name alone shows the stage goal | | Phase 2 | Recording completed | You can tell if it’s wrapped up | | Phase 3 | Launch checklist passed | Next steps are clear |

The benefit behind this naming is simple: you’re not just organizing a list of nice titles, but reducing the cost of recalling what to do next as you move forward.

Adding Milestones

After entering the project details page, click “Add Milestone”, enter a name, then click “Add”. Once the new milestone is created, it will appear in the project, and you can place related tasks under it.

The saving method differs between adding and editing

When adding a milestone, you need to click “Add” to complete the creation. When modifying an existing milestone, most content will be auto‑saved after you finish the corresponding action.

When Does Editing an Existing Milestone Get Saved?

Editing an existing milestone uses auto‑save. After you modify a field and complete the corresponding action, GranoFlow writes the changes into the project — no need to look for a global save button at the bottom of the page.

| What you modify | When it takes effect | | --- | --- | | Title | Saved when you leave the title input box after editing | | Due date | Saved after selecting a date | | Description | Takes effect after saving on the description editing page | | Image | Takes effect after uploading or deleting an image | | PDF attachment | Takes effect after uploading or deleting a PDF |

A common misunderstanding is the phrase “auto‑save”. It does not mean that every character you type is immediately committed. Rather, it means that after you complete the corresponding action for a field, you do not need to click an additional global save button.

How to Close the Right-Side Edit Page

In wide-screen or desktop layouts, clicking a milestone opens the milestone edit page on the right side. It is not a mandatory popup, but rather an editing area next to the project details.

To collapse the right-side edit page, simply click the blank area in the project details on the left. This will not change the project content; it just returns you to the overall project view.

If you click on another milestone, task, or navigation entry, GranoFlow will perform the action you triggered: the right side may switch to another milestone, or close along with a page change. In narrow-screen or mobile layouts, the milestone edit page usually opens like a new page; in that case, use the back button at the top to return to the project details.

Using Progress and Status to Determine Whether to Wrap Up

The tasks under a milestone affect the progress of that phase: the more tasks are completed, the closer the progress is to wrapping up. However, progress and status are not the same thing.

| Item | The question it answers | How to use it | | --- | --- | --- | | Progress | How many tasks remain to be handled | Use it to determine if you are close to wrapping up | | Status | Where the phase currently stands | Use it to mark as in progress, completed, or archived |

Before archiving a milestone, any tasks visible to the user under it need to be completed or archived first. If there are still unfinished tasks, GranoFlow will prevent archiving and remind you to handle those tasks first.

Don’t use archiving to cover up unfinished tasks

If a milestone still has tasks that need to be done, complete, move, or archive those tasks first, then handle the milestone itself. This way, when you look back at the project later, there won’t be the confusion of “the phase is stowed away but the tasks are still hanging.”

Adjusting Order and Deleting

Milestones are displayed in the order they appear on the project details page. It is generally recommended to arrange them according to the project progress sequence: preparation at the top, delivery at the bottom. This way, viewing from top to bottom shows the project’s path from start to finish.

Only empty milestones show the delete entry. If there are still tasks inside, the delete button will not appear. You need to move, complete, archive, or delete those tasks first, then come back to delete this milestone.

Deleting a milestone does not automatically delete tasks. Handle the tasks first, then delete the empty milestone.

Next Steps

Once milestones are clear, the next step is usually to put tasks into the appropriate projects and phases. Continue reading “Linking Tasks to Projects” to better understand why the same task might appear simultaneously in a project, the Today view, or the inbox.