> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.thread.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Milestones & Phases

> Master the art of structuring customer onboarding into effective, trackable phases

## Understanding Milestones

Milestones (also called phases) are sequential stages in your customer onboarding journey. They provide structure, set expectations, and enable progress tracking.

## Anatomy of a Milestone

Each milestone has several components:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Name & Sequence" icon="list-ol">
    Descriptive name and order in the journey
  </Card>

  <Card title="Duration Estimate" icon="clock">
    Expected days to complete this phase
  </Card>

  <Card title="Dual Descriptions" icon="split">
    What CSM team does vs what customer does
  </Card>

  <Card title="Actions" icon="bolt">
    Specific tasks that happen during this phase
  </Card>

  <Card title="Status" icon="check-circle">
    pending, in\_progress, completed, blocked
  </Card>

  <Card title="Exit Criteria" icon="door-open">
    What must be done before moving to next phase
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

## Milestone Structure Best Practices

### 1. Use 3-7 Milestones

**Too few (1-2):**

* Not enough granularity
* Hard to track progress
* Customers feel lost

**Just right (3-7):**

* Clear phase boundaries
* Trackable progress
* Manageable scope

**Too many (10+):**

* Over-complicated
* Phase fatigue
* Administrative overhead

<Tip>
  Start with 3-5 milestones for your first template. Add more only if there are natural breakpoints.
</Tip>

### 2. Sequential, Not Parallel

Milestones should follow a linear path:

```
Kickoff → Setup → Testing → Training → Launch
```

**Not:**

```
        ├── Setup Track 1
Kickoff ├── Setup Track 2 → Testing → Launch
        └── Setup Track 3
```

<Info>
  If you have parallel work streams, use multiple actions within a single milestone rather than parallel milestones.
</Info>

### 3. Clear Entry and Exit Criteria

Each milestone should have:

**Entry Criteria** (what must be true to start):

* Previous milestone completed
* Required inputs received
* Stakeholders aligned

**Exit Criteria** (what must be true to complete):

* All actions done
* Deliverables approved
* Customer ready for next phase

***

## Common Milestone Structures

### Simple SaaS (4-6 weeks)

```
1. Kickoff (Week 1)
   - Welcome & orientation
   - Gather requirements
   - Set expectations

2. Configuration (Weeks 2-3)
   - Platform setup
   - Data import
   - Integrations configured

3. Training (Week 4)
   - Admin training
   - User training
   - Documentation provided

4. Launch (Weeks 5-6)
   - Soft launch
   - Full rollout
   - Post-launch support
```

### Enterprise Implementation (12-16 weeks)

```
1. Project Kickoff (Weeks 1-2)
   - Stakeholder alignment
   - Project charter
   - Communication plan

2. Discovery & Requirements (Weeks 3-4)
   - Current state analysis
   - Requirement gathering
   - Solution design

3. Technical Setup (Weeks 5-7)
   - Infrastructure provisioning
   - Integration development
   - Security configuration

4. Data Migration (Weeks 8-9)
   - Data cleansing
   - Migration scripts
   - Validation testing

5. UAT & Testing (Weeks 10-11)
   - Test scenario execution
   - Bug fixes
   - Performance tuning

6. Training & Enablement (Week 12)
   - Train-the-trainer
   - End user training
   - Documentation

7. Staged Rollout (Weeks 13-15)
   - Pilot group
   - Department rollouts
   - Full company rollout

8. Stabilization (Week 16)
   - Post-launch support
   - Issue resolution
   - Optimization
```

### Self-Serve Activation (2-3 weeks)

```
1. Getting Started (Days 1-3)
   - Account setup
   - First use case
   - Quick win

2. Expansion (Days 4-7)
   - Additional features
   - Team invites
   - Integrations

3. Full Adoption (Days 8-21)
   - Advanced features
   - Workflow optimization
   - Success metrics
```

***

## Dual Perspective: CSM vs Customer

Every milestone should clearly show what both sides are doing.

### CSM Perspective ("What we're doing")

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Internal Tasks">
    Behind-the-scenes work customers don't see:

    * Platform configuration
    * Integration setup
    * Account provisioning
    * Internal coordination
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Preparation">
    Getting ready for customer interactions:

    * Preparing materials
    * Scheduling resources
    * Pre-work completion
    * Quality checks
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Delivery">
    Customer-facing activities:

    * Training sessions
    * Review meetings
    * Documentation delivery
    * Support provision
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Validation">
    Ensuring quality and readiness:

    * Testing functionality
    * Reviewing submissions
    * Validating configurations
    * Approving go-live
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

### Customer Perspective ("What you're doing")

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Information Providing">
    What customers need to give you:

    * Requirements documents
    * Technical specifications
    * Access credentials
    * Business context
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Decision Making">
    Choices customers must make:

    * Configuration preferences
    * Feature selections
    * Timeline approvals
    * Stakeholder sign-off
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Learning">
    Training and knowledge transfer:

    * Attending sessions
    * Completing homework
    * Reviewing documentation
    * Practicing scenarios
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Testing & Feedback">
    Validation activities:

    * UAT participation
    * Feedback provision
    * Bug reporting
    * Acceptance criteria review
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Milestone Duration Estimation

### Factors Affecting Duration

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Complexity">
    **Higher complexity = longer duration**

    * Number of integrations
    * Custom development needed
    * Data migration volume
    * Stakeholder count
    * Technical architecture complexity
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Customer Capacity">
    **Lower capacity = longer duration**

    * Internal resources available
    * Decision-making speed
    * Technical expertise
    * Change management readiness
    * Competing priorities
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Scope">
    **Broader scope = longer duration**

    * Number of users
    * Feature breadth
    * Use case complexity
    * Department count
    * Geographic distribution
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Dependencies">
    **More dependencies = longer duration**

    * External vendor dependencies
    * IT approval processes
    * Security reviews
    * Contract negotiations
    * Budget approvals
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### Setting Realistic Durations

Base estimates on historical data:

```
Look at your last 10 implementations:
- Kickoff: 5-7 days average
- Technical Setup: 14-21 days average
- Training: 7-10 days average
- Launch: 5-7 days average

Use median, not best-case!
```

<Warning>
  Customers will hold you to your estimates. Better to under-promise and over-deliver than the reverse.
</Warning>

***

## Milestone Status Management

### Status Types

| Status          | Meaning          | When to Use           |
| --------------- | ---------------- | --------------------- |
| **Pending**     | Not started yet  | Future milestones     |
| **In Progress** | Currently active | Current phase         |
| **Completed**   | All done         | Finished phases       |
| **Blocked**     | Stuck on issue   | Requires intervention |

### Transitioning Between Statuses

<Steps>
  <Step title="Starting a Milestone">
    **Trigger:** Previous milestone complete

    **Actions:**

    1. Verify previous milestone exit criteria met
    2. Confirm customer readiness
    3. Click "Start Milestone"
    4. Thread triggers milestone\_start actions
    5. Notify customer of phase transition
  </Step>

  <Step title="Progressing Through Milestone">
    **During the phase:**

    * Execute triggered actions
    * Monitor customer responses
    * Track completion percentage
    * Address blockers as they arise
    * Communicate progress

    Status remains "In Progress"
  </Step>

  <Step title="Completing a Milestone">
    **Trigger:** All actions done + exit criteria met

    **Actions:**

    1. Verify all actions completed
    2. Confirm exit criteria satisfied
    3. Get customer confirmation if needed
    4. Click "Mark Complete"
    5. Next milestone auto-starts (optional)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Blocking a Milestone">
    **Trigger:** Issue preventing progress

    **Actions:**

    1. Click "Mark as Blocked"
    2. Add blocker description
    3. Assign owner to resolve
    4. Set expected resolution date
    5. Communicate to customer

    <Warning>
      Customers see blocked status in their portal. Be transparent about blockers and resolution plans.
    </Warning>
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Advanced Milestone Techniques

### Conditional Milestones

For complex scenarios where path varies by customer:

**Example: Enterprise vs SMB**

```
All Customers:
├── Kickoff
└── Discovery

Then branches:
├── [Enterprise] → Architecture Design → Custom Development → UAT
└── [SMB] → Standard Setup → Quick Training → Launch
```

<Info>
  Currently, conditional milestones require creating separate templates. Multi-path support in a single template is on the roadmap!
</Info>

### Milestone Groups

Organize related milestones into groups:

```
Phase 1: Foundation (Weeks 1-4)
├── Kickoff
└── Requirements

Phase 2: Build (Weeks 5-10)
├── Development
├── Integration
└── Testing

Phase 3: Launch (Weeks 11-12)
├── Training
└── Go-Live
```

### Parallel Actions Within Milestones

If multiple work streams happen simultaneously:

**Don't create parallel milestones. Instead:**

```
Milestone: Technical Setup (Weeks 2-4)

Actions (can happen in parallel):
├── Platform Configuration (Track 1)
├── Integration Development (Track 2)
├── Data Migration Prep (Track 3)
└── Security Review (Track 4)
```

Use action delays to sequence when needed, but all within one milestone.

***

## Milestone Best Practices Summary

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Keep It Simple" icon="minimize">
    3-7 milestones, clear boundaries
  </Card>

  <Card title="Dual Perspectives" icon="split">
    Show both CSM and customer work
  </Card>

  <Card title="Realistic Durations" icon="clock">
    Base on historical data, not hopes
  </Card>

  <Card title="Clear Criteria" icon="check-square">
    Entry and exit criteria for each phase
  </Card>

  <Card title="Sequential Flow" icon="arrow-right">
    Linear progression, not parallel
  </Card>

  <Card title="Meaningful Names" icon="tag">
    Descriptive, customer-friendly names
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Action Types" icon="bolt" href="/csm-guide/templates/action-types">
    Learn about the five action types in detail
  </Card>

  <Card title="Best Practices" icon="star" href="/csm-guide/templates/best-practices">
    See proven milestone structures that work
  </Card>

  <Card title="Creating Templates" icon="plus" href="/csm-guide/templates/creating-templates">
    Build your first complete template
  </Card>

  <Card title="Implementation Tab" icon="tasks" href="/csm-guide/accounts/implementation-tab">
    Manage milestone progress in accounts
  </Card>
</CardGroup>