41.1 Project Planning Views

AIUNIFY CRM provides several Project planning tools for organizing work over time. These include Milestones, milestone-based Task views, and Gantt views.

Use each tool for a different purpose: Milestones identify major Project stages, Kanban-style layouts help visualize work by stage, and Gantt provides a time-oriented view of Project activity.

41.2 Project Milestones

A Milestone represents a significant stage, checkpoint, or target within a Project.

Confirmed Milestone information includes:

• Name.
• Due Date.
• Order.
• Customer visibility where applicable.
• Associated Tasks.
• Logged time information.

41.3 Creating a Milestone

Users with Project Milestone creation permission can add Milestones from the applicable Project.

1. Open the correct Project.
2. Open Milestones.
3. Select New Milestone.
4. Enter a clear Milestone Name.
5. Select the Due Date.
6. Review the display order.
7. Review Customer visibility when that option is presented.
8. Save the Milestone.
9. Verify it appears under the correct Project.

41.4 Editing a Milestone

Users with the applicable Project Milestone editing permission can update an existing Milestone.

When changing a Due Date or Milestone Name, review the Tasks associated with that Milestone so that the Project structure continues to make sense.

41.5 Deleting a Milestone

Milestone deletion is permission-controlled.

Before deleting one, review the Tasks associated with it. Removing a Project stage can affect how Tasks are organized in the milestone-oriented workflow.

41.6 Milestone Due Dates

The CRM can identify a Milestone whose Due Date has passed.

A past Due Date should prompt a review of the related Project and Tasks rather than an automatic date change. Determine whether the work is late, the date is incorrect, or the Milestone has already been completed operationally.

41.7 Uncategorized Tasks

Project Tasks that are not attached to a Milestone can appear as Uncategorized in milestone-oriented Project views.

If the Task belongs to a defined stage of the Project, associate it with the appropriate Milestone when your Task-edit permissions allow it.

41.8 Milestone-Oriented Kanban

Project Tasks can be presented in a Kanban-style layout organized around Milestones.

This makes it easier to see which Tasks belong to each Project stage.

Use this view to understand the distribution of work, but update the underlying Task itself when its status, assignee, dates, or other operational information changes.

41.9 Project Gantt

The Projects workspace includes Gantt functionality, and individual Projects can also expose a Gantt feature when enabled for the Project.

The Gantt gives a chronological view of Project work and helps users understand how dates and Tasks relate over time.

41.10 Using Gantt Effectively

Use Gantt to review:

• Project timing.
• Task Start Dates.
• Task Due Dates.
• Relationships between work periods.
• Potential schedule conflicts or overdue activity.

41.11 Milestones and Tasks Work Together

Milestones do not replace Tasks. A Milestone identifies an important Project stage, while Tasks represent the actual work that must be completed.

A Project can therefore contain several Tasks under one Milestone.

41.12 Recommended Workflow

1. Open the Project.
2. Review the Project dates.
3. Create or review Milestones.
4. Associate applicable Tasks with Milestones.
5. Review overdue Milestones.
6. Use the milestone/Kanban view to review work by stage.
7. Use Gantt to review work by time.
8. Open individual Tasks to make Task-specific changes.

41.13 Best Practices

• Use clear Milestone names.
• Use realistic Due Dates.
• Do not create a Milestone for every small Task.
• Review Uncategorized Tasks.
• Use Kanban for stage-oriented review.
• Use Gantt for schedule-oriented review.
• Update the underlying record rather than using a visual view as a substitute for accurate Task data.