Chapter 6 — Milestones
Overview
A milestone groups related Issues and Pull Requests under a shared goal with a due date. Milestones answer the question: "What must be done before the paper is submitted?"
They are the primary tool for deadline-driven planning in the group.
What Is a Milestone?
A milestone has:
- A title (the goal)
- An optional description (what done looks like)
- A due date
- A progress bar that fills as issues and PRs in the milestone are closed
Unlike labels (which categorise individual items) or project boards (which visualise current work state), milestones link work to outcomes with deadlines.
When to Create a Milestone
Create a milestone for:
| Trigger | Example milestone title |
|---|---|
| Paper submission | paper-PRD-2026 |
| Conference deadline | conference-Lattice-2026 |
| Code release | v1.0.0 |
| Major internal feature | thermal-potential-module |
Do not create milestones for vague goals without deadlines. A milestone without a due date is just a label with extra steps.
Naming Convention
| Context | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Paper submission | paper-JOURNAL-YEAR |
paper-PRD-2026 |
| Conference | conference-NAME-YEAR |
conference-Lattice-2026 |
| Version release | vMAJOR.MINOR.PATCH |
v1.0.0 |
| Major feature | descriptive phrase | thermal-potential-module |
Creating a Milestone
- Issues → Milestones → New milestone
- Fill in:
- Title: following the naming convention above
- Due date: the actual deadline (paper submission date, conference deadline, etc.)
- Description: what "done" looks like (optional but recommended)
- Click Create milestone
Assigning Issues and PRs to Milestones
When opening or editing an Issue or PR:
- Right sidebar → Milestone → select the appropriate milestone
For batch assignment:
- Issues → check multiple issues → Milestone dropdown
Policy: Every issue and PR that must be completed before a deadline should be assigned to the corresponding milestone. If an item does not belong to any current milestone, it goes in the backlog (no milestone assigned).
Using the Milestone Progress Bar
Navigate to Issues → Milestones to see all milestones and their completion percentage.
The progress bar shows X of Y issues/PRs closed.
Use this in group meetings to communicate:
- How much remains before the deadline
- Which items are blocking progress
- Whether the deadline is realistic
Closing a Milestone
When all issues in a milestone are closed (or the deadline has passed):
- Issues → Milestones → [Milestone name] → Close milestone
Closed milestones are archived and remain visible for historical reference. Do not delete them — they are part of the project record.
Milestones vs Project Boards
| Milestones | Project Boards | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Track progress toward a deadline | Visualise current work state |
| Dimension | Time (when must this be done?) | State (what is being done now?) |
| Best for | Paper submissions, releases | Sprint planning, daily work |
| Update frequency | When items open/close | Weekly or daily |
Use both together: assign items to a milestone and to the project board column.
Checklist
- Milestones created for all upcoming deadlines (papers, conferences, releases)
- Due dates set accurately
- All relevant issues and PRs assigned to milestones
- Milestone progress reviewed in group meetings
- Completed milestones closed (not deleted)