Solo-preneurs and small business owners become so overwhelmed at times with the daily routine of running their business that they keep pushing to the back burner an essential element–planning.

There are a great deal of really good collaboration/project management tools that are web-based (my favorite) and there are project management software brands that require you to download.  I use CentralDesktop, which is web-based, but this is not a promotional blast for any cloud or collaboration brand in particular.  This blog post is about a feature that is prime on the best of the best of collaboration workspaces that I wanted to shine a light on.  This feature is the“MILESTONE”.

Milestones can be used for individual projects as well as a way to keep an eye on how your business plan is developing whether short or long term.  It can be used for personal accountability and when working with a team, it’s a way to define goals and ensure that everyone stays on task.  You know that feeling you get when you complete a project?  Such a rush, a sense of accomplishment and you really want to celebrate! Integrating milestones in your business processes, especially if your teams are working with you remotely, is the best thing you can do to get that rush of accomplishment every time.

A milestone is your overall goal.  Take for instance your business is expanding and you need to develop a new department within your company.  That would be considered a milestone with a realistic target date for when that department would be functional.  You may need to recruit new staff, develop job descriptions, operating procedures, add this department to your intranet, website, etc.  All of these components would be broken down into tasks and possibly assigned to people on your team with timelines to reach your milestone goal.  Your project management software of choice is crucial to be utilized for something like this so your project can move along with efficiency and powerful teamwork.

 So whatever collaboration/project management brand you decide to invest in, stay on task by using that “Milestone” feature!  It paves the way for you and your team to C-E-L-E-B-R-A-T-E!