To improve the flexibility and usability when working with milestones, and to better support managing allocations by phases, we are redesigning how milestones, phases, and allocations interact in Meisterplan.

• Summary
• Current Behavior
• Future Behavior
• Migration Details
• Recommended Actions Before Release
• Recommended Actions After Release
• Feedback & Questions

Summary

• We will separate points in time (milestones) from time spans (phases).
• We will introduce project segments, allowing you to:
  • Divide projects into time-based sections (segments),
  • Edit project allocations per segment.
  • Assign phases to segments.

Current Behavior

Phases and Milestones

• Phases are dependent on milestones.
• To define a phase, you need a milestone to mark the end of said phase.
• The phase start is defined either by the previous phase, or the project start date.
• When you move a milestone, the corresponding phase is moved (stretched or shrunk).

Allocations

• Allocations are not dependent on milestones or phases.
  • In the classic Portfolio Designer, you can create flexible segments that correspond to the phases, but they do not update when milestones (and thus phases) change.
  • However, in the beta Allocations by Project Phases, allocations are linked to phases via milestones.

Independent Milestones

Milestones do not have to be assigned to a phase. You can create standalone milestones that are independent of phases and allocations.

Future Behavior

With this change, you can manage milestones, phases, and allocations independently: milestones mark key points in time, segments divide projects and allocations into time-based sections, and phases organize project work into meaningful stages. This gives you greater flexibility in project planning and makes it easier to adjust allocations throughout the project lifecycle.

Milestones

• Milestones will no longer be dependent on phases. They can be moved independently without affecting phases, segments, or allocations.
  • If you move a milestone, it will no longer affect the color-coding of the project bar.
• The milestone field Project Phase will be replaced by the new Milestone Type field. You can use this field to:
  • Categorize milestones (e.g., delivery, quality gate, financial)
  • Filter milestones
  • Analyze milestones in reports
• A new read-only field In Project Phase will show the phase in which a milestone lies, but it does not tie the milestone to the phase.

Segments and Allocations

• In the new Portfolio Designer, the Team Planner, and the Staffing Mode, a new allocation mode Segments will be available, and in this mode:
  • You will be able to define segments by configuring a finish date. The start date is derived from the previous segment or the project start.
  • All allocations will be split according to the segments. You can assign, move, extend, or shrink allocations per segment.
  • You will be able to assign phases to segments to keep phases and allocations aligned. However, this is optional, and you can use segments without phases.

Migration Details

• Planned release: Mid-October
• Existing phases will become segments with phases assigned.
  • Segment finish dates will match the milestone date that previously concluded the phase.
• The Project Phase field will be renamed Milestone Type and can be edited under Manage > Custom Fields > Milestones. The phases will be available as single-select options of this field.
  • The Project Phase field in each milestone will become the Milestone Type field and retain the name of the phase.
  • REST and Reporting API calls will continue to work.
• The Allocations by Project Phases beta in the Project Details will be discontinued.
  • The beta allocation mode Phases will be replaced with the new Segments allocation mode.
  • At a later date, the new phase and segment behavior will be applied to the Allocations tab in the Project Details.

Recommended Actions Before Release

• Review your milestones and phases and update them to prepare for the segment migration.
  • If you do not want to work with segments nor the new Milestone Type field, remove the phases from your milestones.
• Inform your Meisterplan users so they can adapt their workflows and separate points in time from time spans.

Recommended Actions After Release

• Review the Milestone Type field options under Manage > Custom Fields > Milestones. Right after release, the options in the Milestone Type field correspond to the project phases. We recommend creating the milestone types you actually need instead:
  

Feedback & Questions

If you have questions or feedback on this upcoming change, please contact us at support@meisterplan.com.