Epic Milestones help teams break large epics into clear, trackable phases and visualize progress directly on the timeline and calendar. This guide explains what Epic Milestones are, how to create and manage them, and best practices for using them effectively.
What Are Epic Milestones?
Epic Milestones are key checkpoints within a Jira Epic. They allow you to:
Split long-running epics into manageable stages
Visualize progress over time
Track important deadlines and delivery moments
Communicate plans clearly with stakeholders
Each milestone has its own name, and date, and appears visually inside the Epic bar.
Creating an Epic Milestone
In order to create an Epic Milestone you need to:
Open the timeline view.
Group it by epic.
Right-click on the needed epic and choose "Create Milestone".
Set the name and due date for the milestone and press "Create".
Best Practices
✔️ Use milestones for major delivery phases, not every small task
✔️ Keep milestone names clear and outcome-focused
✔️ Align milestone dates with:
Releases
Client demos
Internal checkpoints
✔️ Review milestones regularly during planning and sync meetings
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Are Epic Milestones synced to Jira?
A: Epic Milestones are managed within Planyway and do not create Jira issues or fields.
Q: Can milestones overlap?
A: Yes. You can create overlapping milestones if your workflow requires it.
Q: Do milestones affect reports?
A: Milestones help with visual planning and progress tracking, but standard Jira reports remain unchanged.
Summary
Epic Milestones give you a structured, visual way to plan and track progress inside large Jira Epics. By breaking epics into meaningful phases, teams gain better visibility, clearer communication, and more predictable delivery.
If you need help setting up Epic Milestones or optimizing your planning workflow, Planyway Support is here to help.