Site problems Milestone “A” A milestone is a scheduled event signifying the completion of a major deliverable or a set of related deliverables. A milestone has zero duration and no effort -- there is no work associated with a milestone. It is a flag in the work plan to signify some other work has completed. A milestone is used as a project checkpoint to validate how the project is progressing and revalidate work (used as high-level snapshots for management to validate the progress of the project). In many cases there is a decision to be made at a milestone. Acquisition milestone decision points provide a basis for the comprehensive management and progressive decision making associated with program maturation. At each milestone, the program manager provides the Milestone Decision Authority (MDA) with a formal presentation on the program’s progress to date. Program decision points are intended to impose interim checks of the practicality and progress of the program. These decision points may occur with formal multiple milestone reviews, readiness reviews, or contractually required technical reviews and audits. Milestone A is held to obtain the Milestone Decision Authority’s (MDA’s) approval to enter the Technology Development Phase (TD).