The office move is on the calendar and the network equipment has arrived. Staff still cannot connect to the systems they will need on Monday. A project milestone should capture that difference. Use these checks to define what must work, who will test it, and what the next team can safely rely on.
Check Items as You Prepare. Your Checks Stay on This Page.
Define Completion Evidence
For a California office relocation, “network ready” should mean more than equipment arriving. Define which connections must work, who tests them and who approves the result. The readiness check should include staff accessing the systems required on moving day. Identify the person who can accept the milestone and the record they will use. Keep that definition attached to the schedule.
Track Three Dates Separately
Do not overwrite the original date each time the forecast changes. Retaining the difference makes the effect on downstream work easier to explain.
| Item | What to Record |
|---|---|
| Baseline Date | The approved date used for comparison. |
| Current Forecast | The date now expected, with the reason for any change. |
| Actual Completion | The date acceptance evidence was recorded. |
| Predecessor | The task or approval required before this milestone can finish. |
| Decision Needed | The action the sponsor must take to protect or revise the plan. |
Look Beyond the Next Deadline
A delayed circuit installation may affect testing, staff training and the move itself. Trace those dependencies before promising recovery. Ask whether work can safely proceed in parallel and what additional cost or risk that creates. Do not assume that adding staff shortens an external delivery lead time. If the original date is no longer realistic, prepare options with their consequences instead of repeatedly carrying an overdue milestone.
Keep the Acceptance Record
Review upcoming milestones at an interval suited to the project. Require a short readiness statement from each owner and investigate unresolved prerequisites. Mark a milestone complete only when its acceptance condition is met or an authorized exception is recorded. Keep accepted exceptions visible in the handoff. That discipline prevents a green status report from concealing unfinished work that the operating team will discover later.
GAO’s July 2026 NASA assessment found that most development projects met their annual cost and schedule targets, while two of eighteen reported schedule delays. Keeping the baseline, current forecast and actual result distinct makes that kind of comparison possible.