February 2020 Newsletter

Video: Show Status on your Schedule

Did you know that you can have your tasks fill up to a certain amount, depending on percent complete?
With Milestones Professional, it’s easy to enable this feature and even customize which colors to use for complete or incomplete tasks.
We also have an individual override feature, if you have multiple bars on the same row in your Milestones Professional chart.

Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the latest and greatest Milestones software videos!

Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019 for only $149 (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Professional 2019” page.

Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019 for only $55 (if you already own any version of Milestones Simplicity). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Simplicity 2019” page.

February 2020 Tips and Tricks

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for February 2020

Percent Complete pie color
When using the Percent Complete SmartColumn, how do you change the color of the pie chart that appears?

Link a Microsoft Project schedule to my Milestones chart
I generated a MS Pro file by hand based on the data in one of my MS Project Files. I just opened MS Pro and begin placing Milestones and Bars in a blank file. The items I placed were based on data within my MS Project File. Is there a way to link the dates on my Milestones Professional schedule to Microsoft Project so I can later update the data in my MS Pro File (the milestones and bars) automatically if the dates in my MS Project File change?

Set Percent Complete for Several Tasks
I really need to set the % complete for individual bars on my schedule. I know I can set them on individual task rows and then roll them up, but frankly I really don’t want to set up an outlined schedule. Is there any way to do this?

Hourly schedules
One of my date headings is set in daily increments. When I add a symbol under a day, it is always set at noon. How can I control where it is set?

Anchor text to a symbol
Is there a way to anchor a freeform text to a symbol?

Remove page breaks
How do I get rid of my page breaks?

Insert page breaks
I need a couple of page breaks in my schedule so that I can have a couple of short pages. Is this possible?

Percent complete is different than Microsoft Project
When I import a Project file, the percent complete readings are not the same in Milestones. Why is that?

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for February 2020

Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users. To join, head over to the following website and click Join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817
Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

January 2020 Newsletter

Video: Share your Schedule!

There are lots of ways to share your Milestones Professional Schedule.
You can send the actual schedule file to someone, save it as a PDF, save it to PowerPoint, or even an image file.
We also have a feature that allows you to copy only certain rows from your schedule, if you don’t want to see the whole page.

Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the latest and greatest Milestones software videos!

Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019 for only $149 (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Professional 2019” page.

Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019 for only $55 (if you already own any version of Milestones Simplicity). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Simplicity 2019” page.

January 2020 Tips and Tricks

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for January 2020

Add a date below symbol text
I know I can have a symbol date and symbol text displayed with a symbol, separately. Is there a way to show them together? I want the symbol’s date shown right under a line of symbol text.

Automatically update % complete on a bar
I want the percent complete value to populate as symbol text when a symbol-horizontal bar-symbol is added to the schedule.

Hide vertical connectors
Can I hide vertical connectors?

Anchor text to a symbol
Is there a way to anchor a freeform text to a symbol?

Lines drawn don’t move
I imported my Microsoft Project schedule but forgot a column. Can I add it in?

Vertically linked symbols not moving as expected
I have my symbols vertically linked and they are not moving as expected.

Need examples for people to view
I need to show my team examples of schedules you can create with Milestones Professional and they do not have Milestones Professional on their computers.

Show baseline dates without showing baseline symbols
Is it possible to display Baseline fields but not show the baseline in the Gantt chart?

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for January 2020

Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users. To join, head over to the following website and click Join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817
Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

November 2019 Newsletter

Video: Symbol Text and Symbol Notes

Find out how to add and modify Symbol Text and Symbol Notes on your schedule in Milestones Professional.

Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the latest and greatest Milestones software videos!

Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019 for only $149 (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Professional 2019” page.

Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019 for only $55 (if you already own any version of Milestones Simplicity). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Simplicity 2019” page.

November 2019 Tips and Tricks

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for November 2019

FreeForm Text at an Angle
I would like to show Freeform Text Vertically down the right side of the schedule. Is this possible?

Place a date and time stamp as a footer
How can I place a date and time stamp on the schedule, in the lower left corner (as a footer?)

Make symbol text transparent for all symbols
Is there any way to setup Milestones so that every symbol always comes up in transparent? I have to change them constantly and would like to know how to set the default up permanently.

Indentation for outlining
When I increase the outline level of a task, the column text automatically indents, and the text no longer fits in the cell. How can I prevent this?

Import Microsoft Project files directly into PowerPoint
I want to bring my Microsoft Project data into Milestones and then create a PowerPoint presentation. Is there a quick, easy way to do this?

Show date and text on same line for a symbol
I have a few symbols on my schedule for which I would like to display both the start date AND the text on the same line on the left side of the symbol. Is there a way to combine the symbol text and the date?

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for November 2019

Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users. To join, head over to the following website and click Join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817
Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

October 2019 Newsletter

Video: Milestones Professional Overview

Are you unfamiliar with some of the main features of Milestones Professional? Check out this Overview video that we recently created!

It talks about the main features of Milestones Professional, including building schedules, importing, and refreshing.

Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the latest and greatest Milestones software videos!

Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019 for only $149 (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Professional 2019” page.

Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019 for only $55 (if you already own any version of Milestones Simplicity). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Simplicity 2019” page.

October 2019 Tips and Tricks

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for October 2019

Increase the number of task rows per page
How can I get more rows on one page? I want to get everything on one page. Right now I have 16 tasks but 4 are on a second page.

Insert a column
Is there a way to insert a column between two existing columns?

Task number SmartColumn
I would like to display row numbers on my schedule. Is there any way to do this?

Lost vertical connections
I have lost my schedule’s vertical connections, globally (all of them!). Any ideas how that happened?

Insert a new task on a schedule
How do I add a new task row?

Insert page breaks
I want to separate my schedule into multiple pages. How can I do this? The automatic page breaks aren’t fitting what I want. Can I put a page break in?

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for October 2019

Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users. To join, head over to the following website and click Join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817
Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

September 2019 Newsletter

Video: Link symbols back to MS Project

Do you already have a great looking schedule built in Milestones Professional?

Or do you want to add just a few extra milestones to your schedule that is already linked to MS Project?

See how to link individual symbols back to MS Project using our right click > Link to Active MS Project Task feature in Milestones Professional.

Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the latest and greatest Milestones software videos!

Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019 for only $149 (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Professional 2019” page.

Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019 for only $55 (if you already own any version of Milestones Simplicity). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Simplicity 2019” page.

September 2019 Tips and Tricks

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for September 2019

Wizard cut off at bottom
I am using my laptop which has a resolution of 1600 by 900. When using the Setup Wizard, the screen is cut off at the bottom. What could be causing this and how can I fix it?

Different chart titles on each page
How can I add a different title to each schedule page?

Custom stoplight column
We would like to create a SmartColumn using a column (Number4) from Microsoft Project using the following user-defined values ranges to display values, symbols, text and colors.

Symbol text too far away from symbol
My symbol text is spaced too far away (vertically) from my bar.

Flag tasks that are nearing completion
How can I display symbols to indicate which tasks are, for example, 50%, 75%, 90% complete? I want to show which tasks are complete, which ones haven’t started and so on.

Hide a column
I have a symbol count column on my schedule I need, but I don’t want it to be seen all the time. Can I “hide” the column?

Start every schedule with the same toolbox
I have spent a lot of time working on my perfect toolbox. How can I have all my schedules start up with this same Toolbox?

Excel import is interpreting multiple lines as one long line
I am importing a simple Excel spreadsheet. My first row and second row are being imported as one long string of text. Any idea what’s causing the problem?

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for September 2019

Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users. To join, head over to the following website and click Join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817
Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

July 2019 Newsletter

Video: Create Phase Bars

Check out the video below to see how to create “Phase Bars” in Milestones Professional.

With these methods, you can make what looks like a single bar with multiple colors on it for different phases.

Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the latest and greatest Milestones software videos!

Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019 for only $149 (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Professional 2019” page.

Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019 for only $55 (if you already own any version of Milestones Simplicity). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Simplicity 2019” page.

July 2019 Tips and Tricks

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for July 2019

Unable to change task row heights
I am unable to adjust row height by dragging with the mouse anymore. This problem just appeared and occurs in every milestones file.

Comment symbols
How are Milestones’ Comment symbols generally used in a schedule?

Copy a legend from one schedule to another
I have a perfect legend on one of my schedules. Now I want to copy it to another schedule.

DataGraph on last page only
Is it possible to print the DataGraph only on the last page, as opposed to every page?

Two end date columns
I would like to show two end dates and have the dates appear in the End Date SmartColumn. Right now when I have two End Date SmartColumns if I change one the other one gets updated. One of the date columns will show Expected Completion Date ECD and the other will show Due Date.

Unhide the Legend
I hid the legend and now I need to put it back on the schedule. After I hide the legend, how do I get it to reappear?

Use a bitmap graphic as a symbol
I have an image bitmap of a company symbol that I would like to use as a Milestones symbol. How can I do this?

Use only certain Microsoft Project tasks on a Milestones Integrated Master Schedule (IMS)
Is it possible to only use certain pieces within an Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) file to be viewed in a Milestone Professional template?

Vertical link to a symbol on the same task bar
Do you know how you can link to task within the same task bar? I would like to create a vertical link between two symbols on the same row.

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for July 2019

Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users. To join, head over to the following website and click Join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817
Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

June 2019 Newsletter

Video: Copy Between Schedules

Check out the video below to see how to copy various objects between two Milestones Professional schedules.

Using this method, you can borrow certain things from other schedules, and even copy entire task rows.

Note: You will need first need to export your Primavera file as an XML file before you can refresh from that XML file.

Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the latest and greatest Milestones software videos!

Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019 for only $149 (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Professional 2019” page.

Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019 for only $55 (if you already own any version of Milestones Simplicity). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Simplicity 2019” page.

June 2019 Tips and Tricks

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for June 2019

Picture disappears
I added a picture to my schedule. However, as soon as I add the picture it disappears before I have a chance to re-size it.

Download a past version
I need to download version 2015. Where can I find it on your website?

Above and below the bar symbols
How do I add a downward pointing triangle, arrow or other symbol to the toolbox so that when added, it adds the milestone below or above or below the bar? I want to have a bar with several milestones above it but may also want to show milestones below the bar.

Appendix instead of Page
Can Milestones display the page numbering other than with the word “Page”? When I include a Milestones schedule in my report, it is in the appendix. Thus, I would like the pagination to say “Appendix” instead of “Page.”

After-status colors
Is it possible to have the symbols and bars change automatically when the status is complete? I want to show a circle when a task is incomplete and have it change to a diamond when it’s complete.

Calculate BCWS using baseline duration
When calculating BCWS as the budget column multiplied by percent duration to the current date, can I use percent duration of baseline to the current date?

Change the names of the months
How can I change the default name of each month as it appears in the date heading?

Choose default symbols and bar to use for summary tasks
I want to change the symbols used for the summary bars. How do I do this?

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for June 2019

Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users. To join, head over to the following website and click Join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817
Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

April 2019 Newsletter

Video: Linking to Primavera

Check out the video below to see how to link your Milestones schedule to a Primavera XML file that you exported.

Pretty handy especially if you are trying to show a lot of information on the same row.

Note: You will need first need to export your Primavera file as an XML file before you can refresh from that XML file.

Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the latest and greatest Milestones software videos!

Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019 for only $149 (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Professional 2019” page.

Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019 for only $55 (if you already own any version of Milestones Simplicity). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Simplicity 2019” page.

April 2019 Tips and Tricks

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for April 2019

Symbol note background
I see that I can change the background color for the symbol note. But what if I want to get rid of the background color and the frame? Is this a possibility?

Remove a single grid line
I need to get rid of (delete) the single horizontal line above “Task 2-1-2”. How can I do this?

Holiday shading
How do I shade holidays?

Move a column
How do I move a column from one side of my schedule to the other?

Duplicate items when refreshing from Microsoft Project
When updating our Milestones Professional presentation schedule, we are using a text field in Microsoft Project. Our question is, if the Microsoft Project file has two tasks with the same text “ID” then which task will the Milestones refresh program use to update the Milestones presentation schedule?

Show numbers instead of dates on a timescale
Can a time scale show numbers instead of dates? For example, can I show 1, 2, … instead of January, February, …

Can’t select picture previously added
I am having trouble removing a picture on my schedule. For some reason, I can’t select it.

Substitutable duration text
Can I show the duration of a horizontal task bar as the text for that bar? Can I add text to it? For Example [duration] working days.

Vertical milestone lines
I would like to add vertical milestone lines across all tasks. The vertical milestone line would look like the current date line, but I would be able to add several as needed. Is that possible?

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for April 2019

Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users. To join, head over to the following website and click Join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817
Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

March 2019 Newsletter

Video: Vertical Symbol Position

Check out the video below to see how to move your symbols vertically within the same row in Milestones Professional.

Pretty handy especially if you are trying to show a lot of information on the same row.

Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the latest and greatest Milestones software videos!

Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019 for only $149 (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Professional 2019” page.

Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019 for only $55 (if you already own any version of Milestones Simplicity). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Simplicity 2019” page.

March 2019 Tips and Tricks

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for March 2019

Continuous View – Freeze the left columns and headings
I have a very large schedule (hundreds of tasks). Is there any way, like in Excel to “freeze” the columns on the left and the date headings on the top and just scroll through the schedule?

Toolbox appears very small on my high resolution screen
Is there a way to increase the size of the tool box? It is currently too small to see what symbols I need to use. I’m using a very high res monitor.

Extra thick line on schedule
I can’t figure out how to get rid of this extra thick line on my schedule. It’s apparently not a grid line and I can’t pick it.

Boxed text to annotate symbols
I am a PowerPoint user and would like to have a PowerPoint feel on my Milestones project schedule. Is there any way to make something like this appear near one of my symbols:

Attach a picture to a symbol
I would like to attach a picture to a symbol. Is this possible?

Picture gets chopped off
I don’t know why, but all of a sudden when I go to export a Picture Metafile, when I go to open that picture I only have a portion of my chart (the top left 25% roughly). I don’t think I changed any settings, but what would be causing this?

Create a visual roadmap
Is Milestones Professional compatible with Microsoft Project? Can I migrate the output from Microsoft Project over to Milestones Professional? The reason I’m asking is because I’d like to keep updating my projects in Microsoft Project, but would like to use Milestones Professional to present a visual roadmap of the project.

Change a symbol’s color
I am trying to change the fill color of a selected symbol. I have made the change in the Selection/Size/Color tab /Symbol fill color on the Override Symbol and Bar Colors section, but it will not display in the page as the new selected color. I can see that it is changed on the tab above, and on the Symbol properties page, but not in the actual chart. Please let me know what I am doing incorrectly.

Eliminate the date stamp
How can I eliminate the Date that appears near the upper right corner of the schedule?

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for March 2019

Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users. To join, head over to the following website and click Join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817
Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

January 2019 Newsletter

Video: New Cell Formatting Options

Check out the video below to see how to make cells look like they are merged, and utilize vertical text in your columns (applies to Milestones Professional 2019 and Milestones Simplicity 2019):

Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the latest and greatest Milestones software videos!

Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019 for only $149 (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Professional 2019” page.

Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019 for only $55 (if you already own any version of Milestones Simplicity). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Simplicity 2019” page.

January 2019 Tips and Tricks

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for January 2019

Save a schedule in an earlier version’s format
I am thinking about upgrading to the latest version but there are quite a few people in my company using a past version. I occasionally need to share a schedule with them. Will I be able to save my schedules in the version that they have?

Can’t remove picture
I’ve put together a schedule that contains imported (copy-and-paste) graphics. For some reason, there is a graphic towards the top of my schedule that I can’t get rid of. I can’t even click on it. Any idea why?

Expand width of some column titles
I see some samples in version 2019 which appear to have some column entries spanning more than one column. What’s the procedure to do this?

Apply a template to a PowerPoint slide
When I use Copy All Pages to PowerPoint, the slides are coming in with one of my templates, but not the one I want.

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for January 2019

Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users. To join, head over to the following website and click Join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817
Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.