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Setting Milestones and Deadlines
Discover how to create milestones and set realistic deadlines to keep your projects on track and ensure timely delivery.
Milestones enable clients and freelancers to break projects into manageable parts with defined objectives. Each milestone represents a stage in the project with a corresponding deadline, keeping both parties aligned.
- Creating Milestones: Clients can set multiple milestones with individual goals and deadlines, allowing progress to be monitored systematically.
- Milestone Deadlines: Deadlines for each milestone ensure that freelancers meet specific project phases on time, providing clients with assurance on project timing.
- Milestone Adjustments: Both clients and freelancers can review and adjust milestones if project needs change, enhancing flexibility in project management.
Deadline Rules and Consequences for Freelancers
To maintain accountability, Loxala applies a series of automated rules if freelancers miss project milestones or deadlines:
- First Missed Deadline:
- Automatic Warning and Grace Period: An email notification is sent with a 24-hour grace period, allowing the freelancer time to deliver or explain the delay.
- Second Missed Deadline:
- Temporary Suspension from New Offers: A 48-hour suspension from new offers is applied, while the freelancer can continue working on current projects.
- Client Notification: Clients are informed and provided options to extend the deadline, reassign the project, or cancel for a full refund.
- Third Missed Deadline:
- 7-Day Restriction from New Projects: The freelancer is restricted from new offers for 7 days, with ongoing projects unaffected.
- Client Notification: Informs clients of the freelancer’s status and provides options for deadline extension, project reassignment, or cancellation.
- Fourth Missed Deadline (Final Action):
- Permanent Suspension from New Offers: The freelancer is permanently suspended from receiving new offers, though they may complete existing projects.
- Final Client Notification: Clients are informed of the freelancer’s permanent suspension and given options to extend the deadline or cancel the project.
Additional Automated Actions
- Automated Alerts: Freelancers receive reminders of upcoming milestone deadlines.
- 24-Hour Grace Period: Applied before any penalty, allowing freelancers time to address minor delays.
- Client Reassurance Options: Clients are offered project reassignment or refunds when deadlines are consistently missed to maintain satisfaction and project stability.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a freelancer misses a milestone deadline for the first time?
An automatic warning is issued along with a 24-hour grace period, giving the freelancer time to deliver the work.
What are milestones, and how do they work?
Milestones divide a project into phases, each with specific goals and deadlines, providing structure and transparency in project progress.
Can a project be reassigned if a freelancer repeatedly misses deadlines?
Yes, clients have the option to reassign or cancel the project after a second missed deadline, providing control over project continuity.