Solved: How do multiple milestones work?

jess98 · ‎03-31-2019

Hi - I'm new to Upwork and was looking for some clarification on milestones. I have a client that I completed a job for - I submitted this for review / payment. She said that she liked the work and wanted to know if I would work on another project for her. When I said yes - she sent me another milestone under this contract. When I completed the second project and went to submit it - the second milestone is listed as "upcoming" and the first one is still showing as active. I'm guessing that she hadn't approved the first one yet.

Is there any way for me to submit the write-up for the second milestone, even though it says upcoming? I don't see an option to do this.

General question for the community - do you ask a client to close out the first milestone before starting the second one?

Thanks!

gilbert-phyllis · ‎03-31-2019

Milestones can represent multiple stages of a single large and/or complex project, or they can represent a series of separate projects for the same client. How you use them is completely up to you and your clients.

The most important thing about milestones, regardless of how you're using them, is this: NEVER produce work against a milestone until it's funded in escrow. If a client wants to add a milestone to a contract, she needs to approve the previous milestone AND fully fund the one she is adding. If you complete work against an unfunded milestone, do NOT submit the work until the milestone is funded, otherwise you have no guarantee of being paid. You will have wasted your time, but at least you retain ownership of what you produced until it's paid for.

I encourage you to do more homework in the Help and Support area of the site, and be sure you thoroughly understand how things work here. You can't depend on clients to know--many of them don't know and many of them will not hesitate to take advantage of your not knowing.

View solution in original post

petra_r · ‎03-31-2019

Uma B wrote:

General question for the community - do you ask a client to close out the first milestone before starting the second one?

You should ideally not work on a milestone until it is actually funded. Certainly not actually send the work to the client. Did you submit the first milestone via the "Submit for Payment" function? Get the client to approve the 1st milestone so that she can fund the 2nd. She can't fund the next one until the first one is approved.

jess98 · ‎03-31-2019

Hi - thanks for the reply. It does appear that she funded the second
milestone. I'm just not able to submit anything under that one.

petra_r · ‎03-31-2019

Uma B wrote:
Hi - thanks for the reply. It does appear that she funded the second
milestone. I'm just not able to submit anything under that one.

She can not have funded it unless she released the first one.

jess98 · ‎03-31-2019

Thank you for the feedback. You are correct in that she hadn't funded the second one. I really appreciate everyone's feedback and suggestions. Will make sure to ask clients in the future to close out the first milestone before I start the next one.

gilbert-phyllis · ‎03-31-2019

Milestones can represent multiple stages of a single large and/or complex project, or they can represent a series of separate projects for the same client. How you use them is completely up to you and your clients.

The most important thing about milestones, regardless of how you're using them, is this: NEVER produce work against a milestone until it's funded in escrow. If a client wants to add a milestone to a contract, she needs to approve the previous milestone AND fully fund the one she is adding. If you complete work against an unfunded milestone, do NOT submit the work until the milestone is funded, otherwise you have no guarantee of being paid. You will have wasted your time, but at least you retain ownership of what you produced until it's paid for.

I encourage you to do more homework in the Help and Support area of the site, and be sure you thoroughly understand how things work here. You can't depend on clients to know--many of them don't know and many of them will not hesitate to take advantage of your not knowing.