# Phases and tasks > Break a renovation project into phases, add tasks and milestones to each one, and see how project progress is tracked. Once you have a renovation project, whether it started from a closed deal or on its own, you organize the work in its **Timeline** tab: break the project into **phases**, then add **tasks**, **milestones**, and **inspection dates** inside each phase. ## Open the Timeline tab ![A project timeline listing tasks with their start and end dates and current status](https://docs.reinvestorhub.ai/images/run-a-renovation-project/timeline-phases-list.png) 1. In the sidebar, select **Projects**, then select the project you want to work on. This opens the project for editing. 2. Select the **Timeline** pill tab, next to **Team**. > **What you should see:** the tab opens with your project's start and target completion dates, followed by **Project Phases**, **Milestones & Tasks**, **Inspection Dates**, and a **Timeline Gantt Chart** further down the page. ## Add phases A phase groups related work together, for example "Demo & Foundation" or "Framing & Rough-In." 1. Under **Project Phases**, select **Add Phase**. This adds a blank phase for you to fill in. If the project has no phases yet, you can instead select **Add Suggested Phases** to start from six pre-named phases: Phase 0: Planning & Permits, Phase 1: Demo & Foundation, Phase 2: Framing & Rough-Ins, Phase 3: Drywall & Paint, Phase 4: Finishes, and Phase 5: Closeout. You can rename, reorder, or remove any of them afterward. 2. Give the phase a name, and set its **Start** and **End** dates. 3. Choose a color for the phase, used to tell phases apart on the Gantt chart, and a status: **Pending**, **In Progress**, or **Completed**. Select a phase's header to expand or collapse it. Each one shows a count of how many tasks, milestones, and inspection dates are inside it. > **Tip:** If you leave both of a phase's dates blank, they fill in on their own the next time you add a task, milestone, or inspection date to that phase, based on the earliest and latest dates among its items. ## Add tasks and milestones to a phase With a phase expanded, use the buttons inside it: 1. Select **Task**, **Milestone**, or **Inspection Date** to add one to that phase. 2. Name it, and set its **Start** and **End** dates. 3. A task or milestone can be switched between the two using the dropdown next to its dates. If the phase already has a named milestone, a task also gets a dropdown so you can attach it to that milestone. 4. An inspection date instead gets a field for the inspection type (for example, "Rough Inspection") and its own status: **Pending**, **Scheduled**, **Completed**, or **Failed**. Select the **X** next to any item to remove it. > **Note:** Tasks and milestones don't have a status of their own to set, and there's no field to assign one to a specific person. Use the phase's status dropdown to show whether that part of the project is pending, in progress, or completed. ## Tasks and milestones without a phase You don't have to assign a task or milestone to a phase right away. Under **Milestones & Tasks**, below the phase list, select **Add Milestone** or **Add Task** to add one without a phase. Once at least one phase exists, a phase dropdown appears on it so you can assign it later, or leave it unassigned. ## Remove a phase Selecting the **X** on a phase removes the phase itself, but not what's inside it. Its tasks, milestones, and inspection dates move down into the unassigned **Milestones & Tasks** section instead, so nothing is lost. To clear everything at once, select **Clear All Phases** above the phase list. Unlike removing one phase at a time, this deletes every phase along with all of its tasks, milestones, and inspection dates, and can't be undone. You're asked to confirm first. ## See it on the Gantt chart The **Timeline Gantt Chart**, below the phase and task lists, lays the project, its phases, and their tasks, milestones, and inspection dates out against the calendar, with a red line marking today. - Drag the edge of the project bar or a phase bar to change its start or end date. - Drag a task or milestone to move its date, or drop it onto a different phase to reassign it. - Select a phase's name in the chart to collapse or expand its rows there too. ## Save your changes Phases, tasks, milestones, and inspection dates are only saved when you select **Save Changes** at the bottom of the page. If you try to leave with changes pending, a confirmation dialog warns: "You have unsaved changes that will be lost if you leave this page." ## How progress is reflected The percentage you see on a project (on its **Overview** tab, on its card on the **Projects** page, and at the top of the project workspace) comes from the **Progress Percentage** slider on the **Overview** tab. You set it yourself; it doesn't move on its own when you complete tasks or mark a phase **Completed**. Update it as work moves forward, alongside your phase statuses, to keep the project's progress accurate. ## The Tasks area in the sidebar is a separate list The **Tasks** item in the sidebar opens a different, general-purpose task list, not the tasks you add inside a project's phases. A task there has its own status (**To Do**, **In Progress**, **Completed**, **Blocked**) and priority, and can optionally be linked to a project (and a deal) from a dropdown when you create it. That link is one-directional and just for reference. A task on the **Tasks** page shows its linked project's name in a **Project** column, but it doesn't appear anywhere on that project's Timeline tab, and a task you add inside a phase doesn't show up on the **Tasks** page. Use a project's Timeline tab to plan and sequence the renovation itself; use the **Tasks** page for a general to-do list that can reference a project for context. ## Next From the Timeline tab, the **Budget** tab tracks costs against these phases, and the **Team** tab is where you add the contractors doing the work.