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Alice.In breaks your project into a few sizes, each answering a different question. Getting the size right is what keeps the graph useful instead of turning into another flat to-do list.

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The levels

  • Milestone — a dated phase you’re aiming for. “What are we trying to be true by when?”
  • Enabler — a capability your project needs to acquire to reach that milestone. “What must we be able to do that we can’t do yet?” Think weeks, not days — an enabler is done when the project can do something new.
  • Card — one shippable piece of that capability. “What thing needs to exist?” A card is done when that thing exists and works.
  • Checklist item — a step inside a card. “What do I do next?”

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A quick way to size something

Ask what’s true when it’s finished:
  • If the answer is “we can now do X” — it’s an enabler.
  • If the answer is “this thing exists” — it’s a card.
  • If the answer is “I did this one action” — it’s a checklist item.

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Why the size matters

A card that’s really an enabler in disguise never feels done — it just grows more checklist items forever. An enabler that’s really a card gets marked “done” the moment one thing ships, even though the capability isn’t real yet. Keeping each item at its right altitude is what makes “what’s left” an honest question with an honest answer.