Quick Start Guide

This guide will help you create your first project and start tracking velocity in about 10 minutes.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• A GoalPath account (sign up at goalpath.app)
• At least one team member to collaborate with (optional - you can start solo)

Step 1: Create Your First Project

1. Click "New Project" from the dashboard
2. Enter a project name (e.g., "Q4 Product Roadmap")
3. Add a description (optional)
4. Click "Create Project"

Step 2: Add Your First Milestone

Milestones represent significant deliverables on your roadmap. You can create them from the roadmap view or the backlog.

Using the Visual Roadmap

1. Navigate to the Roadmap tab
2. Double-click on empty space
3. Choose Milestone type
4. Enter a name (e.g., "User Authentication")
5. Set initial status (Concept, Planned, In Progress, or Done)
6. Click "Create"

Milestone Types

GoalPath supports two types of milestones:

• Milestone: A specific deliverable or feature (shown with flag icon)
• Goal: A higher-level business objective (shown with target icon)

Step 3: Add Work Items

Work items are the tasks that make up a milestone. Each item should have an estimate to enable velocity tracking.

1. Click on your milestone to open the details
2. Click "Add Item"
3. Enter a title (e.g., "Create login form UI")
4. Add a description (optional but helpful)
5. Add an estimate in story points (e.g., 3, 5, 8)
6. Assign owners (team members who will work on this)
7. Click "Create"

Breaking Down Work

Try to break down work into items that:

• Can be completed in 1-3 days
• Have clear acceptance criteria
• Are estimated (required for velocity tracking)
• Have at least one owner assigned

Important: Only items that reach "Accepted" status are counted in velocity calculations.

Step 4: Set Your Goal Path (Optional but Recommended)

Define which milestones are on your strategic path:

1. On the Roadmap view, click a milestone
2. In the milestone details, toggle "On Goal Path"
3. Milestones on the goal path are prioritized and included in forecasts

Why this matters: Your roadmap can contain many ideas and alternatives. The goal path shows which milestones you're actually committing to right now.

Step 5: Create Dependencies (Optional)

Show which milestones depend on each other:

1. On the Roadmap view, hover over a milestone
2. You'll see connection handles on the left and right
3. Drag from the right handle (source) of the prerequisite milestone
4. Drop on the left handle (target) of the dependent milestone
5. A purple arrow shows the dependency

Goal Paths: Connect milestones to goals with dependencies to show which work contributes to strategic objectives. These appear as amber arrows.

Step 6: Invite Team Members

Collaborate with your team:

1. Click "Settings" in the project navigation (Owner role only)
2. Go to the "Members" section
3. Click "Invite Member"
4. Enter their email address
5. Select their role (Owner, Project Leader, Collaborator, Stakeholder, or Viewer)
6. Click "Send Invite"

Role Permissions

• Owner: Full access including settings, member management, roadmap editing, voting, and deletion
• Project Leader: All Collaborator and Stakeholder permissions — for lead developers and team leads who need both execution and prioritization authority
• Collaborator: Can create/edit items and milestones, update status, but cannot vote or edit settings
• Stakeholder: Can vote on priorities and view roadmap, but cannot execute work
• Viewer: Read-only access to roadmap and milestones

See User Roles & Permissions for the complete permission matrix.

Step 7: Start Tracking Velocity

As your team completes work items:

1. Update item status to "In Progress" when work begins
2. Mark items as "Accepted" when completed and verified
3. GoalPath automatically records completion dates
4. Velocity is calculated based on the last 6 weeks of accepted items

Step 8: View Forecasts

Once you have some historical velocity data:

1. Click on a milestone to open details
2. Click the "Forecast" tab or panel
3. View probabilistic delivery dates at three confidence levels (50%, 85%, 95%)

What's Next?

Now that you have the basics down:

• Understanding Project Forecasts - Deep dive into how forecasts work
• Visual Roadmap - Master dependency planning and reverse planning
• User Roles & Permissions - Understand role-based access control
• Read best practices on our blog - Learn from real-world usage

Common Questions

How many work items should I add?

Start with 5-15 items per milestone, based on its size. You can always add more as you break down the work further. The key is having estimates on all items.

When will I see accurate forecasts?

After 2-3 weeks of tracked velocity, forecasts become usable. After 6 weeks, they're quite reliable. The more historical data, the better the predictions.

Can I edit items after creating them?

Yes! Click on any item to edit its title, description, estimate, status, or owners. Changes are saved immediately.

What if I have multiple teams?

Create teams within your project and assign milestones to specific teams. Each team builds its own velocity history, and forecasts account for team capacity.

What's the difference between "Done" and "Accepted"?

Only "Accepted" items count toward velocity. Use "Accepted" when work is truly complete and verified. Other statuses (Not Started, In Progress, Done) don't affect velocity calculations.

How do I use reverse planning?

1. Create a Goal representing your desired outcome
2. Create a Milestone that must complete before the goal
3. Connect it with a dependency (drag from milestone to goal)
4. Repeat: create the milestone that must complete before that one
5. Continue until you reach something you can start today
6. Mark all these milestones as "On Goal Path"

This creates a dependency chain from current state to your goal.