I built this template after being asked for deadlines while in a meeting with a ministry leader. It went something like this:

Ministry Leader: "OK, so you've just learned about these 16 projects for Christmas. When is everything due?"
Me: "um, I'm not sure yet. I'll have to work through all these different projects to get a sense of scope from my team. These projects live across multiple people and the deadlines will be impacted by multiple teams."
ML: "Can't you just pick a date and tell them that's when it needs to be done?"
Me: "That's not really how it works"
ML: "Well just get it to us ASAP. We have a lot of work to do!"

My initial reaction was to be frustrated at the ministry leader, but they were right. They DID have a lot of work to do. So did my team. Rather than stewing in the frustration of being put on the spot, I decided to create this tool so I could have an accurate answer every time I was asked.

Each type of project (video, print, etc.) has a different breakdown of milestones that were defined by those involved ahead of time. Depending on the project, you'll want to bring in other teams like Productions, Media, Communications, Worship, etc. to help define the time needed between milestones. This allows you to have your timeframes already established and agreed to. Then you just put in the due dates and watch the spreadsheet calculate your project milestones.

When your systems are working, your team is healthier!