# Plan work with sprints, epics, and milestones

**Category:** [Issue Tracker](https://help.totalctrl.app/hc/totalctrl/totalctrl-help-center/en-US/categories/issues)
**Updated:** 2026-08-19

## Epics

An **epic** groups related issues under a larger body of work. From a project, open **Epics** and click new to create one with a title, description, color, status, and optional start and target dates. Assign issues to an epic when you create or edit them, then open the epic to see all of its issues in one place.
## Milestones

A **milestone** represents a target you are working toward, usually with a due date. Create milestones from the **Milestones** page, then attach issues so you can track progress against the deadline.
## Sprints

Sprints are time-boxed cycles of work. From **Sprints**, create a sprint with a name, goal, and start/end dates. Only one sprint can be **active** at a time — starting a new sprint completes the previous active one and notifies project members. Complete a sprint when the cycle ends. The active sprint and your unstarted work both appear in the **Backlog** view for planning.
## Initiatives

Initiatives are tenant-wide and span multiple projects. Use them to track strategic themes across your whole account: create an initiative, set its status, health, and target date, and link the relevant projects to it. Find them under **Initiatives** on the Issue Tracking home page.

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## Related Articles

- [Create a project](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/create-a-project-1)
- [Create and manage issues](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/create-and-manage-issues)
- [Customize workflows and fields](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/customize-workflows-and-fields)
- [Connect GitHub, GitLab, and Slack](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/connect-github-gitlab-and-slack)
- [Issues Overview](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/issues-overview)

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