Milestones and automation

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Two ways milestones complete

When you design a milestone, you choose how overseers prove it is done: Most mature tracks mix both. “Welcome email sent” might be automated; “Manager approved candidate” stays judgment-based.

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Automated milestones and Actions

Actions are XSpada’s visual workflows — chains of nodes that do something repeatable. When you attach an Action to a milestone:

1. An overseer runs the action from the instance (or it runs automatically on visit/trigger).
2. The action executes its nodes.
3. On success, the milestone marks complete.

Examples:

• Send a templated email when Offer letter sent is achieved.
• Add the contact to a list when Screening form submitted completes.
• Run an Agent node to summarize notes when Interview debrief is achieved.

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Milestone Trigger Actions

There is a special Action type called Milestone Trigger Action. Unlike Form Actions that start from a public form, these fire only when someone reaches a configured milestone inside a track. When the milestone is achieved, the action receives context about who crossed it and which track they are on — then runs its pipeline (notify Slack, update CRM, invoke an agent, etc.). Link Milestone Trigger Actions from the track builder when you want automation that spans beyond a single button click on the instance page.

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Judgment-based completion

Use manual or approval milestones when automation cannot decide:

• Manual — any authorized overseer clicks to confirm (“Site visit completed”).
• Role approval — only someone with a specific role (e.g. Manager) can mark complete.
• All tasks done — milestone completes when related tasks are fulfilled.

These keep humans in the loop for decisions that need context, taste, or authority.

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Checkpoint-level automation

Actions can also attach to checkpoints, not just milestones:

• On visit — run when someone enters the checkpoint (orientation email when entering Onboarding).
• On exit — run when leaving the checkpoint (archive files when leaving Review).

Configure these in the checkpoint detail panel alongside milestones. They complement milestone automation — use visit triggers for stage transitions, milestone actions for specific achievements.

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Requirements and gates

Access rules (requirements) control when someone can enter a checkpoint or finish the track — separate from how individual milestones complete. Common patterns:

• “Cannot enter Interview until Screening passed is achieved.”
• “Cannot complete the track until Compliance training milestone is done.”
• “Only users with Legal role can enter Contract review.”

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Agents inside milestone workflows

Agents appear in milestone automation in two ways:

1. As overseers — assigned to watch and fulfill tasks on the instance.
2. Inside Actions — an Agent node runs when a milestone action fires.

The second pattern is powerful for summarization, scoring, drafting, and research steps that should not block a human overseer’s calendar.

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Choosing the right approach

Next: Continuity and handoff — why Tracks beat spreadsheets when teams change.