Outcome: you have a first roadmap of 4 to 8 epics, written by you, with dates, in git.
Step 1: List the gaps
Look at your journeys and your repository map. Every pain point and every missing repo is a gap. Each gap is a candidate for an epic.
TrailMug gaps: “A partner café cannot tell if a returned cup is clean.” “A new member gets no welcome message.” “Nobody can see if the service is down.”
Step 2: Write each epic in the template
An epic needs: problem, who, outcome, measure, in scope, out of scope, parts of the product touched, dependencies, risks and an owner. Use the epic standard and epic roadmap template.
Good title: “Visitors can request a welcome cup”. Weak title: “Landing pages”.
Write in your own words. This is the heart of the rule people write epics.
Step 3: Order the epics
Order by value, risk and dependency. Write one sentence for why each epic comes before the next. Say what you chose not to do.
Step 4: Put the plan in git
Use your git host’s issue tools. Read Issues, milestones and labels for the plan that works on free accounts.
Step 5: Cut the first epic into milestones
A milestone is a time-boxed slice with a goal and a date. A good epic has 3 to 5. Once you wrote the milestones, an AI agent may help break them into issues. You approve every acceptance line.
What about GitLab epics?
GitLab’s built-in epics feature is on paid tiers (Premium and above) at the time of writing. Check the current GitLab documentation before you rely on it. On a free account you teach yourself the same discipline with issues, milestones and labels:
- Make one issue per epic. Give it the label
epic. - Link task issues to it in the description.
- Use milestones for the dates.
- Use a checklist in the epic issue to show progress.
The skill is the same: a human-owned, written, dated plan.
Exercises
- List ten gaps. Keep four to eight.
- Write each epic by hand.
- Order them and write the reason for each position.
- Add start and due dates.
- Cut the first epic into 3 to 5 milestones.
Coach checkpoint
Epic review. Your coach asks hard questions. You answer without notes.
Self-check
- Every epic names a user and a number.
- Every epic has an out-of-scope line.
- Order and reasons are written.
- Dates are real.
- I wrote every epic sentence myself.
