Beware of a guy in a room. If you build it, it will ship. Get to a known state and stay there. Use ZD milestones. Nobody reaches the ZD milestones until everybody does.
Every milestone deserves a no-blame postmortem.
Stick to both the letter and the spirit of the milestone. A handful of milestones is a handful. Look for the natural milestones. When you slip, don't fall. Don't trade a bad date for an equally bad date.