Russell,
The default process iterations you get depends on the process template you select when creating a project area. I guess you selected the template "Eclipse Way". Would you have selected anohter template i.e. "Upon Up" you would have got other iterations. In the Project Area Editor (right upper corner) you find a link to more detailed description of the selected Process template. Here a short explanation what the different levels are for:

Line of Development: Element of a project that owns a set of deliverables. Instead of Development line you could i.e. have a Maintenance line

Phase: Divides the line into separates periods that may have significantly different characteristics like Releases.

Milestone: Divides each project phase into iterations of work with a tangible delivery plan.

Milestone phase: Further refinement of a milestone. Each phase may have a different process. Process defined for a Project can be redefined for Milestones.

The current state always referrers to a Milestone phase. Iteration plans can be written for Phases and Milestones

You may already have seen that you can rename the process iterations in the Project Area Editor if you like to rename them. I think that out of the box the line, phase and milestone phase are called "Development" because the project is starting up and everything has to be developed.
Elisabeth

This is a good summary.

FYI, in M3 we are moving to a model of generic, arbitrarily nested
iterations rather than the hard-coded hierarchy (project-phase,
milestone, milestone-phase) that we started with.

- Jared

ehodel wrote:

Russell,
The default process iterations you get depends on the process template
you select when creating a project area. I guess you selected the
template "Eclipse Way". Would you have selected anohter
template i.e. "Upon Up" you would have got other
iterations. In the Project Area Editor (right upper corner) you find
a link to more detailed description of the selected Process template.
Here a short explanation what the different levels are for:

Line of Development: Element of a project that owns a set of
deliverables. Instead of Development line you could i.e. have a
Maintenance line

Phase: Divides the line into separates periods that may have
significantly different characteristics like Releases.

Milestone: Divides each project phase into iterations of work with a
tangible delivery plan.

Milestone phase: Further refinement of a milestone. Each phase may
have a different process. Process defined for a Project can be
redefined for Milestones.

The current state always referrers to a Milestone phase. Iteration
plans can be written for Phases and Milestones

You may already have seen that you can rename the process iterations
in the Project Area Editor if you like to rename them. I think that
out of the box the line, phase and milestone phase are called
"Development" because the project is starting up and
everything has to be developed.
Elisabeth