The traditional mine planning framework employs a flawed approach in the design of ultimate pit limits and phases. Conventional methods arbitrarily confine the mine’s extraction schedule during the initial stages, detracting from its optimality before it is created. This work aims to provide a method by which a mine’s phase design is created from an optimal extraction schedule. The schedule-based approach to phase design yields implementable mining phases that mimic the initial raw optimal schedule from which it is based. An attempt to minimize the trade-of between mineability and value is inherent to the approach. We apply the method is a case study using a gold deposit. Results show a phase design that adheres much better to the optimal production schedule.