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- What is Business Agility ? and Why is it Important ? Expert’s Top Picks
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- Devops vs Waterfall | A Definitive Guide and Which Should You Learn?
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- Key Values and Principles Behind the Agile Manifesto | A Definitive Guide
- What are Scrum Ceremonies : The Ultimate Guide with Expert’s Top Picks
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- Learn Burndown Charts With Jira : Comprehensive Guide [ For Freshers and Experience ]
- What Is Scrum XP? : Step-By-Step Process with REAL-TIME Examples
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- Project Manager Salary in India – How much does a PM earn? [ Job & Future ]
- Why Do Scrum Masters Get Paid so Much? [For Freshers and Experience]
- What Best Describes a Scrum Team? All you need to know [ OverView ]
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- Anti-patterns of a Scrum Master : Step-By-Step Process
- SCM Tools and Frameworks | A Complete Guide with Best Practices
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- CSM vs PSM : Difference You Should Know
- Top Characteristics of a Project Manager : Expert’s Top Picks
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- Benefits of Having Shorter Sprints in Agile – Everything You Need to Know
- Group Discussion Tips | A Complete Guide with Best Practices
- PMP Certification Cost : All you need to know
- DMAIC Process and Methods | All you need to know [ OverView ]
- Agile Scrum Vs Kanban | Know the difference
- Deming vs Juran vs Crosby
- What is Project Scope Management and Why It’s Important?
- The Basic Principles of Project Management
- Top PMP Exam Questions and Answers for 2020
- Risk Management Strategies
- Roles and Responsibilities of A Scrum Master
- ROM Estimate Vs Definitive Estimate
- Guidelines for Creating and Maintaining a WBS Dictionary
- How to Become a Certified ScrumMaster?
- Top Professional Skills for 2020
- Fast Tracking Vs Crashing
- PMP Vs PRINCE2 Vs CAPM
- PMP Earned Value Management (EVM) And Formulas
- What is Certified Scrum Professional (CSM)?
- Top Leadership Theories Every Manager Should Know
- What is Deliverables in Project Management?
- How To Prepare For TOEFL
- History and evolution of the PMP Certification
- What Is Float In Microsoft Project?
- Rules to set you up for success in project
- What is Scrum Project Management?
- What Is Estimating Activity Duration in Project Management?
- What Are The PMP Terminologies Relating To Cost Knowledge Area?
- What is Project Scope Management processes?
- What Are The Types of Organization In PMP?
- Books to Beat the Scrum Master Certification
- Agile Coach Vs Agile Consultant
- What is the cost of quality in project management?
- Signs Your Career May Be Stagnation and Tips to Overcome Downturn
- Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) Certification
- Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification
- What is schedule Activity in project management?
- Why Do We Need a Project Charter?
- PMP Certification Exam Preparation Mind Map
- Why Quality Professionals Should Use Infographics In Project Management?
- Role of Earned Value Technique in Project Management
- What is Project Quality Management?
- Tools and Techniques to Estimate Project Cost
- What is a Project Charter And Project Scope in Project Management?
- Why Should You Conduct Project Status Meetings with Your Team?
- The 7 R’s of Change Management
- What Are The Categories and sources of risk in your project?
- What Is a Network Diagram in Project Management?
- What are The Types of Contracts In PMP?
- Residual Risk Vs Secondary Risk
- Impact of the stakeholders on the projects
- Effort Vs Duration Vs Elapsed Time
- Agile vs Scrum
- What Is Six Sigma Quality Assurance?
- How to Close a Project?
- What Qualifications Do You Need to be a Project Manager?
- Project Management Vs General Operations Management
- Enterprise Environmental Factors & Organizational Process Assets
- What is a project manager?
- Important Questions for PMP Certification Exam
- How is the PMP Exam changing, in 2015 & 2020?
- How To Renew Your PMP Certification?
- The Importance of Having Project Acceptance Criteria in Your Projects
- Tips for PMP Exam Preparation
- What is requirement traceability matrix RTM in Project Management?
- Poor Performance Appraisal? Here are the tips to turn any negative feedback into positive.
- How to build a successful Career in Agile and Scrum?
- Importance of Tuckman ladder model in HR management
- How To Apply For The PMP® Exam In Easy Steps
- How to Write a Six Sigma Problem Statement
- What is a lessons learned document in PMI?
- Perform Quality Assurance Vs Perform Quality Control
- How to Improve Quality Management Consistently?
- Interactive Vs Push Vs Pull Communication
- what is risk management?
- Key Appraisal Questions to Prepare For
- What are the MSP Certifications?
- What Is A Six Sigma Control Plan?
- How to Create a Project Plan in Excel?
- Agile Prioritization Techniques
- Tips to Help Millennials Climb the Corporate Ladder
- What is an Issue Log?
- Advantages of PMP over MBA
- Top Successful Project Estimation Techniques
- PMP Examination Preparation – ITTO’s
- Employee Training Rewards That Actually Improve Learning
- Lean principles
- What Does It Take to Become a Successful Agile Coach
- Projects VS Programs
- The Role of Six Sigma in Manufacturing
- The Top Formulas to Memorize Before Your PMP Exam
- Roadmap to CSM (Certified Scrum Master) Certification
- What are Some Qualities of a Good Manager and Good Leader?
- How to Handle Project Monitoring and Controlling Processes?
- Top Free Agile Tools For Any Project Manager
- Risk Assessment in Project Management
- The Concept of Zero Defects in Quality Management
- The Importance of Work Packages in Project Scope Management
- How to Get Project Management Experience for PMP Certification
- Different Ways to Calculate the Estimate at Completion (EAC)
- What Is a ScrumMaster?
- What is Risk Register?
- Agile Certifications
- Top-down Approach Vs Bottom-up Approach
- Leadership Vs Management
- What is Feasibility Study and Its Importance in Project Management?
- What Is a Project Management Plan?
- The Professional Advantages of the CAPM Certification
- PRINCE2 Vs PMP
- Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Prep and PMBOK® Guide
- What is Project Cycle Management?
- What is Project and Process Metrics?
- PMBOK® Sixth Edition is Here! What Project Managers Should Know?
- CAPM Certification
- Top Project Selection Methods for Project Managers
- Free Float Vs Total Float
- What is Critical Chain Project Management?
- How to Build a Career in Project Management?
- Scrum Master or Product Owner: What Suits You Better?
- Project Documentation and its Importance
- What is Performance Reporting in the Project Management?
- Top Highest Paying Tech Jobs in India

Effort Vs Duration Vs Elapsed Time
Last updated on 10th Oct 2020, Artciles, Blog, Project Management
There is a lot of confusion about different time management terms. I am always asked questions about project duration, effort and elapsed time during my training classes.
Let’s take an example. What would you understand if I say, “Activity Alpha would need 3 days for completion”.
This statement can be confusing without the proper context. ‘Days’ could mean one person working for 3 days. Or, it could mean can entire team working for 3 days. It can also mean 3 days for completion including non-working time and holidays.
I think the main cause of this confusion is our day to day conversations. We use time units like days & weeks and time management terms like effort & duration interchangeably in our daily conversations.
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Definitions & Meaning
- Effort refers to the amount of exertion or the amount of work done to complete a task.
- Duration refers to the length of time or the time taken to complete a task.
- Elapsed time is the total amount of time that passes between start of an activity and end of the activity.
- These project management terms have completely different meanings. One term should not be used in place of the other.
Project Effort
- Effort is the number of labor units required to complete a Task.
- Again, a task could mean an entire project or a WBS component or an activity.
- Effort is sometimes expressed in hours, days, or weeks but it is better to use person hours, person days or person weeks in order to avoid any confusion.
- Some Project Management authors prefer to use ‘man’ or ‘staff’ as prefixes to express effort e.g. man hours, staff days, staff weeks etc.
Project Duration
- Duration is the total number of work periods required to complete a task.
- A task could mean an entire project or a WBS component or an activity. Duration does not include holidays and non-working periods.
- Duration is usually measured & expressed in hours, days, or weeks but it is better to express it in work hours, work days or work weeks in order to avoid any confusion.
Elapsed Time
- Elapsed time is the total calendar time needed to complete a task.
- It includes weekends, holidays, vacations and breaks.
Project Effort and Duration Formula
Let us continue from the above example. The relationship between project effort and duration can be best expressed by the following formula:
(Effort) = (Duration) * (Number of Resources)
This formula will not work in all cases but it gives a fair idea of the relationship.
This formula will work only if:
- Work can be easily distributed among many resources.
- There is no dependency between the resources for doing the work.
- The productivity of all resources is considered equal.
Example of Project Duration, Effort, and Elapsed Time
Let us consider a small task that involves painting one large wall.
Assumptions & Estimates
- 1 work day = 8 work hours. It means that a painter(s) will work 8 hours per Day.
- The painting task has a Duration Estimate of 4 work days with only 1 painter working.
- There is no scarcity of painters. There are enough painters available to do the task.
- All painters have equal productivity. The amount and quality of the work is the same for each painter.
- The task will start on Friday.
- Saturday and Sunday are holidays.
Duration
- If 1 painter works, the duration of the task would be 4 work days or 32 work hours.
- If 2 Painters work, the duration of the task would be 2 work days or 16 work hours.
- If 4 painters work, the duration of the task would be 1 work day or 8 work hours.
Elapsed Time
- If 1 painter works, the task will start on Friday and finish on Wednesday. The elapsed time would be 6 days.
- If 2 Painters work, the task will start on Friday and finish on Monday. The elapsed time would be 4 days.
- If 4 painters work, the task will start and finish on Friday. The elapsed time would be 1 days.
Effort
- If 1 painter works, the effort for the task would be 4 person days or 32 person hours.
- If 2 painters work, the effort for the task will remain the same – 4 person days or 32 person hours.
- If 4 painters work, the effort for the task will still be the same – 4 person days or 32 person hours.