Duration Estimates
Map raw effort hours into executable schedule duration days, documenting the estimation technique used for every activity.
In this resource
§1 Purpose of Duration Estimates
Duration estimates transform raw effort hours into executable elapsed time on a project schedule.
A common pitfall in project planning is conflating effort (the number of labour hours required to complete a task) with duration (the number of business days the task will span on the calendar). For example, 40 hours of effort rarely equates to 5 days of duration once meetings, context-switching, and resource fractional availability are factored in.
This document systematically logs the estimating technique used for each activity, providing transparency into how the Project Manager derived the calendar duration from the work estimate.
- Analogous: Comparing to a similar past project (quick, less accurate).
- Parametric: Using statistical relationships (e.g., 4 hours per page $\times$ 10 pages = 40 hours).
- Three-point: Using weighted averages of Optimistic, Pessimistic, and Most Likely estimates to account for uncertainty.
§2 Blank Template
A streamlined register for capturing work hours, estimating techniques, and final calendar duration for every schedule activity.
DURATION ESTIMATES
| ID | Activity | Estimating Technique | Effort (hrs) | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [A001] | [Activity Name] | [Analogous / Parametric / 3-pt] | [Hrs] | [Days] |
| [A002] | [Activity Name] | [Analogous / Parametric / 3-pt] | [Hrs] | [Days] |
| [A00n] | [Activity Name] | [Analogous / Parametric / 3-pt] | [Hrs] | [Days] |
§3 Worked Example: Mary's Consulting
A completed example demonstrating the relationship between effort and duration for a digital implementation project.
Notice how the estimating technique shifts based on the predictability of the task. Routine administrative tasks often use analogous estimating, while complex software builds utilise three-point estimating to manage risk.
DURATION ESTIMATES
| ID | Activity | Estimating Technique | Effort (hrs) | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A001 | Develop Project Charter | Analogous est. | 20 | 5 working days |
| A002 | Identify Stakeholders | Analogous est. | 16 | 3 working days |
| A003 | Develop Subsidiary Plans | Analogous est. | 60 | 12 working days |
| A004 | Establish Baselines | Analogous est. | 20 | 5 working days |
| A005 | Project Closeout | Analogous est. | 40 | 8 working days |
| A006 | Conduct Requirements Interviews | Parametric est. | 30 | 5 working days |
| A007 | Run Requirements Focus Groups | Analogous est. | 16 | 3 working days |
| A008 | Distribute Consultant Questionnaire | Parametric est. | 12 | 7 working days |
| A009 | Document Requirements & RTM | Three-point est. | 40 | 5 working days |
| A010 | Develop Information Architecture | Three-point est. | 50 | 7 working days |
| A011 | Develop Visual / Brand Design | Three-point est. | 120 | 15 working days |
| A012 | Sponsor Design Review & Approval | Analogous est. | 8 | 3 working days |
| A013 | Develop Content Strategy | Analogous est. | 30 | 4 working days |
| A014 | Write Marketing Page Copy | Parametric est. | 100 | 18 working days |
| A015 | Produce Case Studies | Three-point est. | 80 | 20 working days |
| A016 | Collect Consultant Bios | Parametric est. | 60 | 25 working days |
| A017 | Write Blog Seed Content | Parametric est. | 40 | 10 working days |
| A018 | Source / License Imagery | Analogous est. | 40 | 8 working days |
| A019 | Draft Legal Pages | Analogous est. | 16 | 4 working days |
| A020 | Marketing & Legal Content Review | Analogous est. | 24 | 5 working days |
| A021 | Set Up Dev / Staging / Prod Environments | Analogous est. | 40 | 5 working days |
| A022 | Configure CMS | Three-point est. | 60 | 7 working days |
| A023 | Build Component Library | Three-point est. | 80 | 12 working days |
| A024 | Build Page Templates | Three-point est. | 100 | 15 working days |
| A025 | Develop Backend APIs | Three-point est. | 120 | 12 working days |
| A026 | Implement CRM Integration | Three-point est. | 60 | 8 working days |
| A027 | Configure Search & Analytics | Analogous est. | 40 | 5 working days |
| A028 | Develop Test Plan | Analogous est. | 20 | 3 working days |
| A029 | Execute Functional Tests | Three-point est. | 60 | 8 working days |
| A030 | Execute Performance Tests | Analogous est. | 30 | 4 working days |
| A031 | Conduct Accessibility Audit | Analogous est. | 40 | 5 working days |
| A032 | Resolve Defects | Three-point est. | 60 | 8 working days |
| A033 | Conduct UAT | Three-point est. | 40 | 5 working days |
| A034 | Final UAT Sign-off | Analogous est. | 8 | 2 working days |
| A035 | Develop Launch Communications Plan | Analogous est. | 16 | 3 working days |
| A036 | Migrate Content from Legacy Site | Parametric est. | 40 | 5 working days |
| A037 | Pre-Launch Internal Communications | Analogous est. | 8 | 2 working days |
| A038 | Production Cutover (Go-Live) | Analogous est. | 16 | 1 working days |
| A039 | Post-Launch Hypercare | Analogous est. | 60 | 10 working days |
| A040 | CMS Training for Marketing | Analogous est. | 16 | 1 working days |
| A045 | Operations Handoff | Analogous est. | 20 | 3 working days |
Fractional Allocation
Observe A016 (Collect Consultant Bios). It requires 60 hours of active effort, but is spread over 25 working days. This accounts for the significant lag time waiting for consultants to reply to emails.
Mitigating Uncertainty
High-risk technical activities like A025 (Develop Backend APIs) rely on Three-point estimating. This ensures the PM doesn't commit to a highly optimistic "best-case scenario" duration.
Inputs to the Network
The duration estimates recorded here are merged directly with the sequence logic from the Activity Attributes to calculate the project's critical path.