Microsoft Project For Dummies

Chapter 5

Estimating Task Time

IN THIS CHAPTER

Determining task types

Effort-driven tasks

Estimating effort and duration

Using constraints

Entering the start date

Splitting tasks

One of the most challenging aspects of managing a project is estimating how long a task will take to complete. Your team members usually make a good guess on task duration and hope for the best. But the estimate is where the concept of “garbage in, garbage out” (or, scarier, “garbage in, gospel out”) truly applies. After all, the duration of individual tasks combined with network logic and the applied calendars determines the overall duration of the project — at least on paper.

An accurate estimate accommodates the nature of the task and employs the most applicable technique for estimating. Sometimes you estimate the effort involved, and sometimes you estimate the duration (the number of business days); it ...