Have you ever wondered the difference between the two? Like many other terms out there, it’s all simple once you know it! So let’s reduce confusion by clarifying the difference between “Effort” and “Duration” when it comes to schedules and time management.
Effort: The effort is the actually “man-power” you will need in terms of hours (or other measure). For example, if a task requires 15 hours to complete, then that’s the task’s effort needed. The effort of a task can be reduced by finding alternative ways of executing it, but is not reduced when more resources are added.
Duration: The duration is the overall time it will take inside a schedule, generally in days or weeks. If the 15h task from my example above is completed by the same person, then it will be completed in two days; that’s the task’s duration. The duration can be reduced by adding resources that execute the work.
And that’s it! Hope this helps.
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