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Career Development 6 Steps to Estimate Time for Tasks More Accurately

6 Steps to Estimate Time for Tasks

More Accurately
By Indeed Editorial Team
June 10, 2021

Accurately estimating how long a task might take helps to create a realistic project
timeline or schedule, which can boost a project's or employee's chances for success.
While an exact estimate may be difficult to make, you can learn to improve the way you
estimate time for tasks. If you work with schedules or timelines, you can follow a series
of steps to improve the accuracy of your time estimates. In this article, we discuss why
estimating time for tasks is important, why it's challenging, how to improve it and some
tips on how to estimate more accurately.

Why is estimating time for tasks important?

If you have an accurate estimate for how long a task will take, you have a much higher
chance of meeting the deadline for your task. Even if the task doesn't have a deadline,
knowing how long it will take can help you plan out your day and ensure you finish
everything that needs to be done. This can reduce the need for overtime and ensure you
have the time to create quality work.

Having an accurate estimate for tasks is especially crucial for project management.
Project timelines rely on estimates, so a project is much more likely to end on time if the
estimates are correct. When you finish a project on time or early, you improve your
project's chance of success and often boost your reputation at work.
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Related: Everything You Need to Know About Time Management Within Project
Management

Why is estimating time for tasks so

challenging?
There may be a few reasons people find estimating time to be difficult, but one common
explanation is the planning fallacy. Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky proposed that
people often focus more on the task ahead and ignore or forget their previous
experiences. Even if someone knows they always spend 30 minutes to proofread a
monthly report, according to the planning fallacy, they may believe they can finish it in 15
minutes next time.

Another reason people have a hard time estimating time might be optimism bias. People
generally believe the future can be better than the past. Even if they have experienced
the same event many times before, they still think they can outperform their past selves.
Often, people plan for the best-case scenario rather than a more realistic scenario. For
example, an employee working from home may estimate that it takes an hour to draft a
proposal. However, they may not factor in interruptions from partners, children or phone
calls that extend the project to two hours.

How to be better at estimating time for tasks

Following a few simple steps can help you improve your ability to estimate how long a
project or task may take. Use these suggestions to increase the accuracy of your time
estimates:

1. List all the steps

First, you must break down the project or task into a series of steps. For example, if you
need to write a project proposal, you'll need to:

Perform research

Consult with other employees

Write the proposal

Proofread and edit it

Send it to your manager for review

 Send the final proposal

Once you have your list, place the steps in a logical order. At this stage, you only need a
list. You need more information to decide on an estimate. Include any deadlines each
step might have so you can consider this when you make your timeline.

Related: 8 Steps To Creating a Project Timeline and Top Benefits

2. Gather everyone involved

Meet with everyone taking part in the project so that you can ask for their suggestions
on time estimates. This is especially helpful if you have employees with specialized skills
on your team or project leads who may have estimated similar tasks before, as they may
know more about how long a step might take. If anyone has completed a similar project,
ask them to bring along their project's timeline so you can reference it.

3. Estimate the time required for each step

Some call this approach the bottom-up approach, since you start from the smallest step
and estimate the time for each step, rather than estimating the time for the entire
project. Ask how long the team thinks each step may take, especially if they have done
something similar before or have specialized knowledge. If you use any data to make
your predictions, such as previous project timelines, consider including that with your
finalized schedule.

Related: Calculating the Estimated Time To Completion of a Project

4. Add in extra time

Ask yourself what might come up later that could require more time than you expect.
Some things to consider include:

Employees who work on the project part-time and may not be available at all times

Project members who might need time off

Delays in supplies

Meeting times with clients or shareholders

Consulting with management on decisions

Presentations that require preparation and time away from the project

Team meetings

Testing parts of the project

5. Combine the steps to make a schedule
Put each step together into a schedule and add up the time required for each step to
make a realistic timeline for your project or task. Include additional time you might need
as well and compare it to similar completed projects to see if the timeline is comparable.

Related: Creating a Timeline: Tips and Example

6. Assess your timeline after project completion

Track your time throughout the project using a time tracker or project management
software, then compare the actual timeline with your projected timeline. Look for any
differences and consider why the actual timeline didn't match the estimate. If you notice
any insights, consider them for future time estimations.

Tips on better estimating time for tasks

Some things you can do to estimate the time you need for a task more accurately
include:

Time your tasks. Spend a week or longer tracking how long it takes to complete
everything you do. This may help you understand how long you need to complete
certain tasks, which can improve your ability to estimate time for future tasks.

Use a fudge ratio. A fudge ratio is an estimate of how much you underestimate or
overestimate the time you need for tasks. You can calculate it by dividing the number
of hours it actually takes you to complete a task by the number of hours you thought it
would take. Multiply future estimates by this ratio to create a more exact estimate.

Overestimate your time requirements. Add 25-50% to your estimate so you have a
higher chance of accurately estimating the time you need.

Check your schedule. Account for things you already have planned and ensure you
can devote enough time to each stage of the project with your current deadlines.

Use a three-point estimation. Estimate the best-case scenario, the worst-case

scenario and the most realistic scenario. Use these three data points to create a more
accurate estimation.

Get feedback. Ask for feedback from others, especially if they have done a similar
project.

Use time tracking apps. Try different websites or software options to document how
long certain tasks take.

Estimate someone else's time. Imagine how long you think it would take someone
else to complete the task. People often estimate time more accurately for others than
 p p y

for themselves.

Consider breaks. When you make your schedule, think about when you might need to
take a break from your work, such as coffee breaks or meetings.

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