{"id":15804,"date":"2016-09-26T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-09-26T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/3-tips-for-estimating-project-duration-as-accurately-as-possible\/"},"modified":"2022-04-08T10:26:24","modified_gmt":"2022-04-08T15:26:24","slug":"3-tips-for-estimating-project-duration-as-accurately-as-possible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/3-tips-for-estimating-project-duration-as-accurately-as-possible\/","title":{"rendered":"3 tips for estimating project duration as accurately as possible"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!-- .post-meta --><\/p>\n<p>Estimating how long a project will last is crucial to project management, but what if you tend to estimate incorrectly? For one thing, you\u2019re certainly not alone. Many <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarizen.com\/teams\/\">project managers<\/a> grow frustrated when they see their projects stretch on for weeks or even months beyond the anticipated completion date. If you\u2019re looking for ways to gain a more realistic view of your projects\u2019 time requirements, the strategies listed here can help.<\/p>\n<p><img class=\"lazyload\" alt=\"Tips for Estimating Project Duration\" height=\"565\" data-src=\"https:\/\/media.planview.com\/clarizen\/wp-content\/upload\/2016\/09\/3-Tips-for-Estimating-Project-Duration.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Take Lessons from Prior Projects<\/strong><br \/>\nOne of the most important things to remember in developing your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarizen.com\/work\/project-plan-timeline\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">project plan timeline<\/a> is that you shouldn\u2019t try to reinvent the wheel. Even the most revolutionary project has some elements in common with other projects that you or your organization have taken on in the past.<\/p>\n<p>When you start to work on your next duration estimate, compare your previous project estimates to the projects\u2019 final timelines and look for the areas where your estimates were off. Did you miss important details about an unfamiliar task and allow too little time for its completion? Did you fail to build in enough time for key decisions that had to be made while the project was underway? Take an objective view of the timeline discrepancies you\u2019ve dealt with in the past and find ways to avoid them in the future.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Choose the Right Approach for Your Estimate<\/strong><br \/>\nIf your organization tends to face challenges in estimating project duration, it may be time to consider an alternative approach to developing your estimates. Consult with other project managers and senior leaders to discuss whether your company\u2019s projects and culture are suited to the <a href=\"\/bottom-up-and-top-down-approaches-ending-the-great-project-planning-debate\">top-down or bottom-up project methodologies<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>While most organizations have traditionally used the top-down approach, in which the project manager fits task assignments into the overall project timeline, many companies have begun to see the benefits of the bottom-up approach. Bottom-up estimation begins with assessments of individual tasks (usually with input from project team members), which are then used to determine the appropriate timing for the project as a whole.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Use the Right Software<\/strong><br \/>\nEnterprise projects generate vast amounts of data on task duration, scheduling challenges and other factors that influence project duration. Unfortunately, if you aren\u2019t using the right project management solution, you may be unable to analyze and use that data to full advantage. Planview AdaptiveWork allows project and portfolio managers, as well as organizational leaders, to gain a comprehensive view of timelines and task durations across the entire organization. You can view comparisons between your project baseline and actuals, as well as your original plan versus the actual progress so you will always know where you stand. Not only can Planview AdaptiveWork help you keep your current projects on track, it can help you draw on information and create templates and project plans from your previous work to make your estimates as accurate as possible.<\/p>\n<p>Planview AdaptiveWork is a collaborative <a href=\"https:\/\/www.planview.com\/products-solutions\/solutions\/work-management\/\">work management<\/a> solution designed for people who value their time, and for organizations that value cross-company engagement. Find out how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarizen.com\/product\/\">Clarizen\u2019s project management solutions<\/a> can help you move your organization forward. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarizen.com\/free-trial\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Try it free today<\/a> for 30 days.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"client-logo\"><a title=\"Siemens Energy\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarizen.com\/customers\/\"><img class=\"lazyload\" alt=\"Siemens Energy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/media.planview.com\/clarizen\/wp-content\/upload\/2020\/08\/siemens_energy-200x100.png\" \/><\/a> <a title=\"IIROC Success\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarizen.com\/customers\/\"><img class=\"lazyload\" alt=\"IIROC Success\" data-src=\"https:\/\/media.planview.com\/clarizen\/wp-content\/upload\/2020\/07\/IIROC_logo-200x100.gif\" \/><\/a> <a title=\"Financial Services Institution\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarizen.com\/customers\/\"><img class=\"lazyload\" alt=\"Financial Services Institution\" data-src=\"https:\/\/media.planview.com\/clarizen\/wp-content\/upload\/2020\/04\/FINANCIAL-SERVICES-IMG-200x100.jpg\" \/><\/a> <a title=\"M Squared\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarizen.com\/customers\/\"><img class=\"lazyload\" alt=\"M Squared\" data-src=\"https:\/\/media.planview.com\/clarizen\/wp-content\/upload\/2020\/03\/m-squared-logo-200x100.jpg\" \/><\/a> <a title=\"Aliancys Success\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarizen.com\/customers\/\"><img class=\"lazyload\" alt=\"Aliancys Success\" data-src=\"https:\/\/media.planview.com\/clarizen\/wp-content\/upload\/2019\/12\/aoc_aliancys-logo-800x400-200x100.jpg\" \/><\/a> <a title=\"Bonfiglioli Success\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarizen.com\/customers\/\"><img class=\"lazyload\" alt=\"Bonfiglioli Success\" data-src=\"https:\/\/media.planview.com\/clarizen\/wp-content\/upload\/2019\/11\/bonfiglioli_logo-800x400-200x100.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Estimating how long a project will last is crucial to project management, but what if you tend to estimate incorrectly? For one thing, you\u2019re certainly not alone. Many project managers grow frustrated when they see their projects stretch on for weeks or even months beyond the anticipated completion date. If you\u2019re looking for ways to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":205,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":2,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pmo-project-management-organizations"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.8 (Yoast SEO v26.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>3 tips for estimating project duration as accurately as possible<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you\u2019re looking for ways to gain a more realistic view of your project\u2019s time requirements, these three strategies can help.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/3-tips-for-estimating-project-duration-as-accurately-as-possible\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"3 tips for estimating project duration as accurately as possible\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you\u2019re looking for ways to gain a more realistic view of your project\u2019s time requirements, these three strategies can help.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/3-tips-for-estimating-project-duration-as-accurately-as-possible\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Planview Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Planview-Inc\/89422974772\" \/>\n<meta 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