Effort VS Duration ( APM PFQ Microlesson)

Training ByteSize Project Management - insights, interviews and expertise

In this focused episode, we tackle two terms that are often confused but are critical to successful project planning and scheduling: effort and duration. Understanding the difference between these concepts is a key requirement for the APM Project Fundamentals Qualification (PFQ).

Join us as we explore:

• Effort: What it is, how it's measured, and why it represents the true amount of work needed to complete a task.
• Duration: What it means, how it's calculated, and why it's a measure of elapsed time, not just work.
• The Critical Relationship: We’ll explain how factors like resource availability, dependencies, and calendar days affect a task's duration, even if the effort remains constant.
• Real-world Examples: We'll use simple, practical scenarios to illustrate how these two concepts interact and why getting them right is essential for creating a realistic project schedule.

By the end of this microlesson, you'll have a crystal-clear understanding of the difference between effort and duration, giving you a strong foundation for your APM PFQ studies and for any project you manage.