Discrete Efforts vs Apportioned Efforts vs Level of Efforts

Discrete Efforts vs Apportioned Efforts vs Level of Efforts

1.Discrete Efforts: An activity that can be planned and measured and that yields a specific output.
2.Apportioned Efforts: An activity where an effort is allotted proportionately across certain discrete efforts and not divisible into discrete efforts.
3.Level of Efforts: An activity that does not produce definitive end products and is measured by the passage of time.

These are three earned value management types of activities used to measure work performance.

In order to further explain:
Discrete efforts are actions that directly result in product, service or result or components of a product, service or result.

Example of discrete may include, but not limited to Working Software, Delivered Machines etc.

Apportioned Efforts hold direct supportive relationship to a discrete activity and can be measured in direct proportionate to a discrete effort.  Due to the direct proportion relationship with discrete activity, apportioned efforts may not readily divisible from work packages.

Example of Apportioned Efforts may include, but not limited to:  testing, inspection, verification, validation activities. These activities are performed in direct proportion to their associated main tasks.

Level of efforts includes project management activities which mainly involve those kinds of activities   which are needed to support the discrete and associated apportioned activities. The duration of these activities depends on the duration of the discrete and apportioned activities to which LoE supports.

Example of Level of Efforts may include, but not limited to: Daily stand up, release planning, and retrospective meeting in agile software development, project budget accounting, customer liaison, or oiling machinery during manufacturing, etc. Level of efforts mainly involves collaboration and coordination activities and these activities are repetitive in nature.

Regards
Kshitij yelkar
www.yelkar.com


Keywords: pmp, project management, integration,Time