Elapsed Time, an estimate of duration

Traditionally, software developers are expected to give estimates of duration in elapsed time. Elapsed time is the actual time (working hours of working days) it takes to complete a task. This includes time spent on things (inevitable everyday overheads) other than the task at hand.

Estimating in elapsed time is inherently difficult because, apart from the various factors that affect the estimation of effort for a given task, you also need to worry about: distractions and interruptions [1], unexpected events or obstructions [2], and just about anything else.

1. meetings, emails, interviewing candidates, phone calls, reviews, task switching, training, bug fixes, etc.
2. other projects, absences, developer turnover, non-cooperative team members, sabotage, etc.