How to calculate duration in excel
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Duration is a critical aspect of project management, finance, and everyday planning. Knowing how to calculate duration in Microsoft Excel can be an invaluable skill for a variety of professional and personal use cases. In this article, we will guide you through the process of calculating duration in Excel step-by-step, using several functions and methods.
1. The Simple Subtraction Method
For straightforward situations where you simply need to calculate the duration between two dates, you can use basic subtraction:
Step 1: Enter your start date (cell A1) and end date (cell A2).
Step 2: In cell A3, type this formula: `=A2-A1`. The result will be the number of days between the two dates.
2. Using the DATEDIF Function
DATEDIF is a more powerful function that calculates the difference between two dates based on the specified unit (days, months or years):
Step 1: Enter your start date (cell B1) and end date (cell B2).
Step 2: In cell B3, type this formula: `=DATEDIF(B1,B2,”Unit”)`.
Replace “Unit” with either “d” for days, “m” for months, or “y” for years.
3. Calculating Time Duration
To calculate the duration between two times in hours, minutes and seconds:
Step 1: Enter your start time (cell C1) and end time (cell C2) in a “HH:mm:ss” format.
Step 2: In cell C3, type this formula: `=ABS(C1-C2)`
Step 3: Format cell C3 as “TIME”. To do this, right-click on C3, select Format Cells > Number > Time.
4. Calculating Workdays Duration
To calculate the number of workdays between two dates, excluding weekends and custom holidays:
Step 1: Enter your start date (cell D1), end date (cell D2), and a range of holiday dates (e.g., in column F).
Step 2: In cell D3, type this formula: `=NETWORKDAYS(D1,D2,F1:Fx)`
Replace “Fx” with the cell address containing the last holiday date in column F.
Conclusion:
Using these methods in Microsoft Excel can help you accurately calculate duration between dates, times, or workdays. Familiarizing yourself with these formulas will add value to your skills as you manage projects, plan events, and make informed decisions based on time-sensitive data.