ETA in project management: Definition, importance, and best practices

When it comes to being competitive in business, timing is everything. If your product is delayed by a few days, your competitors may beat you to the punch. 

In business, the ability to manage your time effectively can mean the difference between a success and a setback. A key metric organizations use to stay ahead of the game is estimated time of arrival, referred to as ETA. In business operations and project management, ETA is the predicted time when a milestone will be reached or when a task or delivery will be completed. ETAs are used widely across industries, from customer service and IT to construction and transportation.

But ETA is not just a date. It’s a predictive tool businesses use to make strategic plans, streamline operations, and minimize delays. It’s also used to set realistic expectations with partners, investors, and customers. Accurate ETAs, whether for the arrival of physical goods or a digital product launch, help you maintain trust with business partners. 

In this article, we explore ETA and its meaning in business. We’ll also show you how to calculate an ETA and provide strategies to improve ETA accuracy in your business. Plus, we’ll introduce you to Jotform Boards, an intuitive kanban-style task management solution that helps you meet your ETA goals.

The importance of ETA in different business sectors

Project managers primarily use ETA to refer to a task and deadline completion. Many project managers use an automated project management tool, such as Jotform Boards, to enhance ETA tracking. These tools use the kanban board system to organize, displaying tasks and their due dates on cards. By dragging and dropping the cards, project managers can easily adjust timelines and facilitate team collaboration to meet ETAs. 

In addition to being used for project management, ETA plays an important role in these business functions and sectors: 

• Logistics and supply chain: Businesses track shipments and last-mile delivery to ensure products reach partners and customers by the ETA. In addition, having an ETA assists with inventory planning, so businesses have supplies when they need them. 
• Customer service: Customers want to know exactly when they will receive products they have purchased. Businesses use the ETA to estimate delivery times and service windows accurately. The ETA can also help businesses figure out expected response times and set customer expectations. 
• Manufacturing: Having an ETA is essential for supply chain synchronization, production schedules, and just-in-time inventory systems. Businesses use this project time management approach to improve coordination between parties, such as suppliers and production lines. 
• IT and software development: These teams use ETAs to set realistic delivery timelines for software features and releases. Businesses can also improve partner communication and strategic planning with accurate ETAs. 
• Healthcare: Improving the flow of medical supplies and equipment, as well as enhancing staff logistics, is possible using ETAs in healthcare. Clinics and hospitals can ensure that medications and equipment arrive on time and that they can provide proper care to their patients. Mobile healthcare services and emergency services also employ ETAs, which are critical in high-stakes situations. 
• Field operations: Field technicians who conduct service appointments need an ETA to coordinate schedules, reduce customer wait times, and enhance customer satisfaction effectively. Businesses can optimize technician routes, manage technician availability, and build trust with customers by providing real-time updates.

How businesses calculate ETA

While it may seem like following a mathematical formula to create an ETA is the way to go, calculating an ETA is not quite as straightforward as it seems. 

One of the most accurate ways to forecast the ETA is to first break down each task involved in the process into smaller subtasks and then determine the amount of time needed to complete each of those subtasks. 

However, you can’t simply add up that time and assume the answer will be the ETA. 

In addition to determining the amount of time needed for each task, you’ll need to consider factors that may impact the ETA, such as travel distance, processing time, and external conditions like the weather, traffic, and holidays. There may also be risks associated with a project, such as potential delays, which can push the ETA further out than expected. Make sure you account for unknown variables that may affect the ETA; these can be difficult to predict. 

While you can manually calculate an ETA, you may have more luck (and save more time) if you use project management software to support your ETA calculations. Many project management tools offer scheduling, time tracking, task management, and predictive analytics features, some of which are supported with AI. These features consider several internal and external factors that may impact your business’ ability to deliver on time, helping to generate highly accurate project timelines. 

Whether you take a manual or automated approach to calculating an ETA, it’s best to include some buffer time in your calculations. This allows for unexpected delays or setbacks, whether internal or external. Planning for contingencies also helps manage the expectations of your partners.

Strategies to improve ETA accuracy in business

Accurate ETAs keep your business operating smoothly and efficiently, so it’s worth taking the time to improve your estimates. Here are a few helpful best practices: 

• Ensure everyone is aligned on the scope and budget of the project: The biggest factors that impact an ETA are changes to the scope and budget. That’s why it’s critical that all major stakeholders are aligned on the project requirements and financial commitments. They must also understand that changing the scope and budget will impact the ETA. 
• Use real-time tracking technology: It’s best to know how long each task is taking in real time, not after the fact. This knowledge can help you calculate your ETA more accurately and also account for any changes in real time, if necessary. Don’t forget about external factors that require tracking, such as traffic and weather conditions. 
• Leverage AI and machine learning for dynamic ETA calculations: Project management tools that use AI and machine learning can produce up-to-date ETAs. No need to worry about human error, such as typos or ETAs that don’t consider all the necessary factors. 
• Account for the unknown: Every project has unknowns, and you can’t predict what they are or how they will impact your ETA. One approach to managing unknown variables is to double your initial ETA, so you have a considerable buffer. 
• Communicate updates proactively: Whether you’re facing delays or running ahead of schedule, it’s important to communicate changes with your partners right away. This shows them you value their time.    
• Analyze historical data: Review past performance of similar projects to identify patterns or determine time frames for your project. Consider the conditions for the current project and how they will affect the ETA. 
• Connect cross-functionally: Often, there are multiple departments or business units involved in a project. However, organizational silos can prevent one team from communicating with other teams. Be sure to create cross-functional communication channels, so everyone remains in the loop. 
• Conduct a postmortem on every project: You can learn how to forecast ETAs accurately by reviewing what went wrong on past projects. Once a project is complete, sit down with the team to see where the ETA was off and how that knowledge can help with forecasting next time.

Jotform Boards: A project management solution that helps you determine and meet your ETA

Whether you’re in retail, healthcare, manufacturing, or another industry, having the right project management software is key for executing projects successfully. Jotform Boards, an intuitive task management solution, helps you organize and streamline tasks efficiently, so you can determine how long each task takes and figure out your ETA.

Here’s why businesses in all industries are choosing Jotform Boards:

• Simplified task tracking: You can create a task on the board from scratch or turn form submissions into tasks automatically. All tasks are centralized and easily accessible to your team.
• Kanban-style user interface: Jotform has drag-and-drop functionality that makes it easy to organize tasks visually on the board. You can move tasks around, to align with your processes more realistically and increase workflow efficiency.
• Easy accessibility: In Jotform Boards, you can search and filter tasks using fields like Priority or Due Date. These functions make it easy to find the exact task you’re looking for without having to comb through all the tasks at once.
• Collaboration focus: Teams can work together by sharing boards, assigning tasks, adding comments to tasks, and tracking changes in the activity log. And it’s easy to collaborate with people in other departments.
• Multiple customization options: You can tailor each board to fit your business processes. Edit board groups to reflect your workflow, adjust task layouts by adding or removing fields, and choose which fields to display in Card View. Plus, you can personalize the board’s background theme to align with your company’s branding.
• Mobile-responsive design: Jotform Boards works on mobile devices and tablets, so your team can track and manage tasks from anywhere. 
• Cost-effective plans: The free Jotform Boards plan comes with unlimited boards, so there is nothing holding you back from getting started. The platform also offers several paid plans, starting at just $34 per user, per month.
• Chock-full of an ecosystem of products: Jotform Boards is part of the Jotform ecosystem of products, which include Jotform Tables, Jotform Report Builder, and Jotform AI Agents. With Jotform, you can manage all your project-related data and even build AI agents to complete tasks without human intervention.

Jotform Boards is a powerful, adaptable workspace for individuals and teams. It enhances productivity, improves collaboration, and optimizes task management. When you know how your work is progressing, you can more effectively calculate your ETA and meet your project goals.

Improve your ETA calculations and your business operations now

Understanding the significance of having accurate ETAs is the first step to improving your business! Mastering the art of timely arrivals helps you manage your organization effectively, minimize delays, and enhance customer satisfaction. Without an ETA, your organization could fall into the trap of poor scheduling and delayed delivery times, resulting in strained customer and partner relationships. 

When calculating an ETA, start by breaking down workflows into small tasks and estimating the time needed to complete each task. Don’t forget about internal and external factors that can impact delivery. Effective project management software can help. 

Jotform Boards is a great way to track, assign, and manage all of your organization’s tasks in one place. With its kanban-style interface, you have full visibility into each task and can determine whether any delays will impact your ETA. Jotform Boards is fully customizable, so you can align it with your business processes. It even enables you to create tasks using form submissions.

Give Jotform Boards a try today, and see how well it helps your teams stay on top of tasks and ETAs.