How duration measures work

A duration measure belongs to one select field. It starts when the item was created or when it entered one of the start values you choose. It ends when the item entered one of the end values you choose. The measure is the time between the two.

The measure is worked out in your browser from the recorded changes to the field, and it is not saved on the item. How time in a status is measured explains where that history comes from.

When a measure starts

Item created: the moment the item was created.
First entry: the first time the item entered any of the start values.
Last entry: the last time the item entered any of them. An item moved back to a start value starts again.

An item created holding a start value entered that value when it was created.

When a measure ends

Last entry: the last time the item entered any of the end values.
First entry: the first time the item entered any of them after the measure started.

An end counts only while the item still holds an end value. A reopened item has no end until it reaches an end value again. An entry into an end value before the measure started is not an end.

When there is no value

An item that never entered a start value has no value. It is empty, not zero.
An item that started but has not ended has a start date only. It has no end date and no duration.
In a table, point at an empty cell to see the step the item has not reached.
A value whose option was deleted no longer counts. History that entered that option is ignored, and the measure editor lists the value as Deleted option.

The three fields of a measure

Each measure adds three fields. The filter picker and Show fields list them under the measured field’s own history heading, such as Status history, right after its Time in field.

The duration, named after the measure, such as Cycle time.
Cycle time start date, the day the measure started.
Cycle time end date, the day the measure ended.

The days use the organization’s time zone and date format. The duration is shown in its two largest units, such as 5d 8h.

Where the fields appear

Columns: list, Gantt and schedule tables offer the duration column right after the field’s Time in column. They offer the start date and end date columns only to a view that already shows them. The columns are hidden by default.
Sorting: ascending puts the earliest day or the shortest duration first. Rows with no value come last.
Duration filters: more than or less than a whole number of days. An item at exactly that number of days matches neither.
Date filters: the two dates take the same filters as a date field. Until the history has loaded, measure filters match nothing.
Cards: pick the fields in Show fields. A card shows a field only when the item has a value for it.
Exports: the dates are written in the organization’s date format. The duration is written as days with two decimal places, under a header that ends in (days).

The default measures

The Status field starts with two measures.

Measure	Starts at	Ends at
Cycle time	First entry into In Progress or Review	Last entry into Completed
Lead time	Item created	Last entry into Completed

Review exists only on tasks and issues, so for projects and risks Cycle time starts at In Progress.

Most organizations created before measures existed got the same two measures, with only the Status values they still had. A measure left with no start value or no end value was not added. An organization whose Status field already had measures, or that had no Status field, was left as it was.

Example

A task is created in New on 1 Oct 2026 at 10:00. It moves to In Progress on 2 Oct at 09:00, to Review on 4 Oct, and back to In Progress on 5 Oct. It moves to Completed on 7 Oct at 17:00.

Cycle time runs from 2 Oct at 09:00 to 7 Oct at 17:00, so it reads 5d 8h.
Lead time runs from 1 Oct at 10:00 to 7 Oct at 17:00, so it reads 6d 7h.

On 8 Oct the task is reopened to In Progress. Both measures lose their end and their duration, and Cycle time start date stays 2 Oct. When the task moves to Completed again, both measures end at that moment.

Things that may surprise you

Durations count calendar time. Nights, weekends and time off all count.
Your own change reaches a measure after a short delay. A measure reads only the recorded history, which refreshes after your change saves. Until then the measure can show its value from before the change.
Changing a measure changes it on every item at once. Past items are worked out again from their history.
Renaming an option keeps it in the measure. A measure names the option itself, not its label.
Older items may have no start or no end. Some items were created holding a value before their history was complete. The moment such an item entered that value is unknown, so a start or an end that needs that moment has no value.
History is complete from 4 Aug 2026. For a field created later, history is complete from the field’s creation.
The item details do not show measures. Use their columns, cards, filters or charts instead.