Getting Started with Level of Effort

Level of Effort (LOE) helps teams estimate, allocate, and visualize time commitments across Tasks, Proofs, Projects, and Campaigns. This enables smarter planning, balanced workloads, and improved performance tracking.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Adding Level of Effort 

• Project and Campaign Level of Effort 

• Viewing Level of Effort

• Estimating Level of Effort

Adding Level of Effort

Select a Work item and click Add LOE to begin adding Level of Effort.

Input the number of hours and/or minutes below LEVEL OF EFFORT. 

When setting Level of Effort (LOE) and multiple team members are assigned to the Work item, you can redistribute how time is split between Assignees:

Allocated To: Evenly split the total LOE across all assignees. This option is best for evenly shared or simple Work.

• Example: LOE totals 15 hours and each of the 3 Assignees is given 5 hours.

Totals To: Manually assign hours to each person. This option is best for Work with uneven workloads.

• Example: LOE totals 10 hours and the designer is allocated 8 hours while the copywriter is allocated 2.

Choose your option by clicking Allocated To and selecting from the dropdown.

When switching to Totals To, input the number of hours and/or minutes for each Assignee below LEVEL OF EFFORT. These numbers will automatically update the overall Level of Effort. Select Save when complete. 

Project and Campaign Level of Effort

Project Level of Effort (LOE) is calculated as the sum of the LOE values for all associated Work items. Likewise, Campaign LOE is the total of the LOE values from all associated Projects.

Viewing Level of Effort

The Level of Effort (LOE) field in Lytho Workflow does more than help estimate task duration, it unlocks actionable data across your entire workspace. When LOE is consistently used, it becomes a powerful metric for planning, resourcing, and optimization.

You can view and leverage LOE data in the following areas:

• Insights – Identify trends, compare estimated vs. actual effort, and improve forecasting accuracy.

• Reports – Run summaries or detailed reports to evaluate effort distribution and team performance.

• Custom Views – Display LOE alongside Project status, deadlines, and other data for at-a-glance view.

• Workload Management – Balance team bandwidth more effectively by understanding total assigned effort per user.

Estimating Level of Effort

Accurately estimating the Level of Effort (LOE) helps teams allocate resources effectively, manage timelines, and reduce project delays. In Lytho, successful LOE estimation combines intuitive expertise with operational data. Here are recommended best practices:

Use Creative Team Intuition

Leverage your team's experience to establish baseline estimates. Encourage team members to draw on past work and categorize typical deliverables (e.g., social post, one-pager, landing page) as low, medium, or high effort. Involving subject-matter experts early ensures more realistic planning.

Activate Time Tracking and Monitor Actuals

Enable Lytho Workflow's time tracking feature to collect real data on how long work take to complete. Compare planned effort against actual time tracked to assess accuracy. Time Categories can be used to categorize time spent, which supports more detailed analysis over time.

Leverage Reporting and Duration Metrics

Use Workflow reports to review Work duration, time spent, and LOE trends by Project type or team member. Track how actual work compares to planned timelines to identify patterns and refine estimates continuously.

Improve Estimations Through Intake Quality

Clear, consistent Request information improves LOE forecasting. Use Request forms with conditional logic and required fields to ensure Stakeholders provide all necessary details. Request File Markup can help clarify visual expectations, reducing ambiguity and potential rework.

Continuously Review and Optimize

Make LOE estimation a living process. Regularly audit your LOE accuracy and adjust templates, workflows, and training accordingly. Include LOE metrics in team retrospectives to encourage shared accountability and process improvement.