Estimated Hours sums the time estimates that were placed on items the team or member completed during the period. It's the planning-side number that pairs with Invested Hours to show how realistic estimates were.
What it measures
Cumulative estimated effort (typically Jira's Original Estimate field, or the equivalent in Linear/ClickUp) across completed items in the period.
How Leanmote calculates it
estimated_hours = sum(original_estimate(i)) for items completed in period
Items without an estimate contribute zero. If most of your items lack estimates, this metric will under-report.
Estimate field source comes from your planning tool's configuration (Jira → Original Estimate by default).
How to interpret it
By itself, Estimated Hours is descriptive, not prescriptive — it tells you how much effort was scoped.
Most useful as the denominator for Estimated vs Executed.
If Estimated Hours dwarfs Invested Hours, your team consistently estimates high. The reverse usually means estimates are aspirational.
What to do about it
Use historical Estimated vs Executed ratios to calibrate future estimates by team and item type.
Don't penalize teams for estimate accuracy — that incentivizes padding.
Related metrics
Estimated vs Executed
Invested Hours
Story Points