The subtraction is right; the comparison is still unresolved
Planned: fix typos, 20 minutes. Completed: fix typos and rewrite a section, 35 minutes. The difference is 15 minutes, but that subtraction does not establish how long the rewrite took: nobody tracked it separately. Before increasing your next estimate, decide whether the work you will repeat includes that rewrite.
This fictional case explains how to interpret planned-versus-recorded time in Ora Pro. Separate two questions: how much time was recorded and what work it covered. The note answers the first; the second changed between the plan and the completed work.
Keep the change in an Ora note
Record the case without allocating the unmeasured minutes:
- Planned: fix typos in the document; 20 minutes.
- Completed: fix typos and rewrite a section; 35 minutes combined.
- Missing information: each part’s separate duration.
- Next decision: choose whether the new review includes rewriting.
What you can decide from those facts
If the next task covers typos only, the previous 35 minutes describes broader work. If it also includes rewriting, you still need to define how much text and what revision is required. Calling it “review document” does not itself define comparable work.
Keep 35 minutes as this case’s total. Do not split it into 20 minutes for typos and 15 for rewriting: 20 was an estimate, not a measurement of the typo corrections. The decision you can make now is to define the next activity’s scope before estimating it.
The same label still needs context
Another fictional note says: “Planned: typos only, 20 minutes. Completed: typos only, 24 minutes. Work finished; no rewrite.” The difference is 4 minutes. The general description matches, but text length and the requested kind of review are missing.
Before using that record as a reference, check which document it was, how much text it contained and what completion meant. If you do not have those facts, leave them unknown. The number 24 belongs to the example; it establishes neither an average nor a recommended duration.
Where your Ora record fits
Ora’s public features page documents notes and actual-time tracking through a timer or manual corrections. Integrated planned-versus-actual comparison is Pro. In Ora you can retain the scope in a note and review recorded time; the integrated comparison is a Pro feature.
If you have your own record with added work, keep the context you know: “A rewrite was added; I did not measure its minutes separately.” Distinguish that explanation from recorded time. If you need to correct a duration manually, use your own data; this guide’s example supplies no measurement for your history.
Prepare a comparison you can interpret
For the next activity, write a specific description, amount of work and completion condition. For example: “Correct typos on all three pages of document A; done when all pages are reviewed and changes saved; no section rewrites.”
After finishing, compare planned scope, completed scope and time actually recorded. If extra work appears and you want its separate duration, decide how to log it when it starts. If you did not separate it, preserve the total and explain the scope change.
That closes this case: you know what the 35 minutes represents and what remains missing. You have not calculated a rewrite duration or an average for the next task. Ora product features consulted on 31 October 2026.