man-month
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English
Etymology
Compound of man + month, although, as with any such unit of measure (e.g., pack-years, newton metres), the mathematical relationship of multiplication is simultaneously involved: X men working during Y months = X × Y = Z man-months.
Noun
man-month (plural man-months)
- One person's working time for a month, or the equivalent, used as a measure of how much work or labor is required or consumed to perform some task.
- Synonym: person-month
- Holonyms: man-year, person-year
- Meronyms: man-hour, person-hour < man day, person-day
- In project management, there is always another dimbulb who will ask whether the relationship of man-months to calendar months is such that the schedule can be cut in half by doubling the headcount. The standard joke for disabusing this nonsense involves an expedited pregnancy lasting four and a half months instead of nine.
Usage notes
The distinction of man versus person is usually treated as trivial from the logistical viewpoint (i.e., same difference, within the context), which explains why the man- terms are broadly synonymous with the person- terms. Many people prefer the person- synonym because it easily avoids any doubt about any possibly latent sexism.
Translations
amount of work
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