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How does Runn calculate FTEs?

Updated this week

FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) is a standard way of measuring how much work a person (or group) contributes, relative to a full-time schedule.

In Runn, the number of hours in one FTE is determined by the Default full-time hours defined in Account Settings.

Understand the Definition

  • 1.0 FTE = one full-time employee working the default full-time hours (often 40 hours per week).

  • 0.5 FTE = someone working half-time (e.g., 20 hours per week if 40 is the default full-time).

So FTE lets you normalize different working arrangements into a single comparable unit.


Formula for FTE

The general formula is:

  • FTE = Total Hours / Default full-time hours

  • If full-time = 40 hours/week and an employee works 30 hours/week:

    FTE=30/ 40=0.75 FTE

  • If two part-timers both work 20 hours/week:
    Each = 0.5 FTE → together = 1.0 FTE


Project / Team FTE

When planning resources, you often sum the FTEs across people:

  • Example:

    • Alice = 1.0 FTE

    • Bob = 0.5 FTE

    • Claire = 0.25 FTE

    Total team FTE = 1.75

This helps you compare against project demand. If a project requires 3 FTEs, but you only have 1.75 available, you know you’re under-resourced.


Time-Phased FTE

In project planning, you may calculate FTEs over a month or year:

  • Step 1: Total hours worked in period ÷ default full-time hours in that period.

  • Example: If default full-time hours per month = 160 (40×4), and one person logs 120 hours in March:

    FTE=120/ 160=0.75 FTE


Uses of FTE in Resource Management

  • Capacity planning: Ensure you don’t over-allocate resources.

  • Budgeting: Translate FTEs into cost.

  • Scenario planning: Test if projects are feasible with the current headcount.

  • Benchmarking: Compare resource usage across teams/projects.

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