A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) can thus take a variable time ranging from a few weeks to several months depending on the extent or size of the project. Some of the factors that affect how an LCA takes include; the specifically identified and clear scope and goal of the study, adequacy and reliability of data that is required in the study, and the level of complication that pertains to the product or system understood. Generally, there are several phases involved in LCAs namely; goal and scope definition, inventory analysis, impact assessment, followed by interpretation each requires detailed analysis. In addition, stakeholder engagement in data collection and validation enhances accuracy but prolongs time taken by LCAs. Moreover specialized LCA software packages/tools can affect pace and effectiveness of this procedure.
