One of the most important tasks a project manager undertakes is accurately tracking the hours that employees put into a project. Knowing exactly where time on a project is spent is also critical in managing resources.
Some projects are long, and some are short. Keeping your team motivated throughout long projects is important to ensure targets are met on time and according to schedule.
To do this effectively, project managers need to determine what part of the project takes more time. This will help them to prioritize the tasks that will increase productivity and ensure more effective task management.
Time tracking helps you manage your projects effectively such that the most profitable tasks are placed on the front burner while other activities that contribute the least to team goals are relegated.
In a nutshell, a clear understanding of how and what your team spends its time on is essential if you must continue to manage the team effectively to deliver successful projects.
Time tracking software allows users to know how much time is spent on individual tasks, recurring tasks, and collective projects. Time tracking essentially captures the time spent on assigned tasks and is also used to automate payroll and client invoicing.
These programs also provide insights into project operations and tasks that take the most of your team’s time and ultimately cost you more money. Time tracking also allows users to plan project budgets effectively.
Teamwork Project Manager
Teamwork is project management software with an inbuilt time tracker designed to help team leaders keep work going smoothly and right on time.
Teamwork measures the time spent on a project by each team member across multiple tasks and multiple projects. This provides greater transparency and allows leaders to better manage important resources.
The software lets you log time to individual tasks or projects. This can be done manually or by using the timer.
Advantages of Teamwork Time Tracker
- Accurate measurement of time spent by each member of the team
- Allows for better resource management
- Provides greater transparency and accountability for clients
- Measures the profitability of every project
Using Teamwork Time Tracker
Here are some of the important features of the Teamwork software.
1. Logging Time
The most important thing to note about Teamwork Time Tracker is how to log time. With Teamwork, time could be logged manually or through the automated timer. Simply click on the time icon and select your preferred mode (manual or automated).
To log time on a project, start a timer while the task is on. Once you’re done, pause the timer and click the log button to record (log) the time.
The timer records all the time spent on a task or project and displays this on the time tab of each project.
2. Time Tab
Every project in Teamwork has a time tab. This is where the time log of every task is stored. The time tab allows you to view all the time logged on the project at a glance.
You can also log new times on the tab or edit the entries. If you want to move a time log to another project, you can also easily do that on the time tab.
Getting the Best Out of Teamwork Time Tracker
As a project management tool, Teamwork helps track time spent on projects to measure the profitability of those projects. It also makes budgeting and invoicing easier, leading to better relationships with clients.
Teamwork Time Tracker provides the team with a lot of information on how much money is spent on a project. By comparing how much is earned on different projects, teams can determine how profitable individual projects are.
Since multiple workers are carrying out tasks, it may be difficult to know how much time is spent cumulatively without tracking the time.
Budgeting and invoicing have never been easier with the Teamwork Time tracker. Knowing exactly how much time has been spent on a project makes invoicing very straightforward.
What’s more? The ability for all parties to see the time logs promotes trust, transparency, and mutual respect between project managers and clients.
Guidelines to Consider
Make Time Tracking Obligatory
It would be counterproductive if not all members of your team were logging in their time at the close of each workday. The process doesn’t take more than 10 minutes, so everyone on the team needs to do this.
That way, everyone can be evaluated, and each contribution can be accumulated to get more accurate details.
Don’t Spend Too Much Time on Time Tracking
There is no disputing the importance of a time tracking tool. However, it is crucial not to spend too much time on this.
With Teamwork, you have a project management tool that makes tracking easier. Tracking the time spent by employees on every task or project should only take very few minutes of your time.
Getting data for review purposes should also be as quick as possible. Remember that you want to minimize time wastage, so it makes sense not to spend too much time logging in the time spent on projects.
Don’t Rely on Tracking Alone to Evaluate Workers
One of the downsides of time tracking is that it may put undue pressure on employees who may feel guilty if it shows they have not put in as many hours as others.
Although time spent on tasks may be directly proportional to productivity, many people do far more in the long run, even if they may not put in as many hours as others. Evaluating the productivity of workers shouldn’t be determined only by the time logs alone.
Analyze Your Tracking Data
The data available through the time tracking application should be analyzed to determine how profitable a project is. Also, it should show how productive your team is and how effective you are as a team leader.
Use the data to make improvements on how to develop even greater productivity in business.
