Project Time Tracking: Advantages, Examples and Tools

1. What does project time recording mean?
2. What advantages does the time recording of projects offer?
3. What disadvantages can arise from the time recording of projects?
4. Why should projects be recorded in terms of time?
5. The time is always running

Really now? The task is done, but now the time for it must still be stamped or entered into an Excel sheet? What sounds laborious and possibly is without a clever tool, has many advantages for your company. We give you the necessary overview.

What does project time recording mean?

Project time recording means accurately recording the working time for specific projects or tasks. This can be done in writing or manually, but usually this is done with the help of software like ZEP. The main purpose is to precisely document the time that employees spend on projects.

Source: https://www.zep.de/planstunden/

What advantages does the time recording of projects offer?

The time recording of projects offers you a number of advantages:

1. Efficient resource management: By recording the expended working time, your company gains insights into the actual time expenditure for various tasks and projects. This enables optimized allocation of resources and better planning of future projects.
2. Better budget control: Time recording helps accurately track the labor costs for individual projects. This allows for precise budget planning and minimizes the risk of budget overruns.
3. Real-time monitoring of progress: The recorded time data provides you with a current insight into the progress of the project. Delays and bottlenecks can be better identified, or you can react more quickly.
4. More accurate project planning: Historical data about the time spent on past projects serve as the basis for realistic schedules and estimates for new projects.
5. Performance evaluation: Time recording enables the analysis of work time distribution on employees or teams. This facilitates the identification of productive areas and supports teams that need additional resources.
6. Promoting productivity: The ability to record the time spent can encourage employees to make their work more efficient since the time is transparently documented.
7. Customer billing: In customer-related projects, time recording enables accurate billing of the services provided based on the actual time spent.
8. Transparency and compliance: Documenting working hours promotes transparency and supports compliance requirements, such as in projects with time requirements or legal obligations.

What disadvantages can arise from the time recording of projects?

Overall, when implementing timekeeping systems, like ZEP or Kenjo for your company, you should consider both the advantages and potential disadvantages and ensure that the chosen method of time recording is well suited to the company culture, the type of projects and the needs of the employees. However, project time recording can also have the following disadvantages:

1. Time expenditure for recording: Manual recording of working time requires time and attention from employees, which can be perceived as an additional task and can lead to interruptions.
2. Resistance of employees: Your colleagues may see time recording as a control mechanism and may be skeptical or even opposed to it.
3. Limitation of flexibility: Recording of working time might be considered restrictive, as it influences the flexibility of employees in their work design.
4. Lack of accuracy: Manual inputs can be prone to error, leading to inaccurate time records. These inaccuracies can then impact project planning and budgeting.
5. Loss of creativity: The emphasis on recording working time can lead to employees pursuing less creative and innovative approaches. They might focus more on simply meeting times, rather than striving for innovative solutions.
6. Limited significance of time data: The mere recording of time says little about the quality or value of the work performed. This could contribute to a one-sided view of productivity, without adequately reflecting the actual performance.
7. Complexity of evaluation: The analysis and evaluation of recorded time data requires suitable tools and resources to gain valuable insights. Without appropriate tools, it might be difficult to interpret the data meaningfully.
8. Confidentiality and data protection: When recording working time, aspects of data protection and confidentiality must be considered to ensure that the personal data of the employees is adequately protected. It's important to ensure that the collected data is managed securely and according to existing data protection regulations.

Why should projects be recorded in terms of time?

Recording the timing of projects is essential for ensuring efficient use of resources. By accurately recording working hours, you can track how much time is spent on each project for your company. This way, you can better allocate resources and ensure that the right skills are used at the right time. This precise allocation allows for not only a more effective use of employees and materials, but also a better control of labor time costs. Budget overruns are also minimized, as the recorded times provide an accurate basis for budget planning. The ability to compare actual costs with the budget permits proactive control of project expenditures and helps minimize financial risks.

Source: https://www.timetac.com/de/utm_source=omr&utm_medium=cpc&
⁠utm_campaign=website

Reference values for future projects

The time data from past projects serve as a valuable reference for estimating the working times of future projects. The recording of the actual times in the past enables companies to create more realistic schedules and provide more accurate forecasts for upcoming projects. Additionally, time recording enables continuous monitoring of project progress. By continuously collecting times, delays can be identified early on and corresponding measures taken to correct the project's progress. The ability to compare actual progress with planned progress simplifies the identification of bottlenecks and the taking of proactive steps to meet deadlines.

Data-driven performance analysis

Time recording enables a comprehensive analysis of the work time distribution on teams, departments, or individual employees. This data provides valuable insights into productivity, bottlenecks, and efficiency of teams or individual employees. The ability to accurately analyze the time spent on various tasks and projects allows your company to evaluate its performance and implement targeted improvements. This can include measures to increase productivity, training or resource optimization. Thus, time recording contributes to promoting continuous improvement processes and constantly increasing the performance of your company.

In which areas does project time recording make sense?

Project time recording makes sense in various areas and industries where it is important to accurately track the time spent on projects and tasks. Here are some examples:

Consulting and service sector: Companies that offer customer-oriented services, such as consulting firms, law firms or advertising agencies, benefit from time recording. This enables accurate billing of services provided and transparent invoicing for customers.

IT and software development: In the IT industry, especially in software development projects, accurate recording of working hours is crucial. It allows tracking of development times, troubleshooting, and tests, monitoring project progress, and making realistic estimates for upcoming projects.

Project-based industries: Areas like film production, event management, or construction projects rely on project time recording to monitor the progress of projects, keep costs under control, and document the work effort for specific tasks.

Practical examples of project time recording

Enough of the theory? The following practical examples illustrate the benefits of project time recording:

Project time recording in a software development company

A developer is working on a customer order to develop a custom e-commerce platform. She uses time tracking software to record her working time for tasks like design, frontend development, backend programming, and tests. The recorded times are stored centrally in real time.

These time data allow the project manager to monitor the progress. He sees how much time the developer spends on each task and whether she is on schedule. If there are delays, the project manager can react in time to adjust the schedule or reassign resources.

The recorded times also affect the billing. They serve as the basis for correctly calculating the services provided, and the customer receives a detailed breakdown of the working time.

Project time recording for nursing staff

A nurse works in a large hospital and records his working hours for smooth patient care. He uses an electronic time recording software that accurately documents his working time. His shift begins with logging in, after which the software automatically records his working time as he is involved in various care tasks.

He documents his time for activities like dispensing medication, changing bandages, care planning, communicating with doctors, and patient care. This accurate recording not only helps in care, but also allows for accurate medical records.

At the end of the shift, he logs out, and the system automatically calculates his working time. These data are valuable for work time management, overtime calculation, and shift schedules.

Source: https://planerio.de/zeiterfassung-pflege/

The time is always running

Project time recording is an essential part of efficient business management and project management processes. It is essential wherever the time spent must be documented and evaluated. The additional effort in software-supported recording is minimal and is more than offset by the gain in knowledge and planning security.