How Time Tracking Will Boost Your Productivity

If you ever worked on a project, you would know for a fact that getting the project done is just as important as evaluating the effort you put in the whole process. Knowing how to do things right is an important skill in business because you want your work to be profitable. Since nothing is created outside of time, time tracking has been a crucial tool for companies to measure and evaluate their effort.

As a team leader, you want to make sure that you are creating the best working environment for employees so that they can excel at what they do. If you don’t measure the work, you won’t be able to manage it. Set clear goals, motivate the entire team throughout the whole process and keep track of your performance with the right measurement tools.  Here are ways time tracking helps enhance productivity.

Create a Plan

Before starting any project, you need a detailed plan, which consists of a budget and a period. Without a plan, you will have a hard time assessing your performance throughout the process and evaluating whether the project is profitable. Thus, always start with a plan. It is a great guideline for the entire team.

Give specific tasks

Tasks should be clear and easy to understand. It is better to give several smaller tasks than a big one, as it keeps employees more motivated throughout the day. Specific tasks are also more precise, which gives the entire a better overview of what is being done.

Record Your Project Hours

In general, when we work on a project or a certain task, we estimate how much time it should take us. Some of us write it down, others don’t. It does not matter which type of person you are, because if you don’t track how much time it took, you will never know how productive you were. It may have taken you two hours less than expected and in the worst-case scenario, it might have taken you a whole day. Now, when we enter the number of hours spent in a system, we put into perspective how efficient our work was. And this is where our improvement starts. By putting our performance into perspective.

Track Your Performance

To be an efficient team, project activities need to be transparent. When employees track their project hours, the entire team can keep an overview of the progress and help each other out, if some departments lack resources or any problems that occur. Using a time tracking software to better track project activities is crucial. With TimeTrack, you can better understand what employees are working on and increase collaboration between team members.

Be Open for Changes

Sometimes performances stagnate, as the team is overwhelmed with work. This does not mean that the team is not working efficiently, but maybe in the initial plan the workload was underestimated. Therefore, consider including more employees in the project or allocate the tasks differently. If you see that certain milestones cannot be reached, do not be afraid to make changes in the middle of the project. Changes might be essential to finish the project. 

Evaluate Your Clients

Time tracking also helps you visualize who are your most profitable clients. Keeping track of all projects, clients and working hours make you realize how much extra work you are doing for certain customers. Make sure you consider that extra work in your hourly rate.  

Take Breaks

Take occasional breaks to clear your head. A time tracking tool can help you overlook how much time you have been working non-stop. If you track your breaks regularly, you are making sure that you prioritize them.

Summary

When you’re working on a project, keep in mind that your performance throughout the whole process is just as important as getting the project done. Implement a strategy or tool that will help you keep track of your project activities. Find ways to communicate with your team regularly and create an inspiring and motivating working environment.

Time tracking has been a crucial tool for companies to improve their working skills and get to a higher productivity level, as it facilitates collaboration between team members and gives a great overview of your project progress. Many companies have implemented the right time tracking tool into their company culture and managed to achieve their goals more efficiently thanks to it.