Time tracking reports - why do you need them?

Time tracking reports are one of the most useful tools you can implement. Known by project management professionals, loved by budget analysts and data freaks. Hated by lazy employees and those suspicious ones. Appreciated as parent issues solution. If you still don’t have your own opinion, or you’re not sure yet if it’s a good idea to start tracking time in your company… that’s definitely a must-reed piece for you.

What is a time tracking report?

Time tracking report is a baby of time tracking in general. There is no sense in using time tracking software if you don’t generate reports to analyze existing data. The report shows you everything in one place. Your own work logs and the others’. Shows if time spent on tasks and sub-tasks is sensible. You can compare how fast do your employees finish particular tasks, or compare two different projects.

There are a lot of time-tracking report factors you can choose to follow. You can also generate these reports every day, every week, or once per month or year.

They can be fully automated if you use the right time tracking software, or prepared manually. Time tracking settings give you many ways to collect data. Checking how long tasks take is just one of them.

When should you generate time tracking?

Time tracking report is crucial when you want to use the data in your business. It helps you to understand how the business is going on now and what factors should be improved. It also helps you to keep the same version of the project in everyone’s head. These data are really helpful.

Without a time tracking report, you can’t estimate how many hours the next project will require, how many people should you engage in it, and if it’s even, a good business decision to start it. If you don’t track tasks, you just don’t have any data, simple like that.

Without a time tracking report, you also won’t understand which tasks are difficult for your people. You can also face problems with clients. If your company charges for hours spent on a project, a time tracking report is one of your most important documents for clients.

A time tracking report is proof that your team spent their time on your customer’s project, not on something else. That makes no field to argue about eventual extra costs etc. Sometimes the original estimate of the time isn’t right, so concerns are natural.

When you track all tasks, there are no doubts. All completed issues and issue’s sub-tasks are there. You can simply count the lowest estimated time remaining to complete the project and show your clients why it looks that way.

Why is implementing time tracking rough for employees?

Even many project managers already track time spent by their teams, tracking is still confusing for many people. This is a project management software that really divides employees and managers.

Some people think that time tracking is simply over-controlling. They believe that an automated time tracker is spying on them. As privacy is one of the most valuable things for many, thought like that are critical to addressing before implementing the tool.

If you select a time tracking software that is a compromise between the employer’s desire to control the company and people’s need for privacy, everyone will be satisfied. Time tracking is supposed to help both sides, the employer and the employees.

And the time tracking report should be used for improvements, not for shaming anyone. You want to track time spent on issues and every issue’s sub-tasks to improve everyone’s work. To compare the original estimate with a current estimate, to track story points and use the data in the right way. Furthermore, you can streamline issue management with the right software to make the process more efficient and manageable.

To make people trust you, you should also share your own worklogs.

Examples of most effective time tracking report usage

Let’s summarize and show in points some examples. These are fields where time tracking is extremely helpful. Of course, time reports are a part you can’t miss.

✅ Proof of work

A good time tracking report is a powerful tool to prove you’ve been working well. You can present it to your customer if you charge per hour. Also, freelancers often use it for invoicing, so you can ask those you cooperate with to do the same. You can choose an enterprise version for your company or just recommend a free option for them.

👉 Check Time Tracking Software for Freelancers!

✅ Remote work

Times have changed, and remote work is a new norm. This is good because the benefits are almost countless. However, as a manager or company owner, you want to be sure that your people are really working. It’s not about lack of trust. Knowing what your employees are working on makes it easier to organize everything.

Budgeting, recruitment, and improving productivity are much easier when you have a time-tracked report.

✅ Team Performance

I’ve already mentioned that a time tracking report is helpful in improving a team’s productivity. But let’s get deeper into this topic. When you see which tasks need more time to be finished, you know where to focus on. The report can show you that everyone has a problem with the same thing, or that there are people who haven’t any troubles. Now you know that it is possible to teach the same fluency to everyone in a team. You also know who can be a teacher.

✅ Projects profitability

Some projects are more profitable than others. There are no doubts. A time tracking report is an ideal tool to show you which projects are the best for your business. Too much time spent on some projects is just not profitable.

Track time and check the estimated time remaining to finish projects. These data will help you to choose the right ones in the future.

👉 Best time tracking software

Atlassian marketplace and Jira time tracking is not the only way. To select a time tracking app that suits your company, you should think about a few aspects. It should be software that every crew member can use easily. Time reporting can’t be tiring. It also needs to suit all third-party tools and your own solutions that you use in an organization.

See best reporting tools!

A good time tracker helps to analyze incomplete issues, adjust the best project roles, and keep everyone at the same version of the project. Thanks to the time tracker, the estimated time of long tasks is based on data, and issues assigned to team members are carefully chosen.

Time tracking settings should be easy to understand and flexible. Because many people work on their private devices, enable time tracking option and disabling time tracking needs to be fast. Like in TimeCamp: you just need to turn on the app.

The possibility to add some side notes, choose the data you want to focus on, and share them with other users are other advantages of a good tool.

Read also our article about Best Time Recording Apps!

🧐 Is Jira time tracking reports enough?

Jira time tracking reports are really great tools to use. As you can read on their page, their report shows original and current time estimates for all the issues, and whether they are ahead of or behind the original schedule.

However, probably not everyone at your company uses Jira. Usually, it is a tool reserved for IT teams. And it works really well for them. Time tracking, though, should be implemented into other teams too, if you want to get the most of it.

You can use a time tracking software that proposes Jira time tracking integration. Like TimeCamp. This allows you to get more from Jira time tracking reports and to keep all time tracking reports in one place. Also, from other teams.

Using TimeCamp integration with Jira, you will get more clarity in your projects, enjoy automated time tracking and generate custom reports to suit all your needs. It will help you to keep order in various projects. These connected to IT and not. Visual representations are easy to understand and analyze.

This combination creates really powerful reports. To get Jira, check the Atlassian marketplace, and to implement free TimeCamp time tracking software, just click the button below.

Start Time Tracking for FREE

Conclusion

Time tracking reports will help you to organize your data and company well. You can select the most desired project, help everyone to improve their work, analyze all completed issues, estimate the budget, and more.

Estimated time remaining to finish the project, highest estimated time remaining, proof for your customers how you spend their time… and I’m confident that you already have your own ideas how to use them. Maybe you find the idea to track time helpful in some parent issues? Please don’t hesitate to share them in the comment section 😉.

Don’t wait. Start creating a company where rime reports are a valuable tool for everyone! Grow your business faster than your competition.

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Kat Ciesielska Freelancer copywriter and salesman. Currently, in love with timeboxing time management (using TimeCamp). Writing since childhood (the story about dwarfs was the first one ever). Bookworm, foodie, gamer & nature lover (yes, she walks without shoes sometimes).

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