Why should I track time?

Your most valuable resource is your time, and it’s finite. By tracking it, you will find out exactly where your time is going, and begin leveraging that knowledge into better business decisions. Time tracking helps a business become self-aware, which ultimately improves company culture, productivity, and profitability.

What time tracking is not

Before we can justify the importance of time tracking and it’s place in a company’s workflow, we need to tell you what time tracking is not…

It is not Big Brother
Do not require time tracking so you can enforce an eight hour work day policy. Using these types of tactics to manage a team is double plus bad.
It is not a scale
Do not measure and compare one employee's efforts to another based on hours worked alone. That’s just as evil as standardised testing.
It is not a ledger
Do not try to capture and account for every single minute of your work day. This is an impossible, futile, and demoralizing approach.

So… what is time tracking?

Time tracking is a valuable asset in a company’s culture, not a chore. It’s a positive habit that needs to be cultivated over time to be effective. Eventually, it becomes a thoughtless part of your workflow, and returns ten times the investment you put into it. Time tracking is…

It is a gauge
Tracking time will enable you to measure which projects are profitable, and which projects are in danger of going over budget. Use this data to avoid future pitfalls.
It is truth
Find out where time is being wasted and use that information to improve your productivity. Make better business decisions based on the data, not emotion.
It is a culture
Time tracking improves company culture because it brings the team together, before the first minute is recorded, to make estimates and set goals for each project. Teams that collaborate in every aspect of a project will produce better work.