Digital Time Tracking to Elevate Project Management Efforts

In this article, we will be exploring how digital time tracking affects project management. Our focus will be on Timesheet Portal and its functionality, specifically that of the Project edition.

Project management and time management are inseparable. The key skill of a project manager is the ability to wisely distribute the time following deadlines, budget, and available resources. Not only does it sound complicated - it is complicated. And project managers are usually working on multiple projects simultaneously, too. It is humanly impossible to stay on top of everything at all times, and that’s why digital time tracking has become a necessity. In today’s world, digitisation is the only way for the project managers to move forward. 

The reason for it is simple - it’s a way to minimise human error, automate manual tasks and generally focus on progress-driving activities that require human judgement and analysis. Timesheet Portal understands that, and that’s what our Project edition was developed for - to elevate your project management efforts through digital time tracking. 

What is Time Management in Project Management?

Time management is a fundamental part of any project and, therefore, a core skill for project managers. One’s ability to make time-related estimations is crucial for the initial forecasting stage and remains highly relevant when optimising the projects during its course. Most essential parts of the project, such as resource allocation, budget distribution and meeting deadlines, depend highly on time management. 

However, time management gets increasingly complicated despite its significance as the modern world’s demands grow. Nowadays, to truly nail this crucial part of project management, digitisation needs to enter the stage. 

Overview of Timesheet Portal

Not to toot our own horn, but Timesheet Portal is one of the most powerful solutions currently available on the market. Aside from digital time tracking, it has plenty of modules to help you manage your projects. 

Key Features for Project Management

Timesheet Portal’s Project edition is designed to aid project managers in their daily challenges. That said, every feature can elevate your efforts, but let us focus on some of the most-used and sought-after ones. Time tracking, expense management and client invoicing are three modules that are closely tied together, making them the platform's core. As the names would suggest, they are focusing on collecting data that translates into what you bill your clients for the services. Instead of requiring you to put the invoices together manually, it generates them with the available data. Moreover, you don’t need to export and send them over. Timesheet Portal enables you to invoice your clients without leaving the platform. 

In addition to that, there are onboarding, holiday and flexi-time modules, all of which grant you better control over internal processes, workflows and resource allocation. Timesheet Portal is also heavily focused on customisability, making each module adjustable to your company’s specific needs. Same goes for the reports and the general dashboard. A simple drag-and-drop interface makes the setup effortless, whether you want to customise built-in templates or start from scratch. 

Data-Driven Decision Making

Having mentioned the reports, we need to expand on them. As you might have already gathered, the Timesheet Portal captures a lot of data, especially concerning your team’s time and budget expenditure. However, these metrics are very surface level and our platform has the capacity of digging much deeper, as well as revealing some less obvious but very important data that isn’t numbers-based. 

For example, staying diligent with time tracking and holiday management can expose absenteeism patterns in workers. This will allow you to nip the issue in the bud quickly as opposed to letting it fester and only noticing it when it seriously harms your business. Additionally, the data you collect in Timesheet Portal enables you to adjust and optimise project flows to your budget and deadline as you go, not when the situation gets dire. 

Addressing Common Concerns

Adopting a new piece of software is a decision that requires a lot of consideration. It’s a financial commitment, and then it takes time to implement it and train the teams to use it. Even then, some tools will take months before they begin paying off – and sometimes they don’t. At Timesheet Portal, we know that and are happy to address some common concerns. 

Integration with Existing Tools

A typical reservation when it comes to adding a new tool to the setup is whether it is compatible with your existing solutions. Namely, it’s the fear the existing workflows will have to be altered to accommodate the newest addition, something no one wants to do. In fact, it is something no company should do as the right tool is meant to blend into your day-to-day processes, not disrupt them. This is why at Timesheet Portal, we’ve strongly emphasised seamlessly integrating with the most popular accounting solutions and various other tools. 

We provide an extensive list of integrations that are quick to set up and are optimisable in case you need custom mapping. Don't be dismayed if the solutions at your disposal are not currently available for Timesheet Portal. We are willing to go the extra mile to accommodate our clients and will often work with you and the provider of the tool you use to create a custom API and help you make the link you need. 

Growth Alongside You

The problem with most tools is that, eventually, your business will outgrow them. Older solutions are heavily capped in this regard, requiring you to move to a completely different software once the limit is reached. SaaS solutions are usually free of technical limitations; however, their way of growth stunt manifests in other ways. Namely, a steep price increase when upgrading to the next tier. This is often an issue as most of the functionality that comes with it is not what the companies need. So, they stick with the lesser option, which prevents them from scaling.

At Timesheet Portal, we took an innovative approach to the issue, empowering the growth of our clients by offering an alternative payment model. Instead of a monthly pre-set package subscription, our customers only pay for the features they use. Adding, removing or upgrading models is all easily accessible and done within the platform and is entirely in your control, requiring no sales team involvement. In other words, you can scale at your preferred pace.

Growing Team with Timesheet Portal

Successful teams expand as they scale and score more projects. Welcoming new team members is exciting but can also be stressful, especially when bringing them up to speed as soon as possible. Setting them up quickly and effortlessly is yet another area Timesheet Portal that can aid you in. 

First Impressions Matter

Although it’s a must-have legal process every company needs to have, the importance of onboarding is often overlooked. While its key purpose is collecting the required documentation and showing the new hires the ropes, how it’s done carries a lot of significance. A chaotic process where new employees have to go through back-and-forths via emails or, worse, in person, can paint the company in a negative light. 

With Timesheet Portal, you can create a smooth, quick onboarding process built around your company’s requirements. Create a custom page collecting the required documentation of your new hires that will store it directly in your system, taking away the gruesome email back-and-forths. Not only do you get to choose what fields to include, but also which ones are mandatory to fill. You can also control the level of access your hires have until their documentation is submitted and approved. For example, you can lock them out of timesheets until they’ve gone through the onboarding process and so on. In other words, you can build a process that requires no involvement and works best for your company. 

Summary

Digital time tracking can be highly beneficial for elevating your project management efforts. Solutions like Timesheet Portal come with many features that aid many processes, not just tracking time. Since time management ties into multiple operations, such as billing, invoicing and expenses, digital time tracking naturally benefits these areas. It also collects valuable data that can lead to informed decisions and further optimisation, both during the project and after its delivery. 

You don’t have to worry about Timesheet Portal not fitting into your current setup either. Offering plenty of integrations and possible custom APIs, it’s designed to work best in tandem with other solutions. The innovative pricing model also makes scaling easy and affordable, fitting your pace instead of forcing you into expensive upgrade packages. Finally, it puts you in control of creating your company’s custom onboarding process so you can bring your new hires up to speed hassle-free and in a way that best reflects your office culture. 

Is digital time tracking what your company lacks? Let’s talk!