Deliver Better and Quicker Projects with Timesheet Solutions
Published: 16/04/2023
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As volumes and quality demands grow, project managers seek innovation in processes. This article highlights how timesheet solutions can assist in overcoming these challenges. The focus is on choosing the right tool and maximising its potential.
Are you growing increasingly frustrated with outdated project management practices that seem to prevent you from meeting unrealistically high expectations within equally unrealistic and short timeframes? You’re not alone. We believe you have already been exploring ways to implement change, possibly recognising timesheet solutions as one of the options. Your reading of this very article indicates that’s exactly where you are, and at this point, you may be at a slight loss as to where to start utilising this knowledge.
If this sounds like you, don’t click away, as this article is aimed at people in your position. It focuses on setting the scene with some low-hanging fruit, which then become the foundation for developing a full-blown transformation by utilising just one solution. Ultimately, our goal is to help you find the most project management-friendly timesheet tool for your business and ensure you’re capable of unlocking its full potential.
If you want a quick solution to your timesheet management, consider following these steps:
Digitise the process;
Introduce some form of automation, even if minimal;
Clarify the existing process to all parties involved
Begin researching the market for the best-fitting timesheet software
These are very superficial solutions and will therefore provide short-term results. However, it’s the final one you should focus on as it will act as your stepping stone towards developing a more sustainable long-term approach. Below, we will assist you in getting started to find a tool that will significantly improve your timesheet management and project delivery.
There are two distinctive traits that the best timesheet solutions share. Unfortunately, they aren’t always clearly outlined in the feature lists. Even when they are, it’s in your best interest to test how far their capabilities extend. If possible, we recommend booking a demo with the vendor, as the company’s specialist can demonstrate these features in action rather than you trying to assess them yourself.
What you want from software is flexibility. The out-of-box solutions barely deliver the results most businesses seek. This is mainly because every industry is heavily saturated with organisations, and for them to stand out, each needs to have a set of unique goals, KPIs, and therefore metrics to track. In turn, this means the process must also be unique, accommodating these specific needs. A solution that cannot be customised simply won’t do.
Therefore, the timesheet solutions on your radar should offer extensive options for customisation rather than being tied to specific templates. Don’t get us wrong - it’s great when software includes templates. It’s especially useful for companies that are not yet advanced in digitisation. However, the templates should be fully flexible to be adapted into what you need them to be, both visually and functionally. It’s also understood that, at times, templates can be limiting, no matter how customisable they are. For this reason, we recommend choosing software that also permits users to build their own templates from scratch.
One of the key signs of a good tool is that from the beginning it doesn’t promise to introduce new solutions to your existing challenges. If the software you’re considering claims it will fundamentally transform your business by removing your current processes and replacing them with more efficient ones… Well, this isn’t a solution you want to pursue. While it’s tempting to discard what you have and start anew, this approach will hinder your success.
A truly good tool helps you optimise and continuously improve existing processes instead of creating new ones. Simply put, ongoing operations have already accumulated substantial data. Discarding it entirely would mean waiting until new processes gather enough information for analysis and action. By focusing on the foundation you already have, you can reach your goals and targets faster by making a series of changes and observing their impact on the results.
A common mistake companies make when adopting software is not utilising it to its full potential. The world of solutions is advancing faster than our mindset, which is often linked to older methods and their limitations. However, to truly succeed and get your money’s worth, it’s essential to let go of that mindset and embrace innovation.
Now, if timesheet solutions only offered basic timesheets, there would be little reason to favour them over more traditional methods. Since both paper timesheets and Excel spreadsheets are very capable of recording time, specialised solutions are expected to provide additional features. Time tracking tools, therefore, come with a variety of features, with options varying depending on the vendor. Some offer extras like holiday management, while others focus more on expense procedures and so on.
It would be a waste not to utilise that extra functionality. Of course, not every feature suits every business, but that’s exactly why you should take your time finding a solution you can utilise fully. It’s wise to experiment with different modules your tool offers, even if they don’t seem immediately necessary. While doing so, consider your business as a whole rather than focusing on just one department. For instance, although you may have adopted timesheet software to support your project management, try visualising how its features could assist legal, marketing, or even sales teams. You’ll be surprised how efficient just one tool can be.
Every business uses some form of digital tool, and it is unlikely that the timesheet solution will be the cornerstone of your tech stack. The days when companies prided themselves on having numerous tools and believed that more was better are gone. Given the vast and diverse software market, the focus has shifted towards prioritising quality over quantity. This approach makes sense, especially since tools can also be costly.
There is a win-win approach - integrations. When you connect different tools, you expand their individual functionality and unlock process-building opportunities that you otherwise wouldn't have access to. This, in turn, means you will be gathering new types of data. Often, this data would be collected by a completely separate tool, saving you money. Additionally, it allows you to better contextualise the data, as you can see the processes it originates from and the areas it impacts. And not having to constantly switch tabs for every piece of information is, certainly, a big advantage in itself.
We have briefly discussed data collection, specifically that your current processes, whether effective or not, are already gathering some data. How you utilise this data forms the basis of your success and the decisions you make in the future. However, making the most of the information you have collected is more complex than it appears.
Simply collecting data won’t give you the results you need. We live in an age of data overload, so even without timesheet solutions, businesses are constantly flooded with data from various sources. The problem is that not all data is useful. Large volumes also mean there's no effective way to clear, process, and analyse it—at least not for a human. That’s where digital tools come in. Instead of adding to the data stream, they selectively identify the important metrics for you. Moreover, they automatically organise the data in a format that makes it easy to analyse even the most complex insights. Let’s face it—it’s hard to understand what you’re looking at when faced with just numbers. But it’s a different story when they are presented with graphs, colour coding, and categorisation.
That’s another area where customisation is key, as, simply put, the data you prioritise will differ from any other business. Even if we are talking about your closest competitor. While most solutions now let you build dashboards the way you want, this isn’t enough. Ideally, you want the ability to customise existing filters and create new ones from scratch. That’s something we are proud to support at Timesheet Portal. We offer over 40 built-in reporting templates that you can fully customise to suit your needs and align with your brand. We also enable users to create their own templates and data filters for them. Since reporting is vital and can become very detailed, we also place no limit on the number of report templates an account can have.
Relying on an outdated approach to project management is not only frustrating but also harmful to businesses. It hampers their scalability and can damage client relationships. While this is a significant issue, addressing it isn’t as difficult as it seems. The main challenge is that there are many options, some better than others - so you need to choose carefully.
Timesheet solutions are an excellent way to innovate and improve project delivery. However, finding the best tools involves some complexities. They should support as much customisation as possible and be driven by optimisation. To unlock their full potential, you also need to shift your mindset regarding solutions. Step out of your comfort zone, experiment with different features, and test various software integration combinations. Even if success doesn’t come immediately, you’ll gather valuable data which, without fail, will lead to the results you seek. With a little patience and courage, it can even surpass your wildest expectations.
There is no time to lose. Begin the search immediately.