Project time tracking is a major concern, regardless of the shape and size of the organization.
Of course, as much as managers like to liberate team members in terms of flexible work hours, there’s always an accountability factor in specific scenarios. The latter refers to deadline-oriented projects sourced through 3rd party contractors.
In that order, at the time of billing, the contractor and the concerned 3rd party stakeholders need to see how many person-hours they are billed against. At that time, falling back to manual and dated time logs is a challenging feat for project managers.
Everything has to be double-checked because stakeholders don’t wish to pay extra.
To avoid the hassle of manual work performance vs hours monitoring, managers are strongly recommended to use a reliable project management time tracking software.
Using these tools come with a breed of mixed feedback. While some managers love the idea of keeping tabs on their team members’ clocked hours, others feel that it’s more of a micromanagement activity.
Regardless of whichever way your organization chooses to go, we have listed down some of the best time tracking software. We’ll get to reviewing those tools in a bit, but first, let’s talk about the basics of project time tracking and project time tracking software from team leads’ point of view.
What Is a Project Time Tracking Software?
Project time tracking software is a critical tool for project managers that enables them to accurately track and measure the time spent on various tasks or projects.
It is designed to help managers and team members to easily monitor the progress of projects by providing them with the data they need to make decisions.
This software gives project managers an overview of how much time each team member has invested in a project, how much time has been allocated for a task, and which tasks need more attention.
It also helps project managers identify any areas which are underperforming as well as potential risks or areas that require improvement. Additionally, it can be used to compare actual results against estimated results, so teams can adjust their plans accordingly.
Overall, these time tracking project management applications can help to save countless hours of manual data entry and provide teams with an accurate view of their progress on any given project or task.
It is an invaluable tool for streamlining operations, ensuring projects are completed efficiently and on-time, and ultimately saving money in the long run.
General Benefits of Using Time Management Tools For Project Management
The benefits of using the best project management time tracking tools are plentiful.
Let’s take a look at some of the key highlights of using the best project management time tracking software for ready reference!
- Time tracking software provides project managers with visibility into the progress of each task
In that order, these tools allow team leads to see if tasks are progressing on schedule or if there are issues that need to be addressed. This visibility can help identify potential problems before they become too large to manage.
- Time tracking tools provide project managers with an easy way to manage resources without having to manually track each task separately
Resource management helps to cut down on person hours, budgetize and economize simultaneous deadline-oriented projects.
- Project managers can use the data generated by the software to allocate resources efficiently and prioritize tasks based on their importance
Doing so helps ensure that projects remain on track and that valuable resources are not wasted.
- Many of these tools also offer features such as automated reminders and notifications which can help keep team members engaged and motivated throughout a project’s lifecycle
All of the aforementioned features help ensure that tasks remain the top priority for the entire team and help keep projects running smoothly from start to finish.
6 Best Project Management Time Tracking software With an Inbuilt Time Tracker!
Having said that, let’s talk about some of the best PM software to track time efficiently. We recommend improvising as per your project requirements for best results.
1. nTask
nTask is a project management and time tracking software designed to help teams and individuals manage their projects, tasks, and time more efficiently.
Here are some of its key features alongside different benefits:
Task Management: nTask allows users to create, assign, and manage tasks for themselves and their team members. Users can set due dates, add comments and attachments, and track progress.
Benefits: This feature can help improve productivity, ensure tasks are completed on time, and facilitate collaboration among team members.
Simplify project management
with nTask!
Time Tracking: nTask includes time tracking tools that enable users to track the time spent on tasks and projects using a built-in timer or manual entry.
Benefits: Time tracking can help users understand how they are spending their time, identify areas for improvement, and ensure accurate billing and invoicing.
Project Management: nTask offers project management features such as project tracking, team collaboration, and Gantt charts to help users manage their projects more effectively.
Benefits: Project management tools can help users stay organized, track progress, and identify potential roadblocks, ensuring projects are completed on time and within budget.
Reporting: nTask provides reporting and analytics tools that allow users to view and analyze data on task completion, time tracking, and project progress.
Benefits: Reporting can help users identify areas for improvement, track team performance, and make data-driven decisions.
Integrations: nTask integrates with a variety of other tools and software, such as Slack, Zapier, and Google Drive, to streamline workflows and enhance productivity.
Benefits: Integrations can help users save time, reduce manual data entry, and enhance collaboration across multiple platforms.
Dedicated Mobile App: nTask has a mobile app that enables users to track time and manage tasks on the go.
Benefits: Mobile access can help users stay productive, even when they are away from their desks.
It’s a valuable tool for individuals and teams who want to improve their productivity, streamline their workflows, and ensure accurate billing and invoicing.
2. ProofHub
Moving on with our project management time tracking software recommendations, we’ve got ProofHub.
It has become an essential tool for project managers and team leaders who need to keep teams on track and make sure that tasks are completed on time.
With the right software solution, project managers can maximize their efficiency and streamline their workflow.
Overall, we’d say that the benefits of using Proofhub in project management, solely for the purpose of time tracking and employee performance monitoring are limitless.
For starters, this software provides project managers with visibility into the progress of each task, allowing them to see if tasks are progressing on schedule or if there are issues that need to be addressed.
As a result, this visibility can help identify potential problems before they become too large to manage.
Moreover, ProofHub lends insight on an easy way to manage resources without having to manually track each task separately.
Project managers can use the data generated by the software to allocate resources efficiently and prioritize tasks based on their importance. This helps ensure that projects remain on track and that valuable resources are not wasted.
Finally, this tool also offer features such as automated reminders and notifications which can help keep team members engaged and motivated throughout a project’s lifecycle.
These features help ensure that tasks remain top priority for the entire team and help keep projects running smoothly from start to finish.
Some powerful features of ProofHub are:
• Easy Collaboration: Improved collaboration with the help of custom roles and permissions, project calendars, and @mentions in comments & activity logs.
• Time Tracking & Estimates: Track time spent on various tasks and get clarity on estimates to complete them. Facilities also include reports, labels & bulk edits.
• Task Management: Manage tasks using boards like Kanban & Scrum and keep track of progress with Gantt charts & event timeline view.
• File Sharing: Upload files from Dropbox, Box or Google Drive for easy sharing and collaboration within multiple teams.
• Team Discussions: Conduct team discussions over Forum and integrated chat applications for better coordination among team members.
• Automated Workflows: Streamline work processes by setting triggers such as sending out reminders on due dates or automating recurring tasks.
2. Wrike
Wrike is a powerful project management and time tracking tool that can help streamline the entire project management process.
It’s designed to simplify the creation, organization, and tracking of projects and tasks so that teams can be more effective and efficient in their delivery of projects. With Wrike, you can keep track of the progress of all tasks and projects with ease, as well as assign responsibilities to team members.
Additionally, Wrike integrates with other tools such as Slack which allows for easier collaboration across teams.
The benefits of using Wrike for project time tracking are numerous. For starters, it helps keep all tasks organized in one place so that everyone on the team knows what needs to be done and when it needs to be done.
In that order, Wrike also allows project managers to set up automated reminders so that they don’t forget any important tasks or deadlines.
Moreover, this project management time tracking software offers robust reporting features which provide visibility into how team members are spending their time and where resources are being allocated.
Finally, Wrike makes it easy to set up project templates which allow teams to quickly get started on new projects without having to start from scratch every time.
Overall, this one is an incredibly powerful tool for project time tracking.
Some powerful features of Wrike are
• Real-time collaboration: Wrike enables teams to work together on tasks, projects, and documents from anywhere in real time.
• Automated notifications: Wrike automatically sends email alerts and reminders to team members about upcoming deadlines or tasks that require their attention.
• Calendar management: With its integrated calendar feature, users can easily schedule meetings, plan projects, and assign resources with just a few clicks.
• Multi-level permissions: Admins can set different levels of access rights for individual users with permissions such as read-only or full editing capabilities.
• Custom dashboards: Users can customize their personal dashboards to view the content they need such as tasks assigned to them or overall project progress.
• Flexible task management: Users have the ability to create subtasks/checklists within existing tasks as well as mark task dependencies that are linked together when tracking progress on a project timeline.
3. ClickUp
Next up on our project management time tracking software list is ClickUp.
It is a robust tool that can be used to streamline project management and make it easier for team leaders and managers to keep track of everything. It offers a range of features that simplify the daily life of project managers by providing them with easy-to-use tools to help manage their projects.
With ClickUp, you can easily monitor progress on individual tasks, as well as the overall progress of your project. It also allows you to create custom views based on your specific needs, such as assigning tasks and setting deadlines.
Additionally, ClickUp’s collaboration features enable teams to communicate with each other in real time, enabling them to stay on top of their tasks and reach goals faster.
In addition to simplifying task management and monitoring progress, ClickUp also offers some great benefits when it comes to time tracking.
For example, the app’s Time Tracking feature allows users to easily log their hours on any task or project they are working on. This not only helps keep track of how much time is spent on each task but also helps provide accurate billing information for clients.
Furthermore, users can set up reminders for themselves or other team members so that no important tasks get forgotten or left incomplete.
It is safe to say that Clickup doesn’t fall short when it comes to meeting deadline-oriented project requirements.
Some powerful features of ClickUp include:
• Easily track time spent on tasks, subtasks, and projects with Clickup’s Time Tracking feature
• Automatically calculates total time billed for each task or project with in-built reports
• Set estimated time for tasks, set deadlines and track progress in real-time
• Integrate Clockify to gain additional insights into employee’s performance and utilization of resources for improved efficiency
• Create smart reminders that help prevent unfinished or overdue tasks
• Invite external collaborators and view their timesheets directly within the platform to stay up-to-date with the project’s progress
• Pull advanced reports on how much time is being utilized on different tasks over any given period of time.
4. Teamwork
When speaking in terms of time tracking and employee perfomance metrics, Teamwork helps project managers and team leaders to keep track of their projects with ease.
It provides users with an intuitive, easy-to-use platform for managing tasks, tracking time, and monitoring progress. With Teamwork, teams can collaborate more efficiently and stay organized.
The main features of Teamwork include task management, project scheduling, time tracking, budgeting, reporting, and collaboration tools. These features help users to plan and manage their projects quickly and easily.
The task management feature allows users to create tasks and assign them to team members or clients. Project scheduling helps users to set deadlines for each task as well as track progress toward those deadlines.
The time tracking feature enables users to track the amount of time they spend on a particular task or project. Budgeting tools allow users to allocate resources more effectively while the reporting feature provides detailed reports on progress made throughout the project’s lifespan.
Lastly, the collaboration tools enable teams to work together in real-time by sharing documents, files, and ideas in one central location.
Using Teamwork as a project management time tracking software has been known to reap numerous benefits, such as helping managers stay organized by ensuring that all tasks are completed – and that too, within deadlines.
Some powerful features of Teamwork include:
• Detailed Time Allocation Visualization: Get an instant visual snapshot of time allocation across various tasks throughout the entire duration of a project via Teamwork’s intuitive graphical user interface (GUI).
• Accurate Time Tracking: Teamwork software enables project and program managers to accurately track time spent on tasks, allowing for better resource optimization, improved performance management, and accurate billing.
• Comprehensive Reports & Analytics: Analyze the collected data for insights into what projects are being worked on, how long each task is taking, who’s most productive, and more with comprehensive reports on task completion rates and workloads over time.
• Automated Invoicing & Billing: Automatically generate invoices based on tracked time usage metrics that provide a detailed overview of project progress as well as demonstrate accountability to clients by providing transparency in billing.
• GPS Tracking Capability: Track employee movement when working remotely or out in the field with integrated GPS tracking capability that helps ensure employees are staying focused during business hours.
5. Mavenlink (Kantata)
Also known as Kantata, Mavenlink is a comprehensive project management and time-tracking tool that helps teams plan, collaborate, and track progress in one central location.
Teams can create projects with multiple tasks and assign them to team members. The tool also allows users to access detailed reports on project progress and performance, as well as set budget thresholds, and task deadlines, and even generate invoices.
The main benefit of Mavenlink Kantata is the ability to keep all project information organized in one place. It’s easy to assign tasks, monitor workflow, and review performance in real-time.
With built-in notifications and messaging, team members can always stay up-to-date on project status.
The software also offers a range of integrations with other tools such as Slack and Google Drive, making it easier for teams to collaborate across different platforms.
Kantata also provides powerful time tracking features that make it easy for team leaders to monitor employee performance against predetermined goals. Time tracking data can be used for billing purposes or just for general oversight of a project’s progress.
Notifications can be set up so that project managers are always aware of when certain tasks are completed or if certain milestones have been achieved.
It’s the perfect time tracking project management software for small, medium, and large scale businesses.
Some powerful features of Mavenlink include:
• Streamlined Time Tracking: Enable project and program managers to monitor tasks quickly and easily track the time spent on tasks.
• Visibility into Resource Utilization: Get an ‘at-a-glance’ view of workloads across the entire team, allowing for more effective resource planning.
• Advanced Reporting Tools: Analyze work performance with customizable reports that let you drill down into individual contributors to identify areas of strength and weaknesses in terms of meeting key objectives.
• Automated Billing & Invoicing: Automatically generate invoices based on timesheets & billable hours to simplify payment processing for clients.
• Cost Savings & Budget Control: Monitor labor costs in real-time and stay within budget by managing project progress with flexible task list options for each user or group.
Conclusion
In conclusion, project time tracking software can be a great asset when used properly. On one hand, it can help improve productivity and organization among employees by measuring their progress on specific tasks.
Additionally, it can provide valuable insights into how to best allocate resources and make better decisions in the future. On the other hand, if not used in moderation or with a strategy behind it they can create an atmosphere of micromanagement and lead to decreased motivation and morale among team members.
Overall, while there are both positive and negative aspects associated with project time tracking software, when used well they are highly recommended as a tool for businesses looking to increase efficiency and gain more insight into their operations.
FAQs
1. Before buying a project management time tracking software, which specific features we should look for as a baseline benchmark?
2. Robust Data Security: Secondly, make sure your project management time tracking software comes with robust data security such as 256-bit encryption to protect every bit of data collected from unauthorized access or hacking attempts.
3. Employee Time Tracking: Thirdly, check that the project management time tracking software offers employee time tracking capabilities which can help you accurately assess employee performance and productivity levels on various tasks or projects undertaken by them.
4. Task Management & Reporting: Look for task management capabilities which allow you to assign tasks easily to team members and track their progress in completing them in real-time with customizable reporting systems for keeping everyone informed about updates or delays regarding projects fulfilling predefined KPIs (key performance indicators).
5. Integration &Auditing Tools: Ensure your project management time tracking software provides seamless integration with other applications used within the organization plus auditing tools to keep track of changes made in any task status throughout its lifecycle.
6. Billing & Invoice Generation Capabilities: Lastly see if the solution offers billing and invoice generation options for accurate calculation and timely invoicing of customers for services rendered.
2. Is it advised to hire a technology champion to train on-boarded team members about using the time tracking tool?
A technology champion can be highly beneficial in providing tailored training that meets the specific needs of your team.
They can help ensure that everyone understands how to use the software correctly and efficiently, enabling you to track and manage project times more effectively.
Additionally, having an experienced individual who is familiar with this type of software will help foster a smoother onboarding process for new team members and admins, which leads to better performance from them over time.
Ultimately, a technology champion’s expertise in this area can prove invaluable when it comes to helping your team become proficient at using project time tracking tools and achieving successful project outcomes.
