As the practice of documenting personal and working hours, TIME TRACKING allows individuals and businesses to understand their productivity patterns, optimize time management and improve control over other resources. This practice has a very long history, and like many other things that persisted through time, it evolved dramatically over the centuries.
Among the main things that changed in time tracking is its form. In the past, people had to utilize stone tablets, paper and other physical writing materials to keep a record of hours. Nowadays, we can run the process entirely in the digital space.
More than that, time tracking can be largely automated with the help of modern software apps. And in this piece, we will talk about the main advantages of automating time tracking with actiTIME — a smart timesheet tool that offers a plentiful of useful features to improve personal and team performance. …
CONTROL IS AN INTRINSIC PART OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT. Without it, any team will struggle to successfully meet its objectives and complete the planned work on time. Hence, as a project manager, you need to be highly attentive to progress tracking, and while doing so, keep tabs on a lot of moving parts: individual and team performance, estimates, deadlines, budget, scope, etc.
Efficient progress monitoring enables project managers to:
- Identify performance problems early on,
- Adhere to the developed schedule with ease,
- Prevent cost overruns,
- Ensure a high level of productivity,
- Stay fully aware of what’s happening with the project,
- And, thus, attain exceptional work outcomes. …
Time tracking is one of the handiest tools for productivity measurement. Besides, it serves many other useful purposes for employees and businesses alike. It helps to:
- Control overtime
- Keep a record of billable time
- Analyze projects’ financial outcomes
- Enhance resource management
- Improve task estimation, etc.
Capturing all these benefits of time tracking is easier by using some specialized software apps, which vary greatly in their functionality, and especially in the level of automation they offer.
Some pieces of software are just manual-entry timesheets. Others include automatic timers with the start and stop buttons. Yet the smallest group of time trackers are fully automated, which means they monitor and capture user behaviors in a completely autonomous fashion — without any effort on your part whatsoever. …
Long gone are the days of paper timesheets and digital spreadsheets! Today, automation is key to the success of any business and team. It boosts efficiency and reduces costs by streamlining the completion of routine tasks and letting you stay focused on what’s really important. So, when it comes to time tracking, automation is also a way to go. And if you still have been using paper timesheets in your company, now it’s high time to make that shift.
Good news: automating time tracking is easy! All you need to do is choose a time tracking app that makes a perfect match for your team and follow the five simple steps described below. …
Every successful project manager knows the power of communication in leading a successful team. Project managers spend about 90% of their time communicating, meaning the bulk of a project manager’s work involves communication in some form or another. Communication is the exchange of information, both intended and involuntary. A message delivered through speech or writing serves a clear purpose, whereas involuntary communication might be transmitted through body language or tone. This means communication occurs whether we are aware of it or not.
Strong communicators make for excellent project managers. If your communication skills are not quite at the level you would like them to be at, or if it is your first time leading a project and you are unsure of where to start, don’t worry: communication can be learned and improved. Communication happens at work every day, presenting many opportunities for development and practice. Let’s cover some elementary tools first, then move on to strategies that go further in-depth by dealing with common situations. …
Do you have coworkers that refuse to be productive or do their work? Sometimes it feels like doing a group project but being the only person to complete your tasks, right? It’s irritating, stressful, and downright rude.
How can you cope with this? You aren’t responsible for the behavior of your coworkers, but something needs to be done so you aren’t left with a heavier workload than you deserve.
We want to teach you how to deal with lazy coworkers and potentially get them in a hardworking mindset. …
Effective time management is the fuel that runs the machine when it comes to business success. It keeps your business running smoothly as workloads are scheduled, deadlines are met and your clients or customers are satisfied. Delivering your products or services on time demonstrates that you’re reliable and produce only quality results.
However, time management isn’t a “one size fits all” system. For your employees, organizing their workload and project deadlines requires a personalized approach to naturally follow their organizational methods. …
Efficient communication is key to the success of any business, regardless of the size or industry. Strong communication at work is what validates employees. It lends to them their motivation, inspiration, and therefore, productivity.
This productivity is what drives your business.
It’s what keeps your team members sharp. It’s how we avoid missed deadlines, messy email and slack trends, poorly scoped projects, and drawn out feedback… It is the fundamental force behind a company’s interworkings.
And yet it’s often overlooked by company leaders.
We’re each well aware of the importance of effective communication, but that’s not to say we practice this in our organizations. Knowing the significance of something doesn’t necessitate the practice. …
Your project plan will be your comprehensive guide as you and your project team endeavor on what may be a complicated, ongoing intensive project. If your stakeholders have given your team an assignment that will require many moving parts, you’ll need a resource that your team can always rely on for keeping them focused and grounded. That way, they won’t get carried away with specific tasks or stages that are only minor fragments of the big picture.
The plan will also answer these questions that your stakeholders will have:
- How will the target goal be reached?
- When will the project be completed? …
When approaching a project that a valuable client or upper management has handed you, you need to consider all factors involved that will help you fulfill their needs. These include your team, your project scope, the services or resources you need to outsource and more. There are plenty of moving parts that make up the process and contribute to the final product. Your role as a project manager is to keep them all organized and use them for your stakeholders’ benefit.
Project management includes intense planning and organizing, so you can have an easy-to-follow structure for you and your team to follow. Having structure will offer a base for your project to make the mission more achievable. It will also ensure the spending and timing is limited to avoid over-spending or making your stakeholder wait too long. Your responsibility is to use this structuralized project system so your clients will be satisfied with your team’s quality of work delivered on time. …
