This is a user generated content for MyStory, a YourStory initiative to enable its community to contribute and have their voices heard. The views and writings here reflect that of the author and not of YourStory.
Best Practices to Implement Time Tracking Software in Your Organization
This is a user generated content for MyStory, a YourStory initiative to enable its community to contribute and have their voices heard. The views and writings here reflect that of the author and not of YourStory.
With the newfound realization that time is the most precious of all resources, enterprises across the industry verticals globally have got into this marathon of finding the best employee time tracking software suite. So, if you have decided to find a holistic enterprise solution that not only tracks time but also aids business-critical functions, congratulations. While this decision itself is empowering, it is very significant for you to note that purchasing a software suite is just not the solution to all the raging operational woes arising from improper time and resource management in your organization. It is the proper implementation supported by robust user training and support that changes the game.
The technical glitches that plague the process of implementation are secondary. The primary concern is to really encourage the employees and the entire management to recognize the long-term benefits of an online time tracking software. Typically, filling up timesheets at the end of the day is mostly considered as an additional task. Most often than not, the majority of employees spend a considerable time on a Friday afternoon to fill up the sheets. Therefore, the first task is to change the mindset of people and empower them to utilize time as a valuable resource. Once you are done convincing relevant people, brace yourself for the upcoming implementation hitches.
Time Tracking Software for Project and Tasks
- Conduct a discussion with the Employees, project managers, and the HR department to understand their expectations
Before making any vendor commitment and investment, it is important for you to have open discussions with the HR department, employees and senior executives cumulatively. This would help you fathom their concerns as well as expectations from a time tracking software. The conclusive points would act as a yardstick to find the relevant employee time tracking for projects and tasks. Also, the focus is to invest in a software suite that has relevant features that map to your business goals.
- Refer to the company’s protocols on time tracking
It is extremely important to adhere to your company’s established protocols for time tracking. Abruptly introducing a system might disrupt the set processes. In order to implement a new system, dedicate a considerable amount of time for the transition to make it seamless and error-free.
- Dedicate considerable time to test the new system before you make it go live
It is important for you to understand whether or not you need to disable all the pre-existing time management system while you are in the process of installing the new software package. That leaves you and your tech team with the challenge of installing the entire pack in a manner that is seamless and doesn’t disrupt the daily business operations. You can also choose to take the support of the service provider to help you with the implementation. Additionally, spend as much time as you can to test the different features before you make it live.
- Appoint a single dedicated resource from your company to take complete ownership of implementation and acts as a single point of contact in case of any problems
Too many cooks do spoil the broth. Therefore, it is critical to assign dedicated tech personnel to work towards the installation and implementation of the new system. This would ensure a single effective point of contact for the resolution of problems across the organization.
- Pass an injunction making it clear that time tracking is mandatory
It is important to pass a mandate stating that everyone in the organization has to use the new system to record the work. Workaround to set a reminder so that everyone gradually gets into the mode of exploring the features meant for them specifically. This would do two things. First, it would gradually and gently help the employees become more careful with the time management part. Second, it would help generate the much-required feedback after the new installation.
- Monitor the performance of the software through an internal feedback mechanism and leverage the robust customer support feature to tackle problems if any.
With the passage of time, you must make it a priority to take feedbacks from people and based on that, work with the service provider to include more features and relevant applications. Constant monitoring and feedback measurement would go a long way in establishing a culture of valuing time.
These are some of the basic thumb rules but the key to operational success lies in the hands of each and everyone in the organization who uses the time tracking system. It is not only important to take feedback but it also important to persistently encourage everyone to understand how effective management of time can boost an individual productivity and the company’s profit margins.
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