Six Tips For Employee Adoption of Time Tracking Software

So you’ve finally made the decision to integrate time sheet tracking software into your business. Wise move! Time tracking software is a powerful, yet extremely user-friendly tool that allows you to track billable and non-billable hours, create invoices and reports, and manage your customers, projects and tasks. Now the question is …how do you seamlessly integrate it into your current business practices?

Tip 1: The Invisible Software

As with the implementation of any new tool, such as time tracking software, it’s important that the tool be virtually invisible to employees in doing their jobs. Typically, when people are hired to do a specific job, they tend to be resentful when they are expected to do someone else’s job as well. For example, most people wouldn’t want to take the time and effort to learn to use a software product that is intended to collect information they believe is their manager’s job to collect. The bottom line is that time tracking software needs to be simple and intuitive--it can’t create a lot of extra work for employees.

Tip 2: Relevancy

People do not like to scroll through a time sheet filled with information that is not relevant to them. Time sheets should only contain the projects and tasks assigned to them.

Tip 3: The Fewer Steps, the Better

The reporting mechanism you adopt needs to contain all of the relevant information—that is, employees don’t want to spend extra time and effort trying to access the information that is pertinent to their department. Relevant information needs to be just a few clicks away.

Tip 4: Educate

Oftentimes, employees fail to understand the importance of time tracking. Consequently, they may feel like they have to do extra work but they do not understand why they are expected to do it. If the value of this tool is thoroughly explained, employees will be more likely to embrace it and take full advantage of its capabilities.

Tip 5: There Must Be Value for Everyone

Time sheets must have some sort of personal value for employees as well as for upper management. Everyone strives to be more efficient, so make sure your time sheet tracking software gives employees the ability to see where their time is spent, and the power to analyze their own work.

Tip 6: Roll It Out In Stages

There are stages involved with efficiently rolling out new software. A good place to begin implementation and training is with the people who really need to learn and utilize the tool. Next, target a few trusted, technology-savvy co-workers so you can easily monitor the input you receive. As a general rule, it is best to initially train employees who do not require a lot of supervision or “handholding.” This will give you the opportunity to determine whether the software truly fits your business model. Once this initial group has gained expertise, and you are sure it meets your business objectives, you can begin rolling it out to larger groups, and eventually to the entire company.

Ray White is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Scoutwest, Inc., the developers of Standard Time® and Standard Issue® Product Management Software. Ray's involvement in software development and project management began over 26 years ago at the Eastman Kodak Company, and since then, he has worked with approximately 30 executives, 90 project managers, 300 engineers, and 10,000 customers. By project managers, for project managers - his products help thousands of international customers plan and track time for their mission critical projects.