Q & A: Task Tracking Software

We'd like to take the opportunity to answer some questions about our task tracking software, Standard Time.  We hope you'll find this Q & A document helpful.  The screenshot below comes from the task tracking section of Standard Time.  If you like what you see, feel free to download a copy.

Q: Is Standard Time like Microsoft Project?
A: Yes, sort of.  But don't let that scare you off. J Standard Time has the full suite of task tracking features, but also has an employee timesheet to collect weekly hours.  The timesheet hours go directly to tasks, so you can compare forecasts with actuals.

Q: Does it work with Microsoft Project?
A: Yes, definitely.  Standard Time can connect directly to Microsoft Project and bring a copy of those task in its own database.  That lets you track time to tasks, and send the actual work hours back to your original MPP file.  Microsoft Project is not required to use Standard Time.

Q: Can Standard Time have its own project hierarchies of tasks?
A: Yes.  Whether you integrate with Microsoft Project, or build your own projects in Standard Time, they are treated the same.  In other words, you can have a full project hierarchy with breakdowns and tasks under them.  The image below is an example.

More Q & A below...

Task Tracking Software

Q: Is that all there is?  Just project tracking?
A: No, not by a long shot.  Standard Time includes a timesheet, expense tracking, client invoicing, and time off tracking.  Since most organizations that perform task tracking also track employee time off, project expenses, and sometimes, client costs, we do it all.  It is a complete suite of tools, all integrated into one package.

Q: Back to project tracking...  Can you show when my resources are allocated to work?
A: Yes.  Choose View, Project Resource Allocation to see a bar chart of work times.  You'll see a red, blue, or yellow bar for each week.  Here's a example.  Those bars represent over-allocated weeks, under allocated weeks, or correctly allocated.  So, if you schedule tasks for each of your employees, you can use this to ensure they have plenty of work to do.

Q: What can I do with the results of the task tracking?
A: The primary purpose is to keep employees on track with projects.  To do that, you can compare the actual hours with forecasts.  You can see percent complete for each task, and the whole project.  And you can report all employee time with various reports.

Download a copy here.