I'm planning to implement a very basic framework to capture time spent on projects by all resources in my organization. We already have a tool which can be configured all the way down to the activity level and eventually mapped back to WBS for reporting.
If you have done something similar, can you please provide some guidelines on what task or activity codes should be used that can be applied to most of the projects most of the time and still provide some meaningful data? I am trying to keep it simple. Saving Changes...
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Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
Today we are using Clarity for record this type of things. This is because we have implemented TBM process from time ago. My experience is Clarity or other tools I have used is each week we assign work hours in project and in other tasks not related to projects. When I worked with not automated tools what we used is an excell spreadsheet. Important thing is to have the cost center to apply hours to it additional to the project.
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1 reply by Murtaza Sheikh
Aug 10, 2020 11:53 AM
Murtaza Sheikh
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Thanks Sergio. We already have a tool that we use for billable resources, and can leverage it to track time for non-billable time, like the spend on projects.
When it comes to time tracking, starting high-level and add details only if needed. As a starting point, I'd suggest just tracking time at the project and non-project level.
The more granularity you create, the more effort, confusion, and inaccurate data you are likely to capture.
The best time capture system is a fully automated one requiring NO input from team members...
Kiron
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1 reply by Murtaza Sheikh
Aug 10, 2020 11:56 AM
Murtaza Sheikh
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Thanks Kiron. I'm all for starting simple, but would need some pre- defined categories so I can analyze where are we spending most of our times. Some of the obvious ones are Meetings, Support, Documentation etc. I would want to keep down to 5-6 at max and want to be sure that i put the best ones on the menu.
Today we are using Clarity for record this type of things. This is because we have implemented TBM process from time ago. My experience is Clarity or other tools I have used is each week we assign work hours in project and in other tasks not related to projects. When I worked with not automated tools what we used is an excell spreadsheet. Important thing is to have the cost center to apply hours to it additional to the project.
Thanks Sergio. We already have a tool that we use for billable resources, and can leverage it to track time for non-billable time, like the spend on projects.
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1 reply by Sergio Luis Conte
Aug 10, 2020 1:10 PM
Sergio Luis Conte
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You are welcome. We maintain both types including it all related to vacations, training, corporate events, etc, etc.
When it comes to time tracking, starting high-level and add details only if needed. As a starting point, I'd suggest just tracking time at the project and non-project level.
The more granularity you create, the more effort, confusion, and inaccurate data you are likely to capture.
The best time capture system is a fully automated one requiring NO input from team members...
Kiron
Thanks Kiron. I'm all for starting simple, but would need some pre- defined categories so I can analyze where are we spending most of our times. Some of the obvious ones are Meetings, Support, Documentation etc. I would want to keep down to 5-6 at max and want to be sure that i put the best ones on the menu. Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
Aug 10, 2020 11:53 AM
Replying to Murtaza Sheikh
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Thanks Sergio. We already have a tool that we use for billable resources, and can leverage it to track time for non-billable time, like the spend on projects.
You are welcome. We maintain both types including it all related to vacations, training, corporate events, etc, etc. Saving Changes...
Specific categories will be very dependent on the nature of the projects, as well as organizational priorities. I would approach the problem with a quality management perspective, and begin by identifying what measurable qualities you care about that will allow you to determine health, and make course corrections. Then determine what types of work align to those key quality attributes.
Some qualities may come from your finance department, such as time billable to the client, which of course will be dependent on the contract type. Some qualities may focus on reducing waste, such as rework. My company has various change types such as initial release, customer requested changes, miscellaneous error correction, etc. that can be used to classify the types of activities.
Depending on how you manage your workflow, you may use OPAs such as Obeya or Kanban boards to identify recurring types of work and develop a few categories. If you don't have that historical data, you might have to guess at first based on your expert knowledge, start collecting data, and see if it validates that you picked the right categories.
Having pushed back against doing lots of extra work to generate meaningless metrics in my own job roles, I always advocate first determining what categories/qualities are useful and then how to measure them, rather than measuring a variety of things because you can, and then determining if they are in fact useful after collecting lots of data. Saving Changes...
Peter RapinSubject Matter Expect; Project Delivery| Independent ConsultantOntario, Canada
Keith is spot on. Determine what you need versus what you can get. The time and energy spent on gathering information takes away from the project. Not only do you have to collect and record, there has to be a validation/audit cycle. Then someone has to evaluate what the metrics mean, establish effectiveness and put in place a process to improve efficiency. There will be misunderstandings, conflict and erroneous (conscious and subconscious) entries. Someone up the ladder will hear about it and want the data, then want explanations, complain about "dead" or nonchargeable time and want to tighten the ship.
You also need something for comparison in order to judge effectiveness.
So, keep it simple, figure out the entire impact, be prepared for the upcoming storm and mitigate the risks. Saving Changes...
