How to get your team used to time tracking

No matter if it’s getting used to a new tool or just struggling to keep your personal calendar updated,

creating a new habit usually takes time. And patience. Lots of patience. Project managers know it best,

especially when it comes to getting their teams used to time tracking. Although frustration can reach

unbearable peeks for all the ones involved in the construction projects - project managers, contractors

and designers – merely insisting on the obligation of submitting time logs is not enough for that to

actually happen.

So what’s the alternative and how can you get your team used to time tracking?

Here are 7 tips that will definitely help your employees to “embrace” faster the new habit of submitting

time logs.

1.Simplify the time tracking process

Submitting time logs should be an easy and intuitive process. A complicated system that demands extra

time and effort from the users can be a powerful demotivating factor. Not only that the employees will

get frustrated, but your construction company will also lose some valuable time.

2.Automate as much as possible

Having an automate time tracking process means avoiding as much as possible manual work. For

instance, a simple automated reminder can help reducing significantly the number of delayed

submissions.

3.Explain why time tracking is important

You need to explain your team not only what is expected from them, but also why. Backing up a change

with strong reasons will make your employees understand better the whole context and consequences.

Without knowing who did what and for how long, a project manager is simply not able to determine

which projects and tasks are ahead or behind.

On the other hand, implementing an accurate time tracking system translates into better resource

allocation and cost control, meaning increased effectiveness for the entire organization.

4. Make yourself an example

As a manager make sure to be the first to submit your time logs. If you follow your own rules, there is a

much higher change that others will do it as well.

5.Don’t penalize your team

Time tracking is often associated to a well acknowledge fear of control. Try to resist the impulse of

penalizing your team for spending time on other activities and look further to see what is actually

causing the problem.

6. Share the Results

If you managed to get your employees on board and they are now submitting their time logs, don’t rush

to think you are done. Keep your team motivated by showing what you managed to achieve with the

new time tracking system. The regular Monday meetings could be a good moment for sharing reports

and discussing on how to better plan the use of limited resources.

7.Implement a web-based project management software

Don’t go for the excel sheet, choose instead a web-based management software that would make your

time tracking even more valuable, correlating it with other variables such as projects, budgets,

employees etc. Moreover such a tool will be easily accessible from your phone, allowing your team to

give progress updates at any time. By collaborating transparently, everyone will be kept up-to-date and

able to see the status of a project, as it happens.

All in all, getting people used to a new habit is not simple, but it can be done. You just have to make sure

the time tracking process is as smooth and simple as possible and your team is fully aware of the

multiple benefits of submitting their time logs.

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