Project management advice: Track your project time.
Organizations perform projects for a lot of reasons. Consulting companies perform the same projects (often with small changes) for every customer. Manufacturing and engineering companies build things, requiring complex engineering projects. Government organizations perform IT and data processing projects. Every one of these can benefit from tracking project time.
Whether you use a timesheet or computer-based timer, tracking your time provides several advantages. Some managers have no real idea how long their projects take. They have a gut-feeling, but no hard numbers. And trusting your gut only works when steeped in actual numbers from the field.
No more guessing
WIth actual numbers behind you, there’s no need to guess. You have the hard facts, and they cannot be disputed.
Accurate finish dates
Assuming you have have performed a similar project in the past, setting a finish date will be a no-brainer. You’ll have details to back up your outrageously long schedules.
Concise records
This is crucial for consulting companies. Client billing depends on accurate numbers to back up your invoices. But manufacturing and engineering groups also need good records to back up their project cycles. In the end, clients and managers want to know what you have been up to.
–ray