Time Tracking Software
We have all heard the phrase that time is a precious resource. With home life as busy as work life, managing time is an essential skill.
Time Recording
Many businesses track time in some way. Some have more sophisticated needs than others. Systems to track time include:
• Time and attendance systems
• Time tracking software
• Specialist scheduling software
• Project planning and management tools
Time and Attendance Systems
These systems are widely used in manufacturing, engineering and retail sectors. They allow management and staff to clock-in, clock-out, and run reports for payroll use. Other benefits include using the data for safety and security purposes. Take a look at solutions such as AutoTime www.autotime.co.uk and Replicon www.replicon.co.uk.
Time Tracking Software
For organisations just needing to track time to tasks, with simple reporting, there are several good solutions available. As well as providing this time tracking capability, ensure that you choose a solution that also allows expenses and costs to be tagged to the calendar too if you need these features.
Specialist Scheduling Software
Many Manufacturing Resources Planning (MRP) and Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP) software systems contain a powerful production planning module. If your organisations needs sophisticated scheduling of physical resources such as engineering plant and machinery, CADCAM systems, production lines, surface mount technology (SMT) lines, as well as people, then you should consider investing in an ERP or MRP solution. The up-front cost of purchase and configuration will pay off in the medium to long term, and lead to a step-change in efficiency for some key business processes.
Project Planning and Management Tools
To help manage projects that last several months, a visual software tool can be really helpful. I use Microsoft Project to manage all of our projects, which typically last from three months to two years. This is a really comprehensive tool, and is used for planning and costing as well as tracking delivery and the allocation of resources.