Summary

In order to deliver projects on time, a good project manager needs three things:

1. Good software.
2. A clear plan.
3. A reliable delivery chain.

How can managers complete projects on time?

A project can be considered an accumulation of several tasks, and any task can be broken down into subtasks. Each subtask has an estimated duration, and this duration can be used to calculate the total duration of the project. If a project has subtasks, then estimating the total duration is a lot easier. But what happens if a subtask takes longer than expected?

The approach most project managers use is to estimate the duration of the project as a whole, and add the duration of each subtask. This makes total duration look shorter, and it gives project managers a false sense of security. But total duration is the total of all durations. So if a project has subtasks, the total duration includes both the durations of the subtasks and the total duration of the project as a whole. Estimating the total duration this way is misleading.

A better approach is to estimate the duration of the project as a whole, and then add a buffer to the total duration. This is easier than it sounds: any task can be broken down into subtasks, and estimating the duration of a subtask is done in just the same way. The buffer is the difference between the total duration and the sum of the durations of the subtasks. The buffer gives a more accurate picture, and it gives managers a chance to make adjustments, if necessary, either to the durations of the subtasks or to the project as a whole.

But a buffer is only useful if the buffer is big enough. A buffer of 30% gives managers time to react to problems, but a buffer of only 5% is pointless. What managers need is an estimate of the total duration of the project but also an estimate of the probability that the project will be late. This probability can be calculated by counting the number of tasks that need to be finished earlier than expected, and dividing that number.

A Perfect project

Some projects take forever. You spend years putting in the effort, and at the end, when you think you've completed the work, you discover there is a pile of defects. This isn't necessarily because the project was stupid. If everything had gone well, there might have been no defects. But something went wrong, and defects piled up.

How do you know what went wrong? Maybe the development team wasn't large enough. Maybe the work was split up among too many teams. Maybe the project manager didn't allocate enough resources. Maybe the requirements were wrong. Unfortunately, the only way to find the answer is to look at the project. You can't ask someone else, "Did you allocate sufficient resources?" You have to find out for yourself by inspecting the project.

The kind of project we are talking about here is called a "perfect" project. A perfect project is one that has to be finished on a fixed schedule. For example, a university may want a building to be finished by a certain date. Or if a company has a contract with a customer, and the customer wants the product to be completed on a fixed date, that's a perfect project.

In either case, if the project is perfect, there is a fixed schedule for completion. And a perfect project can't tolerate defects. Defects are expensive. So the question is, how do you deliver projects on time? The perfect approach has two aims. First, you identify the major risks that are associated with the project. Then you manage those risks so you can deliver the project on time. The perfect approach is sometimes called "risk-based planning."

How can Finclock Help?

The problem with project management is that it is hard. The project management software industry says this explicitly: "The most common project management problem is finding the time to do all of the tasks." The industry then sells software that helps, but it turns out that once you start using it, the tasks still pile up.

Finclock online project management software for businesses removes that pileup. It turns every employee into a project manager. Employees can sign up as project managers, and whenever anyone wants to make a change, they get assigned to that project. The project manager then assigns tasks to people and tells them when changes are due. The project managers can see a list of outstanding tasks, and as employees complete them, they can move that task to the top of the list. Finclock bills itself as a helpful, easy way to manage projects, and it does that well. But it's also an excellent example of how software can turn hard problems into easy ones.

The problem with project management is that you can't (or don't want to) do it yourself. Finclock turns that into an advantage. The software does all the work, so you don't have to. And by avoiding the step of training employees to use the software, it saves you the effort of training them in the first place.

Here's how it works. First, you sign up as a project manager. Then you add projects and tasks. Each project has a name, an owner, a description, and start date. Each task is a description, a due date, and an assignee. Next, you add employees. Each employee can sign up for their own projects, and when they want to complete a task, they click a button that says "Add to Finclock." Finclock remembers who has done what, and when.

Why FInclock?

The term "project management" is as vague as "business management." So is "project management software." The best-known, Microsoft's Project, is hampered by overambition. It is too general. Based on Microsoft's experience making Windows, Microsoft thought that all businesses must be managed like Microsoft itself, which spends months or even years putting new features into the product before it even tries to market it.

The idea behind finclock is to link the moving parts of a project (people, tasks, documents, meetings) to a clock. A clock shows what time it is. A clock tells you when things happen.

The clock metaphor is natural. Human resources managers have long used time clocks to keep track of employees' hours. But far more interesting to Dixon and Patzer were time clocks in factories and mines. The clock was a way of keeping two things aligned: the workers and the machine. The clock showed when the workers had to stop, and when the machine had to stop. The clock made efficiency possible.

In the same way, finclock links people, tasks, and customer needs

Let customers be satisfied

It's hard to deliver a project on time, and even harder to deliver it in a way that has minimal impact on others. But it's very hard to do it in a way that satisfies the customer — at least, the one who has the money. The problem's very simple. You need to deliver something. But the customer wants you to deliver it in a way they think is best. And the only way you can do that is by consulting them.

And that's the rub. The customer has the money. The customer has the final say. The customer has the power to say no. The customer is in charge. So how do you know what you want to say is right? How do you know what the customer wants? How do you know you're listening?

In software, its easy. The customer is you. You set the goal for the project, you manage the process, and you ask all the right questions. But in the real world, the customer is someone else, and the customer may be your boss. And your boss may want you to deliver the project in a way that pleases her, not right.  And of course, while the customer has the power to say no, the customer doesn't always have the final say. The customer's boss has the power to say no, too. And the boss's boss, and so on.

So even though the customer has the final say, the customer isn't always the boss. So how do you balance the interests of the customer with those of your boss? And when the customer is not the boss, how do you balance the interests of the customer with those of the customer's boss?

Think of the big projects you have at work. Sometimes they're simple: "make a new spreadsheet," or "write a report on trends in usage." Sometimes they are simple and serious: "build a new application," or "put together a strategic plan." More often, they're complex. They're hard to figure out, you have to know a lot of people, and there are so many moving parts that it's hard to tell when you've done something. Project tracking software is supposed to help. Often, it does. But sometimes it doesn't. Over the last few months, I've been testing different pieces of software. The software I use for my own business, Finclock, is based on a few simple ideas. First, software should let you keep track of what you did and when. Second, you should be able to assign tasks and track status. Third, you should be able to see exactly how things fit together, to see the big picture.

Read this conversation and make the right decision

Last week I got a phone call from a co-worker. She was having trouble getting her team to add more tasks to a project we were working on. "Why don't we use finclock?" she said. "It's online project management software." "We don't use online project management software," I said. "So what?" she said. "Why not?" I gave her what I thought was a reasonable explanation for our resistance to using software. "It's so impersonal. I hate the idea of entering my time on the computer." "But won't that save me time?" "Yeah, sure. But how much time?" "Well," I said, "I have to enter each task manually. If you put something on my calendar, I might forget about it. And when I come back, I'll forget why I put something on my calendar." "But finclock is online. It will remind me." "That might not happen," I said. "The email might go into spam. Or perhaps I won't check it. And when I don't check it, the next time I have a meeting, I'll forget why it came up." "So what?" she said. "Why not?" "I hate the idea of entering my time on the computer," I said. "I hate the idea of entering anything on the computer." "But finclock is online. That will remind me." "That might not happen," I said. "I might delete the message. Or perhaps I won't check it. And when I don't check it, the next time I have a meeting, I'll forget why it came up." "So what?" she said.

Finclock is a project tracking software for businesses. It is particularly good at tracking projects that involve multiple people. It facilitates the sharing of information, and lets you track your project at a glance. The program automatically tracks time, so you don't need to enter anything. You can set it to run in the background, and then just log in and see your hour-by-hour progress. You can also set up reports so you can see how you are doing.

When do you need a project tracking software in your business?

I'd been using spreadsheets to track our team's work, but they kept growing. And then one day, looking at a spreadsheet, I realized that every cell had data in it. And that was it. Spreadsheets are nice for keeping track of data, but useless for keeping track of people. So I set out to build a better tool. Here's how it works. Finclock is a project tracking software for businesses. What that means is that you can use Finclock to keep track of the work your team spends on each project. What do you need to do time tracking? You need a way to track the time your team spends on each project. Finclock gives you two ways to do that. Finclock main window shows you which projects your team is currently working. Each project, in turn, has a list of tasks, which you can think of as things that your team has to do that are part of that project. You can click on each project's task list, and a window will pop up showing how much time your team has spent on each project so far. There is a second way to keep track of time: you can manually add tasks to a project. This is handy if your team is working on several projects at the same time, and you want to keep track of the time they spend on each. Go to your project list, click on the project you want to edit, and on the appropriate task list you will see a "plus" button. Click that, and a window will pop up showing a blank task form. Fill in the details, and click OK. Now the task is added to your project. You can now see how much time your team has spent on it. Finclock has some other useful features. For example, if your project is very large, it will show a list of subtasks. Click one, and a window will pop up showing the task that your team is working on. You can see each team member's total time, and the total of the team member's time. You can also do other things with Finclock. For example, you can export your hours or minutes to a file, which you can import into a spreadsheet or a database. Finclock is free for 30 days.

Why you need project tracking software for businesses

In the past, keeping track of projects was pretty simple. You just wrote them down in a notebook. Then people started using computers, and things got a little more complicated. You could create a spreadsheet to keep track of the projects, but spreadsheets are too complicated for most people to use, especially when dealing with hundreds of projects. There are now lots of software systems for managing projects. The ones that work well for one person are too complicated for a whole company to use. So, Finclock is simpler, easier to use, and less expensive than anything else out there. Finclock is web-based. That means it works on any computer and on any platform.

The users of Finclock are businesses, not software companies. So, Finclock has no marketing budgets, no salespeople, no servers, no data centers. There are no annual maintenance fees, no upgrade fees, no support fees. And Finclock doesn't sell advertising.

It works by letting companies set up their own projects, and tracking them on their own schedules. Companies can decide who can see which projects, and assign different levels of permission to different people. Nobody has to worry about which revision is the latest, or which documents have been uploaded. Finclock takes care of that. Finclock can be as simple to use as a spreadsheet, or as complex as a networked database. It's like having a project manager and an accountant working from the same desk, without either of them having to be good at the other.

Finclock is affordable and offers you a chance to try for 30 days before spending your investment.

How we built a project tracking software for businesses

The project tracking software that companies use to track the progress of work on their projects is called "project management software," and is itself usually called "PM software." PM software has three parts. First, there is the project database, which keeps track of everything that needs to be done. Second, there is a "project tracker," or "project scheduler," which keeps track of the assignments of tasks to different people. Third, there is the project status report, which tells you, for a task, what everyone assigned to it is currently working on. Project management software is not generally used to keep track of what everyone is doing. People tend to use e-mail for that, and it seems to work well enough. PM software is generally used to keep track of what happens when someone is told to do something. If a project has 10 tasks and 10 people, PM software keeps track of the total amount of work that needs to be done. It also keeps track of the total amount of work that each person has done, and the total amount of work that each person is expected to do. Project tracking software for businesses sometimes stores the total amount of work actually done by people, but more often it just subtracts the expected amount from the actual amount. For example, if Joe has 5 hours of work to do, the software subtracts 5 hours from the 10 hours he has to do. If the software sees that he has done 4 hours, it subtracts 4 hours from 10 hours, and adds another 4 hours. PM software has lots of fancy ways of calculating this. For example, if two people each have a 50% chance of finishing their work on time, the software will assign each person a 50% chance of finishing on time. If there is no chance

Finclock is a web-based project management software application, specially designed for small teams who need a lightweight and simple platform to manage project tasks, timesheets, timesheets, project and invoice management, time and expenses, client and contact management, client and contact management, task and project tracking, and time tracking and billing. Finclock features include: * Tasks: Finclock offers task-level project management. Tasks are the basic unit of work. Each task has progress, a project name, a start date, a due date, and an owner. * Timesheets: Timesheets are an essential tool for time tracking and billing. Each task can be linked to a timesheet. You can track time spent on each task and log it on your timesheets. * Projects: Projects are groups of tasks. Each project has a name, a description, and an owner. * Invoices: Finclock offers project invoices to clients. You can create invoice templates and export them to PDF or Excel. * Expenses: Finclock offers expense management for tracking business-related expenses. You can set up expense categories and categories, and link each expense category to a project. * Time tracking: Finclock offers time tracking. You can track the time spent on each project with a time tracker. You can export your timesheets to CSV. * Timesheets: Finclock offers timesheets for tracking the time spent on each project with a time tracker. You can export your timesheets to CSV. * Reports: Finclock offers various

Project Management tools for businesses

The following article will help you to get familiar with the most popular project management tools. These are some of the best tools that can help you manage your projects effectively and save your time and energy. This article lists 10 project management software tools for project managers. Some of these tools are used by individuals, others are used by entire organizations, and some are even used by entire industries.

Why do you need PM Tools in your business?

Project management tools play a critical role in streamlining many of the necessary project management processes used by both small and enterprise businesses. Every project is different, but for the most part, they all require a few of the same basic functions. A project management software tool should provide: A central location for every member of the team to store and access information pertaining to their roles and responsibilities. A place to assign tasks to members of the team and delegate work accordingly. A way to track and organize deadlines, milestones, deliverables and other important dates relating to the project at hand. A way to communicate with each member of the team as needed. Some project management software tools allow for private messages between team members, while others are more public forums that anyone within the organization can contribute to. An easy way to share updated information with outsiders who may be affected by or have an interest in your projects, like clients, vendors or suppliers.

Top 10 Project Management tools

1. Finclock- for businesses with costing, team management and financial reports
2.  Sprint - for planning and managing software development projects
3. Trello - for organizing tasks and projects into boards
4. Asana - for planning team projects and tasks
5. Basecamp - for team project tracking, brainstorming, and wiki
6. Wrike - for agile project management
7. Google Docs - for collaboration on projects
8. GitHub - for code management
9. Confluence - for collaboration on documents
10. Slack - for group chat

Conclusion

There are so many project management software tools on the market, but there is no one size fits all solution. It depends on your needs and the specific demands of your business. In today’s article, we bring you some of the best online project management software tools to help give you a head start in finding exactly what you need.

The most important thing in project management is to avoid surprises. The danger is that the work you started has no logical end. When I worked in a big software company, my biggest fear was for two things: that someone would assign me work that could not be completed before the deadline, and that someone would assign me work that had to be completed by the deadline but had no logical end. These are exactly the kind of work projects get assigned: work that has no end, so you can just keep going. One way to avoid surprises is to plan. Software projects usually involve writing a lot of documents. As soon as you know you need something, start planning. Software projects usually end up over budget, too. If it does, it will probably be because you haven't planned enough. But you have to avoid being too conservative. You have to plan enough so that you know all your options, but not too much so that you know you are never going to have to make a decision. Another important rule: you have to finish work before you start something else. Many software projects go on and on, partly because they are so complicated.

Project management means many things to many people. To some it means managing a project like building a factory, so that everything goes according to plan, on time and on budget. To others it means overseeing a group of people like Lego, making sure that all the pieces fit together. To still others it means managing oneself, like making sure you do all the work that has to be done, every day. Having a diversity of perspectives is useful. But if you understand them, they aren't that different. A project is about managing people in a way that lets them do what they do best. Project management software for teams is a tool that helps you do that. It defines roles and processes, and suggests ways of organizing project work. It lets you track who does what, and who reports to whom. It lets you plan the work, distribute the work, report the results, and make decisions. In short, it is aimed at the people who do the work. Software for project managers is directed at the people who do the work. So don't confuse the two. But project managers aren't the only ones who need to manage projects. Project management software is directed at both project managers and the people they oversee. The project management software you buy today will probably be for project teams, not project managers. If you're managing a project team, you need software that will help you do your job: track who does what, keep everyone informed, manage the work, make decisions, and report the results. Everyone on a project team needs that kind of software. And everyone on a project team needs software to help them do their job. Software is messy. And software is inexpensive. Both of those make it tempting to try to manage the work yourself, by hacking together whatever tools you can find.

6 Task Management Software Features

Task management system helps you in the following ways:

1. You shall create tasks, and delegate to team members.
2. Plan task deadlines and tracked the task progress in real-time (phone and web).
3. Team members will update progress of tasks and managers get notifications.
4. Respond to requests in your tasks before they affect the performance.
5. View and approve task reports.
6. Get staff performance reports from the tasks completed.

Task management system tools for business

Using a project management system requires an understanding of the needs of all stakeholders in the project. Here, we shall discuss using project management software for the benefit of both the company/organization, client and the employees. These three factors are based on the analysis of the best project management guides across the world.  There are three main categories of people to consider in project operations. First, the client, business owner as well as the workers.

Who needs a task management system?

The business owner, director or managers in an organization are the first people to come into contact with software vendors. Before they consider investing in a project management system, they must consider the other two parties, namely; clients and the workers. Here, the manager’s or business owner should consider investing in a project management system that fits the needs of the three parties and even extends beyond the benefits of using project managing systems to the future of the business or the organization. Experts in project management systems advice that, since a manager is the final decision maker in the software sales process, it ends up that most software vendors will provide many features to suit the management. However, the best systems are the user-focused project management systems, since they provide a simplified working environment, thus making the project reporting process as easy as possible. However, the modern project management systems have a bi-directional approach, a method commonly known as feedback loops. Here are the critical features to look for as a business owner.

Task management system for construction

The best task management system for construction is able to record all activities happening at the site. The projects will include many steps such as land excavation, laying a foundation, setting up the construction among others. Each stage comes with new requirements, which include tasks, expenses, and labor. A good project management system for construction should include as many tools as possible, to help managers make the right decision at each stage of the project. Also, the managers need to be able to see as many details as possible, in real-time. Thinking of making a good move when buying a project management system or a task manager app requires you to set the right goals and expectations when managing the project. I would think of taking the right steps starting with finding the software for construction projects. Specifically, a work management system designed to fit the needs of construction companies.

A good task management system must include task manager app for construction companies, which will come with project planning tools. These tools are used to plan the project from scratch, before moving into the construction site. Thus, the construction project will be run according to the master plan. Here, the master plan will include the Bill of quantities (BoQs), labor budgets among others. The best work management system will enable construction workers to record the time and tasks completed, using the task management app from these two reports, a manager will decide on the exact payments to be made.

A task management software and the task management app should be linked to the payroll, where the people are paid according to the work done. I would recommend considering a system that can allow downloading construction project reports both in PDF and spreadsheet formats. As such, a manager will be able to cut the tie spent on report preparation by over 50%.

Best task management system for field workers

Field service workers will engage in projects that are located in different areas. Some of the workers may be assigned a duty in multiple locations. Consider a painter in a company, who will paint say 5 houses in a month. That person needs a system that enables them to record the time they get to each of their workstations, record the tasks completed and to make requests when working on the project. Essentially, a project management system for field service will have all the features, which streamline the communication between the workers and the management.

The best employee management software for field service workers comes as a mobile application. The task manager app is designed to send reports to the online project management system. Here, the workers will make simplified reports, which are combined with the project management system. As such, the progress of the project is the cumulative work done by all the people, who have been assigned duties. I would recommend using a project management and task management system that works offline. This means that the workers will not fail to make reports, with or without the internet. These functionalities enable them to make reports that are consistent with their time. The only task management app that fits the needs of field service workers is available online.

Use task management app and manage multiple projects seamlessly. In the system, there are features to record progress reports, tasks reporting and to make requests to the management, using the task manager app. Such tools help an organization to streamline communication with the employees in field service. As such, the whole organization will save time and money spent on projects.

Using the tools provides managers with forecasting and proper planning. These features in work management system in fieldwork are meant to make the working environment-friendly, efficient and timely.

New Task Management System Features

Task management system should provide a simplified information sharing among all parties in a project. The most essential features have to cater for every use case. In the current times, a project management system must be able to cater for both indoor and outdoor projects. It is also essential to have a system that analyses information, crunches the numbers for managers. Here is a summary of essential features to look for in a task management software features that offer the modules of the task management app.

Benefits of using task management system

Task management system helps you to get these benefits within 30 days.

1. Your employees will complete work on time.
2. Managers will get real time task reports from any location.
3. Monitor work progress and expenses in real time
4. Cut cost of operations by 15-30%
5. Increase staff engagement and productivity.
6. Finclock work management system provides tools that save your time and money.
7. Use task management system to set goals in a project, and get real-time reports as team members or employees proceed with their work.
8. Choose Finclock task manager application for office and field workers, thus harmonize project management needs.
9. Follow up on project reports without the need to make physical inspection, thus save time and money.
10. Streamline communication in your organization and eliminate time wastage and duplication of tasks.
11. Use the best performing reports as references, thus improve performance in each project.
12. Improve employee engagement and communication, thus improve productivity in your organization.

How to use Task Management System?

1. To your business, the task management system shall replace all manual reports in project management. Project Managers shall create projects, update task reports and even update the costs directly using the online task management software.
2. You will be able to approve or reject payments directly using your phone or browser, from anywhere at any time.
3. You will reduce the project expenses by having less time to completion in a project.
4. Work records, supplies and consultancy expenses are automatically analyzed, meaning that you have the full information in real time.  Using the task planning reports, you will see the bottlenecks and challenges faced in a project, and you can take actions immediately.
5. Process payments and quotations for tasks and projects.  This process will reduce inefficiencies experienced in a project, thus save you time and money
6. Get Direct reports: with comments, photos, texts and even audio recordings of reports, which are happening in the project location.
7. You can download these reports as PDF and excel.

Task management system features

Finclock provides all task management system features as part of the project management system. Use the task management features to achieve the following:

1. Create projects from scratch, set project budget and milestones.
2. Create tasks under the project and assign the tasks to employees or team members.
3. Task planning, which includes scheduling of tasks, setting reporting cycles and setting task priority.
4. Task reporting system, which includes adding new actions on a task, taking summary reports and submitting them as part of the project reporting.
5. Track task report, by seeing the late tasks, ongoing, planned and completed tasks. All these features are in the task manager app
6. Update tasks by adding new actions, add comments, photos and attach files to a project.
7. Finclock EMS includes the best staff management software, which will provide a complete set of tools for business and project management.
8. Track GPS location, where the task was completed.
9. Track time of task reporting, who reported the task and the progress of each task.

How Task management system works

• Task management system comes as a mobile and web application, which will enable you to plan tasks on a given project.
• Use Finclock to create tasks on projects, which can be assigned to yourself or other team members.
• Finclock enables you to follow up on employee working progress, based on the reports of the tasks assigned to them.
• The employees will use task reporting app to add new action they have completed on a given project.
• The work management system shows the action completed, the expenses on the task and the progress as a percentage.
• When using the task management software, the employee will take photos of the work completed, add comments and even record audio report on the project.
• The task reporting app provides a seamless method of project management including approving task, cancelling tasks and rescheduling tasks.
• Using Finclock task management software helps businesses reduce the time of project inspection and cut cost of operations in a business or organization.

Cut operation cost using Task management software

Using the tasks management software, businesses and organizations across the world have reported improvements in their projects.

When employees start using the tasks management software, each employee is dedicated to their work, since their payment is based on the work completed. The employees will make reports of the work they have done and they are paid when the tasks are approved. The manager can review the tasks and add comments. Since the task reports include photos and GPS location, the employees will no longer make false payment claims.

When you embrace task management system, your project costing will reduce by up to 25% within the first 3 months. The project planning application ensures that the project is completed on time and according to the set standards. Using the task planning app, workers can contribute to a project from different locations, meaning that there will be reduced cost of project management.

Using task management system and application eliminates the need to make random or sting operations in your organization. This is achieved by providing the workers with tools for self-management in projects. The burden of project monitoring and inspection is reduced to making employees self-driven, meaning that they shall be self-motivated to deliver their best. The outcome is reduced costs of operation and improved productivity.

Eliminate time wastage using task management system

Task management system will help will help your organization to reduce time wastage. When you embrace the task management system, you will plan on project in advance, meaning that the employees or team members know exactly what to do when the time comes. Using task planning application will also eliminate the duplication of tasks, which happens in many organizations. Finclock is the best task planning application, which comes with both time management and task reporting.

Finclock task management system with attendance tracking will enable the employee to make timely attendance and task reports. Finclock is the only task planning application with attendance management.

Many businesses across the world are using this task management application for field workers and office workers too. Having the option to clock in and clock out online and offline eliminates the possible excuses of connectivity issues. Using finclock task management app for work planning, the workers are able to change the behavior of people and make them come to work on time.

Since the employee comes to work on time, reports what they have done on time and makes requests on time, all project management features have been resolved.

Improve employee communication using Task management system

Using task management system enables the employees to make periodic reports of the work they are doing. The task reporting app has tools for an employee to create tasks and update the actions they are taking. The planned tasks are automatically sent to the cloud project management system, which will harmonize all projects tasks and reduce duplication of tasks.

When a manager creates a task in a project, they can assign the task to one or many employees or team members and the team members can see it when they login to their online employee management software accounts. The team members will not waste time creating the same task, but will instead focus on delivering their part. Since the task management application comes with a comment, audio and photo recording, the managers can follow up on projects and make informed decisions. Here, the management will be able to re-plan a given task, by updating the task status and assigning them to people. It shall be faster, easier and more engaging to use the task planning application in your projects.

Complete Guide on Timesheet software & timesheet apps

We offer the best advice on attendance software which you can find here. We discussed the way to choose a time clock app, which some people may refer to as attendance manager apps. Then, we narrowed down the list based on 5 main questions.  From the list, we analyzed top 5 time clock apps and the winner was FinClock Attendance Management System.   As a cardinal rule, any technology must make things easier to both the managers and employees.  Today we shall focus on timesheet apps and at the end, you will be able to choose wisely. Let us analyze these essential features briefly.

What is a timesheet app?

Before we contextualize timesheet app, we need to understand the meaning of timesheets and their use to attendance management. A basic definition of a timesheet is a document containing attendance record for an employee department or organization. Here, a timesheet can be generated from manual entries or from timesheet software. A timesheet can either be generated into an excel sheet or a google spreadsheet. There are two main ways of generating timesheets which include biometric attendance systems and timesheet apps.

Timesheet apps are based either on android or IOS mobiles. Recently, we have the timesheet system for Fieldwork.  These timesheet system will record the time attendance of an employee, both indoor and outdoor. You may be asking, where to get these time attendance apps by now. Don’t worry because any hr manager can either buy the timesheet apps or get a free trial. After registration, the next step is to set up your company account. Here you can set up your company logo, name, set company goals etc. Then, you will invite employees to join the application platform. When an employee goes to work, they will clock in and clock out when they leave their workstation. The timesheet app will then create an attendance record, which can either be sent to an online attendance system or be retrieved locally. You can find the best online attendance systems here.

Why use Timesheet apps with online attendance systems?

In the recent past, biometric attendance systems have helped generate timesheets as a replacement to manual records. There are advantages of using these attendance management systems when creating the timesheets. One of the main advantages is to avoid cheating in time records. When an employee clocks in and out, the attendance time is recorded and at the end of the given period, an excel document showing the complete timesheet is generated. In most cases, the biometric attendance timesheets are retrieved from a local device using removable disks or a centralized local area network.

Reports show that there has been a great concern on the excel timesheets recorded on local computers and networks. Recently, hr managers have found out that some cheating employees may edit their timesheet when they get access to the biometric attendance system. As such, they are not able to track the actual timesheets software records. A biometric attendance system that does not allow cheating must provide a backup of the timesheet records, which cannot be edited. The only online attendance system that offers that capability is FinClock attendance management system. You can find a free demo here.

What are the best timesheet apps?

Essentially, a good timesheet app must provide the managers with features that help them to make the right decisions. Some of the tools include time card reports, employee location, lateness reports, absence management, staff performance and standardization of the reports. We need to define the assessment criteria when analyzing the best timesheet apps and then focus the 8 essential features of timesheet software.

Best timesheet software for your business

1. Finclock is the best timesheet software and application for workers, which offers best reports for hr managers.
2. Finclock Attendance application for Outdoor workers is the best for people working in the field. The only offline timesheet application in the world.
3. Best timesheet software for schools that is used by teachers, students and support staff. Finclock Attendance application provides real time reports for each student. many schools are using the performance reports to show the attendance score of students.
4. Finclock is the best timesheet software security firms. The application helps in guard tracking and time management. The application gives the operations managers peace of mind as they know each guard is alert at all times.
5. Top Timesheet software for Construction workers remains Finclock. This application provides timesheet reports, daily task reports and real time requests, thus cutting the time of response.
6. Best employee management software sales people because it tracks the employee location, employee tasks and provides real time reporting features. Register today to start using the best timesheets application for all staff performance working both indoor and outdoor.

Essential Features in a Timesheet apps

This guide will focus more on the functionalities of the timesheet apps, in relation to the fundamental roles of an HRM system. Further, we shall consider the needs of a human resource manager, without narrowing the focus on technical issues. So we begin by asking the fundamental questions that recur in the mind of most managers and business owners when they think of purchasing Attendance systems;

1. Where will the attendance system be applied?
2. Is the timesheet app meant for office and field service attendance management?
3. If it is meant for outdoor staff management, how do we ensure that the timesheet app is going to work with or without internet?
4. Does the attendance system support many employees?
5. Does the application have staff location tracking?
6. Does the time sheet software work with all computer operating systems?
7. Does the whole attendance system integrate with other staff management systems?
8. Is the pricing within my budget today, tomorrow and in the far future?

To answer these questions my research team documented these essential features in any attendance management system, which supports the timesheet apps.

1.      Nature of Timesheet reports

The aim of a Face recognition biometric attendance system is to provide the best analysis of staff performance. This is a broad topic which we shall be covering in the next section. Here, we focus on the timesheet reports as a feature in timesheet apps. You may realize that most attendance systems will provide bulk data which will end up as another time record that may never be analyzed. In the past, it was understandable to ignore the bulk timesheet records because of the time constraints. Thanks to hr management application, now it is possible to obtain a close analysis of reports from different stages.

I would recommend starting the time sheet reports analysis from a single employee attendance report, workstation reports (post reports), departmental attendance reports and then overall company reports. The only way to achieve this kind of an analysis is to either have a Local Area network or to have an online employee management system. Now the 5 questions you will have to ask yourself before settling to a given timesheet app include;

1. How many employees do the timesheets software reports serve?
2. How many Branches, posts and workstations are there in your organization?
3. How do you expect to access the timesheet reports?
4. What expertise does your company have to analyze the timesheets

When you ask yourself these questions, you will come up with answers that will contextualize the timesheet reports that will fit your company needs. From that, consider the other factors such as price and technical support. I recommend you register a free demo here with the top 5 attendance management systems and evaluate each of the reports. Maybe you can start by registering a free 21-day trial.

2.      Timesheet templates Samples and customization

The first step to embracing a time attendance system is to have custom timesheet software templates that fit the goals of your staff management software and business goals. Here, we consider a good template to have all the fields needed to show the employee data, attendance records and the attendance time calculations. We can focus on mandatory employee information, which includes the Employee name and Identity number. The identity number can be the workforce number, National ID number or even the social security number. In many organizations, staff allocation is based on defined workstations. Thus, the employee workstation becomes another important field of a good timesheet template.

Timesheet template must be provided in standard formats, which include excel or pdf. In most cases, the timesheet apps shall work with a standard excel format. This format is acceptable but there needs to be a backup that cannot be edited. The main reason for this condition is to ensure the integrity of the information stored in the timesheet templates. Here is a timesheet template sample in excel.

The timesheet templates must allow customization. It is important to choose the best timesheet app with automated customization features. Our research last month shows that there are many options to timesheet templates in the market. However, a further analysis shows that only two attendance systems have fully customized timesheet templates that can fit any staff attendance manager’s needs. Find the top timesheet templates and samples. 

3.       Find Best timesheet app calculator

A timesheet app calculator should be able to show the time of clocking in, time of clock out, total hours worked per day, total hours worked to be a week and most importantly, total hours worked per month. The timesheet software calculator must, therefore, be able to show the total expected wages for a given employee. The most important feature here is simplicity and accuracy. This means that when choosing an online employee attendance management systems, ensure that the timesheet calculator has the capacity to replace all manual time card calculations. Look closely and ensure that all levels are well captured.  We need to understand that a normal timesheet app will just record the timesheet template for employees. Here, we are talking of an attendance calculations, which as a staff attendance management systems and application you would be required to do manually. Here is a good timesheet app demo that you can sign up for free.

4.      Absence management in timesheet apps

A common challenge to hr managers is to manage absenteeism. Ideal state would be to have no cases of absenteeism in a company. However, this is not possible. Absence management with timesheet app should allow staff to handle the cases of absenteeism, either by reporting directly through the mobile app or by making prior arrangements.

We all agree that absence should be reported before, but some cases may lead to late reporting. The late reporting is the main challenge. The best way is to have absence management in the timesheet app, where the employees can make requests directly. The absence reports from the timesheet software should then be sent directly to the right department.

A good absence management system or a timesheet system should enable the employees to make direct requests for absenteeism. The managers are therefore in a position to make proper plans for their employees. Since absenteeism reports will affect human resource productivity negatively, the hr manager will view the absence reports and either approve or reject requests from the employees. Thus, a good absence manager app, either in a mobile application, online employee attendance management system, or hosted in a Local Area network will ensure that each employee is able to report their cases using a mobile phone. With the help of a good attendance management system, the hr manager is able to find real-time reports and make the right decisions on time. Here is a list of the top 5 absenteeism management tips and benefits.

5.      Lateness Management in Timesheet apps

The standard lateness management method is to record the lateness time and store the data for future use. However, best hr management practices recommend that the staff attendance and records management system should provide automated lateness management. We have reviewed many timesheet apps and found that the missing link is where the app crucifies the employees for lateness, without reminding them when they are late. As such, the best solution is to have the timesheet app to send automated alerts to the employees, 30 minutes to the expected time of work.

The best time clock app that served this auto-notification is biometric attendance machines. The number 2 in the list is humanity and the third spot goes to SAP attendance. We, therefore, recommend you to start a trial with FinClock attendance and experience the features for 21 free days. If that does not work, leave a comment and we shall contact you for further guidance.

6.      Staff attendance tracking software

Gone are the days when a company operated in a single building. This case provides a need to have employees in different locations to mark attendance. How will a good time sheet app handle this case? The best way is to have the application do background staff tracking. Every time and employee clocks in or out, the time clock app must store the location. Using such a feature, the employees will have a good time at work and will not have to worry about too much interaction with the attendance management system. There are several staff location trackers which range from tags, stand-alone application and others. However, the time has come for staff to be left to take responsibility for their actions.

Timesheet software apps that allow tracking of GPS location benefit both the employee and the boss. You will realize that some employee works very hard and are always on the move, trying to meet the goals of the company. But there are other lazy employees and the best way to separate these two groups of workers is to have real-time staff location. At the end of the day, the hardworking employees should be rewarded based on the data and the lazy workers may be motivated through the standard methods of performance management.

Many staff tracking apps do not have the timesheet system and time clocking features. There are a few applications which have all the features. A good survey shows that the top of the list. Thus it does not attain the first position. Finclock has both the attendance management and location tracking, and works both when connected to internet or not. Thus, the other competitor to look for may be FinClock timesheet system. Find more information on the FinClock timesheet software by registering free trial here

7.      Staff scheduling and shift planning features

Staff scheduling is another important aspect of online staff management system. Be it web-based, mobile or even locally hosted, shift scheduling should be a mandatory feature of a timesheet app. This is because most hr managers need a tool that replaces most of the routine workload. Thus, an ideal timesheet system must have the capability to help an already busy hr manager. Both timesheet apps and time clock apps have some of the necessities in this area.  However, we conducted an analysis on 5 main shift scheduling systems in the market and the results depict that multiple enterprises have invested significant resources in niche-based applications. I would call this a mature field since most of the needs of indoor staff scheduling have been met in by the existing timesheet apps.

Outdoor staff management and scheduling is still a green area to many tech companies today. The requirements of most outdoor workforce dictate the staff scheduling app must work both in online and offline conditions. This means that most timesheet apps will not work without internet, thus only a few can solve the real challenge. At the same time, a reliable staff scheduling system would require proper communication with the entire timesheet system. It is, therefore, a tag of war between the work environment and staff needs.

If you are looking to solve challenges and serve outdoor staff scheduling needs, I would recommend you pick from top 5 attendance management systems. Then, take a look at the specific workforce needs in your area of work. Experience has shown that some of the available staff records management systems will target a narrow niche, due to the demands of outdoor workforce management. A good staff scheduling for construction workers may not fit the needs of the guard management system. If you still need help, here is my previous guide on staff scheduling software.

8.      Integration of timesheet apps to Hr applications

Most attendance management software come as a stand-alone time attendance software. However, a visionary manager will look at the systems that will help them resolve most employee management at the same time. This necessitates choosing the best attendance manager software that solves as many challenges as possible. If you cannot find a complete software, the next step is to find an timesheet software that integrates with timesheet apps, hr management systems and even payroll software.

We have reviewed some of the necessary items to look for when making this important decision. Our findings show that as a visionary manager, the best way is to choose an online timesheet system, which will easily integrate with your current hr systems. The list is long but the methods of integration helped us decide on the best choices. I will recommend this list of integration rules based on the previous guide we covered last month.

Note that you may need the help of timesheet software solution companies to do the integrations. Thus, choose a competent company in employee management systems. Here are the top 5 companies that offer business management systems in the world.

Pricing of timesheet apps and timesheet software

The last item to consider when choosing a timesheet app or any other timesheet software is the pricing. There are free time sheet apps in the market. However, the functions and features present may limit the business growth. As such, it is advised that you choose the premium timesheet apps in the market. The best way is to find the cost of attendance management per employee. Then, inquire from the companies on the terms of payment. Luckily here is the best attendance management systems that offers monthly and annual subscription options. This model is good because as your company expands, you will realize the need to incorporate more employees into the attendance system. So, you will increase the number of employees as per your budget.  Find a free trial here and start your 21 days trial. During the trial period, you will not be charged and you will interact with the support team, who will offer guidance and support you during the implementation.

Summary of Timesheet Apps and Timesheet software Guide

Employee management remains a key role of hr manager. Also, the changing technology requires a critical understanding of the company needs when selecting a timesheet app. We have discussed the main aspects of a timesheet app, where we have explained the needed features. It is clear now that top considerations to make have been covered. Here is the list again:

1. Nature of timesheet reports
2. Timesheet templates Samples and customization
3. Find Best timesheet calculator
4. Absence manager in timesheet apps
5. Lateness Manager in Timesheet apps
6. Staff location tracking in time clock apps
7. Staff scheduling and shift planning features
8. Integration of timesheet apps to Hr management systems
9. Pricing of Timesheet apps

We conducted the analysis and we have summarized the timesheet complete guide. As a business owner or an hr manager, now you can choose from the best. We have listed the features of the attendance management systems and in our list, you can choose from the best timesheet apps we have evaluated. In the list, the top 3 timesheet apps emerge to be FinClock employee management software and application.

Our Parting Shot is that as a manger, go ahead and choose wisely among the three top attendance systems. From the list, feel free to subscribe for a free trial and start experiencing the features. I am glad to have been of help and we believe that you shall be able to grow your business, motivate your employees and even improve employee engagement now and in the future. let the support team guide you to the journey of enjoyable and efficient employee management.

Timesheet app

A Timesheet application with clocking in and out is Finclock Attendance application. Time sheet application working online and offline for all staff management needs. Start using the best application for workforce management, which provides real time data on employee attendance. The best application that generates timesheets automatically.

Best timesheet system reports online

Finclock Timesheet application provides four main reports. These reports enable managers to make decision on the employee's activities at a glance. these timesheet reports include;

1. Daily timesheets
2. Monthly timesheets
3. Shift based timesheets.
4. Analysed timesheets reports.

5 Essential Time sheet reports

Finclock timesheets app works both with and without internet. Any time the employee phone is connected to internet, the application synchronizes the attendance data to the  attendance system. The system has algorithms to analyse the data and provide the best timesheet reports online. These reports include;

1. Total Employee hours

The managers will login to the web based attendance system directly using their phone or computers. Here, the managers will find the hours  workers by employees. A manager can filter the hourly staff reports as per their need.  Across the world, the managers will decide whether there is time theft, based on the total hours worked. Notably, every industry has the standard normal hours that an employee must complete per day, week or month. If the hours worked are less than the standard hours, managers will take actions such as giving warnings or deduction of payments.

2. Employee Performance

Finclock Attendance is the  best timesheets app that shows employee performance as a percentage of expected hours. When an employee has high absenteeism cases, the staff performance is low. When an employee is constantly late, their performance is lowered from 100%. When an employee clocks in when away from their work station, their performance is lowered. High performing employees will get high scores and can be rewarded.

3. Employee Absenteeism Reports

The best attendance timesheet report shows that the employees with high absence records affect business or institutional growth and overall performance. Face recognition biometric attendance system provides real-time absence reports that enable managers to weed out dishonest employees.

4. Lateness Reports

The shift plans for an employee are automatically compared with their actual attendance time. Using the top attendance system, managers can see the lateness trends of employees. This is the best application because employees are made aware of their lateness and absence days directly on their mobile application. Finclock Timesheet app also calculate the reports as per the job category, department and even overall company lateness trends. These reports offer best decision making features for managers.

5. Employee absence and leave reports

Using the Finclock Attendance app, employees can make requests for absence. These absenteeism request are either accepted or rejected by management, which is based on reasons. To make it better, You have  chance to provide reasons, take photos and record audio reports. All these features work with and without internet connectivity.

6. Employee location reports

Finclock attendance will track employee location making it the best application for fieldworkers in the world. The employee workstations are already known and every time an employee clocks in away from their workstation, they are automatically flagged and recorded in their away reports. The location tracking ensures that employees take full responsibility of their activities and work as per the needs of the clients.