Time management: what is time and activity management ?

If you're work in project mode whatever your sector of activity, you know that productivity and efficiency go hand in hand with time and activity management (Time tracking).

Keeping track of time worked can be useful in a number of areas: job planning, customer invoicing and payroll management.

This history is also useful for assess individual productivity or even for entire teams.

In practice, there are a multitude of ways to manage time and activity. On spreadsheets, for example, or using a time clock. But to make the most of all the benefits of time managementthe use of a time and activity management software remains the best option.

What is a time and activity management software ?

Time and activity management or time tracking is a tool designed to support companies in their personnel management.

This platform offers the possibility of recording, monitoring and analyzing a range of HR data, such as working hours, tasks and absences. 

In many cases, time and activity management software is integrated with HRIS (Human Resources Information System).

It is used to HR data management data management within a company. By providing a global vision, it facilitates informed and relevant decision-making.

Why use time and activity management software  ?

Time and activity management is a complex, time-consuming task, but essential for analyzing the productivity and performance of your activity. 

A productive interest

The larger a company grows and the more employees it has, the greater the need to structure.

But the list of administrative tasks related to human resources is constantly growing: managing resource allocation, organizing schedules, managing absences, and even issuing pay slips.

It's easy to get overwhelmed by the mass of information.

Using time and activity management software can simplify the process. A time and activity management tool will facilitate many HR tasks. Ultimately, this will lead to improved efficiency, productivity and therefore profitability.

Investing in a time and activity management software therefore quickly becomes a necessity in order to improve your organization's performance.

A strategic interest

Employers need to know how much time their teams spend on each task, and what type of activity they are working on at any given time. 

Time recording and tracking is a key factor in determining how best to use the available human resources.

For project management, time and activity management is a tool that provides global visibility of project progress.

For vacation management, it tracks absences and validates vacation requests. It also automates invoicing follow-up, monitors performance and anticipates company forecasts.

Who uses Time and Activity management software?

Large companies and government organizations are the main users of Time and Activity management software, but it can also be used by small and medium-sized companies looking to improve their human resources management and budget monitoring.

Although the Time and Activity management software primarily concerns HR departments, it actually impacts the entire organization.

Which departments are concerned?

The HR department is the first to be involved, and Time and Activity management software provides a precise overview of the resource allocation recruitment needs and skills management.

For example, you can configure your Time and Activity management software to track data on working hours, the specific tasks on which employees are working, and the times when they are available and can therefore be mobilized on other assignments. 

Time management in Stafiz: view of the resource planning

However, other departments benefit from optimized time and activity management:

• The financial department then has valuable information on the performance of employees and the need for resources on each project, thus allowing better budgeting.

• Management benefits from reliable data to base its decisions, from precise monitoring of productivity, costs and payroll management. In addition, the level of transparency provided by Time and Activity management software allows management to ensure compliance with the company's internal regulations.

The Time and Activity management software can also be configured to generate customized reports that highlight the information (e.g. company time tracking, leave/absence request management, activity planning...) you need to make the right decisions for your business and the success of your projects. 

The project dashboard in Stafiz: consolidation of time tracking and associated costs provides a current and forecast view, from planned to reality. 

Which profiles use time management software?

The use of Time and Activity management software is also beneficial on a smaller scale. 

• Operational teams , who benefit from a standardized, automatic and efficient system for timekeeping, absence requests and increased visibility of their schedule.

• To managerswith a global vision for strategic business planning, anticipating needs, validating and controlling information.

Time management issues and challenges

Businesses find themselves facing many challenges when it comes to managing time and activities within their organization.

• Tracking working hours

Getting an accurate picture of working hours in the age of telecommuting and flexitime is proving increasingly complex. 

• Managing priorities

A lack of information can lead to poor prioritization of tasks, resulting in delays and stress. 

The risk then becomes reduced commitment leading to a drop in performance.

• The compliance with regulations

It's not always easy to ensure that policies on vacations, working hours and overtime limits are respected. 

• Employee commitment

Poor management of working hours and task allocation can lead to a drop in motivation and commitment within teams. 

Project management software Time and Activity management

Project management is a complex process that involves  coordination of several tasks of several people.

To facilitate this process, many project management professionals use project management software.

Time management software is designed to help teams manage their tasks, communicate with each other and execute. 

Project managers can create task lists, assign them to team members, track their progress and update project status. 

Software from Time and Activity management offers features such as deadline management, progress reports, dashboards and automated reminders to help project managers stay on track.

Keep history

The main advantage of using Time and Activity management software is its ability to keep track of all tasks and aspects of the project in a single place.

Project managers can easily see what needs to be done, who's working on what, and where the project stands. This reduces the risk of delays or errors, as project managers can quickly identify potential problems and remedy them before they become bigger issues.

Improving collaboration

Another key advantage of using Time and Activity management software is the ability to work remotely. 

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many teams now work remotely, and telecommuting has been democratized within corporate cultures. 

This enables project managers to work with different teams, spread over several geographical regions, and continue to manage their projects despite travel restrictions. 

If you sell services, you're likely to use freelancers. It is imperative that you ensure that the subcontractors' time tracking is just as efficient as that of your in-house staff, so as not to distort your production analyses and financial tracking.

Making management easier

In addition to these advantages, Time and Activity management software helps project managers to manage their time more efficiently. 

Features such as deadline management and automated reminders allow project managers to focus on important tasks, and avoid wasting time tracking the progress of individual team members.

This considerably reduces stress and frees up more time for project management activities activities.

They also keep project managers organized. Task lists, progress reports and dashboards can help project managers keep an overview of project status. The result is a better understanding of a project's progress and facilitates informed, proactive decision-making.

Anticipating future loads

If you'd like to support your sales team with a CRM tailored to your business, Time and Activity management makes it easy and intuitive. From incoming lead management to quotation editing, you can anticipate your collaborators' resource planning needs right from the pre-sales stage. 

In Stafiz, opportunity tracking (on the Stafiz CRM or in your own via APIs) enables you to anticipate human resources needs and pre-staff employees on the needs management module

Find out more about resource planning

Time management software in Agile mode

The Agile project management project management is becoming increasingly widespread in companies. It enables greater flexibility in project management, as well as better cost optimization.

In this context, Time and Activity management software enables project managers and their staff to optimize the time/productivity ratio.

This notion is fundamental for IT Services and consulting companies. Understanding where and how human resources are used to ensure the success of customer projects is a key element in the success and reputation of these companies, which are often involved in complex industrial and technical projects. 

By taking a global view of the customer's project with Time and Activity management software, CEOs and/or PMOs can easily achieve their own objectives, as well as those of their customers. 

The time and activity management software is an excellent collaborative tool, guaranteeing not only good HR management, but also project management control.

In conclusion, Time and Activity management software offers a variety of benefits for project managers looking to successfully manage their projects while keeping track of project information.