How to set up effective activity monitoring in your company?
As a service business, knowing the time spent on each task is essential. Indeed, invoicing depends closely on it and consequently, the profitability of the company.
Choosing effective activity tracking software is therefore essential. If this appears decisive for service companies, other forms of business will also benefit from advanced activity monitoring: optimization of resources , better budgeting or even data reliability .
In this article, we present the 3 key steps to implementing activity tracking software in your business.
1. What is activity tracking?
Activity monitoring, also known as an activity statement or report, refers to all of the processes used to monitor activity within a company.
This goes through monitoring and analysis to task optimization .
The activity report records attendance and absences, and focuses on time spent. Everything is distributed over different axes: by project, by department, by task or even by client.
If activity monitoring is already a common practice for consulting companies, in reality any project can benefit from it, thus improving performance and profitability .
2. Why implement activity monitoring in your company?
Implementing effective activity monitoring is a real performance lever . For certain organizations such as service companies, it is also essential.
A. Improved visibility of activity
A clear view of the time spent per task allows you to quickly identify the strengths and weaknesses of each department and employee. This highlights in particular the possible needs for support or complementarity .
Ultimately, better knowledge of one's resources leads to better overall performance .
B. Better optimization of resources
Activity monitoring allows managers and managers to manage their teams with more visibility , and therefore precision . The distribution of resources is made easier and more relevant.
C. Increased productivity
By recording information automatically using activity tracking software, human errors are limited, such as double entries. The company then significantly gains in productivity .
D. Improved profitability
Activity reports enable more precise cost control for financial teams.
Tracking time spent facilitates cost analysis , thus helping to identify chargeback needs.
E. Refinement of the invoice price
Better identification of costs by project or type of project will make it possible to refine the price to be invoiced in a more representative and fair manner .
F. Support provided to HR and finance teams
A particularly reliable and precise source of information , activity monitoring proves valuable for HR and finance teams , having to justify accounts with the company and the State.
The centralization of data (history of hours for example) as well as the rapid production of reports will help to make information accessible and shareable , particularly in a legal or tax context.
G. Reliability
With automated activity tracking, data has never been more reliable . This reinforces precision , productivity, and by extension, profitability.
- Track project progress and collaborate effectively
- Respect your project delivery deadlines
Download the activity tracking table template
3. Who benefits from implementing activity tracking?
A. Precise management for project managers and managers
Activity monitoring allows project managers and managers to carry out better management. Indeed, they can quickly measure productivity , identify areas for improvement and work to optimize the work of their teams and the distribution of resources.
Careful validation of times by managers then becomes necessary.
This first level reinforces the reliability of the data , which will feed other departments of the company, in particular for customer invoicing.
The Stafiz activity monitoring software, for example, offers resource management features that make team management easier.
B. Increased predictability for the finance department
- Budget monitoring, margins and invoicing
As costs are better controlled with activity monitoring, establishing a precise forecast budget is easier. In addition, thanks to precise monitoring of task deadlines and completed times, cash flow is optimized. Activity monitoring software like Stafiz can automate these operations thanks to close collaboration between teams in the same environment via triggers, alerts and reminders.
- Long-term planning
The more accurate information the finance department has about the company's operating costs, the more realistic a projection is possible. Activity tracking thus provides a reliable data source to facilitate planning.
- Analysis of overall performance thanks to data centralization
Activity monitoring centralizes and consolidates data , thus facilitating its accessibility and analysis. Software like Stafiz will make it possible to consolidate and monitor the evolution of all costs (internal, subcontracting, purchasing, etc.) and their impact on the KPIs in real time and, said, at the end of the projects.
- Identification of anomalies, anticipation and correction
Properly carried out activity monitoring will allow possible deviations to be quickly identified and corrected as quickly as possible.
When mastered, activity monitoring tools will help financial departments anticipate any potential risks and quickly propose alternative solutions.
- Data accuracy
Validation of times will make it possible to refine the relevance of the data collected, which is particularly important for IT Services .
Activity reports ( CRA) may be required, with precise intervals. A good activity tracking software will be able to offer you this functionality, like Stafiz which offers the possibility of easily generating and exporting your CRAs .
C. An increase in visibility for the HR department
Activity monitoring also supports HR teams, who benefit from a global and specific vision of resource distribution , recruitment needs and even skills management .
4. 3 steps to implement effective activity tracking
A. Choose the right tool
- Define your needs
Implementing activity monitoring within your organization first involves precisely defining your needs . This first phase of project planning must be thorough.
To be sure to cover all the needs within your company, involve your teams . Discuss with each department to identify their needs , their constraints , and how an activity monitoring tool would simplify their daily lives.
Below is a table which summarizes the two main categories of needs for activity monitoring; different software is then recommended.
| Objective | Time and Activity management software |
|---|---|
| HR and legal: time tracking , timekeeping, administrative monitoring | Lucca, Factorial HR |
| Finance: cost monitoring, project portfolio management, margin monitoring | Stafiz, Everwin |
How to choose time and activity management software ? This article on Time and Activity management tools should enlighten you.
- Choose the right KPIs
Select the KPIs to compare based on the objectives you have set for yourself.
Limit your choice to a few relevant indicators , which you can then analyze and interpret: time spent, hours worked, leave, etc.
B. Train the teams
- Inform the teams
The information of your collaborators should be put in place throughout this project. Indeed, the implementation of an activity management tool can give them the feeling of being “spied on”.
In order to best accommodate the implementation of this new method, it is essential to communicate . With anticipation and transparency , explain to your teams the data that will be recorded, and what it will be used for.
Highlight the benefits they could derive: an approach to help progress (you cannot improve what you do not measure), better organization, resource management, more visibility on the work carried out.
- Accompaniement
Finally, supporting the implementation of this tool is essential. Training sessions should be organized to help your teams master this new software. In addition, defining a referent contact may prove relevant.
You can also get support from partners , both for integration within the company and for team training.
An account manager follows you from start to finish with Stafiz
Our team of consultants supports you to get the most out of our time management and project management solution. Contact us to find out about our support .
C. Meet the challenges of implementing activity monitoring within a company
Although activity tracking brings many benefits, there are also risks to its implementation:
- Take care to choose a tool adapted to your company , depending on its size and activity. Certain software can also be adapted to an industry with specific needs: hospitality, catering, medical, consulting, etc.
- Choose software that integrates easily with your existing tools, otherwise it may harm your productivity. Stafiz integrates with a large number of project management, CRM and even invoicing tools .
- Invest in training your teams : such a change may generate some resistance. The more you support your employees, the smoother the transition can be.
- Opt for a tool that respects data confidentiality and security . It is also your responsibility as an employer to ensure that the tool is configured in compliance with current laws.
Hosted in France, Stafiz guarantees the security and confidentiality of your data. Consult our data processing policy to find out more and do not hesitate to contact us.
5. Practical case: how Colorado Consulting improves its rate of resource planning and his performance thanks to Stafiz?
Colorado Groupe, a customer relationship consulting firm, faced challenges in resource planning and performance management, lacked visibility into the impact of furloughs on planned workloads, and had only limited visibility for employees. Management also encountered performance measurement problems, particularly with regard to forecasting project margins.
Stafiz provided a comprehensive solution that simplified resource planning and decision-making processes. The resource planning module provides visibility and time-saving features for project managers and employees. It also integrates upcoming contracts into the load plan, thereby improving utilization rates. A multi-criteria search engine was used to facilitate and accelerate the allocation of resources. The software also automatically calculated future project margins and visualized budget variances, which helped improve decision-making.
The implementation of Stafiz helped improve project utilization rates and margins. Additionally, Colorado saved 5 hours per week on scheduling, and centralizing the software resulted in financial savings.
Learn more about Colorado consulting with Stafiz
Final thoughts
Implementing activity monitoring brings numerous benefits , such as a significant improvement in productivity, which can have a positive impact on profitability. However, such a project must be implemented gradually to choose the appropriate tool and to gently prepare your teams to welcome this new methodology.
Clearly identify your needs and constraints . Finally, keep in mind that these can evolve over time and that adapting to changes becomes a necessity to remain competitive.
