A shared spreadsheet for logging hours works fine until more than one person starts writing in it at once. Here's how to have timesheets created automatically right on the task, without manually typing into a shared file.
Tracking time through a shared spreadsheet has the same problem as any other shared spreadsheet - it works for one person, but as the team grows you get conflicting versions, forgotten rows, and questions like "how many hours are already logged against this project." The solution isn't to watch the spreadsheet more carefully, but to have timesheets get created automatically, right where the work happens.
A timer right on the task
Instead of typing into a shared file by hand, all you need is a start/pause/stop button on each task. A person starts the timer when they begin working on the task, stops it when they're done - and a record of the worked time is created on its own, tied to that specific task and person.
The timesheet writes itself, not by hand
The key difference from a spreadsheet is where the time actually ends up. Every time the timer is stopped, it creates a row in the timesheet table - with the task, the person, the date and the duration - without anyone having to retype it by hand. A filtered view right on the task then shows only its own timesheet entries, so you can immediately see how many hours were actually worked on it.
The timesheet writes itself into the table, and stays with the task.
The timer stops, the timesheet entry writes itself into the shared table and, at the same time, stays visible right on the task, through a filtered view of its own entries.
What you can build on top of timesheets
Once timesheets are structured data instead of rows in a notebook, you can build further on top of them:
- Total worked hours per order - for invoicing based on actually worked time.
- Team workload overview - how many hours each person has budgeted per week across projects.
- Estimate vs. reality comparison - how many hours were planned for a task versus how many it actually took.
None of these can be reliably built on top of a manually kept spreadsheet, because it offers no guarantee that every entry is really in there or that they're recorded consistently.
When it's worth switching
The signal that manual time tracking no longer works is similar to any other shared spreadsheet: more than a couple of people are writing into the same file, a row occasionally goes missing, or the question "how much time did we actually spend on this" comes up and the answer takes longer than it should.
The agency that knows what it actually earned on every job picks that question up - it shows how to turn hours worked and the invoiced amount into a margin. The full life cycle of a job is covered in the guide to managing jobs and profitability.
Frequently asked questions about time tracking
Does every team member have to start the timer manually?
Yes, the timer is started and stopped by whoever is working on the task
- that's exactly the difference compared to writing hours down retroactively, which tends to be inaccurate.
Can I look up how much time went into a specific task after the fact?
Yes, the filtered view on the task shows only its own timesheet entries, so you can see the exact total at any time, without going through the whole shared table.
Can worked time be connected directly to invoicing?
Yes, the sum of timesheet entries on an order can be used as the basis for automatically issuing an invoice based on actual worked hours.