employee time tracking

6 Steps to Boost Project Success with A Risk Plan

by Surekha Shetty | Aug 22, 2023 | General, Project Management, Software, Time Tracking

Greetings, fellow project trailblazers! Today, we’re diving headfirst into the magical world of project management, where the dragons are deadlines, the dungeons are budgets, and the treasures are… well, successful projects, of course! But fear not, because we’ve got a spellbook to share – a risk management plan sprinkled with a hearty dose of humor to tame those fiery dragons and conquer any project trolls that come your way. So, saddle up your imaginary unicorns, because this is going to be an adventurous journey through the realm of risks and issues, with a side of laughter!

Unraveling the Mysterious World of Project Risk and Issue

Before we embark on this voyage, let’s decipher the riddles of project risk and issue, shall we? Imagine you’re in a carnival, and you overhear the fortune teller’s whispers. Project Risk is like the unexpected twists and turns in a magician’s trick—it’s that surprise card that could make your project disappear. It’s the carnival’s hidden trapdoor that might lead to the lion’s den.

Now, Project Issue is like the commotion when the carnival’s cotton candy machine goes haywire and creates a sticky pink mess. An issue is a hiccup that’s already stolen the spotlight, like a mischievous clown crashing your unicycle act. So, as we gear up to enhance project glory, remember these two circus performers—Risk, the acrobat teetering on the tightrope, and Issue, the daredevil who just leapt off the trapeze.

When to Summon the Powers of Project Risk Management

Now, let’s talk about the grand entrance of project risk management. Imagine your project is a grand masquerade ball, and you’re the host, tangoing your way through the glittering crowd. Now, when do you call upon the magic of risk management, you ask? Well, it’s like asking for backup when the dance floor’s on fire! You summon risk management when:

Uncertainty Looms Large: When your project’s path is as clear as a foggy forest, and you’re not sure if you’ll bump into a talking tree or a mischievous gnome.
Surprises Are a Norm: If your project seems to throw curveballs more often than a batting cage, it’s high time to bring out the risk management toolkit.
The Stakeholders Are Restless: When the audience at your project’s theater is throwing tomatoes (or worse), and you need a plan to win back their applause.
The Budget’s Doing the Hula: If your budget’s doing the hula-hoop with your schedule, it’s time to tame those wild risks and avoid a financial limbo.
The Scope’s a Shape-shifter: When your project’s scope is as stable as a blob of jelly on a trampoline, it’s risk management to the rescue to keep things from wobbling out of control.

So, fellow adventurers of the project realm, get ready to steer your ship through the tempestuous sea of risks and issues, armed with a risk management plan that’s as delightful as it is effective.

The 6 Steps

Step 1: Identify Risks – “Slaying the What-If Dragons” Imagine your project as a medieval quest, and lurking in the shadows are the what-if dragons – those sneaky risks that might just ruin your day. From budget goblins to scope trolls, identify these troublemakers so you can prepare your trusty shield of strategies to fend them off.

Step 2: Assess and Prioritize Risks – “Dragon or Damsel?” Think of risks like characters in a fairytale. Some are the fire-breathing dragons of doom, while others are just shy damsels in distress. Sort them out by their potential impact and how likely they are to crash your project’s party. That way, you’ll know when to call in the knights and when to hand out flowers.

Step 3: Develop Risk Response Strategies – “Wizardly Wisdom” Crafting risk response strategies is like mixing potions in a cauldron. Need to handle a pesky scope change imp? Whip up a ‘Scope Freeze’ potion! Dealing with a budget ogre? Time for a ‘Resource Reallocation’ brew! Just remember, even a cackling witch couldn’t predict every twist, so be ready to improvise like a true wizard.

Step 4: Assign Responsibilities – “The Fellowship of the Risk Ring” Enlist your very own Fellowship of the Risk Ring. Designate your Gandalfs for guiding and your Frodos for diving headfirst into the perilous unknown. But remember, the journey may be treacherous, so give each hero a cloak (or a cape, if they’re feeling fancy) to shield them from the unexpected rain of risks.

Step 5: Monitor and Review – “The Potion Taste Test” Imagine your project risks as quirky potions that might go sour. Just like a good wizard tastes their concoctions, regularly sample your project’s risks to make sure they’re not turning into poison. If they are, stir in some mitigation mint or a pinch of contingency cinnamon – whatever it takes to keep your potion (project) from fizzling out.

Step 6: Communicate and Document – “Bard’s Tale” Imagine you’re a bard, spinning a grand tale in the village square. Tell your stakeholders about the risks and issues you’ve faced – the dragons you’ve tamed and the banana peels you’ve dodged. Document your journey like a chronicle of epic adventures, complete with the highs, lows, and the side-splitting laughter that only a bard’s tale can bring.

So, fellow adventurers, there you have it – a risk management plan that’s as entertaining as it is effective. With humor as your magical sword and a strategy to conquer the realm of risks and issues, your project quests will be remembered as tales of triumph! Onward, to the land of successful projects!

Photo by Sammie Chaffin on Unsplash

5 Steps to Crafting SMART Goals

by Surekha Shetty | Aug 15, 2023 | General, Project Management, Software, Time Tracking

Setting goals is like trying to navigate a maze blindfolded with your shoelaces tied together. But fear not, brave goal-chaser! With the magic of SMART goals, you can outwit even the trickiest of challenges while keeping your sense of humor intact. Let’s dive into these five steps, complete with side-splitting examples that will have you snickering your way to success! Get ready to infuse your aspirations with a hearty dose of intelligence, humor, and enough “smartness” to make Einstein jealous.

Step 1: S is for Specific – Stop Babbling, Start Nailing!

Let’s imagine you’re on a quest to become the next big knitting influencer. A goal like “I want to be famous for knitting” is about as vague as trying to spot a chameleon in a kaleidoscope store. Instead, go all out Sherlock Holmes on it and say, “I will create a YouTube channel featuring quirky knitting tutorials and gain 10,000 subscribers in six months.” Now that’s a target you can wrap your yarn around!

Or perhaps you are superheroine. A well-defined goal is your supervillain, and you need to be as clear as a raindrop on a window pane about what you’re trying to defeat. Don’t just say, “I want to be healthier.” That’s like saying, “I want to wear a cape.” Instead, be as specific as a fingerprint at a crime scene. Say, “I want to jog five kilometers every morning so I can indulge in an extra slice of cheesecake without guilt.” Now that’s a goal with flair!

Step 2: M is for Measurable – Counting Sheep, Not Unicorns!

How do you know if you’re making progress? Counting sheep might help you sleep, but counting achievements will help you soar. Make your goal measurable, like counting how many times your neighbor’s dog barked during your morning jog. Better yet, track your improvements with more precision than a cat stalking a laser pointer. “I’ll increase my push-up count from 10 to 30 within a month” is a better goal than “I’ll do some push-ups.”

Numbers don’t lie, and neither does the fact that counting unicorns isn’t a profitable business. When you set measurable goals, you’re like a mathematician with a calculator, only with a tad more flair. For instance, “I will read more books” is as vague as trying to describe a color to a blindfolded ostrich. But saying, “I will read 20 books by the end of the year and discuss them with my book club” is as precise as a Swiss watch.

Step 3: A is for Achievable – Shoot for the Stars, Land on the Moon!

While it’s cool to aim for the stars, don’t forget to pack some astronaut ice cream just in case. Setting goals that are more unrealistic than a unicorn-themed roller coaster is like trying to fit a giraffe into a Mini Cooper. Instead, be sensible, like aiming to run a marathon even if you’ve been sitting like a sloth at a desk for years. “I will complete a half-marathon in eight months after training regularly” is a goal that won’t leave you panting like a poodle in a heatwave.

Dreams are like helium balloons; they’re fun until they float away. Your goal shouldn’t be so far-fetched that it sounds like the plot of a sci-fi movie directed by a dolphin. Saying, “I’ll become a billionaire by selling diamond-encrusted shoelaces” might leave you in a financial pickle. Instead, be realistic like a sloth’s workout routine. Aim to double your income over a couple of years through a smart business venture, not by diving into the unpredictable world of shoelace bling.

Step 4: R is for Relevant – Don’t Chase Rainbows with a Teaspoon!

Picture this: you’re a wizard in a magical forest, and you’re chasing a unicorn. Is that a relevant pursuit? Not unless you’re into mythical creature rodeos. Similarly, your goal should align with your life like peanut butter pairs with jelly. If your goal is to become a gourmet chef, don’t spend your weekends practicing interpretive dance unless you’re planning a revolutionary cooking ballet.

Chasing irrelevant dreams is like trying to catch a snowflake in a desert – it’s not gonna end well. Ensure your goal is as relevant as a cat meme on the internet. If you’re a baker, don’t aspire to break the world record for underwater basket weaving. Instead, say, “I will perfect my croissant recipe and launch a bakery specializing in artisanal pastries within a year.” Your goal should fit your life like a glove, not like a penguin at a flamingo convention.

Step 5: T is for Time-Bound – Because Rome Wasn’t Conquered in a Day!

Give yourself a deadline that’s as precise as a neurosurgeon’s scalpel, but less intimidating. “I will become a fluent Mandarin speaker” is fantastic, but without a time frame, it’s like planning a wedding without picking a date. Make it zesty and say, “I will have a 15-minute conversation in Mandarin with a native speaker without using Google Translate within six months.” Your progress will be more noticeable than a penguin at a peacock parade.

Time is like a gourmet dessert – it’s best when served with a dash of urgency. Setting a deadline for your goal keeps you from procrastinating like a sloth with a Netflix subscription. But make sure the timeline isn’t tighter than a swimsuit after Thanksgiving dinner. “I’ll write a novel in a month” might lead to a Pulitzer-worthy novella, but it’s more likely to result in sleep-deprived ramblings about caffeinated unicorns.

Conclusion

In conclusion, my fellow goal-setter, SMART goals are like your secret recipe for success – they’re more tantalizing than a chocolate fountain at a dessert buffet. By following these steps with a dash of humor, you’re arming yourself with a strategy as solid as a rock and as funny as a clown’s shoes. Remember, life’s an improv show – might as well make your goals the star act!

Photo by Gerd Altmann on Pixabay

Manage Projects Efficiently and Get Paid Faster

by Surekha Shetty | Jan 5, 2022 | Project Management, Software, Time Tracking

Late payments can play havoc with a company’s cash flow. Such disruption can result in shortages meaning there’s a lack of funds to reinvestment in the company or even difficulties paying bills and staff. Regardless, studies have shown that around 64% of small companies have experienced not being paid on invoices for 60 days or longer.

There are various reasons for late payments from clients. One reason is the client lacking funds themselves, while another potential reason is a lack of organization. The company doing the work is also sometimes at fault, such as delayed delivery, quality issues, or administrative problems.

One way to ensure that you’re paid for projects on time is to run the project as efficiently as possible.

Define the Project Before Starting

One way to help ensure you get paid on time is to define the project before starting. You need to define the scope of the task, which materials are needed, how long it will take, and who will be working on the project.

By defining the project fully, you can give an accurate quote and completion deadline, meaning the client is less likely to have anything to contest when paying. Defining the project will also help ensure you get paid fairly for your work and have everything you need to do the job.

Track Your Team

Manpower is one of the most important ingredients of just about any project. Your staff’s experience and skills are necessary to get the job done and even the most advanced technology cannot replace most human tasks. However, as important as manpower is for getting a project finished, it is also one of the most expensive aspects. Manpower can also be one of the most difficult variables to manage.

However, solutions like PK4 Tech’s time tracking software can help to make it much easier for you to track and manage your team. For example, the technology can let you know where an employee is at a particular time, what they have been working on, and how long they have spent on certain tasks.

This ability to monitor employees in such a way is beneficial for numerous reasons, including:

Error Reduction: It can be very easy to make errors when timesheets are created. People are unlikely to remember all the details of their working week, especially if they have been busy. Time tracking software will help to eliminate errors by tracking your employees’ actions for you.
Improved Billing: Time trackers make it easier to track the amount of time working for clients. The software also makes it easier for you to send reports to your clients to keep up with the work being done and monitor the progress of the project themselves. With everything documented, clients are less likely to have a reason to delay their payments.
Monitor Productivity: The average employee will spend around 51% of their working day on unproductive tasks. It’s not necessarily their fault; people just won’t always realize how much time certain tasks are taking. With time tracking software, you can monitor how long employees are spending on tasks, helping you identify where they could be spending their time better.
Easy Processing: Processing timesheets can be a time-consuming and menial task for managers, meaning more important tasks are pushed aside. However, time-tracking software makes it much simpler for managers to approve timesheets. Instead of using paper sheets, managers instead have all the details they need on the screen in front of them. The software makes it easy to accept or reject timesheets at the touch of a button, and let employees know why their timesheet was rejected.
Budget Monitoring: It can be easy to go over budget if you’re not monitoring your expenses, but time tracking software makes it easy for you. With the right software, you can get the information you need at a glance, helping you make important decisions.

Time tracking can help you manage your project more efficiently in numerous ways. In addition to the benefits already mentioned, the software can also produce comprehensive reports that give you the information you need to make impactful decisions. Not only that, but time-tracking software can also integrate with other systems, helping you get more value from them. Overall, the software can help you identify the most productive ways to work, while reducing errors and streamlining your processes. Your clients are more likely to pay on time with an efficiently managed process.

Why Time Management Is Increasingly Important In The Workplace

by Surekha Shetty | Jun 14, 2021 | Software, Time Tracking

Whether in our work or home life, we all have the same limited amount of hours in the day, and most of us report feeling overwhelmed and rushed. Time management in this era of hyperconnectivity is, essentially, stress management.

So why is time management so important? How can we condense our workdays into short bursts of productivity so that we can enjoy our personal lives stress-free?

Managers worldwide need to solve this conundrum because, according to numerous studies, employees struggle with procrastination, inefficiency, and office hours invading their personal time.

Why time management is more important than ever

Time is money, it’s true, but there are some things money just can’t buy. One of them is your employee’s happiness. We’ve gathered a few interesting facts to shed light on how employees really feel at work nowadays and how it could be impacting your business:

Most employees work on weekends. Full-time employees typically work 8.5 hours Monday to Friday and 5.4 more hours per day on the weekend to cope with the increased workloads.
Employees are connected to their work 24/7. Surveys show that 66% of workers check their emails 7 days a week and are expected to reply within a day.
Employees don’t have enough time to interact with their spouses or children. This explains the skyrocketing divorce rate, and working from home doesn’t shield family members from this. Instead, stress levels rise even more as there’s no clear separation between home and work.
Employees dread going to work. 80% of employees hate having to go to work on Monday. By Friday, this feeling of unease only slightly decreases, with 60% feeling the same way.
Employees procrastinate to cope with stress. Procrastination increases in lower-income employees and during shorter employment periods. Virtually all employees spend close to an hour on social media or their phones during work hours.
Employees aren’t passionate or motivated by what they do. If they had financial freedom, 97% of workers would choose to leave their employer and line of work.

So what does all this mean for your business? Frustration at work can be linked to two major reasons: working too much and not being able to keep up, and working on the wrong things, increasing feelings of futility and dissatisfaction.

This is where smart project management comes in, and it all begins with prioritizing, scheduling, and keeping an eye on how tasks get done.

How to use time management to banish employee overwhelm

Parkinson’s law states that work will expand to fit the time allocated to it. Give employees one important task per day, and it will occupy their entire workday. Give them 12 tasks, and while they won’t be able to complete them all, they’ll finish more than half of them.

Sounds productive, right? Not if you take the employees’ feelings of burnout and overwhelm into account.

Sometimes, the best time management technique is learning to say “no” to adding anything else to your workers’ To-Do list.

So how can you motivate your workers to achieve more in less time? Apply only a few of the suggested changes below, and you’ll be amazed at the difference in productivity and employee satisfaction:

Use the power of scheduling. Planning out the day in detail is the most powerful tool of time management. Delegate your most important tasks for the day and follow along on the progress as employees log their time and work. Time tracking is essential for measuring how effectively things get done, yet, less than 17% of people make use of it.

Using a product like our Time Tracker helps companies keep track of how their employees are spending their time and ensure they are fairly compensated.

Leverage the most productive window. Many workers report working most effortlessly between 9 and 12 AM. By delegating the most strenuous work in the morning, you will already set up your employees’ day for success.

Estimate tasks correctly. We all fall into the trap of underestimating how long a task will actually take, and managers are no exception. If you’ve done similar tasks in the past, you could have a look at the logged time and base your future estimations on reality.

Factor in breaks. Employees aren’t robots, and they need recovery time throughout the workday. Keeping breaks and meal times in mind will take some of the pressure off your workers and show them they are valued. Logging breaks, lunchtime, and even managing paid time off (PTO) are intuitive functions within our Time Tracker.

It’s safe to say that time management is a skill that we’re all struggling to master. When managing our employees’ time, we should have more than productivity in mind.

Any good leader will first and foremost protect their employees’ emotional and physical wellbeing while challenging them with just the right amount of work. Do it right, and this approach will boost your company’s growth while also making it a coveted working environment.

How Monitoring Breaks Can Help Optimize Work

by Surekha Shetty | Jun 3, 2021 | Software, Time Tracking

Productivity is a hot topic in the business world. We measure it, track it, and think of ways to get more of it. And if it doesn’t live up to our expectations, then our employees must not be working hard enough.

But productivity isn’t just about hard work. Attending to your workers’ basic human needs is a win-win for everyone: strategic breaks are shown to improve decision making, focus, creativity, and ultimately the profitability of your company.

Your employees need regular breaks, and it’s your job as their leader to make sure they take them in a way that doesn’t negatively affect your business or your employees’ quality of life.

But when dealing with so many personality types – the ambitious overachiever, the slacker, the guy who doesn’t know how to use the Check-In/Check-Out functions properly – how do you ensure everyone gets treated fairly?

Let’s look at what types of breaks there are, what’s actually legal, and how you can best manage your employees’ breaks.

The main types of breaks you can use

Before setting up any kind of break, you need to make sure your plan aligns with your country’s laws and regulations. For example, US federal law doesn’t mandate any breaks during work hours, but individual states have their own regulations, like taking a 30-minute unpaid meal break if you’re working more than five hours.

Breaks can range from 5 to 30 minutes, and they can be paid or unpaid. Your employee can take breaks for meal purposes or to rest from intense intellectual or physical work. Let’s talk about how you can track these breaks inside our Time Tracker.

Automatic break time

An automatic break is a break that managers can insert into the worker’s schedule at a specified time, according to the existing break time rules. The break time gets automatically deducted from user’s worked hours, regardless of what they chose to do with their time.

Automatic breaks are usually an unpaid time slot that’s reserved for meals. But since we’re not robots and need some flexibility in our lives, these types of breaks can cause trouble.

Your employee might not understand this concept at first and clock out for an additional break, which could lead to misunderstandings and additional deducted time. Or certain managers could abuse their authority and make their employees work during a break time that’s rightfully theirs.

Manual break time

Another way you could approach breaks when tracking your employee’s work hours is by setting up a time interval that your employee can use as a break.

This works best for flexible jobs where strict schedules can’t be enforced – sales, customer service, etc.

So how does manual break monitoring work?

If your employee clocks out and back in within the amount of time you’ve allotted for breaks, then his break time is paid. If the break time is exceeded, those minutes get accounted as unpaid.

You can find more information on using our software’s Check In/Out function in this article.

Of course, manual breaks work best if clear rules are set in place. So let’s look at some ways you can set clear ground rules for your workers.

How to optimize work breaks for employees

Project management is tricky – you’re dealing with deadlines, demotivated workers, and catering to your employee’s needs. So how do you increase productivity by optimizing breaks and making sure that your employees make the most out of those breaks?

Create rules and communicate them well

Do your employees know that their lunch break is automatically deducted from their schedule, and are they aware of the time they need to go on break?
Do your employees need to clock out for bathroom and smoking breaks, and how far can they go from the building?
Will your employees get paid if they work during their breaks instead of taking time off?

Time tracking your employee’s activity should be based on reality, and managers have the responsibility to oversee how workers spend their time – whether they’re working too much or too little.

Experiment with break length and time

Imagine a restaurant employee taking a 20-minute break during the busiest time of the evening. That would certainly hurt your business’s productivity and your customer satisfaction.

Analyze which parts of the schedule are slowest in terms of customers, and set most of the breaks at that time. You could also take a look at your employees’ task management and see where most of the work happens and where productivity starts to dip. This could also offer you an idea of when short breaks are most effective.

Listen to feedback

You may be creating and enforcing the rules, but your employees aren’t machines. It’s always in your best interest to listen to how your breaks – or lack of them – may influence your employees’ motivation and productivity.

Time tracking is essential to all parts of a business, including breaks. Our Time Tracker’s multiple features, including setting automatic breaks and using the Check In/ Out function to allow for manual work breaks will give you clarity on how much time your employee is spending on rest and rejuvenation.

As you use time tracking over a time period, you will be able to analyze your employees time entries and breaks. You will see that allowing breaks and using time tracking to identify the optimal time for breaks is good both for your business and for your employees.

Photo by Redd on Unsplash

« Older Entries

Manage Projects Efficiently and Get Paid Faster

Define the Project Before Starting

Track Your Team

Why Time Management Is Increasingly Important In The Workplace

How to use time management to banish employee overwhelm

How Monitoring Breaks Can Help Optimize Work

The main types of breaks you can use

Automatic break time

Manual break time

How to optimize work breaks for employees

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