Time tracking
Introducing digital time tracking: start small and make the switch clear
The hardest part of a new time tracker is rarely the first tap. What matters is whether everyone understands when to clock in, which project to choose and who corrects a forgotten entry. A small pilot makes these questions visible before the whole team switches.
Prepare before the first site visit
Create only the sites currently in progress. A name such as “Müller, bathroom, High Street” helps field staff more than an internal number alone. Assign an office contact for questions and write down the existing routine: start of work, project changes, breaks and finish. This turns an app into a shared working method.
Test one week with two people
Start with one field worker and one office colleague following the same job. Check daily whether the entries arrive clearly. A missed project change usually calls for a clear rule rather than another mandatory field. If paper records temporarily run alongside the app, decide in advance which record is authoritative and when parallel recording will end.
Teach real situations rather than menus
Practise a normal day and one mistake together: clock in, change project, clock out and request a correction. Update the instructions after the pilot, then bring in the rest of the team. Judge success by whether the office can allocate the hours without calling the site, rather than by the number of user accounts created.
Your business checklist
- Give active projects clear names and hide closed sites.
- Explain who handles corrections and how to request them.
- Set the pilot end date and authoritative record in advance.
- Review actual entries together after one week.