Timesheets are money, plain and simple.
I suspect there are some folks in the community who will skip this issue. And that's cool. Timesheets are polarizing. Mainly because we've created this narrative where nobody will fill them out, and if they do they aren't honest. But it doesn't have to be that way. And to address my value-based friends and their deep sighs, bill value! But track your hours for so many valuable reasons. (See what I did there?)
The secret power of tracking time.
I've been in this conversation so many times. Most recently in a Bureau Role Call. And I'm passionate about it because I think a lot of teams hurt themselves by dismissing the idea of tracking time as something that is either too difficult, unreliable, or not relevant. I get it, it feels like big brother and you're value-based so what's the point? Well, let's take a look at what you're missing out on. But first...
How to Get People to Track Their Time Honestly
Look, I freakin get it. You hate asking... and asking... and asking... and then finally people crank through two weeks of timesheets to shut you up.
And the info they sent can't be right because they sent it so fast so why even bother?
Let's start by shifting the responsibility of how long something takes to get done. Let your team know that you aren't judging them by the time they document, they are holding you accountable for the time you estimated it would take. And it's not about managing this project, it's about doing better on the next one.
Timesheet Transparency
Along with explaining this, I always embraced the idea of timesheet transparency. Letting everyone see everyone else's timesheets. When we're sharing things with the whole company the pressure of falling behind in your timesheets amplifies. But that's not why you should do it. In my experience, a team will support someone who is overloaded. And if they see that they're slow compared to the team they'll ask for more. Timesheet transparency gives everyone an insight into how busy the company is.
And when it comes to people being dishonest on their timesheets, they still will even with transparency. But the difference is they don't tell how long something actually took. They report fewer hours because they don't want anyone to think they couldn't get it done within the time given. This brings us back to making sure they know that they are holding the folks estimating accountable.
Why This Matters Even if You Bill Value
Productivity: You can see where your team is strong and where they need help. If certain types of tasks take longer than expected and others are always ahead of schedule, wouldn't you want to know?
Avoiding burnout: Especially now that many of us are distributed, it can be harder than ever to tell when someone on the team may be getting crispy. One way for people to let you know is by showing those 50-60 hour weeks you may not be aware of.
Staffing: When you can see how good someone is at different tasks it becomes easier to assign folks based on proficiency vs. gut feel.
Team Dynamics: If you embrace transparent timesheets, then your team will understand more about how everyone works. I can't express how much this insight helps a team bond. And the conversations over why some things take longer than others.
I literally could go on and on, but you're either thinking about the value of timesheets now or you stopped reading after the subject line. So I'll leave you with this: more information is always better, and letting your team have a way to communicate the effort the work takes seems like a no-brainer.
I truly believe understanding how your people are spending their time is a foundation of fiscal health. Regardless of your pricing model, the information you gather through timesheets can help you keep your team healthy and make informed choices to meet your business goals. If you haven’t been tracking time, just think about it. You might be surprised at what the numbers have to say.