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Did you know that in the US an employee individual typically works overtime in a year equating to not being paid until 14 February? That’s 233 hours of ‘free’ work we give our employers because overtime is unpaid.

For me, working from home for a portion of the week has given me back a balance that I didn’t have when I was in the office everyday.

I have a home office in the garden, so it’s still a working environment away from the kids and the washing machine, but without the grind of the commute and having the option to wear jeans I’m a lot happier.

I’m more productive. I get at least as much done as I would do in the office and normally more.

But working smarter and not harder isn’t just about having some time to work from home.

The whole ‘working smarter, not harder’ thing is a buzzword, but what does it actually mean?

I’m a project manager, and we are generally quite a well organized bunch. I didn’t think I’d learn a lot at an event I attended a while back, with that exact name: ‘working smarter, not harder’.

However, I did take away some interesting figures. Here are some other stats:

• 78% of women say they work for companies with flexible working policies, but better technology would make it easier to balance work and life.
• 55% said their work/life balance was just in control, but they wanted more ‘life’.
• 45% said their work/life balances were out of kilter, and actually way past the point of being in balance.

These figures came from a survey of the women in the room, which we completed before we arrived.

So where can you start when you want to work smarter?

Here are 5 ways that you can flex how you work to be more productive and fit your lifestyle more effectively.

1. Know your strengths

Don’t be an all-rounder. It’s a waste of valuable time to do things when someone else can do them for you, better than you.

Don’t be threatened by surrounding yourself with good people and having a great team. They are there to support you and make you all look good.

2. Set clear boundaries about the hours you work

It’s fine to work at the evenings and weekends if it gives you time in the week to do what you want. Be flexible, but take the time back. This also sets a good example to the team.

I am trying really hard to do this, but believe me, I am a work in progress.

3. Set clear boundaries about how people contact you

If people can reach you by Teams message or Slack, SMS, mobile phone, desk phone, home phone, email and so on it makes life much more stressful.

Tell people how you can be contacted and stick to it. You could  have a “drop everything” list of people who have all your contact details. These people would be your child’s school, your partner, your director: the important people in your life whom you would make an exception for because you know they wouldn’t call you up unless it was critical.

Everyone else can get in touch on your convenience.

This was a huge game changer for me: since the event I’ve been using a “drop everything” list for contacts and I feel like now I’ve got rules for who gets in touch when (even though they don’t know about those rules), it creates better balance for me. My choices feel validated when I don’t answer the phone!

4. Hide away and catch up

I’m doing this right now! I have booked into a hotel for the weekend to write my next book and I’m just doing a few bits of blogging to give my mind a break.

The equivalent for us as employees is to book time in your diary to work at home or at a different office. You’ll still be available by phone but you’ll be more productive as people won’t be constantly passing by your desk and interrupting.

However, you might still need to put your out of office on if you seriously don’t want to be disturbed. These days, even if you are at home you can still be pinged every few minutes by Microsoft Teams chat messages or Slack, or invited to Google calls… keep to your boundaries!

This isn’t a strategy you can use every day but helps me massively to know that I have quarterly catch up days already planned in my diary.

5. Learn to use your technology

And ensure you drive it, not the other way round. Because not knowing how tools work is such a time waster and it increases my stress levels hugely.

Learn all the keyboard shortcuts, tap into generative AI and other automation tools so that you can be efficient with the tool set you have.

With those 5 tips you won’t radically change your working practices but you can bring a bit more balance and control into how you approach your work time. And that’s smarter, without being hard.

This article first appeared at Rebel’s Guide to Project Management

The post 5 Ways to work smarter, not harder appeared first on ProdSens.live.

Executive Summary

• Full Day Time Tracking
• Time Against Time Tracking
• Which way to go?
• My Time Tracking Recommendation For You

Should We or Shouldn’t We?

Time tracking in today’s professional business world may be similar to playing a tense game of Frogger. You know you need to cross the road, but no matter which way you leap, there is a high probability that you will encounter obstacles that will ultimately end your game. So, the question remains: Should we or shouldn’t we require time tracking?

As a certified Resource Manager, I can easily persuade you to land on whatever decision you are leaning towards; for or against it.

If you are leaning against it, I would most likely recommend that you don’t do it. It probably isn’t worth the stress and disruption to your team at this time.

If you are leaning towards it or your business requires billing for services operations, you must determine what type of tracking you will require: Full Day or Time Against.

Before you decide, take a walk with me for a few minutes as I share some of my lessons learned about implementing time tracking.

Full Day Time Tracking

Full Day Time Tracking

Full Day time tracking requires a resource to account for 100% of their working hours. This is the more complicated, demanding, and most difficult type of time tracking to successfully implement and get adopted. While several key benefits exist, the drawbacks can have real consequences for the organization and the team environment.

Benefits:

• Provides a full picture of productive vs. non-productive time/activities
• Provides resource allocation justification
• Provides performance accountability
• Identifies where processes should be improved
• Provides process improvement KPIs
• Provides the most detailed level of estimating work effort and forecasting resource capacity

Drawbacks:

• Can generate largely false data – Resources often arbitrarily enter in 8 hours to meet the requirement. Others may underreport or inflate time to appear that they are either more efficient or more overloaded than they may be.
• Often creates a negative working environment by generating a feeling of “Big Brother Watching” or being micromanaged.
• Difficult to get buy-in from the resources and managers. This requires a lot of tough conversations and a strong dedication to taking the most unpopular avenue.
• If Applied to Global Users – It can create complications in countries that have Work Counsels and/or strict privacy rules
• It can create legal complications if global, contracted, or non-exempt employees consistently report more than the agreed-upon contracted hours

Before you decide to implement a Full Day time tracking requirement, take a minute to be brutally honest with yourself – is this truly required to achieve what you need?

If you are unsure this is right for your team, don’t do it! If you plan to go down the Full Day time-tracking path, you must be fully committed to dealing with the objections, consequences, and occasionally outright defiance.

If this option worries you, perhaps consider implementing the less daunting time tracking type, Time Against.

Time Against Time Tracking

Time Against Time Tracking

Time Against tracking requires a resource to account for the amount of time they spend working on a particular assignment, and the overall daily sum of hours is not as important. While time tracking will never be popular with resources, this is the less demanding, more user-friendly, and easier type of time tracking to successfully implement and get adopted. Following are a few of the benefits and drawbacks of this method.

Benefits:

• Provides a more accurate picture of actual time spent on individual projects
• Can identify where processes should be improved
• Provides resource allocation justification when combined with resource management best practices
• Provides performance accountability
• Provides the most accurate level of estimating work effort and forecasting resource capacity
• Eliminates the “Big Brother Watching” and micromanagement feeling
• Easier to get buy-in from the resources as they are more likely to understand the request versus harboring feelings of having their privacy invaded.

Drawbacks:

• Resources need to change their working behaviors in order to make entering time against projects a routine activity
• There may be times when large blocks of time are unaccounted for, which ultimately should generate a conversation with the resource
• If Applied to Global Users – It can create complications in countries that have Work Counsels and/or strict privacy rules
• It can create legal complications if global, contracted, or non-exempt employees consistently report more than the agreed-upon contracted hours

Which way to go?

Between the two-time tracking types, I have historically seen greater implementation success with the Time Against option. Resources are more open to accounting for how much time they spend working on something so long as every minute of their day is not tracked.

The result of this is that you typically have more reliable data that you can use to improve overall performance.

But First, Ask Yourself…

Time Tracking Questions You Must Ask Yourself

Regardless of which path you choose, there are several other questions that you need to take an open and honest look at:

• Will time tracking improve your working environment or create more overhead? – This is a difficult question, to be honest about. Our initial inclination is to start listing off all the ways things will improve: accurate effort estimating, resource forecasting, and resource load balancing. All good responses! However, I would challenge you to look at it again, especially after reviewing the next few questions. Time tracking always comes with additional overhead, negative emotions, and change management. It’s worth being honest with yourself if it is truly required.
• Once you have this information, do you know what to do with it? – Be honest!!! Gathering information is great! Gathering accurate information is even better!! Do you know what to do with it now that you have it? Do you have an established resource management plan that you will be utilizing? Do you have knowledgeable Resource Managers who know how to analyze the data and turn it into something that can be used for executive- and team-level decisions? If you don’t, take some additional time to evaluate your needs.
• Are you willing to risk changing the work environment by implementing time tracking? – Let’s face it, we hire our resources for their skills, their knowledge, and their experience. Asking them to track their time is often perceived as a slap in the face, even if you have valid reasons for the ask. Time-tracking discussions are very difficult to have! Be aware of the impact that this will have on your team’s morale.
• Do you have the Leadership’s buy-in and support? – If they are not fully committed to backing up this requirement, it has a very low chance of succeeding. If your Executives are not fully on board, consider implementing another method to gather the data you require.
• Are you willing to link time tracking to a compliance program?  – This typically impacts resources’ financials or reviews, positively or negatively. If you aren’t willing to take this step, understand that compliance will be extremely low. Why should I bother if it isn’t required, and there are no consequences for being non-compliant?

My Time Tracking Recommendation For You…

Ultimately, many factors should be reviewed thoroughly when considering project time tracking. At the end of the day, here’s my recommendation for you:

• If you need time reporting, and a minute-by-minute breakdown isn’t absolutely necessary, have resources report time against particular assignments rather than a full day’s accounting.
• Balance the non-reported time by adjusting their overall availability. Link this initiative to a compliance program, whether you choose to utilize the carrot or the stick – although you will get a much better reaction with carrots! Take the time to explain to your resources exactly why this information is needed and lay out the WIIFM factors.
• Finally, make sure to follow up with your team after some time has passed to review the results of this effort. Let them not only see but understand what benefits time tracking brings to the organization.

Let’s Continue To Chat…

Contact Kolme Group to learn more about our Project and Change Management Services and what tools will help you achieve your time-tracking goals. 

Contact Us

Be sure to follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube, and use #KolmeGroup on shared posts!  

The post Time Tracking: Should We or Shouldn’t We? appeared first on Kolme Group.

The post Time Tracking: Should We or Shouldn’t We? appeared first on ProdSens.live.

Executive Summary

• Full Day Time Tracking
• Time Against Time Tracking
• Which way to go?
• My Time Tracking Recommendation For You

Should We or Shouldn’t We?

Time tracking in today’s professional business world may be similar to playing a tense game of Frogger. You know you need to cross the road, but no matter which way you leap, there is a high probability that you will encounter obstacles that will ultimately end your game. So, the question remains: Should we or shouldn’t we require time tracking?

As a certified Resource Manager, I can easily persuade you to land on whatever decision you are leaning towards; for or against it.

If you are leaning against it, I would most likely recommend that you don’t do it. It probably isn’t worth the stress and disruption to your team at this time.

If you are leaning towards it or your business requires billing for services operations, you must determine what type of tracking you will require: Full Day or Time Against.

Before you decide, take a walk with me for a few minutes as I share some of my lessons learned about implementing time tracking.

Full Day Time Tracking

Full Day Time Tracking

Full Day time tracking requires a resource to account for 100% of their working hours. This is the more complicated, demanding, and most difficult type of time tracking to successfully implement and get adopted. While several key benefits exist, the drawbacks can have real consequences for the organization and the team environment.

Benefits:

• Provides a full picture of productive vs. non-productive time/activities
• Provides resource allocation justification
• Provides performance accountability
• Identifies where processes should be improved
• Provides process improvement KPIs
• Provides the most detailed level of estimating work effort and forecasting resource capacity

Drawbacks:

• Can generate largely false data – Resources often arbitrarily enter in 8 hours to meet the requirement. Others may underreport or inflate time to appear that they are either more efficient or more overloaded than they may be.
• Often creates a negative working environment by generating a feeling of “Big Brother Watching” or being micromanaged.
• Difficult to get buy-in from the resources and managers. This requires a lot of tough conversations and a strong dedication to taking the most unpopular avenue.
• If Applied to Global Users – It can create complications in countries that have Work Counsels and/or strict privacy rules
• It can create legal complications if global, contracted, or non-exempt employees consistently report more than the agreed-upon contracted hours

Before you decide to implement a Full Day time tracking requirement, take a minute to be brutally honest with yourself – is this truly required to achieve what you need?

If you are unsure this is right for your team, don’t do it! If you plan to go down the Full Day time-tracking path, you must be fully committed to dealing with the objections, consequences, and occasionally outright defiance.

If this option worries you, perhaps consider implementing the less daunting time tracking type, Time Against.

Time Against Time Tracking

Time Against Time Tracking

Time Against tracking requires a resource to account for the amount of time they spend working on a particular assignment, and the overall daily sum of hours is not as important. While time tracking will never be popular with resources, this is the less demanding, more user-friendly, and easier type of time tracking to successfully implement and get adopted. Following are a few of the benefits and drawbacks of this method.

Benefits:

• Provides a more accurate picture of actual time spent on individual projects
• Can identify where processes should be improved
• Provides resource allocation justification when combined with resource management best practices
• Provides performance accountability
• Provides the most accurate level of estimating work effort and forecasting resource capacity
• Eliminates the “Big Brother Watching” and micromanagement feeling
• Easier to get buy-in from the resources as they are more likely to understand the request versus harboring feelings of having their privacy invaded.

Drawbacks:

• Resources need to change their working behaviors in order to make entering time against projects a routine activity
• There may be times when large blocks of time are unaccounted for, which ultimately should generate a conversation with the resource
• If Applied to Global Users – It can create complications in countries that have Work Counsels and/or strict privacy rules
• It can create legal complications if global, contracted, or non-exempt employees consistently report more than the agreed-upon contracted hours

Which way to go?

Between the two-time tracking types, I have historically seen greater implementation success with the Time Against option. Resources are more open to accounting for how much time they spend working on something so long as every minute of their day is not tracked.

The result of this is that you typically have more reliable data that you can use to improve overall performance.

But First, Ask Yourself…

Time Tracking Questions You Must Ask Yourself

Regardless of which path you choose, there are several other questions that you need to take an open and honest look at:

• Will time tracking improve your working environment or create more overhead? – This is a difficult question, to be honest about. Our initial inclination is to start listing off all the ways things will improve: accurate effort estimating, resource forecasting, and resource load balancing. All good responses! However, I would challenge you to look at it again, especially after reviewing the next few questions. Time tracking always comes with additional overhead, negative emotions, and change management. It’s worth being honest with yourself if it is truly required.

• Once you have this information, do you know what to do with it? – Be honest!!! Gathering information is great! Gathering accurate information is even better!! Do you know what to do with it now that you have it? Do you have an established resource management plan that you will be utilizing? Do you have knowledgeable Resource Managers who know how to analyze the data and turn it into something that can be used for executive- and team-level decisions? If you don’t, take some additional time to evaluate your needs.

• Are you willing to risk changing the work environment by implementing time tracking? – Let’s face it, we hire our resources for their skills, their knowledge, and their experience. Asking them to track their time is often perceived as a slap in the face, even if you have valid reasons for the ask. Time-tracking discussions are very difficult to have! Be aware of the impact that this will have on your team’s morale.

• Do you have the Leadership’s buy-in and support? – If they are not fully committed to backing up this requirement, it has a very low chance of succeeding. If your Executives are not fully on board, consider implementing another method to gather the data you require.

• Are you willing to link time tracking to a compliance program?  – This typically impacts resources’ financials or reviews, positively or negatively. If you aren’t willing to take this step, understand that compliance will be extremely low. Why should I bother if it isn’t required, and there are no consequences for being non-compliant?

My Time Tracking Recommendation For You…

Ultimately, many factors should be reviewed thoroughly when considering project time tracking. At the end of the day, here’s my recommendation for you:

• If you need time reporting, and a minute-by-minute breakdown isn’t absolutely necessary, have resources report time against particular assignments rather than a full day’s accounting.

• Balance the non-reported time by adjusting their overall availability. Link this initiative to a compliance program, whether you choose to utilize the carrot or the stick – although you will get a much better reaction with carrots! Take the time to explain to your resources exactly why this information is needed and lay out the WIIFM factors.

• Finally, make sure to follow up with your team after some time has passed to review the results of this effort. Let them not only see but understand what benefits time tracking brings to the organization.

Let’s Continue To Chat…

Contact Kolme Group to learn more about our Project and Change Management Services and what tools will help you achieve your time-tracking goals. 

Contact Us

Be sure to follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube, and use #KolmeGroup on shared posts!  

The post Time Tracking: Should We or Shouldn’t We? appeared first on Kolme Group.

The post Time Tracking: Should We or Shouldn’t We? appeared first on ProdSens.live.