How to find the best timesheet app for your team size and workflow

Keeping projects on schedule and operations running smoothly depends on tracking your team’s time effectively. Since there are many tools today, you should pick one that fits your team’s size and how you work together.

This guide explains how to assess a time tracking tool that is right for you so you can decide with confidence.

What Is a Timesheet App?

A timesheet app is a digital tool that helps you keep track of how much time your employees, freelancers or team members work on different tasks or projects. Rather than using paper or spreadsheets, teams use these apps to record their time more correctly and quickly.

Most timesheet apps give users the option to either enter their hours manually or use a timer to track them as they go. Some apps also have features such as approving timesheets, creating reports, connecting to payroll and sending reminders to enter time.

If you are responsible for a small business or a big team, a timesheet app makes it easier to see what is happening, manage tasks and prevent errors in tracking and billing. It is particularly helpful for companies that charge by the hour, oversee remote workers or want to check how time is spent.

Understand Why Team Size Matters

The success of a tool often depends on how many employees are on your team. A business with only five employees needs time management differently from a business with fifty or more employees.

Many solo professionals and small teams prefer simple solutions. If your situation is similar, you may want a timesheet app that is simple to use, sets up quickly and doesn’t have any extra features you don’t need. Organizations like Clockify have the right features without being too complicated.

Teams that are larger in size usually need more sophisticated tools. As your organization grows, timesheet approval, role-based access and advanced reporting become more important. With Harvest, QuickBooks Time or Hubstaff, you can manage your team and ensure everyone stays accountable and organized.

Match the Tool to Your Workflow

Since all teams are different, your chosen system should match your team’s approach to work and time management.

If your team needs to log hours by project, client or task, make sure the solution you pick supports this. If a team has flexible hours or works both in the office and remotely, they should be able to enter their time manually or automatically.

It’s important to think about how you plan to look at and use the data. Are you required to get weekly reports for billing purposes? Is it necessary for managers to review and approve time entries before payroll? These are important questions to ask about your workflow. Choose an app that fits well into your daily routines and doesn’t require you to do more than necessary.

Remote and mobile teams might find it useful to have GPS tracking, the ability to use mobile apps or work offline. All of these points are important when you’re selecting a system meant to help you, not complicate your work.