Timesheets for Engineers – Everything You Need to Know
Have you ever noticed how some people just seem to be able to solve problems better than others?
If you’re one of those people that are good at solving problems and coming up with solutions, you’d probably make a very good engineer.
If you run your own company, or even if you simply work as an independent contractor and are involved in the engineering industry, it certainly won’t come as a shock to learn that there is a lot of hard work involved.
For anybody thinking of becoming an engineer and/or starting your own business, or if you’re already in an engineering company, one of the first things you need to accept is the fact that technology can, and will, be a huge benefit if you use it to your advantage.
Timesheets for engineers for example, can provide all manner of benefits which is why time tracking software in the engineering sector is currently in such incredibly high demand.
But why are timesheets for engineers so important and can utilizing time tracking apps and software as an engineer really make a huge difference to your business?
Here’s a look at everything you need to know about time tracking software for engineers.
What is engineer time tracking software?
We’ll get to the benefits of using this software in just a few moments, but first, we need to learn exactly what engineer time tracking software is.
In business, time is money, yet studies have found that a lot of employees believe that they waste as many as 2 hours of the working day, which means that potentially, that’s 10 hours of the working week completely wasted.
Time tracking software is a specially designed tool utilized by employers, managers, and employees in general, and is created to track and monitor time in the work place.
Not only does the software track time spent working, it can monitor attendance, can provide updates regarding work progress, it can help track company spending and revenue, it can streamline logistical work, and a whole lot more besides.
What do engineers do?
Engineers possess an uncanny ability to solve problems and come up with solutions utilizing science, mathematics, geometry, technology, and common sense.
Everywhere you look you can see engineering in action, from the roads you drive along, to the machines you exercise upon in the gym.
Engineering is involved in so many different aspects of everyday life that listing each one would take an age. Years ago, there were basically four branches of engineering, which were categorized as:
- Civil
- Mechanical
- Electrical
- Chemical
Nowadays, though, there is also: Geotechnical engineering, management and more. Now, under these subcategories, there are also numerous subcategories.
Working as an engineer is a time-consuming and complex career path, which is why sometimes you’ll need all of the help that you can get.
If you’re struggling to stay on schedule, are worried your employees/sub-contractors are doing the most important tasks, or are just looking for transparency when it comes to your engineering career, timesheets for engineers will prove to be a very worthwhile investment.
What makes timesheets for engineers so beneficial?
Okay, now we’ve looked at time tracking software, and we know more about what engineers are required to do, so now it’s time to learn how time reporting software can help.
Here are several reasons why engineers should invest in time tracking software.
It’s easy to use
When you make purchases for your business that are designed to make life easier, that’s exactly what you want to happen.
Sadly, there are some tools and pieces of equipment out there which are supposed to make working life easier that actually have the opposite effect.
Thankfully, when it comes to time tracking software, that is not an issue. That is, if you find the right solution.
Whether you want the software purely for yourself, or if you have employees and teams working for you, using the software couldn’t be easier.
Getting started is a piece of cake if you get the right tool, and you will quickly learn how to use it, and once you do, you’re all set.
The software is very simple to wrap your head around and utilize, and once you do know what you’re doing, if you have other employees working for you, you can then pass on this knowledge to them so they also know how to use it correctly.
Manage everything from one place
As an engineer, it doesn’t matter which field of engineering you happen to be involved in, another key benefit of engineer time tracking software is the fact that it enables you to manage everything in one place.
That means that there’s no need to remember multiple usernames, passwords, and log in details for different projects, different apps, and different software products, as time tracking software allows you to get an overview of everything in one spot.
Engineers likely have multiple projects going on at once, meaning that it is unlikely an engineer will be working solely on one project and one project only. If you’ve several projects on the go at the same time, time reporting is very useful.
With hours reporting software, if you want to see exactly how far along you and/or your team are with various projects you’ll simply open the software, click what you want to find out and see on screen your current progress with each job.
Having the ability to manage everything from one place will not only make life easier, it will also help to save time as well, and time saved in business is money in your pocket.
Keep employees on track without disrupting them
If you do indeed have people working for you on various tasks and projects, timesheet reporting software can be very useful.
Without the software, if you wanted to find out how far along an employee was on a project you’d either have to call them to your desk, go to find them, call them, or email them to ask them how they were getting along.
Speaking to employees will disrupt their work which in turn will slow them down, which means that there is a greater risk of falling behind and missing deadlines.
With a good solution for timesheets for engineers, however, there is no need to worry about disrupting your employees and distracting them from their jobs by asking for their progress. Why? Because the software will log everything instead.
Rather than having to ask how they’re getting on, you can simply open up the software, click on the employee/project, and see on screen how much progress they’ve made, and also for the project or organization overall.
Best of all is that you can do this from virtually anywhere, so you can focus on your work and leave them to focus on theirs.
Map out your entire day
Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of timesheets for engineers is the fact that the right time tracking software will let you map out your entire day in advance.
Engineers by their very nature are meticulous in terms of planning and organization which is why they often find this benefit so appealing.
With time tracking, and an engineer timesheet solution, you know in advance how far along you and/or your team are with specific tasks and projects and when deadlines are. This means that you can plan your working day in advance in order to stay on schedule.
The software means that you will have a clear idea of how much time you should realistically spend on each project so as to ensure you stay on schedule and that you don’t miss deadlines.
You can use the info the software brings up for you to map out your working day.
So, for example, you could spend an hour on a project that you are on schedule with, four hours on one that is more urgent, a couple more hours on another, and so on.
Basically, knowing how far along on each project you and/or your employees are means that you know how much time to dedicate to each one so as to meet deadlines and keep clients happy.
Update clients
Let’s face it, as a business owner, the more successful you are the more work you will have on.
This is generally a good thing, but it can be detrimental in some instances too. The busier you are, the less free time you will have which means that it will likely take longer to meet deadlines, and that clients may need to wait longer.
Now, if you tell clients in advance that it will take longer than normal to complete a task or project, they will likely be understanding.
If however, you tell them that you will complete the project in six months, and yet seven months down the line you’ve still a long way to go, without updating the client, they’re well within their rights to feel annoyed.
When it comes to timesheets for engineers, this software is great because it means that you can use it to update clients and let them know what’s happening.
Rather than having clients asking you constantly how long it will take to complete their project, you can use the data the software provides and can then get an estimate of how long it will be.
If for example, the time tracking software indicates that you and your team are 95% complete on a specific project, you can tell the client that you are very close to completion, in which case they’ll know they won’t have much longer to wait.
The more communication you can have with your clients, the happier they will likely be.
Ensure employees aren’t overwhelmed
Time reporting software in the form of your engineer timesheet reporting isn’t just beneficial to employers, it is also very beneficial for employees as well.
With time tracking software, you can use the software to ensure that employees do not become overwhelmed with too much work.
If you can see that a project which normally requires 3 employees, is taking much longer than usual because you have only assigned two employees to it, you can pull employees off less pressing projects and put them onto more urgent tasks and projects instead.
By assigning a 3rd, and even a 4th employee to the project lagging behind, this means that the workload is split evenly and as a result, employees will not find themselves overwhelmed and overworked.
This will not only benefit your engineering business, it will also help to boost employee morale, which can only be a good thing.
See the numbers in black and white
When it comes to running a business, ultimately that business’ primary goal is to make money. If it wasn’t, you’d offer your services for free, or at a heavily discounted rate.
As those of you who run your own businesses will know, though, one of the most time-consuming and stressful parts of running a business is dealing with the accounts and numbers.
Timesheet software is ideal when it comes to budgets, accounts, profits, resource planning, and a whole lot more besides.
The software, which can also integrate with things such as Outlook, will track and monitor a whole variety of different things relating to profits and accounting so you can see how much you’re making, how much you’re spending, are fixed fee projects making financial sense, and so on.
Get a clearer insight into your business with an engineer timesheet
Finally, the last benefit of timesheets for engineers that we’re going to look at today is the fact that time tracking can help to provide a clear insight into your business.
You can see how you are spending your time at work, you can see how your employees and sub-contractors are utilizing their time, you can track spending, you can see employee efficiency, you can see how efficient you are at meeting deadlines, and a whole lot more besides.
The more you understand about your engineering business, the more efficient you and your business will become.
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