Time tracking is an important component of efficient management, for assessing the efficiency of processes and tools, as well as individuals. Measurement of time spent on specific tasks is particularly difficult in the third and fourth sector of the economy and is further complicated by the extensive use of computers which facilitates the constant switching back and forth between tasks, rather than closing one before moving to the next.
Whether the goal is accurate invoicing or measuring the efficiency of human and other resources, the standard way of tracking time spent on various work tasks is through Global Timesheets, in other words a form of self reporting. However, the task of manually completing timesheets is time-consuming in itself and difficult to achieve accurately. This inaccuracy in manually reported timesheets has been calculated to cost millions per year. Furthermore, timesheet completion has been found to be a significant cause of work-related anxiety.
The problem of manual timesheets has been the focus of various software solutions aiming to provide automated digital time tracking. However, most of these solutions still depend on frequent user intervention to indicate switching from one task to another etc. This defines the overall objective of the IT-TRAS project: minimization of manual intervention in time-tracking through a) the gathering of data from different sources in order to work seamlessly in different locations and platforms; b) automatic adjustment to different tasks/projects; c) automatic time distribution.
Automated and accurate time-tracking is expected to significantly reduce time spent on the task of reporting, minimize inaccuracies and therefore financial losses and lessen anxiety and frustration stemming from these problems.
