Time Tracking for Tasks

Effective time tracking helps teams understand project costs, improve estimates, and optimize resource allocation. Waymaker provides comprehensive time tracking features for accurate project management and billing.

Why Track Time?

Benefits of Time Tracking

For Project Managers:

• Accurate project cost tracking
• Identify scope creep early
• Improve future estimations
• Resource allocation optimization
• Data-driven sprint planning

For Team Members:

• Understand time investment per task
• Identify productivity patterns
• Document billable hours
• Track progress on long tasks
• Demonstrate value delivered

For Organizations:

• Client billing accuracy
• Project profitability analysis
• Capacity planning
• Performance benchmarking
• Compliance and auditing

Time Tracking Features

Time Estimates

Setting Estimates:

1. Open task details
2. Click "Time Tracking" section
3. Enter estimated hours in "Estimate" field
4. Save changes

Estimation Guidelines:

Small Tasks: 1-4 hours
├── Bug fixes
├── Simple UI updates
└── Documentation updates

Medium Tasks: 4-16 hours (0.5-2 days)
├── Feature enhancements
├── Integration work
└── Complex bug fixes

Large Tasks: 16-40 hours (2-5 days)
├── New features
├── Architecture changes
└── Major refactoring

Extra Large: >40 hours
├── Epics (should be broken down)
├── Major initiatives
└── Long-term projects

Best Practices:

• ✅ Estimate in hours, not days (more precise)
• ✅ Include testing and review time
• ✅ Account for interruptions (buffer 20%)
• ✅ Base estimates on similar past tasks
• ✅ Re-estimate if requirements change
• ❌ Don't estimate during task creation (wait for clarity)
• ❌ Don't over-estimate to pad schedule
• ❌ Don't forget about meetings and emails

Logging Time

Manual Time Entry:

1. Open task details
2. Click "Log Time" button
3. Enter hours worked (e.g., 2.5)
4. Add description (optional): "Implemented authentication flow"
5. Select date (defaults to today)
6. Mark as billable (if applicable)
7. Click "Log Time"

Time Entry Format:

Decimal Hours: 2.5 (2 hours 30 minutes)
Hours and Minutes: 2:30
Quick Entry: "2h 30m" or "2.5h"

Time Log Entry Structure:

{
  "id": "timelog_uuid_123",
  "task_id": "task_uuid_456",
  "user_id": "user_uuid_789",
  "date": "2025-01-10",
  "hours": 2.5,
  "description": "Implemented user authentication",
  "billable": true,
  "created_at": "2025-01-10T16:45:00Z"
}

Batch Time Entry:

For logging multiple days at once:

1. Click "Bulk Log Time"
2. Select date range
3. Enter daily hours
4. Add description for period
5. Click "Log All"

Example:

Monday 1/8: 3 hours
Tuesday 1/9: 4 hours
Wednesday 1/10: 2.5 hours
Description: "API integration work"
Total: 9.5 hours logged

Timer Feature

Starting a Timer:

1. Open task details
2. Click "Start Timer" button
3. Timer begins counting
4. Continue working on task

Active Timer Indicator:

• Timer displays in task card header
• Timer visible in board view (orange dot)
• Browser tab shows elapsed time
• Desktop notifications for long sessions (>2 hours)

Pausing and Resuming:

• Click "Pause" to temporarily stop timer
• Click "Resume" to continue tracking
• Pause time not counted in total
• Useful for meetings or interruptions

Stopping a Timer:

1. Click "Stop Timer"
2. Review auto-filled hours
3. Add description (optional)
4. Mark as billable (if needed)
5. Click "Log Time"

Timer Display Format:

0:00:00 → 0:15:32 → 1:23:45 → 2:30:00
Hours:Minutes:Seconds

Timer Limits:

• Maximum 12 hours per session
• Auto-pause after 8 hours (with notification)
• Only one active timer per user
• Timer persists across browser sessions

Billable vs. Non-Billable Time

Billable Time:

• Client-facing work
• Feature development
• Bug fixes (client-reported)
• Support and consultation
• Design and planning (if billable)

Non-Billable Time:

• Internal meetings
• Administrative tasks
• Training and learning
• Internal tooling development
• Bug fixes (internal issues)

Setting Billable Status:

During Time Entry:

• Toggle "Billable" checkbox
• Billable time highlighted in green
• Non-billable time shown in gray

Default Billable Status:

• Set per task (task-level default)
• Set per board (board-level default)
• Set per user (personal preference)

Board Default Settings:

{
  "time_tracking": {
    "default_billable": true,
    "billable_rate_usd": 150.00,
    "non_billable_rate_usd": 0.00,
    "currency": "USD"
  }
}

Time Reports

Task-Level Time View

Task Time Summary:

Task #42: Implement User Authentication

Estimated: 8.0 hours
Logged: 10.5 hours
Variance: +2.5 hours (31% over estimate)

Breakdown:
- Billable: 9.0 hours ($1,350)
- Non-Billable: 1.5 hours

Contributors:
- Sarah Johnson: 7.5 hours
- Mike Chen: 3.0 hours

Time Logs:
[List of individual time entries with dates, hours, descriptions]

Estimate vs. Actual Chart:

• Visual bar comparing estimated to actual
• Color-coded: Green (under), Yellow (on target), Red (over)
• Percentage variance displayed

Board-Level Time Reports

Accessing Board Reports:

1. Navigate to Board
2. Click "Reports" → "Time Tracking"
3. Select date range and filters

Report Views:

1. Summary View:

Board: Q1 Product Launch
Period: January 1-31, 2025

Total Time: 320 hours
├── Billable: 280 hours (87.5%)
└── Non-Billable: 40 hours (12.5%)

By Status:
├── Completed: 180 hours (56%)
├── In Progress: 100 hours (31%)
└── To Do: 40 hours (13%)

Total Value:
├── Billable: $42,000 (280 hrs × $150/hr)
├── Budget Used: 71% of $60,000
└── Remaining: $18,000

2. Team Member View:

Time by Team Member (January 2025)

Sarah Johnson
├── Total: 95 hours
├── Billable: 85 hours (89%)
├── Tasks: 12 completed, 3 active
└── Average: 4.75 hrs/day

Mike Chen
├── Total: 88 hours
├── Billable: 80 hours (91%)
├── Tasks: 10 completed, 2 active
└── Average: 4.4 hrs/day

[Additional team members...]

Team Total: 320 hours
Team Average: 4.57 hrs/day

3. Task Type View:

Time by Task Category

Feature Development: 180 hours (56%)
Bug Fixes: 60 hours (19%)
Design: 40 hours (13%)
Testing: 25 hours (8%)
Documentation: 15 hours (5%)

4. Trend View:

Weekly Time Tracking Trends

Week 1 (Jan 1-7): 70 hours
Week 2 (Jan 8-14): 85 hours
Week 3 (Jan 15-21): 90 hours
Week 4 (Jan 22-28): 75 hours

Average: 80 hours/week
Trend: Stable ✅

Export Options

Export Formats:

• CSV (Excel-compatible)
• PDF (formatted report)
• JSON (API integration)

CSV Export Structure:

Date,Task,User,Hours,Billable,Rate,Amount,Description
2025-01-10,#42,Sarah Johnson,2.5,Yes,$150,$375,Implemented auth flow
2025-01-10,#43,Mike Chen,3.0,Yes,$150,$450,API integration
...

Filtered Exports:

• Date range selection
• Specific team members
• Billable/non-billable only
• By task status
• By layer/sprint
• By task tags

Time Tracking Workflows

Daily Time Logging

End-of-Day Routine:

1. Review tasks worked on today
2. Log time for each task
3. Add descriptions for context
4. Mark billable status
5. Submit time logs

Time Log Template:

Daily Time Log - January 10, 2025

Task #42: User Authentication (3.5 hours, billable)
- Implemented OAuth flow (2 hours)
- Added error handling (1 hour)
- Code review (0.5 hours)

Task #45: Dashboard Redesign (2.5 hours, billable)
- Created mockups (1.5 hours)
- Stakeholder review (1 hour)

Meetings (1.5 hours, non-billable)
- Daily standup (0.25 hours)
- Sprint planning (1.25 hours)

Total: 7.5 hours (6 billable, 1.5 non-billable)

Sprint Time Tracking

Sprint Planning:

1. Estimate all sprint tasks
2. Sum total estimated hours
3. Compare to team capacity
4. Adjust scope if needed

Sprint Capacity Calculation:

Team: 5 members
Sprint Length: 2 weeks (10 workdays)
Work Hours: 8 hours/day
Gross Capacity: 5 × 10 × 8 = 400 hours

Non-Project Time:
- Meetings: 15% (60 hours)
- Admin/Email: 10% (40 hours)
- Buffer: 10% (40 hours)

Net Capacity: 260 hours

Committed: 240 hours (92% of capacity) ✅

Mid-Sprint Review:

• Compare actual vs. estimated time
• Identify variance early
• Adjust remaining estimates
• Re-prioritize if needed

Sprint Retrospective Metrics:

Sprint 23 Time Analysis

Planned: 240 hours
Actual: 255 hours
Variance: +15 hours (6% over)

Causes of Variance:
1. Underestimated testing time (+8 hours)
2. Unexpected production issues (+5 hours)
3. Scope additions (+2 hours)

Improvements for Next Sprint:
- Add 50% buffer to testing estimates
- Reserve capacity for bug fixes
- Stricter scope management

Project Time Tracking

Project-Level Tracking:

Use layers to track project phases:

Project: Mobile App Launch

Phase 1: Design (Completed)
├── Estimated: 80 hours
├── Actual: 75 hours
└── Under by: 5 hours (6%) ✅

Phase 2: Development (In Progress)
├── Estimated: 320 hours
├── Logged: 180 hours
├── Remaining: 140 hours
└── Progress: 56%

Phase 3: Testing (Not Started)
├── Estimated: 80 hours
├── Logged: 0 hours
└── Progress: 0%

Project Total:
├── Estimated: 480 hours
├── Logged: 255 hours
├── Remaining: 225 hours
└── Completion: 53%

Integrations

Coming Soon: Third-party time tracking integrations are on our roadmap. Currently, all time tracking is managed within Commander.

Third-Party Time Tracking Tools (Planned)

Planned Integrations:

• Harvest
• Toggl Track
• Clockify
• Everhour
• TimeCamp

Integration Setup:

1. Navigate to Settings → Integrations
2. Select time tracking tool
3. Authenticate with service
4. Configure sync settings
5. Enable auto-sync

Sync Options:

• One-Way: Waymaker → Time tracking tool
• Two-Way: Bidirectional sync
• Manual: Sync on demand
• Automatic: Hourly/daily sync

Example: Harvest Integration:

Sync Configuration:
├── Direction: Waymaker → Harvest
├── Frequency: Hourly
├── Sync billable status: Yes
├── Sync descriptions: Yes
├── Project mapping: Board → Harvest Project
└── Task mapping: Task → Harvest Task

Calendar Integration

Time Blocking:

• Sync logged time to calendar
• Visual representation of time investment
• Identify over-commitment
• Block focus time

Google Calendar Integration:

1. Connect Google Calendar
2. Enable "Time Tracking Sync"
3. Choose calendar for time entries
4. Logged time appears as events

Calendar Event Format:

Event: "[Waymaker] Task #42: User Authentication"
Time: 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM (2.5 hours)
Description: Implemented OAuth flow
Color: Green (billable) / Gray (non-billable)

Best Practices

Estimation Accuracy

Improving Estimates:

1. Historical Data: Review past similar tasks
2. Break Down Work: Smaller tasks = better estimates
3. Include Everything: Design, dev, test, review, deploy
4. Buffer Time: Add 20% for unknowns
5. Team Input: Collaborate on complex estimates

Estimation Calibration:

Track Estimation Accuracy Over Time

Sprint 1: Average 45% variance (poor)
Sprint 2: Average 30% variance (improving)
Sprint 3: Average 20% variance (good)
Sprint 4: Average 15% variance (excellent) ✅

Goal: <20% average variance

When to Re-Estimate:

• Requirements significantly changed
• New dependencies discovered
• Technical approach changed
• Midway through task, variance >30%

Time Logging Discipline

Daily Habits:

• Log time at end of each task (immediate)
• Alternatively, log at end of day (batch)
• Never let time logs go >2 days stale
• Use descriptive notes for future reference

Common Mistakes:

• ❌ Logging round numbers (2.0 hrs every time)
• ❌ Forgetting small tasks (adds up)
• ❌ Not tracking non-billable time
• ❌ Logging time to wrong task
• ❌ Inflating hours for billable work

Quality Time Logs:

❌ Poor: "2 hours - worked on task"
✅ Good: "2.5 hours - Implemented user login API endpoint, added validation, wrote unit tests"

❌ Poor: "8 hours" (suspiciously round)
✅ Good: "7.75 hours - Full day on feature, minus 15min standup"

Team Time Tracking

Team Agreements:

• Consistent estimation units (hours vs. days)
• Time logging frequency (daily vs. weekly)
• Billable vs. non-billable guidelines
• Meeting time tracking approach
• Overhead allocation (email, admin)

Transparency:

• Time logs visible to team
• Aggregate reports shared weekly
• No "time shaming" culture
• Focus on continuous improvement
• Celebrate estimation accuracy improvements

Client Billing

Billable Time Guidelines:

✅ Always Billable:

• Feature development per spec
• Bug fixes (client-reported)
• Client meetings and calls
• Documentation for client
• Deployment and support

⚠️ Sometimes Billable (check contract):

• Design iterations (beyond scope)
• Scope clarification meetings
• Bug fixes (our mistakes)
• Training and onboarding

❌ Never Billable:

• Internal meetings
• Administrative work
• Learning/training (for our benefit)
• Rework due to our errors
• Internal tooling development

Invoice Generation:

Invoice for January 2025

Project: Client Website Redesign
Period: January 1-31, 2025

Development: 180 hours @ $150/hr = $27,000
Design: 40 hours @ $175/hr = $7,000
Project Management: 20 hours @ $125/hr = $2,500

Total Billable: 240 hours
Total Amount: $36,500

Detailed Time Log: [Attached CSV]

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue: Forgot to Log Time

Solution:

1. Review calendar and email for that day
2. Check git commits for task work
3. Look at other task logs for patterns
4. Make best estimate with note: "Retroactive log"

Issue: Timer Left Running Overnight

Solution:

1. Edit time log after stopping timer
2. Correct hours to actual work time
3. Add note: "Timer correction - actual work 6 hours"

Issue: Logged Time to Wrong Task

Solution:

1. Delete incorrect time log
2. Create new time log on correct task
3. Add note explaining correction

Issue: Estimate Wildly Inaccurate Mid-Task

Solution:

1. Update estimate to realistic number
2. Add comment explaining variance
3. Notify project manager if impacts timeline
4. Break down remaining work for clarity

Conclusion

Effective time tracking provides:

• Accurate billing for client work
• Better estimates through historical data
• Resource insights for capacity planning
• Project visibility on progress and costs
• Team accountability and transparency

Start simple with manual time logs, evolve to timers, and eventually integrate with your billing and project management workflows.

Related Resources

• Task Details - Managing task information
• Measuring Success - Project metrics and KPIs
• Creating Tasks - Task creation basics
• Board Settings - Configure time tracking defaults

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Last updated: January 10, 2025