A timesheet (or time sheet) is a method for recording the amount of a worker's time spent on each job. Traditionally a sheet of

paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, Textile, rags, poaceae, grasses, Feces#Other uses, herbivore dung, or other vegetable sources in water. Once the water is dra ...

with the data arranged in tabular format, a timesheet is now often a

digital document An electronic document is a document that can be sent in non-physical means, such as telex, email, and the internet. Originally, any computer data were considered as something internal—the final data output was always on paper. However, the ...

spreadsheet A spreadsheet is a computer application for computation, organization, analysis and storage of data in tabular form. Spreadsheets were developed as computerized analogs of paper accounting worksheets. The program operates on data entered in c ...

. The time cards stamped by

time clock A time clock, sometimes known as a clock card machine, punch clock, or time recorder, is a device that records start and end times for hourly employees (or those on flexi-time) at a place of business. In mechanical time clocks, this was accompl ...

s can serve as a timesheet or provide the data to fill one. These, too, are now often digital. Timesheets came into use in the 19th century as

time book A time book is a mostly outdated accounting record, that registered the work hours, hours worked by employees in a certain organization in a certain period. These records usually contain names of employees, type of work, hours worked, and sometime ...

s. To record time in a more granular fashion,

time-tracking software Time-tracking software are Computer program, computer programs that allows users to record time spent on tasks or projects. Time-tracking software may include time-recording software, which uses user activity monitoring to record the activities p ...

may be used.

Use

Originally developed for an

employer Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any ot ...

to calculate

payroll A payroll is a list of employment, employees of a company who are entitled to receive compensation as well as other work benefits, as well as the amounts that each should obtain. Along with the amounts that each employee should receive for time ...

, a timesheet can also be used for

management accounting In management accounting or managerial accounting, managers use accounting information in decision-making and to assist in the management and performance of their control functions. Definition One simple definition of management accounting is th ...

. Timesheets may track the start and end times of tasks or just the duration. It may contain a detailed breakdown of tasks accomplished throughout the project or program. This information may be used for payroll, client billing, and increasingly for project costing, estimation, tracking, and management. Some companies provide web-based timesheet software or services that provide a means to track time for

, billing and

project management Project management is the process of supervising the work of a Project team, team to achieve all project goals within the given constraints. This information is usually described in project initiation documentation, project documentation, crea ...

. One of the major uses of timesheet in a project management environment is comparing planned costs versus actual costs, as well as measuring employee performance and identifying problematic tasks. This knowledge can drive

corporate strategy In the field of management, strategic management involves the formulation and implementation of the major goals and initiatives taken by an organization's managers on behalf of stakeholders, based on consideration of Resource management, resources ...

as users stop performing or reassign unprofitable work.

Time cards

Factory A factory, manufacturing plant or production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. Th ...

workers may often have a "time card" (also known as

punch card A punched card (also punch card or punched-card) is a stiff paper-based medium used to store digital information via the presence or absence of holes in predefined positions. Developed over the 18th to 20th centuries, punched cards were wide ...

) and "punch in" by inserting their card into an automatic timestamp machine (called a

or bundy clock) when starting and ending their

work shift Shift work is an employment practice designed to keep a service or production line operational at all times. The practice typically sees the day divided into shifts, set periods of time during which different groups of workers perform their ...

, though other card technologies such as swipe cards have become more prevalent.

Advantages

Time tracking can reduce costs in three ways: by making payroll processing more efficient, by making costs visible so they can be reduced, and by automating billing and

invoicing An invoice, bill, tab, or bill of costs is a commercial document that includes an itemized list of goods or services furnished by a seller to a buyer relating to a sale transaction, that usually specifies the price and terms of sale, quantiti ...

. Time tracking can increase

revenue In accounting, revenue is the total amount of income generated by the sale of product (business), goods and services related to the primary operations of a business. Commercial revenue may also be referred to as sales or as turnover. Some compan ...

through automating billing, which tends to make it easier for a company to get correct invoices out for all hours worked by consulting staff. This speeds up payment and eliminates the hassles of 'dropping' bills. By reducing costs in three ways, and increasing

in one way, timesheet management technologies that are web-based can improve the health of companies. In

, timesheet can also be used to build a body of knowledge about how much effort tasks take to develop. This data helps resource managers to allocate resource accurately. Machine learning is being used to automatically find patterns in timesheet — then using this information to recommend more accurate project plans in the future. For example, if developing a training plan has historically taken a month, then it can be assumed that creating a new one will take a month. Also, most timesheet software has the ability to track resource costs and project expenses to allow for better future budgeting. For the HR function, the time spent on activities by individuals can be analysed over a period of time and categorised into broad types. Based on the outcome, roles could be realigned.

References

{{reflist Working time Personnel economics Office equipment

Use

Time cards

Advantages

See also

References