Time Doctor - A High-Tech Solution to an Age-Old Problem

We
were looking for an easy way to track employee time and activities. On one
hand, we wanted to ensure that people are working (and that they were working
on the "right" things). On the other hand, we didn't want to disrupt
focus time or hinder performance.

120823 Time Doctor LogoAfter
doing some research, we found a tool called "Time Doctor". It sends daily reports to workers (and
their managers) of current tasks and the time log for the previous day.

This
software also tracks web sites visited and applications used. As you might
hope, if someone seems to be spending too much time on “distracting” sites like
YouTube or Facebook, it “nudges” them by asking whether or not they are still
working. Likewise, after a period of inactivity, Time Doctor will ask whether
or not that time was spent working.

 

120825 Time Doctor Facebook Check 2

It
is worth noting that Time Doctor does these things automatically, with minimal
disruption or effort.

The
application consists of a desktop component which connects with a server and
provides reports to management via e-mail (or a website).  That means it works great even when people are in different locations.

 

You
Can’t Manage What You Don’t Measure
.

 

With
that said, collecting data is different than gaining insights from data. For example, Time Doctor helped us figure-out what the chunks (or sub-projects) really looked like at the work level; this allowed us to name and right-size them at the planning level.

In addition, employees
can gain insights about how they actually spend their day compared to how they
planned to spend their day. Likewise, this data is useful at planning sessions
to ensure that we actually do the things we said we were going to do — and
that people are working on doing what is necessary for “success” in their job. 

 

120825 Time Doctor Graph

When someone is working too long — that may show effort; but you don't necessarily want people working harder.  It is an opportunity to discuss delegating, automating, or just saying "no" to certain things.  With growth, many projects become possible.  As a team, you have to be careful with your choice of which ones get scarce resources (your time, machine cycles, etc.).  Your choice to do something often means a corresponding choice not to do something else.  That choice should be conscious.

Time Doctor creates an opportunity to do more than just say "No" to a task … Instead, it can be the catalyst to re-direct that work to a different resource. Something that would cause overflow for someone
might be a career upgrade or great opportunity for someone else.

 

What
Are You Trying to Improve
?

 

A
tool like Time Doctor is not a replacement for assessing someone's actual work
output, yet, it’s a very powerful tool to get extra data points.  For
example, you can find-out how many hours someone has been working, who they
have been collaborating with, and whether they are in front of a computer or a
customer?

Right
out of the box, Time Doctor does what it's supposed to do. Nonetheless, if you
want to get more out of it, you have to have the right intent.

Simply
seeing a list of the tasks and activities that people work on throughout the
day is useful.  However, using that information to time when you talk with
them, or help coach them to spend time on higher priority items is when you are
actively managing and adding value, rather than simply data tracking.

So check out Time Doctor.  It is an effective productivity and
management tool for your team.  Used properly, it will help you mark good management practice and encourage your team to a higher standard of performance and participation.

 

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