How A Construction Time Tracking App Will Improve Your Business

How A Construction Time Tracking App Will Improve Your Business

As a business owner, one is constantly looking to improve. Whether it is increasing operational efficiencies or profit margins, there is always room for improvement. Construction time tracking software delivers that ability to improve both dramatically. When implemented correctly, construction time tracking software improves operational efficiencies through automating manual processes. Additionally, it provides greater visibility into labor productivity to make strategic decisions on improving profit margins. Construction time tracking software will improve your business.

What is a construction time tracking app?

We all know that visual of the manual time clock in construction. A worker grabs his paper timecard and inserts it into the time clock to record his start and end time. At the end of the week, the foreman grabs all the paper time cards and drives them to the office. From that point, payroll specialists manually enter all the time card information for payroll processing. This is not just a visual. Instead, it is a reality for many construction companies.

The widespread usage of mobile devices has also spurred the adoption of software through mobile apps. No longer do workers need to punch in and punch out with a paper time card to a time clock. Construction time tracking software enables workers to punch in and out directly from their mobile device. Many construction time tracking software is pretty flexible and allows employees to clock in and out from a single device in a kiosk mode, individual time entry from their own smartphone, or even have the foreman clock in and out an entire crew.

Construction time tracking software improves operational efficiency for your business. No longer does the foreman need to collect time cards and drive them back to the office. No longer does the payroll specialist need to spend hours manually entering time card information. All of the time card information exists in centrally located cloud database for easy access by all parties. Time savings for everyone.

What a construction time tracking app is NOT

Many employees are fearful of time tracking software. Sure, some construction time tracking software applications have plenty of fancy features such as biometrics. Such technology includes fingerprint identification, facial recognition, or retina scanning in order to punch in. This is to verify that the employee punching in is exactly who they say they are and that their co-worker is not punching in for them. All this does is foster an environment of distrust and micro-management for employees.

With the ongoing labor shortage in construction, the last thing you want to do is have your employees think you do not trust them and begin to leave for greener pastures. Undoubtedly, construction time tracking software captures accurate time records and activity for individual employees. However, construction time tracking software is not about tracking people.

What you should do with a construction time tracking app

If construction time tracking software is not about tracking people, what is it? Construction time tracking software is about capturing labor hours to track projects. The biggest risk to project profitability in construction is labor. Therefore, when you can accurately track labor with construction time tracking software, you can proactively manage project budgets and profits.

Construction time tracking software allows employees to track their hours toward specific labor activities on a project. For example, Bob, an employee of a drywall company, worked on framing from 8 AM to 12 PM, and then on install from 1 PM to 4 PM. When employees can track hours toward specific labor activities, project managers and estimators gain visibility into the duration of specific activities. They can determine which activities are taking faster or longer than estimated and make adjustments to keep the overall project budget intact. Most importantly, estimators use the historical labor information to produce tighter estimates. No more under-quoting and risk running in the red. Similarly, no more over quoting and risk not receiving the award.

Growing your business with construction time tracking software

When businesses track time more accurately, they gain visibility into labor efficiency on their projects. The greater insight into labor hours and project progress will accelerate growth for construction businesses. They can fix their flaws to work more productively – whether it is moving people into different crews or in investing in new tools. They can develop a niche if they find that their teams are more efficient on certain projects such as commercial versus residential projects.

Whether it is removing manual data entry so teams can focus on work that is more productive or removing barriers to a crew’s productivity, the key to business growth is utilizing resources wisely. Construction time tracking software is that key.