We can say that in any type of company, but particularly in those offering consultancy services, effective management of the time spent on each activity becomes crucial for business growth.
The more detailed the time tracking, the better the resource allocation for serving clients. Recording the hours worked by each team member allows for a clear understanding of several aspects, including identifying the most time-consuming tasks, spotting "downtime," and revealing potential workflow improvements.
For this task, Skills includes a feature known as timesheets, which track the total hours required for a project in real time. Given the nature of consultancy, this time can vary significantly between what was estimated and the actual time spent. Timesheets also provide a clear view of productivity and allow for strategic resource allocation.
This function, integrated into the platform and available to all users, ensures greater accuracy in tracking time since entries can be made more controlled, for example, at the end of each workday. This also helps ensure the accuracy of the records.
Another advantage of using timesheets in Skills is automation. For instance, when a task is marked as started, a timer begins and stops when the task is marked as completed.
Considering the above, accurate time tracking is essential for billing clients, as it reflects the true effort dedicated to each project. Additionally, the timesheet becomes a valuable tool for evaluating the profitability of each campaign, contributing to a critical factor in every organization: making informed and data-driven decisions, which will allow for better forecasting for future projects.
In summary, timesheets in a consultancy firm should not be seen as a control system, but rather as a tool that supports time tracking, and more importantly, as a strategic instrument to improve operational efficiency. It also offers transparency internally and with clients about where one of the most valuable resources, time, is being spent.
