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Managing time manually or switching between disconnected apps for tracking hours and project updates can quickly lead to missed deadlines, overworked teams, and unclear priorities. Without a clear picture of how time is spent, staying on budget and on track becomes a daily challenge.
After working with dozens of growing teams and testing 40+ project management tools, I’ve seen how valuable integrated time tracking can be. The right software doesn’t just log hours—it helps teams plan smarter, identify bottlenecks early, and deliver work more efficiently.
Additionally, project management software with time tracking keeps accurate records of how long tasks and projects take. It centralizes work hours, deadlines, and resource usage in one accessible platform, giving businesses the visibility they need to stay focused and productive.
In this guide, you’ll find the key features of a project management software with built-in time tracking. You’ll further find the benefits, cost analysis, and a buyer guide as well —so you can choose the best project management and time tracking software for your team.
Project management software for time tracking is designed to help teams monitor how much time is spent on tasks, projects, and overall workflows. Unlike traditional project management tools, which focus on planning and collaboration, these solutions ensure that every working hour is accurately recorded and linked to project progress.
Whether managing in-house teams, remote employees, or client-based work, having precise time data allows for better decision-making. The true value of this software lies in its ability to bring structure to time management. It eliminates guesswork, prevents time leakage, and ensures that teams are not overburdened or underutilized.
Tracking time accurately while managing a project is tough but crucial. Without it, projects run late, and budgets blow out. The right project management software fixes this by offering key features designed to keep you on track and in control. Here’s what you should look for:
Feature | How Will It Help Your Business |
Task-Linked Time Tracking | Tracks time directly on tasks and subtasks for precise billing and reporting |
Automated Time Tracking | Automatically records time spent on tasks without manual input |
Time Tracking by Project Phase | Breaks down time spent on phases like planning and execution for detailed insights |
Multi-Project Time Tracking | Allows accurate tracking across multiple simultaneous projects. |
Auto-Pause on Inactivity | Detects idle or off-task periods and pauses time tracking automatically |
Role-Based Time Permissions | Controls who can edit or override time entries to prevent misuse |
Unlike standalone time-tracking tools, project management software integrates time logs directly into tasks and subtasks. It ensures every minute is attributed to specific project activities rather than just generic time slots.
This feature tracks time as users interact with tasks, eliminating the need for manual entries. It means time is automatically recorded when a team member starts editing a document, updating a task status, or engaging in a project discussion.
The best project management software for time tracking breaks down time allocation per project phase (e. g. , planning, execution, testing), providing a more granular view of where efforts are concentrated instead of just tracking total hours worked.
It enables seamless tracking for team members working on multiple projects simultaneously, which prevents double entries and ensures precise billable hours for different clients or internal teams.
The feature automatically detects inactivity or task switching (like excessive time spent on emails or unrelated apps) and pauses tracking to maintain accuracy, ensuring time logs reflect actual work.
The best project management and time tracking software allows managers to set time tracking permissions based on roles. This ensures only relevant team members can edit or override time entries while maintaining transparency for others.
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Project management software with integrated time tracking provides data-driven accuracy, showing exactly how long tasks take. This allows managers to set realistic deadlines instead of relying on assumptions, reducing last-minute rushes and missed milestones.
One of the biggest risks in project management is scope creep—when projects exceed their original plan, leading to extra work and unexpected costs. With real-time time tracking, teams can monitor whether tasks are taking longer than expected and make adjustments before a project spirals out of control. This helps in keeping projects within budget and ensuring clients or stakeholders are aware of any necessary changes.
Managers often struggle to balance workloads across teams, leading to overworked employees and underutilized resources. With time-tracking insights, it becomes easier to see who is overloaded and who has capacity, allowing for smarter task distribution. This prevents burnout and ensures projects move forward smoothly without overwhelming specific team members.
For teams working with external clients or stakeholders, time tracking provides clear, detailed reports on how project hours are spent. This builds trust, ensures accurate invoicing for billable work, and reduces disputes over time estimates. Clients get full visibility into progress, which improves communication and satisfaction.
After a project is completed, time tracking data provides a detailed breakdown of what worked well and where delays occurred. Teams can use these insights to refine future project estimates and develop better strategies for upcoming work. Over time, this creates a culture of continuous improvement, making projects more predictable and successful.
Project managers often create initial project timelines based on estimated task durations. However, as work progresses, actual time spent can differ significantly from projections. With built-in time tracking, managers can continuously adjust schedules based on real-time data, ensuring deadlines remain realistic and avoiding last-minute rushes or timeline overruns.
Example: A software development team initially estimates that UI design will take 40 hours. Halfway through, time tracking data reveals the team has already spent 35 hours but is only 50% done. The project manager quickly reallocates resources or adjusts deadlines to keep the project on track
Without accurate time tracking, some team members may be overloaded while others have capacity that goes unnoticed. Project management software with time tracking helps managers see exactly how much time each team member is spending on different tasks, allowing for fair workload distribution.
Example: In a marketing agency, one designer logs 50+ hours in a week while another logs only 20. The project manager redistributes design tasks accordingly
Agile teams rely on sprint planning to manage workloads, but without time tracking, velocity estimates can be inaccurate. By logging time directly in project management software, teams can track how long each sprint task actually takes, improving planning accuracy for future sprints.
Example: A product development team working in two-week sprints notices that implementing a new feature took twice as long as expected. Using tracked time data, they refine their estimation process for the next sprint, avoiding bottlenecks
Meetings, status updates, and administrative work can eat into productive hours without teams realizing it. By tracking time across different task categories, teams can identify time-consuming activities that don’t contribute directly to project progress and optimize meeting schedules.
Example: A tech startup finds that developers are spending 8+ hours a week in meetings. By analysing time logs, leadership reduces non-essential meetings, allowing more time for focused work
After completing a project, time-tracking data provides a clear breakdown of how time was allocated across different phases, helping teams improve future estimates and decision-making. This prevents recurring inefficiencies and ensures better planning for upcoming projects.
Example: A construction company completes a building project and reviews time logs. They discover that material procurement took 30% longer than estimated. For the next project, they adjust their procurement timeline accordingly, avoiding unnecessary delays.
Project management tools with time tracking features typically follow a per-user pricing model, with plans ranging from $5 to $20 per user/month depending on the features offered. Some platforms also offer flat-rate plans or custom pricing for larger teams.
The actual cost can vary widely depending on the depth of features, team size, and industry-specific needs. Basic plans often include essential time-tracking tools within task management but may lack advanced automation, integrations, or detailed reporting. On the other hand, enterprise-level solutions provide granular time tracking linked to project budgets, billing systems, and workforce analytics.
For instance, businesses in the construction industry seeking the best construction project management software that works with Xero need a solution that not only tracks project timelines but also seamlessly syncs financial data for accurate budgeting and invoicing
Pricing structures are typically based on per-user subscriptions, tiered feature access, or usage-based billing. Teams with simple time-tracking needs may find cost-effective solutions within broader project management platforms, while agencies, consultancies, and organizations with billable hour requirements often invest in premium plans.
The success of time tracking within a project management tool depends on more than just basic logging features. Here’s a breakdown of the key considerations to ensure you choose the right solution for your team:
Time tracking within project management software can be a game-changer for productivity and accountability. However, teams frequently run into hurdles when integrating and using these tools efficiently. Here are some key challenges to be aware of.
If time tracking isn’t seamlessly integrated into project tasks, team members must interrupt their work to start, stop, or adjust time logs. This becomes especially challenging for fast-paced environments where professionals switch between tasks frequently.
Relying solely on manual time logging can lead to incomplete or exaggerated entries, as professionals often forget to track time in real-time and must reconstruct their work hours later. This results in distorted project reports, inaccurate invoicing, and poor resource planning. Solutions like idle detection, retrospective time entry suggestions, or AI-assisted tracking help reduce these errors.
Professionals working across multiple projects may struggle with overlapping time entries or difficulty assigning time correctly to the right project. If the software lacks a clear interface for switching between projects without duplicate entries, it can lead to incorrect billing, skewed productivity metrics, and unnecessary administrative work.
When different team members use time tracking inconsistently—some logging in real-time, others retroactively, and some not at all—it leads to data discrepancies. If the software doesn’t enforce consistent tracking policies, project insights become unreliable, making it difficult to assess productivity and optimize resources.
Contact our team of experts for free advice on choosing software solutions best suited to your business needs.
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