Track time on tasks

How to track time in Tallyfy

Section titled “How to track time in Tallyfy”

You can track time by adding number fields to tasks with validation rules. This captures hours and minutes spent on each task - useful for cost analysis and workflow measurement.

Prerequisites

Section titled “Prerequisites”

• Administrator or Standard user role
• Access to edit templates
• Familiarity with form fields

When to use time tracking

Section titled “When to use time tracking”

Time tracking works best for:

• Billable client work requiring accurate hour logs
• Process improvement measuring task efficiency
• Compliance requirements mandating time documentation
• Resource planning based on actual task duration

Steps to set up time tracking

Section titled “Steps to set up time tracking”

1. Open your template for editing Go to the Templates tab and open the template where you want time tracking. Click Edit Template.

2. Select the task Click on the specific task (step) where team members should log their time.

3. Add the hours field

   • Click Add Form Field in the task editor
   • Select Short Text field type
   • Configure:
     • Field Name: “Hours spent on this task”
     • Validation: Select “Number”
     • Minimum Value: 0
     • Maximum Value: 999 (adjust as needed)
     • Suffix: “hrs”
     • Required: Check if time tracking is mandatory
     • Guidance Text: “Enter whole hours only (0-999)”

4. Add the minutes field

   • Click Add Form Field again
   • Select Short Text field type
   • Configure:
     • Field Name: “Minutes spent on this task”
     • Validation: Select “Number”
     • Minimum Value: 0
     • Maximum Value: 59
     • Suffix: “min”
     • Required: Check if needed
     • Guidance Text: “Enter minutes (0-59)”

5. Optional: Add a notes field Add a Long Text field:

   • Field Name: “Time tracking notes”
   • Guidance Text: “Optional: Add notes about time spent or delays”
   • Required: Leave unchecked

6. Save and test Click Save Template and launch a test process to verify the fields work correctly.

Advanced configurations

Section titled “Advanced configurations”

Using variables to display time

Section titled “Using variables to display time”

Tallyfy doesn’t auto-calculate totals, but you can use variables to show entered time in later tasks:

1. In a later task’s description, insert: {{Hours spent on this task}} hours and {{Minutes spent on this task}} minutes were logged
2. This gives approvers or reviewers visibility into time spent

Time-based automations

Section titled “Time-based automations”

Use automation rules to trigger actions based on time entries:

• If hours spent > 8, assign a task to a manager for review
• If total time exceeds budget, send a notification email

Project-wide time tracking

Section titled “Project-wide time tracking”

To track time across an entire process:

1. Add time fields to every task that needs measurement
2. Create a summary task at the end titled “Time Tracking Summary”
3. List all time variables from previous tasks in the description
4. Export data via CSV for analysis

Why accurate time tracking is hard

Section titled “Why accurate time tracking is hard”

Multi-tasking makes tracking difficult

Section titled “Multi-tasking makes tracking difficult”

People rarely work on one task at a time. Someone might spend 30 minutes on a task, get pulled into a meeting, answer emails, then finish an hour later. Did that take 30 minutes or 90? Both answers have merit.

Holidays and absences skew averages

Section titled “Holidays and absences skew averages”

A task assigned on December 23rd might sit untouched until January 2nd. That’s not a 10-day task - it’s a 2-hour task with an 8-day holiday in the middle.

External delays aren’t the assignee’s fault

Section titled “External delays aren’t the assignee’s fault”

Waiting for client feedback, dependencies on delayed tasks, or system outages all add time that has nothing to do with actual work effort.

The fix: ask for time input directly

Section titled “The fix: ask for time input directly”

Add a form field asking assignees to record their actual working time. It’s one more field to fill out - but it gives you clean data about real effort.

Why this works:

• People know how much time they actually spent (not elapsed time)
• External delays don’t contaminate your data
• You can still track elapsed time through Tallyfy’s built-in timestamps

Analytics timestamps have the same challenges

Section titled “Analytics timestamps have the same challenges”

Timestamps in Tallyfy Analytics and CSV exports measure elapsed time between task assignment and completion. They’re subject to all the issues above. That “3-day average” might represent 30 minutes of work spread across a long weekend. Use effort tracking fields for cleaner metrics.

Best practices

Section titled “Best practices”

Field naming conventions

Section titled “Field naming conventions”

Use consistent naming for easier reporting:

• “Task Name - Hours”
• “Task Name - Minutes”

Setting realistic limits

Section titled “Setting realistic limits”

• Set maximum hours based on typical task duration
• Use validation to prevent data entry errors
• Consider dropdown lists for standard time increments

Training your team

Section titled “Training your team”

• Add guidance text explaining time tracking expectations
• Specify whether to track active work time or total elapsed time
• Explain the difference between effort time and elapsed time

Regular analysis

Section titled “Regular analysis”

• Export process data monthly to spot time trends
• Identify tasks consistently taking longer than expected
• Consider both effort metrics and elapsed time when analyzing bottlenecks

Common scenarios

Section titled “Common scenarios”

Billable hours tracking

Section titled “Billable hours tracking”

For client billing, consider adding:

• A “Billable?” radio button field (Yes/No)
• A “Billing Code” dropdown field
• Separate fields for billable vs non-billable time

Compliance time logs

Section titled “Compliance time logs”

For regulatory requirements:

• Make all time fields required
• Include fields for start time, end time, break duration, and delay reasons

Performance metrics

Section titled “Performance metrics”

To measure efficiency:

• Track both estimated and actual time
• Add “Estimated Hours” and “Estimated Minutes” fields
• Compare estimates to actuals in your analysis

Extracting time tracking data

Section titled “Extracting time tracking data”

Manual CSV export

Section titled “Manual CSV export”

1. Open any running process with time tracking
2. Click Settings > Export CSV
3. Open in Excel or Google Sheets
4. Sum time columns for total duration

Automated reporting via API

Section titled “Automated reporting via API”

Use the Tallyfy API to:

• Pull time data into business intelligence tools
• Create automated time reports
• Integrate with billing systems

Real-time notifications

Section titled “Real-time notifications”

Configure webhooks to:

• Alert when time exceeds thresholds
• Send daily time summaries
• Trigger billing system updates

Troubleshooting

Section titled “Troubleshooting”

Problem: Users entering time in wrong format Solution: Use dropdown fields with preset time options instead of text entry

Problem: Forgetting to track time Solution: Make time fields required and add reminder text

Problem: Time entries seem inaccurate Solution: Add a “Time Entry Method” field with options like “Timer”, “Estimate”, “Calculated”

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Section titled “Related articles”

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