Customers' voice
Comments from companies that have introduced the system
This section introduces comments from introducing companies that use TimeTracker to manage projects and improve operations. The results and
issues of the introduction are described in this report, so please refer to them for reference when considering the introduction.
List of case studies
All of them-In the case-View the case
Manufacturing/Information systems
The burden of counting and managing man-hours has been reduced to about 30 minutes per day.
- Hard to use tool
- Understanding of progress
Background and issues of introduction
- The information was scattered across multiple tools and databases, which made it time-consuming to tally man-hours and very time-consuming to organize the information to manage.
Usage methods and points of use
- Through API collaboration, we were able to consolidate high-precision profitability data on TimeTracker at any time.
Effects after introduction
- ・Compared to the past, when Time Management was done in a Excel, the workload for counting and managing man-hours has been reduced to about 30 minutes per day.
- ・The process ratio and direct-to-direct ratio (development, planning, maintenance, and other operations), which were previously invisible, can now be tabulated in real time.
Government agencies, universities, research institutes/research
I could use it intuitively without looking at the manual, so it took root quickly.
- Record entry is troublesome
- Resistance to the introduction of tools
- Establishment of Input work time
Background and issues of introduction
- They were difficult to use, so they didn't get people to use them, and they didn't develop a Input work time culture. So when I had a problem I didn't know what was wrong.
Usage methods and points of use
- ・After the introduction of TimeTracker, a briefing session was held for all employees. Thanks to the intuitive UI of the "timesheet," everyone is able to enter information without delay every day.
- ・I can intuitively use the functions other than the "timesheet" without having to look at the manual.
Effects after introduction
- ・It is now possible to easily enter and refer to results from Web browsers for on-site work and long-term business trips at regional offices, making it possible to visualize them in a timely manner.
Manufacturing/software design
It has become easier to understand the workload of members and adjust resources.
- Hard to use tool
- Understanding the impact
Background and issues of introduction
- Excel was used to measure quality/productivity, such as bug-convergence curves and deliverables, but there was no Time Management.
- As a result, the load on the members and the free space status could not be understood very much.
Usage methods and points of use
- TimeTracker was introduced with the aim of strengthening cost control and estimate control based on man-hours.
Effects after introduction
- ・Six months have passed, and I am now able to respond immediately to requests for quotations from customers.
- ・The workload of the members can be grasped, making it easier to adjust resources.
Software industry/software design
The functionality requested in the past has been implemented. I look forward to the upgrade every year.
- Hard to use tool
- Project aggregation
Background and issues of introduction
- Man-hours were calculated on a Excel or paper-based basis, and project-management methods were left to the individual managers.
- As a result, there was a problem of not being able to grasp the status of the project from the outside.
Usage methods and points of use
- It is used as a monitoring and tabulation tool to measure project man-hours, measure process balance to check bottleneck processes, and measure man-hours consumption rate and man-hours increase rate.
Effects after introduction
- ・It has become a well-established infrastructural tool for Time Management, and is used by almost all software-development and back-office departments.
- ・The functionality requested in the past has been implemented. As a software developer, I use it with interest and interest every day. The members of the field look forward to the new features that are upgraded every year.
Manufacturing/software hardware design
It is not used as a management tool, but as a work guidance and improvement tool.
- Awareness of Members
- Establishment of Input work time
Background and issues of introduction
- I want to start teaching my subordinates and improving them, but I don't know where to start.
- Even if the above activities were started from the manager's point of view, they did not have any effect because they did not match the perception of subordinates.
Usage methods and points of use
- TimeTracker is not viewed as a control tool, but is used as a tool to guide and improve work, based on the assumption that subordinates will be trusted.
Effects after introduction
- ・The practice of inputting man-hours has become widespread within the department, and even at the individual level, it is beginning to be used to review and improve the work content.
- We would like to continue to educate managers.
Wholesale and retail trade/Information systems
As a Time entry analysis, the time and effort required for data-tabulation has been reduced, making it easier.
- Hard to use tool
- Project aggregation
Background and issues of introduction
- It is necessary for the development department to submit the actual data to the accounting department, but it is difficult to compile the data. In addition, the accounting side also had difficulty in achieving consistency among the departments because the data collection method was not standardized among the departments.
Usage methods and points of use
- The data to be delivered to the accounting department is compiled monthly by "pivot analysis" and then submitted to the person in charge of accounting.
Effects after introduction
- ・For in-house development projects, it becomes possible to grasp the cost of R&D expenses, and this is transferred to the accounting process. The effort and burden of the aggregation was reduced, making it easier.
Service industry/improvement promotion
It became a communication tool between members and administrators.
- Awareness of Members
- Establishment of Input work time
Background and issues of introduction
- A WG for kaizen activities was established, but there was a lack of communication between the manager and the person in charge, and the activities were not effective.
- Within WG, we are proceeding on the basis of mutual arguments, and we have not found anything that really needs to be improved.
Usage methods and points of use
- Used as a Time Management for support and consulting. Standardized WBS of operations from consultation before introduction of the consolidated accounting system to response to training after introduction.
Effects after introduction
- ・It can also be used as a KPI indicator for staff to identify areas for improvement and manage profitability.
- ・At the board meeting, we received high praise, saying that it became a communication tool for members and managers.
Manufacturing/design and production engineering (software and hardware)
They feel the effects of "reducing management man-hours" and "improving the efficiency of meetings.
- Visualization
- Establishment of Input work time
Background and issues of introduction
- We have started to make improvements with the aim of reforming the way we work and improving quality, but none of them have been effective, and the motivation of our members is declining.
Usage methods and points of use
- As a part of the quality-improvement measures, Time Management was carried out by setting various evaluation scales with the goal of "reduction of managerial man-hours of managers" and "efficiency-improvement of meeting man-hours".
Effects after introduction
- ・By feeling the effects of improvement, they can realize the significance of inputting man-hours, and their motivation to further establish activities is increasing.
Manufacturing/research and development
The habit of Input work time was established, which led to an improvement in the accuracy of the estimated man-hours.
- Record entry is troublesome
- Establishment of Input work time
Background and issues of introduction
- Members have no Input work time habits, so they cannot grasp the project-progress rate correctly, and the estimated man-hours are not accurate.
Usage methods and points of use
- ・In order to solve problems such as the lack of product proficiency among managers and inadequate operation rules, we have started to improve the system by holding briefings for managers.
- ・Since there were several projects where the progress status was not visible, we utilized cross-departmental and team visualization of the progress status.
Effects after introduction
- ・Two years have passed since the introduction of TimeTracker, and the retention rate on a weekly basis is 100%.
- ・I was able to get into the habit of Input work time and visualize the work of my colleagues.
- ・This led to an improvement in the accuracy of the estimated man-hours, as it became possible to accurately tabulate the man-hours by all members.
Manufacturing/software design and development
Grasping the actual status of project management in large-scale development
- Visualization
- Understanding the impact
Background and issues of introduction
- In the development of systems for government offices involving more than 1000 people, the key to success is to always optimally allocate members and to continuously achieve highly accurate delivery date forecasts.
- However, the project management tools used at each development site were not standardized, and estimates for managing member loads and delivery dates were inappropriate.
Usage methods and points of use
- The project management tools used at the development sites were not standardized, and the member's workload and estimates for delivery date management were inappropriate, so they were linked to other systems in Web API.
Effects after introduction
- ・It is now possible to obtain highly accurate information immediately.
- ・In this paper, we propose a new method of estimating the delivery time and the man‐hour difference in earned value management(EVM).
- ・Members were able to visualize their Planned time・Actual time across projects/organizations.
Other manufacturing/administration
Understand and visualize the breakdown of outsourcing fees. Explain to customers the basis for calculating outsourcing fees.
- Visualization
- Project aggregation
Background and issues of introduction
- It is necessary to understand and visualize the breakdown of outsourcing fees, but it is necessary to understand the actual status of operations, but there was no tool to "visualize/visualize operations.
Usage methods and points of use
- Standardized operations of individual departments are developed and registered in TimeTracker RX.
Effects after introduction
- ・By inputting man-hours on a daily basis, the field succeeded in grasping and visualizing the breakdown of outsourcing fees.
Architectural design firm/software development division
Visualization of direct labor costs of projects and real-time understanding of product costs
- Understanding of progress
- Project aggregation
Background and issues of introduction
- There was no mechanism in place for aggregating and calculating costs (labor costs) on a segment basis by division, product, and account.
Usage methods and points of use
- ・We contrasted man-hour costs by division, product, and account, as well as the labor cost budgets of the personnel assigned to the project.
- ・The progress of the person in charge's performance in relation to Planned time is visualized and used in weekly project-progress meetings.
Effects after introduction
- ・By being able to obtain "credible" product-specific costs from TimeTracker RX in a timely manner, the company contributes to swift management decisions.
Plant Manufacturing/Design Division
Significant reduction in time spent by administrators managing progress and adjusting the load on members
- Understanding the impact
- Project aggregation
- Resistance to the introduction of tools
Background and issues of introduction
- Most of the work, including indirect work, was carried out in projects with partner companies.
- As the company expanded its operations, the number of members increased from two years ago, which increased the burden of Excel control-based progress reports and cross-project monitoring calculations.
Usage methods and points of use
- Due to the increase in the number of members from the year before last in line with the expansion of operations, the burden of reporting on progress through Excel control and monitoring and tabulating data across projects was high, but we were able to confirm the burden of each member and visualize detailed tasks.
Effects after introduction
- ・Excel linkage function motivates the field to use TT.
- ・It eliminated the need to spend time aggregating, allowing it to focus on its original management operations.
Hardware manufacturer production management
Nice to be able to do both project-management and Time Management
- Understanding of progress
- Understanding the impact
Background and issues of introduction
- ・A manufacturing process chart is created in Excel, and there are three or more types, so it cannot be managed in real time.
- ・Members get tired of managing
- ・Project management objectives and issues are not clear
- ・The purpose of the project was to draw up forms, and we were not able to track down delays in delivery and good or bad progress.
Usage methods and points of use
- ・We began with project management. All members began to follow the schedule in Gantt Chart and follow the progress rate in the status.
- ・I managed to make it a habit in about a month. Since then, we have been able to visualize the progress. We have also started to tabulate Actual time of each employee.
Effects after introduction
- ・Dumbly, I can see who is spending how much time on which task. As a result, we have come to understand the factors behind the delays in each project.
- ・In particular, we focused on projects where there was a lot of "rework" and reviewed the schedule for the post-process.
Hardware maker software development
We compared 20 different companies and decided on TimeTracker.
- Visualization
- Cannot be used in the field
Background and issues of introduction
- "I felt that there were limits to project-management in Excel."
- "I want to understand the situation across projects."
- "I want to visualize the load status of resources (members)."
- After searching for a tool that could solve the above problems, TimeTracker RX decided that it was a tool that could solve the problems. The decision to introduce this system was based on the tool design from the perspective of the field, the ease of viewing the interface, and the ease of operation.
Usage methods and points of use
- A working group of about 30 people verified the system and started using it within the department.
Effects after introduction
- ・It is now possible for everyone to visualize the schedule and check the progress, and to take measures such as negotiating the schedule and adding personnel before the deadline is exceeded.
- ・I had felt that there were limitations to managing projects in Excel, but the decision to introduce it was based on the ease of designing tools from the perspective of the field, the easy-to-read interface, and the ease of operation.
Component manufacturer design
Grasp the design status of 3000 items
- Hard to use tool
- Cannot be used in the field
Background and issues of introduction
- ・To solve the problem that a large amount of products are managed by an Excel form, and management is complicated
- ・It took a long time to update the design status
- ・Problems such as corrupted management file occurred
- ・When we received the "work request" internally and started the design, we had to manage it using forms, but due to the huge number of items, we had to be very nervous to manage them, which was exhausting.
- ・I was looking for a way to organize and manage my work processes and tasks correctly, and that's when I came across TimeTracker RX.
Usage methods and points of use
- Excel forms were used to manage a large number of items, but only the numbers of items were arranged in order from the top, so we summarized them according to the large categories for each model and company in charge, and organized the hierarchical structures for each process and operation. I organized it while giving advice to DENSO CREATE sales people, and cleaned up WBS.
- We entered this information into a TimeTracker RX and started operation.
Effects after introduction
- ・Input omissions and missing situations have been reduced.
Manufacturing/research and development
I want to implement both visualization on Cross-project and Actual time entry.
- Record entry is troublesome
- Project aggregation
Background and issues of introduction
- In the past, I tried to manage the planning progress with a major project management software, but I had an experience where I could not manage it well because the files were divided for each project. I was looking for a software that could dispel this problem and achieve the following functions.
- ・I want a function that allows me to see the load status by project and by person in charge.
- ・I want a function that allows me to grasp the progress of the entire project.
- ・Ability to check the load status of an individual
- ・Ability to easily enter individual results
Usage methods and points of use
- After looking for software that can both visualize on Cross-project and enter Actual time, and comparing about three companies, we decided to install TimeTracker RX.
- ・Everyone has a Input work time before lunch break and before going home.
- ・Plans and progress are also checked on a cross-sectional basis.
- The salesperson told me to check TimeTracker RX every day and do my best (laughs).
Effects after introduction
- ・I am satisfied with the high accuracy of the man-hours.
- ・We are able to track projects with a cycle of one to three months to completion without delay.
Hardware manufacturer development division
As a Time Management tool for direct departments throughout the company
- Cannot be used in the field
- Resistance to the introduction of tools
Background and issues of introduction
- It was introduced to measure the productivity of the development, design, and manufacturing departments.
- The key to the introduction of this system was whether or not employees could obtain Actual time.
Usage methods and points of use
- The ability to Input work time on time sheets without keystrokes has been accepted in the field.
- In the past, there was a lot of resistance to the introduction of new tools. However, this has not been the case TimeTracker RX.
Effects after introduction
- ・Almost everyone is able to Input work time it every day. In cooperation with the manufacturer (DENSO Create), we conduct in-house training before and after the introduction of the system, and are also making efforts to ensure that it is firmly established.
System development
I was able to sympathize with the interface and the ingenuity to feel the effects in order to reduce the input work.
- Record entry is troublesome
- Understanding the impact
Background and issues of introduction
- With the limitations of managing project-progress in Excel
- I was considering another tool, but there were many functions that could not be advanced without approval from the administrator, so I thought it would be a little lighter,
- I was looking for a tool that was easy for the field to touch.
Usage methods and points of use
- ・I was impressed by the interface and effectiveness of TimeTracker RX to reduce the typing process, and the awareness of the person in charge in the field.
- ・We are trying to find the best way to use it by separating the parts that can be solved by function from the parts that can be solved by our operation.
Effects after introduction
- ・We have not been able to verify the effectiveness of the system since it has only been introduced for a short time, but we have been able to achieve most of the cross-project analyses and Workload visualization.
System development and development division
I want to keep track of progress/personal Actual time and identify issues.
- Visualization
- Understanding of progress
Background and issues of introduction
- ・Why is this project late? Why can't I complete it?
- ・I don't know who spends how much time on which job
- Due to the lack of visibility, vague management that relied on personal responses and experience was rampant.
Usage methods and points of use
- Project delays were becoming chronic, but TimeTracker RX I can manage the progress of projects and measure Actual time of my personal work, so I started to find out where my company's issues were.
Effects after introduction
- ・The following details were revealed in the figures.
- "Projects with conspicuous delays have a lot of rework and specification changes,"
- "The engineers who developed the system are using man-hours for implementation meetings"
- ・There is no longer a need to rely on the "when I was young..." feeling of veterans in teaching.
Hardware manufacturer's production engineering division
The project can be re-planned smoothly. I chose it because it allows cross-sectional analysis.
- Hard to use tool
- Project aggregation
Background and issues of introduction
- We used to make our manufacturing process with Gantt Chart tools. We used to make our own. However, when the plan was revised, it was tricky and the following issues were encountered.
- "There are many revisions to the plan and it takes a lot of man-hours to revise it."
- "It takes time to arrange multiple files to compare the status of other projects."
- "Use nerves to make corrections carefully."
Usage methods and points of use
- It is used for planning correction with the ability to draw Gantt Chart as if it were handwritten.
Effects after introduction
- ・You can now use the "Cross-project function" to find tasks that are progressing or lagging behind in several projects.
Hardware manufacturer's quality control department
I want to measure both the amount of results and the effort required to create documents, and do predictive management
- Understanding of progress
Background and issues of introduction
- Since we are a department that is responsible for creating documents, which person in charge
- "How many pages did you create?"
- "How much time is required"
- It was necessary to understand the delivery schedule and ability analysis.
- It was also essential to compare the schedule with the actual situation and present a reasonable schedule to the client.
Usage methods and points of use
- I thought I could visualize it by installing TimeTracker RX, but I was worried that the field would resist typing.
- As a result, we were able to input the results with the cooperation of everyone, and we were able to measure the amount of results and man-hours.
- I am also grateful to the manufacturers and promotion members.
Effects after introduction
- ・Since we also have a lot of indirect man-hours such as meetings, it was necessary to determine whether it was direct man-hours or indirect man-hours.
- ・TimeTracker RX was easy to set up for that as well, so I'm glad I installed it.
Corporate Planning Division of House Manufacturers
I don't know where to start with work style reform.
- Record entry is troublesome
- Visualization
Background and issues of introduction
- Last year, we decided to promote work style reform and improvement activities. I had high aspirations, but to be honest, I didn't really know where to start.
- Relying on the key word "Time Management," I searched the Internet and interviewed several tool vendors. Later, when I attended a seminar by Denso Create, I felt that it would be easy to Time Management, so I bought it halfway through.
Usage methods and points of use
- We decided to promote work style reform and improvement activities, and worked on the following.
- ・We all tried to do Input work time.
- ・The operation was smooth, regardless of generation.
Effects after introduction
- ・I can now see who is taking the time to do what work.
- ・Is the administrative work taking too much time? I check to make sure I'm not working for more than 8 hours.
Hardware manufacturer's general affairs and human resources department
Calculate the man-hours of indirect departments and use them for internal improvement.
- Project aggregation
Background and issues of introduction
- We decided to use TimeTracker RX, which had been introduced by the designing department ahead of time, to improve the operations of the back-office departments. However, there are many issues.
- "How much can we reduce overhead costs? What is the level of overhead productivity?"
- I was prepared for a long road ahead because it was difficult to measure man-hours and output results, such as seeking absolute values for measuring productivity in indirect departments.
Usage methods and points of use
- ・I wanted to know the level of indirect cost and indirect productivity, but since absolute comparisons are difficult, I decided to do a relative comparison. In order to make this comparative, we use Actual time compiled by TimeTracker RX.
- ・Relative comparisons include "comparisons with other divisions," "comparable comparisons," and "period comparisons." Similar comparisons adopted a method of measuring productivity by benchmarking similar workplaces and branches with high productivity.
Effects after introduction
- ・We are still in the process of collecting measured data, but we are definitely collecting numerical data compared to prior to the introduction of TimeTracker RX, and I feel that if we continue to do so, we will be able to obtain the information we expect.
Hardware maker information systems division
I want to manage projects in TimeTracker RX
- Hard to use tool
- Understanding of progress
Background and issues of introduction
- I am in charge of maintenance and improvement of manufacturing support systems and related infrastructure on production lines. In addition to "regular work," "requests" and "problems" come in every day. In order to complete the work without any leaks and to avoid an unexpected increase in man-hours when the work is completed, we use TimeTracker RX for checking.
Usage methods and points of use
- In addition to regular work, it was difficult to manage the demands and problems that arise on a daily basis, but we are using TimeTracker RX as follows.
- ・Easier to see by changing View (Item type) for "regular tasks," "requests," and "defects."
- ・The five-stage View makes it easier to visualize the progress.
Effects after introduction
- ・By visualizing both man-hours and status, it is possible for teams to complete work without leaving it to individuals.