Innovations in tracking construction project hours
Timesheets for construction workers have experienced a significant evolution over the years, as companies have moved away from traditional paper-based methods to sophisticated construction timesheet software. As a result, it has become easier to log project hours with accuracy and efficiency.
Accurate construction time tracking is vital in today’s industry. It ensures fair compensation for workers and provides project managers with important data on labor costs and progress. This information is instrumental in optimizing project results, managing budgets effectively, and bolstering decision-making processes. Additionally, advancements in construction workforce management tools are making it easier for companies to accomplish their goals with less effort and resources.
Timesheet automation extends beyond simplifying routine tasks, offering construction firms a competitive edge. Below, we explore nine tools that automate timesheets for construction workers, highlighting how they can enhance performance and ensure project outcomes.
Contractor Foreman
Contractor Foreman is a comprehensive construction project management software program that streamlines creating estimates, schedules, and daily logs. A key component of this platform is its versatile approach to tracking employee hours, making it a beneficial tool for effective construction workforce management.
Features
- Crew time cards: Contractor Foreman simplifies tracking your employees' work hours, merging the simplicity of traditional paper methods with the precision of modern technology.
- Location-based geofencing: Set geofences around your project sites to ensure employees clock in only when they’re physically present.
- Real-time tracking: There’s no need to guess who’s clocked in or where they are. The platform provides real-time updates on each employee’s location, duration on site, and the specific task they’re undertaking.
Price
Contractor Foreman's starts at $49 per month for the basic version. For teams requiring more advanced features and a larger user base, higher-tier plans are available.
Reviews
Positive reviews often highlight Contractor Foreman's integrated time-tracking features, which streamline payroll and job costing without the need for additional software. However, some users report challenges with setup and customer service, suggesting areas for improvement in user support and onboarding processes.
Field Link®
TCLI’s Field Link® is a powerful software tool designed for heavy construction project management. Beyond its strong capabilities in construction time tracking, Field Link® seamlessly integrates data across TCLI’s suite of programs. This integration spans the entire project lifecycle, from initial estimates and bids via Estimating Link® to progress tracking with Field Link®, and ultimately facilitating payments through Billing Link®, ensuring project management processes are cohesive and efficient.
Features
- Daily timesheets: Your field personnel can submit daily timesheets, enabling real-time analysis of your crew’s production levels. This immediate visibility means you no longer have to wait until the end of the week to assess progress. With production data updated in real-time, you can promptly identify which tasks are on track and which require attention.
- Comprehensive labor tracking: Field Link® simplifies the tracking of employees, distinguishing between overtime and standard time, as well as equipment usage for operators. It accommodates laborers working in multiple roles within the same day (e.g., an employee logging four hours as a pipelayer in the morning and four hours as an operator in the afternoon). This flexibility ensures accurate and detailed recording of labor across various job functions.
- Streamlined payroll process: Field Link® collects your employees' time data electronically daily, and enhances efficiency by eliminating redundant data entry, reducing delays, and guaranteeing the accuracy of data transferred to your accounting system. This ensures that payroll operations are seamless from start to finish. Furthermore, the accuracy and timeliness of the data collected by Field Link® facilitate the creation of detailed construction invoices, providing timely and accurate billing for work completed.
Price
TCLI offers a complimentary trial of Field Link®, complete with access to all of its features and functionalities. Should you decide to buy the software following the trial, rest assured that all work completed during the trial period will seamlessly transfer to your purchased version.
Reviews
Feedback from users highlights Field Link's user-friendly interface and exceptional customer service. Mitch Manning, President and Owner of 4M Trenching, praises Field Link for its simplicity and ease of use, noting that his employees quickly adapted to the software.
ClockShark
ClockShark is a time-tracking software tailored for the construction and field service industries. It features GPS tracking of employees, delivering real-time, accurate timesheets for construction workers and subcontractors. With ClockShark, you gain detailed insights into your team’s activities through a breadcrumb trail of their workday.
Features
- GPS tracking: Ensure your employees are precisely where they need to be and stay on their designated job site. ClockShark updates an employee’s location every 15 to 20 minutes, creating a detailed record of the sites they’ve visited.
- Geofenced reminders: It’s common for field workers to forget to clock in or out. ClockShark addresses this issue by automatically prompting employees to clock in or out upon entering or leaving a geofenced job site.
- Accurate and transparent record-keeping: ClockShark's location tracking removes the need for guesswork and offers a clear, verifiable account of work done. Construction firms can accurately track who worked on which job, their specific locations, the times they clocked in and out, and the total hours worked, ensuring transparency and accountability in record-keeping.
Price
ClockShark's standard version is available for $40 per month. For those seeking additional capabilities, the pro version is offered at $60 per month.
Reviews
Customers commend ClockShark for its ease of use and the helpful geofenced reminders that prompt employees to clock in and out. However, they note that the software’s effectiveness diminishes in areas with poor cellular service, which can affect its reliability on some job sites.
QuickBooks Time
QuickBooks Time is a time-tracking solution aimed at assisting businesses, including those in the construction industry, to efficiently manage their workforce's hours. This program enables the tracking, editing, and approval of timesheets from any device—be it a laptop, desktop, or mobile application.
Features
- Time kiosk: A convenient option for construction time tracking, allowing workers to clock in and out at the job site using a tablet.
- Mobile app: The QuickBooks Workforce App offers the flexibility to track, submit, and approve employee timesheets from anywhere, ensuring real-time management.
- Quick integration: Provides easy synchronization of time tracking data with your accounting or payroll systems, streamlining payroll processes and invoicing.
Price
QuickBooks Time offers an Elite version priced at $20 per month, with an additional cost of $10 per user each month. The Premium version, priced at $10 per month plus $8 per user, lacks some advanced functions like project tracking and geofencing.
Reviews
A key advantage of QuickBooks Time is its integration with Intuit’s QuickBooks suite, making it an appealing option for those already utilizing QuickBooks for accounting purposes. However, some users have pointed out that certain features of the software, despite being marketed as distinct, feel redundant.
WorkMax TIME
WorkMax Time is a cloud-based solution for tracking employee hours, tasks, and units completed by construction workers. Its real-time data collection simplifies job costing and ensures projects are completed on schedule and within budget.
Features
- GPS location: Ensures your workforce is precisely where they need to be. The system captures the GPS location of employees as they clock in, switch tasks, and clock out, providing verifiable proof of their location throughout the workday.
- Facial recognition: This technology ends the concept of "buddy punching,” when one employee asks another to clock in on their behalf. Each time employees clock in, change tasks, or clock out, the system captures a facial recognition picture along with the timestamp. WorkMax then automatically scans these photos, identifying and flagging any questionable time records for review.
- Multiplatform integration: WorkMax Time is designed to work together with leading accounting, payroll, and HR systems commonly used in the construction industry.
Price
WorkMax Time does not publicly list its pricing. However, interested customers are invited to reach out directly to the company for a quote.
Reviews
Users appreciate WorkMax TIME for its ability to track employee hours more accurately compared to traditional paper time cards, providing real-time costing data that enhances project management and sharpens the accuracy of estimates for future projects. However, a notable critique is the software's initial setup process, which can be challenging, and its learning curve, particularly for those with limited technological experience.
ExakTime
ExakTime is a cloud-based time and attendance tracking solution, specifically tailored for the construction sector, that has been around since 1999.
Features
- GPS time clock app: Enhance job site oversight by utilizing the GPS capabilities of workers’ devices to track their locations as they clock in and out, providing verifiable evidence of their whereabouts during the workday.
- Photo verification for clocking in/out: The ExakTime mobile app captures a photo of employees each time they clock in or out, ensuring identity verification. These images are securely stored in the cloud, allowing for easy and immediate access from the office.
- Comprehensive reporting: ExakTime can generate over 40 instant reports, empowering business owners to focus on critical metrics that can help them make informed decisions.
Price
ExakTime has three tiers: Advanced, Premium, and Elite. The Advanced version costs $9 per employee per month, plus a monthly base fee. The Premium and Elite versions, which offer more features, require customers to contact ExakTime for a quote.
Reviews
Customers appreciate ExakTime's seamless integration with QuickBooks and the reliability of its photo verification feature to monitor clock-ins and outs. However, critiques include challenges employees face in tracking their worked hours through the mobile app and occasional slow performance issues with the online system.
Raken
Raken is a construction management software program designed to streamline project management. It stands out as a leading choice for generating daily reports, tracking time, managing safety protocols, and providing insightful field data.
Features
- Versatile time entry methods: Raken offers flexibility in time tracking, allowing employees to clock in through a time clock app on their devices or via a kiosk. Additionally, supervisors can manage construction time tracking directly through time cards.
- Performance visualization: Timesheet data is aggregated into digestible production insights, enabling a straightforward comparison of actual project performance against estimates.
- Fast approvals: With just a single tap, both workers and supervisors can approve timesheets, whether on-site or in the office, regardless of the method of time entry.
Price
For pricing details, prospective users are encouraged to contact Raken directly for a personalized quote.
Reviews
Users praise Raken for its cloud-based functionality, enabling access from any location. However, a downside to this advantage is that the program lacks offline capabilities.
busybusy
busybusy is a mobile time-tracking application that specifically serves the needs of the construction industry. It offers a straightforward solution for accurately monitoring field hours and labor costs.
Features
- Designed by contractors for the construction industry: busybusy was created with the construction sector in mind, developed by contractors who deeply understand the challenges of construction time tracking and workforce management.
- Real-time visibility: The Universal Map provides a comprehensive overview, allowing you to see all active projects at a glance. This includes the whereabouts of your employees, their current tasks, and the location of your equipment, all updated in real-time.
- Scheduling capability: busybusy enables the creation and distribution of schedules, complete with detailed instructions and location pins, ensuring employees are well-informed about their work times, tasks, and locations.
Price
busybusy offers a complimentary basic version alongside its more feature-rich Pro and Premium versions, priced at $9.99 and $14.99 per month per user, respectively.
Reviews
Users appreciate the flexibility busybusy provides, enabling employees to clock in and out effortlessly from any location, proving to be particularly effective for construction time tracking. However, a drawback is the software's reliance on a stable internet connection, which can limit its functionality in areas without connectivity.
Time Doctor
Time Doctor is a comprehensive workforce analytics tool designed to enhance team performance through a rich set of features, including time tracking, employee monitoring, and productivity analytics. It allows construction teams to carefully log total work hours, offering adaptable solutions for both independent contractors and large companies.
Features
- Accurate time tracking: Time Doctor provides both manual and automatic time tracking capabilities. In manual mode, users can track the duration of specific tasks with start and stop buttons. Automatic mode initiates time tracking as soon as employees begin their tasks.
- Offline time tracking: The platform ensures that employees can track their time even without an internet connection. It stores the data locally and synchronizes it with the main server once a stable connection is reestablished, ensuring that no information is lost.
- Payroll management: Time Doctor simplifies the payroll process, allowing direct compensation for consultants and employees. It supports integration with payment platforms like Wise, Gusto, and PayPal, facilitating seamless transactions. Additionally, consultants have the flexibility to export their timesheets in various formats, including PDF, CSV, and XLS, for client billing.
Price
Time Doctor offers its basic version at $5.90 per user per month. For those seeking more functionality, the Standard version is priced at $8.40 per user per month, and the Premium version is available at $16.70 per user per month, each adding a range of additional features.
Reviews
Customers like Time Doctor for its user-friendly interface and its capability to integrate with various software tools. On the downside, some employees have expressed concerns about the software being intrusive.
Summing up the best in construction timesheet software
Selecting the right construction timesheet software is crucial for boosting overall project efficiency and management. The nine tools we've discussed have each transformed the way timesheets for construction workers are created, offering distinctive features to meet the diverse needs of the industry. Field Link®, in particular, emerges as a standout solution adept at handling the complexities of heavy construction project management. Its flawless integration through every project phase, from estimating to billing, highlights its strength in optimizing workflows and promoting a unified operational approach.
We invite you to explore the capabilities of Field Link® firsthand through a complimentary trial. Should you have any inquiries or wish to discover more about how TCLI can enhance your construction workforce management strategies, our team is ready to assist you.
