Ask HN: Thoughts on being required to log time in an effort-tracking system?

3 points by sosilkj 8y ago ↗ HN

I've been a salaried software engineer for several years (multiple employers). My current employer is rolling out an "effort tracking" initiative which is managed in part by a dedicated team of PMP-type folks. We are being asked to enter hours into this system, to help track project costs, etc.

Is this a sign that things are not good financially where I work? I'm not sure what to think.

I'm curious to hear opinions others have on the subject.

2 comments

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Piskvorrr 8y ago ↗

Perhaps it's a sign that the management has no idea how much effort is spent on what, which amounts to driving blind. If you're asked to enter _hours_ (not minutes, or even seconds), I wouldn't worry, this is SOP.

matchmike1313 8y ago ↗

It may be they just want to better quantify the projects. We have been using Toggl at our company and it has really opened my eyes about how long certain tasks take. Also, I find myself hyper-focusing on some tasks now where before I would multi-task and sometimes be less effective.