Tracking Time and Costs
🎯 Why This Matters
Understanding where time and money go is essential for running an efficient operation. Task Management's built-in tracking helps you:
- Know true labour costs - Automatic calculation based on hours worked
- Track supply usage - Log consumables used on each task
- Estimate accurately - Compare estimates to actuals for better planning
- Control budgets - See costs in real-time, not just at month end
⏱️ Using the Task Timer
Track time as you work - one click to start, one click to stop, costs calculated automatically.
Starting a Timer
- Open a task assigned to you
- Make sure the task status is Assigned or In Progress
- Click Start Timer
- The timer begins counting - you'll see elapsed time displayed
Stopping a Timer
- When you're done working, click Stop Timer
- The time is automatically saved to the task
- Labour cost is calculated based on your hourly rate
💡 Quick Tip
You can only have one active timer per task. If you need to pause, stop the timer - your time is saved, and you can start a new session later.
⚠️ Timer Rules
A few simple rules ensure time is tracked accurately and to the right person.
The timer has a few requirements:
| Requirement | Why |
| Task must be assigned to you | Ensures time is tracked to the right person |
| Status must be Assigned or In Progress | Can't track time on Open or Closed tasks |
| Cannot run timer on parent tasks | Time should be tracked on specific work (subtasks) |
If the timer button is disabled, check these requirements.
💰 Understanding Cost Calculations
Know exactly where money goes - labour, supplies, and other expenses tracked automatically.
Task Management tracks three types of costs:
Labour Cost
Calculated automatically when you use the timer:
Labour Cost = Hours Worked x Your Hourly Rate
- Your hourly rate is set in your user profile
- Each timer session captures the rate at that time
- Multiple sessions are summed for total labour cost
Supply Cost
When consumables are used on a task:
Supply Cost = Quantity Used x Unit Cost of Consumable
- Link consumables to tasks to track usage
- Enter quantity when logging supply use
- Cost is calculated from consumable's unit price
Other Costs
Miscellaneous expenses that don't fit labour or supplies:
- Equipment rental
- Third-party services
- Any other task-related expense
Enter these manually in the task's cost fields.
Total Cost
Total Cost = Labour Cost + Supply Cost + Other Costs
📝 Entering Costs Manually
Add supply costs or miscellaneous expenses that aren't captured by the timer.
Not everything is automated - you may need to enter costs directly.
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Open the task in the sidebar
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Find the Costs section
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Enter values for:
- Supplies Used Quantity - Amount of consumable
- Supply Cost - If not auto-calculated
- Other Cost - Miscellaneous expenses
-
Save - total cost updates automatically
📊 Estimated vs Actual Time
Learn from every task - compare what you predicted to what actually happened.
Setting an Estimate
- Open the task
- Find Estimated Time to Completion
- Enter your estimate in hours
Tracking Actual Time
Actual time is automatically tracked through timer sessions. The Actual Time to Completion field shows total hours logged.
Using the Comparison
- Actual less than estimate = Task completed faster than expected
- Actual more than estimate = Task took longer - investigate why
- Over time, this data helps you estimate more accurately
⚠️ Pro Tip
If tasks consistently take longer than estimated, your team may need more training, or the tasks may be more complex than they appear.
📈 Viewing Cost Data
See costs at any level - individual tasks, rolled-up projects, or organization-wide totals.
On Individual Tasks
Open any task to see its costs in the sidebar - labour, supply, other, and total.
On Parent Tasks
Parent tasks show aggregated costs from all subtasks. This gives you the true cost of a project.
On the Dashboard
The Cost Analytics quadrant shows organization-wide metrics:
- Labour Cost MTD (month to date)
- Average Cost per Task
- Supply Cost MTD
- Daily cost breakdown chart
✨ Time and Cost Best Practices
- Track time consistently - Use the timer for all work, not just some tasks
- Start timer when you start work - Don't estimate after the fact
- Stop timer for breaks - Only track active work time
- Set estimates on new tasks - Even rough estimates help with planning
- Log supply usage immediately - Don't wait until end of day
- Review dashboard weekly - Catch cost overruns early
- Use subtasks for complex work - Get granular cost data where it matters
❓ Troubleshooting
Timer button is disabled
- Check that you're assigned to the task
- Make sure status is Assigned or In Progress (not Open or Closed)
- Verify it's not a parent task (use subtasks for tracking)
Labour cost shows $0
- Your user profile may not have an hourly rate set
- Contact your administrator to set your rate
Costs not aggregating to parent
- Ensure subtasks are properly linked to the parent
- Check that costs are saved on the subtasks
- Refresh the parent task to see updated totals