Using Time Tracker for Billable Hours as a Drafter

[SetashaBybee]

I am wanting to use Time Tracker to provide detail for my billable hours as a drafter and am wondering how others use it. Namely, if I bill in increments of 15 minutes, is it common to add up all time within a day that I've spent on a particular project and then round that total to the next 15 minute increment? Or is it best to only bill any chunk of time that's more than 15 minutes? My problem is that I'll jump into a project for maybe 11 or 12 minutes and then come back later in the day for another 10 minutes, so if I don't count either of those then I'm not being paid for a 30 minute chunk of time that I was working. Thanks in advance for your feedback.

[para-CAD]

For hourly work, I export project time and open it in a spreadsheet.  I find the total time and bill for that exact time. 
 

Hourly clients know upfront that they pay for my time….nothing rounded up in my favor or down in theirs. 
 

When I’m dealing with last nigh’ts spicy dinner, they will see some 10 minute work spurts in the spreadsheet on the following day. 
 

I often find that working hourly increases my personal stress level if I cannot maintain focus on what I’m doing. Dogs might want to come visit me or my family is doing something unintentional that is distracting. I normally only do hourly if I know there’s going to be lots of changes as the project progresses because it’s impossible to flat rate bid that.

 

I also use a separate timer, there are all kinds of free versions out there that are pretty good. My wife uses Clockify, and I use something that is mac specific. 
 

Most time tracking apps create a nice report and consolidate everything. It’s nice being able to track my time while I’m doing research on the county GIS page separately from only tracking work in chief architect from the chief architect time tracker. 

[Chiefuserodd]

Ahead of time , sorry for the novel. I don't have specific answers so this is more of my research of the issue and a post to say that you're not alone.

Oh boy, am I having the same problem! I just opened up the time tracker on a chief project that I worked on and I know for sure that I did not spend nearly as many hours as it's showing. Just some insight into what encountering. The first thing I did for trying to figure out my time was to look at the time tracker for each Chief file that I had worked on for that project. I opened each Chief drawing file that I used for that project.  I summed up the totals of each of those files. The end result was that it double billed My time.  For example, I had a plan file open at the same time as my layout file. I had also created a separate plan file for details that was open. When I looked at the time tracker for each of those, it keep track of which file I was working on actively. It treated it as though I was actively working on all three files at once and therefore tripled my time. I honestly don't know or if the program is capable of breaking out active use of each file.  I performed a quick test just to confirm my suspicions. I created a very simple plan file with a one room house with a roof. I did some different elevations etcetera. Then I opened a layout page and export into that. When I stopped the time tracker on each file, I went back looked at the time tracker total for each.  It did indeed track both files as being worked on at the same time. Ergo double billing. I'm sure it's highly possible I'm doing something wrong or there's a better way to track it. Perhaps I need to keep a physical timer on the desk that I hit on and off. Unfortunately with my ADHD, I can just about guarantee that I'll forget to tap it on or off as I'm working on drawings. Being easily distracted by dog, cat, squirrel, bird, Oh I'm thirsty, is it lunchtime yet, Etcetera will lead to many on and off taps of the timer. Maybe I just need to hire a minion to sit next to me and keep track of when I'm distracted and when I'm working on a specific drawing. So just in the end this is a Misery loves company post. Maybe somebody has some ideas as to how to make billing easier I always feel that I might be over billing so I take my total and at least half it. It's not a wonder I never made any money in this business.

 

Good luck and happy spring. Squirrel!!!!!!!!

 

Cheers,

 

Baxter's Dad

(Todd Burchard)