Stop Using Timesheets - Tracking Time Is Not Tracking Productivity

I previously wrote an article (rant) about timesheets. That article prompted many discussions about further issues.

See it here:
https://anthonydotnet.blogspot.com/2019/09/stop-using-timesheets.html

In this article I will debunk the notion of using timesheets to track Productivity.

Productivity Is

Productivity can be viewed as the output of value. It is a completed piece of work that provides value to a team/organisation/company/customer/colleague.

Value

A person's output must be add value. Therefore the output must be complete in some form so that a  team/organisation/company/customer/colleague can benefit from the time and effort that was spent creating that output.

I have seen many companies where people start many things, they work hard, they work overtime, and yet they produce little value. An incomplete bridge is of no value. 

Quality

Productivity has a quality element. If a person produces something of low quality, it may be deemed as having little value. Thus, producing low quality work is not really productive.

Time Tracking Is Not Tracking Productivity

Timesheets are a record of utilised time. Utilisation is not the same as productivity (output).

The perceived utilisation of a person's time can be at 100%, however their output may be half-started work items of low quality.

But what about...
I hear some people saying that they are using timesheets to track the time for completed tasks, as each task has its own code.

Realistically, tracking the time for each task doesn't give you the information you think it does. But I hear you exclaiming "A manager can use the time tracked on a task to help a developer become more productive!"

As a manager I already know the strengths and weaknesses of my staff. I don't need a timesheet to do this! Moreover, comparing tasks is not useful as no 2 tasks are the same. There are many different variables that can affect a developer's productivity at a specific task. For example, designs, requirements, client interactions, quality of acceptance criteria. That's not even including stress, illness, and family life.

How To Track Productivity

One great way to track productivity is by counting the number of tasks a person does over a period of time. It's that easy.... In fact it's Dang Easy!

For example, in a given month, count the number of completed tickets/cards in your project management tool (eg. Trello, Jira, Asana, Kanbanize, Leankit) for a given developer. Then count the number of defects which were raised by QA for that developer in the same time period.

Now you have their output over time, and a quality metric which you can use to compare this developer against their own future productivity scores.

You can even use these numbers to compare different developer's productivity.

It's that easy! You don't need timesheets to do this.

Final Thoughts

I hope that I have given you food for thought. Tracking a person's time is not the same as tracking their productivity. Timesheets do not track a person's output, and they do not track a person's rate of output.

A good manager does not need timesheets to figure out if their staff are productive, efficient, and delivering value for the organisation.