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Colors Signify Project Status

Do you like to use colors to signify project status? Here’s a way to do it.

Let’s say you use green to indicate that a project is a go. And Red to signify no-go. Maybe yellow means proceed with caution while we wait for final client approval. Or, maybe you use colors for project priority to help employees remember which projects are the most important ones to work on. In any case, you have the ability to colorize projects for your purposes.

Project colors are applied to

  1. Timesheet projects
  2. Project Task headers
  3. Gantt task bar (which can also be overridden with their own task color)

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Timesheet or Project Management

What if you had a time tracking and project management app you could run your whole business from? That would be pretty unique. A lot of people do it. Of course, you’ll need a lot of other software like browsers and word processors and spreadsheets, but ST can be used for the core processes. Here are those processes that can be run from a timesheet with PM.

  1. Collecting client hours
  2. Tracking tasks and projects
  3. Collecting time and expenses
  4. Handling PTO and time off accruals
  5. Approving timesheets and client billables
  6. Invoicing clients
  7. Receiving client payments
  8. Viewing future project revenue

That’s a lot of core business processes. You can run a lot of your business from this timesheet.

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Barcode Scanning in Manufacturing

No texting on the shop floor, or you’re all fired!

No barcode scanning unit labels either! That would tell management exactly how long each unit took to manufacture, and how long each project took, and how much time employees are working.

No! We can’t have that!

Do you want to drag us out of the dark iron age, and into the modern world? Because that’s exactly what barcode scanning on the shop floor would do. We’d no longer enjoy the dark, unlit manufacturing environment where workers sling hot steel and toil long hours until after nightfall, and come in Christmas morning to catch up on stuff they didn’t finish Christmas Eve. Instead, efficiency would climb, and workers would have more time for simpler tasks and family and lunches. Nope, that would just not do.

Manufacturing barcoding is just too dangerous for this shop floor!

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How Consultants Track Time

Successful consultants track time a certain way. That’s probably one reason they are successful. The video below describes a few of those ways. Use this to inspire you. You may find something that works for you.

For instance, are you using a linked task list to define your projects? Or, do you just go at it with all your talents and efforts? Consider that a project task list help you remember everything that needs to be done. You don’t forget things and look incompetent in front of the client. Trust me… they notice.

If you are using project tasks, the next question is: how good are you at estimating hours? Have you ever compared the actual time your tasks took with your estimates? Doing that also makes you look good in front of the client. You can speak from authority, siting many other similar projects where certain tasks took X number of hours. Clients are more willing to pay extra when they know you’ve done your homework. Turns out comparing estimates with actuals is virtually free in ST. There’s a dashboard where you’ll see those numbers.

Watch the video and become inspired!