[thelist] Filling up timesheets - good or bad?

Luther, Ron Ron.Luther at COMPAQ.com
Thu Jan 11 09:35:29 CST 2001


Hi Madhu,


I think many companies have gone to 'exception time reporting' systems
whereby users only fill out time sheets .... uh ... for exceptions -- like
vacation time, illness, and maybe out-of-locality training classes.

However, the above just tells mgmt if you are working or not --- not where
your time is spent.


I've worked under (and developed) some "time sampling" systems --- where a
trained person comes around the office at random times and asks what you are
working on at that moment in time ... the random observations are
statistically extrapolated to give mgmt an estimate of the number of hours
of work being put in on various projects and activities.

You may have seen the results from some studies conducted under this kind of
methodology - they are the ones that say things like ... "the average
executive spends 32% of his/her day on the telephone and 48% in meetings".

They can be interesting studies/systems to develop --- and, if conducted
properly, can provide some worthwhile information.  [I developed one of
these for Ohio Bell's White Page directory operations .... many many many
years ago!]


HTH,


Ron L.





More information about the thelist mailing list