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Track time on tasks
You can track time in Tallyfy by adding number fields to tasks with validation rules. This creates a simple time tracking system that captures hours and minutes spent on each task, enabling accurate workflow measurement and cost analysis.
Time tracking helps measure task duration, calculate project costs, identify process bottlenecks, and improve resource allocation. Here’s how to implement it effectively.
- Administrator or Standard user role
- Access to edit templates
- Basic understanding of form fields
Time tracking works best for:
- Billable client work requiring accurate hour logs
- Process improvement initiatives measuring task efficiency
- Compliance requirements mandating time documentation
- Resource planning based on actual task duration
- Cost analysis for specific workflow steps
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Open your template for editing Navigate to the Templates tab and open the template where you want to add time tracking. Click Edit Template to enter edit mode.
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Select the task requiring time tracking Click on the specific task (step) where team members should log their time. This opens the task editor panel.
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Add the hours field
- Click Add Form Field in the task editor
- Select Short Text field type
- Configure these settings:
- Field Name: “Hours spent on this task”
- Validation: Select “Number” from the dropdown
- Minimum Value: 0
- Maximum Value: 999 (adjust based on your needs)
- Suffix: “hrs” (appears after the input)
- Required: Check if time tracking is mandatory
- Guidance Text: “Enter whole hours only (0-999)”
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Add the minutes field
- Click Add Form Field again
- Select Short Text field type
- Configure these settings:
- Field Name: “Minutes spent on this task”
- Validation: Select “Number” from the dropdown
- Minimum Value: 0
- Maximum Value: 59
- Suffix: “min” (appears after the input)
- Required: Check if needed
- Guidance Text: “Enter minutes (0-59)”
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Optional: Add a total time calculation field For reference, add a Long Text field with instructions:
- Field Name: “Time tracking notes”
- Guidance Text: “Optional: Add any notes about time spent or delays encountered”
- Required: Leave unchecked
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Save and test your template Click Save Template and launch a test process to verify the time tracking fields work correctly.
While Tallyfy doesn’t automatically calculate totals, you can use variables to display entered time in subsequent tasks:
- In a later task description, insert variables:
{{Hours spent on this task}} hours and {{Minutes spent on this task}} minutes were logged - This creates visibility of time spent for approvers or reviewers
Use automation rules to trigger actions based on time entries:
- Example: If hours spent > 8, assign task to manager for review
- Example: If total time exceeds budget, send notification email
For comprehensive time tracking across an entire process:
- Add time fields to every task requiring measurement
- Create a summary task at the end titled “Time Tracking Summary”
- Use the task description to list all time variables from previous tasks
- Export data via CSV for analysis
Getting accurate time data is harder than it seems. Here’s why - and what you can do about it:
Multi-tasking makes tracking difficult
People rarely work on one task at a time. Your team member might spend 30 minutes on a task, get pulled into a meeting, answer three urgent emails, then return to finish the task an hour later. Did that task take 30 minutes or 90 minutes? Both answers have merit.
Holidays and absences skew averages
When calculating how long tasks typically take, holidays and vacation days throw off your numbers. A task assigned on December 23rd might sit untouched until January 2nd. That’s not a 10-day task - it’s a 2-hour task with an 8-day holiday in the middle.
External delays aren’t the assignee’s fault
Sometimes tasks stall for reasons beyond anyone’s control. Waiting for client feedback, dependencies on other delayed tasks, or system outages all add time that has nothing to do with how long the actual work takes.
The most reliable approach? Add a form field asking assignees to record their actual working time. Yes, it’s one more field to fill out - but it gives you honest, clean data about how long tasks really take.
Here’s why this works:
- People know exactly how much time they spent on the task (not the elapsed time)
- You capture actual effort, not calendar time
- External delays don’t contaminate your data
- You can still track elapsed time separately through Tallyfy’s built-in timestamps
Important: The timestamps in Tallyfy Analytics and CSV exports measure elapsed time between task assignment and completion. They’re subject to all the issues above - multi-tasking, holidays, external delays. That “3-day average” might actually represent 30 minutes of work spread across a long weekend. Always interpret timestamp data with this context in mind, or better yet, implement effort tracking fields for cleaner metrics.
Use consistent naming for easy reporting:
- “Task Name - Hours”
- “Task Name - Minutes”
- This makes CSV exports more readable
- Set maximum hours based on typical task duration
- Use validation to prevent data entry errors
- Consider using dropdown lists for standard time increments
- Add guidance text explaining time tracking expectations
- Specify whether to track active work time only or total elapsed time
- Clarify if breaks should be included or excluded
- Explain the difference between effort time and elapsed time
- Export process data monthly to analyze time trends
- Identify tasks consistently taking longer than expected
- Use insights to optimize workflow design
- Consider both effort metrics and elapsed time when analyzing bottlenecks
For client billing, consider:
- Adding a “Billable?” radio button field (Yes/No)
- Including a “Billing Code” dropdown field
- Creating separate fields for billable vs non-billable time
For regulatory requirements:
- Make all time fields required
- Add timestamp validation to ensure accuracy
- Include additional fields for:
- Start time
- End time
- Break duration
- Reason for delays
To measure efficiency:
- Track both estimated and actual time
- Add fields for “Estimated Hours” and “Estimated Minutes”
- Compare estimates to actuals in your analysis
- Open any running process with time tracking
- Click Settings > Export CSV
- Open in Excel/Google Sheets
- Sum time columns for total duration
Use the Tallyfy API to:
- Pull time data into business intelligence tools
- Create automated time reports
- Integrate with billing systems
Configure webhooks to:
- Alert when time exceeds thresholds
- Send daily time summaries
- Trigger billing system updates
Problem: Users entering time in wrong format Solution: Use dropdown fields with preset time options instead of text entry
Problem: Forgetting to track time Solution: Make time fields required and add reminder text
Problem: Time entries seem inaccurate
Solution: Add “Time Entry Method” field with options like “Timer”, “Estimate”, “Calculated”
Problem: Different time zones causing confusion Solution: Add timezone field or standardize on UTC
Tallyfy enables comprehensive step editing in templates through adding new steps with simple naming and modifying existing ones via description editing assignment configuration step type selection form field management deadline timing controls and advanced settings including process launching completion requirements and webhook integration.
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Tallyfy process lifecycle management involves five phases - create templates with logical organization and detailed instructions, launch customized instances with proper context, execute tasks sequentially, monitor progress through tracker views to catch issues early, and complete processes while analyzing data for continuous improvement.
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Tallyfy document templates allow you to create smart forms with editable fields for names dates and text that maintain consistent formatting while letting users customize specific content areas through a simple interface that prevents formatting issues and ensures professional standardized documents every time.
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