Even though the construction company I own isn't large, we used to spend a huge amount of time processing payroll. Every week, we would scramble to collect time sheets, then spend time back in the office deciphering our workers' handwriting and double-checking their time sheets for possible discrepancies, mistakes, lost billable time, and overbilled time. Since I use time records to track job costs and compare actual vs. estimated expenses, we also had to organize the time sheets according to the CSI cost codes in our original estimates. Only then could we finally generate payroll, submit our invoices, and track our costs.
That's why I became interested in ExakTime's JobClock and FastTrakker time-clock system (877/435-6411, exaktime.com): I thought it might help us streamline our procedures and produce better reports. The JobClock is a small battery-operated time clock that is activated by either small color-coded Keytabs or a programmable handheld device called a FastTrakker. Different-colored Keytabs can be assigned to track up to 10 different activities, and the FastTrakker can be programmed with up to 1,000 cost codes. The system also includes software - called TimeSummit - for tracking time and attendance records and cost codes.
I wasn't sure if the ExakTime system was the right fit for my company, but decided to give it a try when I found a JobClock, software, and a pair of FastTrakkers being auctioned on eBay for hundreds less than the list price of $1,269. While that turned out to be not such a bargain - the JobClock we bought was dead on arrival - we're still very pleased with the system itself. We've cut down our payroll processing time by approximately 75 percent; no more 8:08 a.m. starts are recorded as 8:00, or 4:20 p.m. departures recorded as 4:30 - and I don't have to interrupt work in the field to decipher the writing on our time sheets or review them as often. It's simplified how we do things.
Timekeeping
We use one JobClock per job and will soon add another one for our shop. The clocks are weatherproof and have plenty of storage capacity. We download timekeeping records nearly every week, but we don't really need to, because each clock can store up to 10,000 records. We typically hang the clocks in the project's "communication center," on the job-site trailer door.
Each of our employees has one of the red FastTrakkers, which cost $129 each. These are small enough to fit in a pocket and come with a quick-release detachable key ring. We program them with the employee's name and our task codes and job descriptions, which are displayed in the LCD window when the wheel at the top of the fob is pressed. Employees don't need to know the CSI MasterFormat cost codes we use for estimating and job-costing, only the task number or job description (which is displayed next to the task number on the FastTrakker) for the job they are performing.
We also post a single-page hard copy of these cost codes - we call it our "Task Legend" - next to the JobClock, or somewhere convenient on the job. In addition, we print these codes on the back of paper time sheets, which we still use for work on small jobs that don't have a JobClock on site and to correct mistakes made when entering (or forgetting to enter) time on the JobClock. While our Task Legend is numbered and alphabetized for our employees, the Excel spreadsheet that we use to create it has a hidden column with the corresponding CSI cost codes.
To clock in, a worker pushes his fob's spin wheel down, scrolls the wheel to select the appropriate job activity, then touches the fob to the JobClock. Successful data transfer is confirmed with a beep. Later, when he is done with that particular job and begins a new task, the worker again touches the fob to the clock for the new task, which clocks him out of the last task. Instead of trying to remember at the end of the week what they did at the beginning of the week, employees clock in and out as they begin and end each task. Once they got the hang of it, our employees appreciated this system's simplicity and accuracy.
We can program the FastTrakkers to track anything we want, even travel time between jobs or project-specific tasks. For the most part, though, we keep our cost codes consistent from job to job. Though not all of our codes are relevant to every job, all of them will eventually be used, and consistency breeds familiarity.
Employees are responsible for their own FastTrakkers. Our company handbook explains how the devices work. Using somebody else's is against the rules. And if an employee loses or breaks his, he's bought it.
Recordkeeping
We also have a yellow FastTrakker Pro (list price $150), which I use to collect records and track my own time in the field (the red FastTrakker can't download data). Data collection is very simple: You press "collect," point it at the JobClock, and the FastTrakker Pro downloads all of the time that's been entered to date. According to the manufacturer, data stored in a JobClock can also be sent wirelessly back to the office via iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, or other mobile devices with PocketClock software, but that's not a feature that we've used.
I collect data at the end of each week and take it to Adriana, our administrative assistant. She plugs the FastTrakker into our server via a USB cable, opens the TimeSummit software, and downloads the data (Figure 3). After generating time records for each employee - and reconciling any paper time sheets that may have been submitted for small jobs or corrections - Adriana transfers the information from TimeSummit into QuickBooks. Right now she still inputs the data manually, but we could also link the FastTrakker to QuickBooks or to a payroll service with optional AccountLinx software. The entire process takes about five minutes per employee; before we started using FastTrakker she was spending 20 minutes or more reconciling and recording each worker's time sheets.
Reports
The TimeSummit software is extremely user-friendly. It took us less than an hour to learn how to download data and produce useful reports with it. TimeSummit will create electronic time sheets, of course, but we can also break down the data contained in the time sheets by person, by job, by date, or by CSI task. When I estimate labor costs, this information gives me a clearer picture of who's performing and who's not. If I find I've overestimated the time it takes to complete a task, I can be more competitive on the next bid; if I've underestimated, I'll know that for the next quote.
Every week, Adriana also generates a "Job Health" report that is organized by the CSI codes we used to create our estimate. This report summarizes not only our labor costs pulled from TimeSummit and QuickBooks, but also our materials and trade partner costs, and it indicates how our actuals compare to our estimates. Every week, I know exactly how we are doing in terms of schedule and budget.
Change orders and allowances. A particularly useful feature of this system is that it allows us to quickly and accurately record, track, and bill change orders and allowances. We post change-order numbers and allowance descriptions on the trailer door, along with their corresponding cost codes, and can add as many change-order and allowance options as we want (though we try to keep all of our job costs on one sheet).
Lumberyard time. We can accurately track time spent making lumberyard runs now, too. If we stop to pick up materials on the way to or from the job, we can input "lumberyard" to add time spent there. Each entry equals 15 minutes, so we would input "lumberyard" twice for a half-hour run. It's necessary to wait one minute between entries, or the JobClock won't record it, so if I'm in a hurry, I can just enter the task next at hand and get to work, then clear up the time spent at the yard later in the office by referring to our lumberyard receipt for that day. The point is to find out, definitively, how much time we spend at the yard. We've made it a goal to spend no more than one or two hours per week there, and this system allows us to measure how we're doing.
Ben Kelley owns Building Shelter, a building and remodeling company in Vineyard Haven, Mass.
