What is a task tracker & how can it keep track of employee tasks?

Manually keeping track of projects is a crucial but time-consuming task that can add work for team members and managers alike.

A task tracker is an intelligent version of a to-do list that can help manage tasks and assignments. Team members can use task trackers individually or together as a team.

These tools allow team members to list their essential projects, prioritize them, and mark them as done when the tasks are complete. Some examples of popular task trackers you’ve likely heard of are Asana, Monday.com, and Trello.

These examples are excellent standalone trackers and are popular tools for a reason. However, task tracking is much more powerful and advantageous when part of task management software.

The best task trackers are integrated into a more comprehensive platform and provide a wealth of insight and opportunities to streamline processes. These platforms help companies produce more deliverables in less time.

To put it simply, task trackers help team members and managers keep track of what tasks are complete and what is still waiting.

They also enable better communication, prioritization, and collaboration across projects because team members know which tasks are outstanding and when the work needs to be completed.

Task trackers ensure nothing slips through the cracks because they organize task workflows. These trackers let project managers map out the work required for a specific output and easily supervise the status of the work.

Managers define tasks initially and prioritize them, but they may also add, assign, or track tasks as they move from team to team. Thanks to this administrative work, there is less time spent checking in and more time spent working on tasks.

Team members can track their time as they work on each assignment on the task list, which provides helpful information for determining future costs and benchmarking. It can also alert managers if a simple task takes longer than expected so that the manager can step in and help optimize the process.

Task tracking and time tracking have many benefits for team members and managers. They streamline administrative tasks, improve productivity, and help prevent tasks from falling through the cracks.

Good tracking software can save money, improve the promptness of deliverables, and help companies retain key team members. They also improve team collaboration, which is a key to increased innovation and morale.

Recent research shows that the average worker is only productive for 2 hours and 53 minutes a day. However, using task tracking can improve the ability of team members to complete tasks and be more productive.

Task tracker benefits for team members

Task trackers can clarify managerial expectations and help team members accomplish more.

Centralized view of tasks

One key benefit is that task trackers provide a centralized view of the team members’ daily tasks.

With a task tracker, team members can quickly see their responsibilities for the day and clearly understand what is due at any given time. They don’t have to waste time deciding where to start or how to stay busy because the priorities are clear.

Task automation

Through automation, task trackers can help team members stay on top of due dates. For example, some platforms provide an automated notification when a project is ready for work.

Automation can also automatically reassign tasks once one team member has completed their portion of the project.

Remote team members

Task tracker information is typically stored in the cloud so that team members can access their data at all times. This accessibility is especially crucial for companies with a remote or hybrid workforce.

They allow remote team members to feel like they are part of a team through increased team interaction and collaboration opportunities.

Task trackers also enhance remote team members' knowledge of projects they aren’t personally working on because the software documents all project information.

Understanding how their assigned project piece fits into the company’s business helps team members perform more efficiently. It can serve as a way to develop team members for different roles within the company.

Task tracker benefits for managers

Task trackers provide many benefits for managers because they simplify workload management and reduce the need for check-ins.

Improved morale

Project task tracking software enhances team members’ morale by providing fair workloads and boosting collaboration.

Increased morale, in turn, leads to better productivity, creativity, and innovation. Higher team member morale also causes increased retention and less lost work time due to physical and mental illnesses.

Managing workloads

Another benefit of task tracking is better workload management. Task tracking supports managers in equalizing workloads so that team members are challenged but not overwhelmed.

Project management

Time tracking and task management software also improves project management. The manager receives data that helps them to better estimate the time required to complete specific tasks.

It allows the manager to see the status of each task and project at a glance. The manager can begin corrective action early if they see that a project is at risk of not being completed by its due date.

Finally, time tracking and management software can enhance overall team productivity. It can streamline workflows and maintain clear project histories all in one place.

A good task tracker app includes various task management tools and functionalities. If you’re in the market for a task tracker, there are some features that you should keep in mind.

Project management

The most robust task management software provides various ways of tracking project progress so that managers can switch from one to another to gain a clearer picture of how the team is working.

Task management software can provide automated notifications when the project reaches certain milestones. Additionally, employees can set up real-time progress notifications, so the manager and team always know their current status.

Time and billing

Time tracking features enable team members to record their time for tasks digitally. Combined with automated billing and payroll features, this can reduce manual labor for the accounting and management teams.

Typically the tracking begins with a straightforward click. A team member can “clock in” on a task while working on it and “clock out” when done.

Supervisors know when team members begin work on time and can track attendance automatically. The software also tracks billable hours for specific projects and can generate invoices automatically based on these billable hours.

Mobile app

Team members can track time on their computers using a Google Chrome extension or apps for Windows, Linux, or Mac operating systems with a task tracking mobile app. Alternatively, they can use mobile apps for Android or iOS devices.

Being able to track time on the go is ideal for field teams like construction crews. It is also helpful for remote team members and people who work hybrid schedules.

Task dependencies

Task management platforms allow managers to break up large complex projects into smaller chunks or more easily achievable tasks, which keeps the team focused.

Unmet or unclear task dependencies account for 12 percent of project failures. Robust task tracking platforms can prioritize tasks optimally based on dependencies.

Certain task managers will include a task tracker template that can help managers set up dependencies immediately and customize the template as needed.

Timeline and Kanban views

Timeline views are charts that illustrate tasks or activities and how they fall on a timeline based on their due dates.

Another popular view for tasks and items is a Kanban board. Kanban boards allow for automatically assigning tasks to the right person each time the project moves to the next step.

Integrations

Integrating task tracking tools with project management tools can streamline project management.

If you use three or four different software applications to manage your time, creative work, and communications channels, you should consider integrating them to enhance workflows.

An example would be integrating your task tracking software with Slack to ensure that Slack notifications go out when teams complete projects. These notifications help managers avoid bottlenecks while keeping projects on track.

Popular integrations include Google Docs, Trello, and Salesforce.