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In the fall of 2009, Paramore|Redd set a goal that we would launch Workamajig by January 2010 and this was successfully accomplished. Workamajig is a web-based job tracking and project management program that claims to “understand the creative firm”...and they do.

Our goal for the first month was simple: make sure everyone is logging time correctly.  In the past we struggled with this.  It wasn’t that people didn’t record their time; however, instead of logging time straight into the system, they saved it in a file on their desktop or even on a set of sticky notes. At the end of the month, everyone would scramble to enter his or her time before we started billing.  This became a Paramore|Redd tradition. 

Logging time in our old system was time-consuming.  It was a task in itself, a much-disliked “to-do”. We actually had people logging time…for logging time.

What’s changed?

It’s all in the timesheet.  In our old system, the excessive navigation throughout the program required people to jump from one project to another just to log time. In Workamajig, logging time is accomplished in one simple, user-friendly timesheet.  You can log time for all of your projects and meetings simply by creating a new entry line. Enter the project and task name, choose a service, enter your hours and description, and you’re done. 

Around here we like efficiency and now people are logging time daily.  Another plus is that everyone must submit a timesheet at the end of the week. We’ve removed the old tradition of logging time at the end of the month and we’re saving time along the way.

In a company wide poll, when asked “How long did it take you a week to log time in our old project management system?“ 50% of the respondents said 60 minutes a week, and 25% said 30 minutes a week. 

When asked how long it takes a week to log time in Workamajig, 18.8% of the respondents said 60 minutes, 43.8% of the respondents said 30 minutes and 37.5% said 15 minutes.  The switch from our old system to Workamajig will save Paramore|Redd, on average, 18 minutes per person, per week. I like signs of improvement!

When asked what made Workamajig easier for time entry, common responses were, “Everything is in one place”, “It’s easy to navigate”, “The ability to log time on the same line item each day”, and “It takes less time”.

We’re still getting used to the new system, and yes, people still spend time logging time (let’s face it, it’s kind of inevitable), but Workamajig allows us to spend more time on what we enjoy - creating great websites and online media.

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