Project Management

Exploring the art and science of effective project management. From planning and reporting to execution, control, and financials, these articles dive deep into strategies, tools, and insights to help you optimize projects and financials in your team and organization.

Top project cost tracking tools for better forecasting: The 3-layer test

Project cost tracking software — also called cost control systems or project budgeting tools — is no longer just about time logs. The real challenge is financial clarity: knowing where money is going, predicting where it’s about to go, and reporting it in real time. The best project time tracking software offers powerful project budget […]

All project management articles

The ins and outs of time tracking for contractors

Time tracking for contractors is crucial in today’s gig economy landscape. While staffing your company entirely with independent contractors might sound tempting, it comes with challenges and obligations. The growing distributed economy is increasingly regulated to protect these workers. It’s important to understand the costs, benefits, and obligations of using contractors and freelance workers, particularly […]

The 13 best time tracking tools to track billable hours for projects

Time tracking tools to track billable hours have become indispensable assets for operations and finance managers seeking to optimize profitability and maintain precise project cost control. By accurately capturing the time spent on various tasks and projects, these applications provide helpful information for workflow efficiency, resource allocation, and billing accuracy. Also, they eliminate the guesswork and potential errors associated with manual time […]

20 project time tracking tools for enhanced project financial management

There are a considerable number of project time tracking tools on the market. Because there are so many options, we’ve created this guide to today’s top project time tracking tools, making sure to include tools that offer features and price points to meet the needs of teams and businesses of all sizes. Project time tracking […]

Non-billable hours: Strategic investment or hidden cost?

When it comes to non-billable hours, businesses can totally reframe how they approach them. Rather than a knee-jerk reaction of directly trying to reduce non-billable hours, reframing your mindset to how best to manage non-billable hours can actually give you the upper hand. Non-billable hours: Strategic investment Your clients expect to be billed only for […]

How to calculate project profitability using time tracking data: Everything you need to know [Excel tutorial]

If you bill clients based on the time you spend, here’s a pop quiz: which projects make the most money? Or even more importantly: which projects aren’t profitable? If you don’t know the answer to these questions, it’s time to start thinking about project profitability, a measurement of revenue billed versus time and cost expended. […]

How to report absenteeism KPIs with an executive HR dashboard

Absenteeism KPIs are a crucial piece of executive HR dashboards because they shed light on trends and potential issues. Employees miss work from time to time due to different reasons, including being sick or even unplanned absences, and that’s how it should be. It’s unrealistic to expect them to report to work every day of […]

Payroll variance explained: A comprehensive guide for finance and HR managers

What is a payroll variance? Payroll variance is a running total of how much money your company has paid out to employees for things like overtime, vacation, sick days, and pay raises. It helps finance and HR managers figure out if budgets are being met and if everyone is getting paid the right amount. Payroll […]

Mastering budget vs. actuals analysis: Excel Power Query tutorial + FREE template

In this tutorial, learn how to create a budget vs. actuals report in Excel using Power Query. Gain insights and track financial performance effortlessly. As a financial controller, accountant, or CFO, you’re likely familiar with the concept of budget vs. actuals. You know that reporting budget vs. actuals can be both cumbersome and time-consuming, given […]