How Jira Admins can choose the right Time Tracking App for Software Agencies

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This article is part of a series helping Jira Admins choose the right Jira app stack for software agencies.

Let's start with one of the first apps most agencies evaluate: time tracking.

At first glance, choosing a Jira time tracking app seems simple. Open the Atlassian Marketplace, search for "time tracking", compare a few screenshots, and install the app with the best reviews.

In reality, the decision is much more important.

The time tracking app you choose today may later become the foundation for project reporting, budget tracking, profitability analysis, invoicing, and resource planning.

That's why Jira Admins should start by asking questions and not by comparing apps.

Step 1: Understand Why the Agency Wants Time Tracking

Before evaluating any app, talk to the people who requested it.

Ask:

• Why do we need time tracking?
• What problem are we trying to solve?
• Who will use the data?

Typical answers include:

• Client billing
• Timesheet compliance
• Project reporting
• Budget tracking
• Profitability reporting
• Resource planning

Different goals require different capabilities.

An agency that only wants timesheets has very different requirements from an agency that wants to track project profitability.

Step 2: Identify Who Will Log Time

Next, understand who will actually use the system.

Ask:

• Will developers log time?
• Will consultants log time?
• Will project managers log time?
• How often will people log time?

The easier time entry is, the higher adoption will be.

Even the best reporting system is useless if people don't log their work consistently.

Step 3: Verify Time Entry Options

One of the first things I would evaluate is how users can enter time.

Can users:

• Log time directly from Jira issues?
• Start and stop timers from Jira issues?
• Use a global timer?
• Edit existing worklogs?
• Log time for previous days?
• Log future planned work?
• Enter time through a weekly timesheet?
• Enter time through a calendar view?
• Drag and drop worklogs in a calendar?
• Use mobile devices?

Different teams prefer different workflows.

The more flexibility an app provides, the easier adoption becomes.

Step 4: Verify Billable and Non-Billable Tracking

For software agencies, this is usually a requirement.

Ask:

• Can work be marked as billable?
• Can work be marked as non-billable?
• Can both be reported separately?
• Can managers understand where non-billable time is spent?

Many agencies don't realize how important this is until they start reviewing project profitability.

Step 5: Verify Timesheets and Approval Workflows

Many agencies need some level of approval before time can be used for billing or reporting.

Ask:

• Can users submit timesheets?
• Can managers approve timesheets?
• Can managers reject timesheets?
• Can individual worklogs be approved?
• Is approval history recorded?
• Can reminders be sent for missing time?

These requirements often come from Operations, Finance, or Delivery teams rather than developers.

Step 6: Verify Reporting Capabilities

This is where many Jira Admins make mistakes.

Most apps can collect time.

The real question is whether managers can use the data.

Ask:

Can reports be grouped by:

• Project
• Client
• User
• Team
• Epic
• Sprint
• Component
• Custom Fields

Can managers see:

• Billable vs non-billable hours?
• Missing time?
• Team utilization?
• Project effort?

Think about who will consume the reports before choosing a solution.

Step 7: Verify Jira Integration

A time tracking app should feel like part of Jira.

Ask:

• Can users log time without leaving Jira?
• Does it work directly from the issue view?
• Does it respect Jira permissions?
• Does it support Jira custom fields?
• Can worklogs be bulk edited?
• Can reports be filtered using Jira data?

The tighter the integration, the easier the rollout.

Step 8: Think About Future Requirements

This is the question I would push hardest.

Many software agencies start by saying:

We only need time tracking.

A year later they need:

• Project budgets
• Budget burn tracking
• Cost tracking
• Profitability reporting
• Client invoicing
• Resource planning
• Capacity forecasting

Changing systems later can be expensive and disruptive.

When evaluating a time tracking solution, ask:

• Can it support project budgets later?
• Can it support profitability reporting later?
• Can it support invoicing later?
• Can it support resource planning later?

Even if these are not immediate requirements, they may become important much sooner than expected.

The 10 Questions Every Jira Admin Should Ask

Before recommending any time tracking app, make sure you can answer:

1. Why does the agency need time tracking?
2. Who will log time?
3. How will users enter time?
4. Do we need billable and non-billable tracking?
5. Do we need timesheet approvals?
6. What reports do managers need?
7. Does the app integrate naturally with Jira?
8. Can it support future budget management?
9. Can it support future profitability reporting?
10. Will it still fit when the agency doubles in size?

Final Recommendation

Don't choose a time tracking app because it has the nicest timer.

Choose it because it helps answer the business questions your agency needs answered today — and the questions it will need answered in the future.

The best Jira Admins don't simply select tools.

They build systems that can grow with the business.

I've spent nearly 20 years working in software development and client delivery organizations. During that time, I've seen many software agencies start with time tracking, only to later realize they also need project budgets, profitability reporting, invoicing, and resource planning.

Those recurring challenges eventually led me to become involved in building solutions in this space, including Worklog360.

Whether you choose one app or several, my recommendation is always the same: think beyond time tracking and consider the capabilities your agency is likely to need in the next few years.

In the next article, we'll look at how Jira Admins can choose the right Budget Management app for software agencies