Jira Timesheets: Everything You Need to Know About 🙌🏻

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Tracking time in Jira shouldn’t feel like a chore, but for many teams, it still does. Messy worklogs, incomplete reports, and scattered data make it difficult to see where time is actually going. And when time tracking is inaccurate, project planning suffers, resources get mismanaged, and billing turns into a guessing game.

The Limitations of Jira’s Built-in Time Tracking

Jira offers built-in time tracking, but it’s limited. You can log hours on issues, but generating clear, actionable reports is a struggle. While Jira allows users to log time directly within issues, its standard reporting tools only provide a basic overview of logged hours.

There’s no built-in way to analyze data across multiple projects or compare work across teams. Logged hours are often scattered across different issues, requiring managers to manually compile data to get an overview. The standard Jira reports aren’t customizable, making it hard to generate the specific insights teams need.

Tracking billable versus non-billable hours is another challenge, as Jira doesn’t natively support this distinction. It also doesn’t account for sick leave, vacations, or company-wide holidays, which can lead to misinterpretations of availability and project timelines.

Choosing the Right Jira Timesheet Add-on

When it comes to Jira timesheet add-ons, there are plenty of options, but not all are created equal. ActivityTimeline stands out as a resource planning and time-tracking powerhouse built specifically for Jira. Its interactive visual timesheets provide a clear overview of logged time at a glance.

It seamlessly syncs with Jira Software and Jira Service Management, pulling in all relevant time data without manual effort. Teams can generate timesheets for individuals, projects, and epics, track both billable and non-billable hours, and account for non-working days. Reports can be exported to Excel with a single click, making it easy to share insights.

Different Types of Timesheet Reports in ActivityTimeline

Not all teams have the same time-tracking needs, which is why ActivityTimeline offers different types of timesheet reports:

Progress Team Timesheet

Provides a high-level overview, showing logged versus required hours in a clear visual format. This helps managers quickly assess workload balance, track progress, and identify overutilized team members before burnout becomes an issue.

Timeline Team Timesheet

Helps teams working on multiple projects by breaking down logged hours by user, project, or epic. Instead of just seeing total hours, teams get a detailed view of where time is being spent, making it easier to track performance across different initiatives.

Detailed Team Timesheet

Captures every logged hour for precise tracking. This is especially useful for teams that need accurate data for client billing, financial forecasting, or internal audits. It differentiates billable from non-billable hours and allows for Excel exports, ensuring every hour is accounted for.

Advanced Filtering and Customization Options

Advanced filtering options, known as Scopes, help teams customize their reports further. Users can filter timesheets by team, people, project, epic, category, or issue, selecting multiple criteria at once for a more refined analysis.

Additionally, pre-configured templates and custom grouping allow teams to structure reports based on any Jira custom field, providing flexibility to match specific reporting needs. Once a report is configured, it can be saved for future use, ensuring that teams have quick access to the insights they rely on. Saved reports are accessible within the Timesheet module, and dashboards can be shared with other users or teams for better collaboration.

The Approval Process for Accurate Time Tracking

The approval process in ActivityTimeline also plays a crucial role in ensuring the integrity of recorded data. Once a timesheet is approved, it becomes locked, preventing further edits. This feature can be enabled or disabled based on team preferences.

Approved timesheets are easy to track, with filters available to see which have been approved and by whom. Bulk approval functionality streamlines the process for larger teams, ensuring that time tracking remains accurate and efficient.

Moving Beyond Manual Time Tracking

Many teams still rely on Excel for timesheet tracking, but this approach is prone to errors and inefficiencies. Manually entering time logs can lead to discrepancies, and consolidating data across multiple spreadsheets is time-consuming. 

With an advanced add-on like ActivityTimeline, much of the time-tracking process becomes automated. Worklogs sync directly with Jira timesheets, reducing manual entry and ensuring accuracy. Real-time insights give managers the data they need without the hassle of compiling reports. The ability to track billable and non-billable hours, account for non-working days, and customize reporting adds even more value.

Final Thoughts

While Jira provides a solid foundation, teams that need advanced reporting and customization should consider investing in a dedicated timesheet add-on like ActivityTimeline. Its intuitive interface, seamless Jira integration, and powerful reporting features help teams manage time efficiently, optimize workloads, and ensure accurate billing.