Jira Timesheets: Everything You Need to Know

Can Jira do timesheets?

Jira definitely made its name as a time tracking tool. However, as far as the Jira timesheets are concerned, things are getting a bit more complicated. That’s because Jira can indeed do timesheets - but to a limited extent. 

Jira timesheet for employees

If you ever used Jira timesheets as an employee, you are probably aware of the fact that the tool can be used for basic time tracking. 

From the employees’ view, the users can create their own tasks, or use pre-defined tasks assigned to a project to track time. They can also add detailed description of their work to the tracked time, providing their managers with additional information on their doings. 

Furthermore, employees can also browse their weekly workload tracked in the system and fill in the gaps. After completing the month of work, they can send the Jira timesheets to their project managers for approval. 

However, while this large variety of options may seem tempting, Jira timesheet view for employees is often described as overly complicated. The structure of tasks in different projects, as well as access levels, create significant bottlenecks that can make the time tracking process very burdensome. As a result, some employees prefer to avoid the tools or seek alternatives - such as Primetric. 

Jira timesheet for managers 

Jira timesheet for managers has even more restrictions. While managers can use the tool to approve timesheets sent by employees, in the basic version of the software they cannot analyze the data from the entire team at once - they have to do it separately for all the employees. 

JIRA is also lacking in its analytical tools. Its basic version does not have timesheet reports and it does not include any Gantt charts that could be used to dynamically display the work of a team or a group of people. As a result, Jira timesheets are often not enough for managers to do their work quickly and efficiently. 

Additionally, Jira timesheets do not pair well with other Jira features, such as Jira resource planning. As a result, they are unable to provide managers with what they need to successfully complete a project.

Can Jira help me with managing timesheets? 

Based on the list of features we included above, you can already expect that managing Jira timesheets is not an easy task - and not only because you can only manage a limited amount of timesheets at once with no general overview. 

Speaking from manager’s perspective, you can choose from three methods of managing JIRA timesheets: 

1. Tracking time outside Jira. This is the most burdensome and problematic way you can choose. This method involves an additional and possibly costly tool specifically for time tracking. It possibly won’t have any connection to Jira, forcing the project management to manually enter data from one tool to the other, causing delays and consuming precious time. 
2. Tracking time in Excel spreadsheets. In this method, project managers (or other managers of choice) create a spreadsheet containing information on all the tracked hours and import them to Jira. This option, however, while less burdensome than the previous one, still involves lots of hands-on work. It is also prone to human mistakes and it does not provide you with any information on time management automatically. 
3. Using Jira integrations. Fortunately for all Jira users, there is also a third option you may want to consider. Jira can expand its timesheets using plugins and add-ons that offer additional features for this part of the tool. Contrary to popular belief, such integrations are not time consuming, and they save hundreds of hours of hard work for all the managers. 

Jira quick timesheet: is there such a feature? 

In basic Jira, there is no option to create a quick timesheet. 

Jira also does not offer any additional features for Jira time tracking and timesheets. That includes Gantt charts, finances, vacancies, and more. 

Primetic’s as your timesheet assistant in Jira

While Jira timesheet may not be a good choice for those interested in Jira resource management, there are many alternatives that can be combined with the tool and supply it with a wide range of timesheet management options. Numerous tools were designed to become Jira time tracking plugins or Jira timesheet plugins, and they are ready to be integrated with the software. Primetric is one of such tools! 

Primetric is a comprehensive project portfolio management tool that can offer you every feature you need to succeed in your service-based business. 

In case of timesheets, Primetric can provide you with: 

• comprehensive time tracking feature for your employees, 
• intuitive Gantt chart calendar for both people and projects with holidays that can be picked and automatically imported for a given region, 
• time offs, 
• new workforce optimization options, thanks to valuable insights,
• budgeting for both people and projects and real-time control of finances, 
• project accounting and settlements based on the tracked time, 
• advanced reporting with custom reports. 

Apart from that, Primetric also offers a number of accompanying features that can provide you with an even more comprehensive view of all the operations. That includes: resource planning, business intelligence, skill management and project accounting. 

See the details of Primetric here and expand your Jira timesheet!