Timekeeping Research

Smart Web Parts conducted a survey of attorneys in AMLAW 100 & 200 firms about timekeeping. The objective of this study was to learn about fee earner habits, methods, problems and how their current timekeeping software supports their efforts.

 

Three Types of Timekeepers

 

The findings discovered there are three types of timekeepers and these are their stories:

 

1. Contemporaneous. This is the timekeeper, who marks down their time as it happens. This timekeeper likes universal access to their time entry program whether it is in the office, on the web, or via a mobile device. This group also likes “Timekeeping Interruptus” programs, for example, being prompted to enter a client and matter number after making a mobile call. A small sub-set of this group also likes desktop “timers” to track time for multiple clients and matters with stop watch precision.

 

Surprisingly, contemporaneous timekeepers represent only 15% of the total population. We expected the number to be much higher. Most people outside this group reported to us they do not keep their time contemporaneously because it breaks their rhythm.

 

2. Hunter & Gatherer. This type of timekeeper constructs their timesheets after the fact. Some do it the next day, some at the end of the week, and yet some not till the end of the month. Interestingly, they all have one habit in common. When they constructed their timesheets, they reconstructed their day by going back and looking at their emails, appointments, phone logs, research and documents. This was the biggest group in our sample, representing 75% of the mix.

 

These Hunter & Gatherers revealed an interesting mix of problems. The first being accuracy. When asked “How accurate are your timesheets”, we heard a lot of confessions. There were admissions of educated guessing, and in some cases outright guessing. But, we often heard the justification, “It all works out in the end.”

 

The second problem was “leaked time”. Leaked time was defined to us as small nuggets of time that don't get billed because they are impossible to remember. These could be emails sent from home, calls made on a mobile device and inter-office phone calls. When asked “How much time do you think you leak in a day?” we got answers that ranged from a few hours a week to an hour a day.

 

The timekeepers in this group use simple, basic time entry. They had no interest in using the tools revered by the Contemporaneous timekeepers. One timekeeper said to us: “I don't keep my time while I'm in my office, why would I ever keep it on the web or my Blackberry?” For this group, time entry has not changed in the last 15-20 years. Our conclusion, no effective timekeeping software tools have been built for this group.

 

3. Collaborative. This type of timekeeper works with an assistant or secretary to prepare their timesheets. This was the smallest group coming in at just 10% of the mix.

 

The common thread in this group was that the timekeeping process was intensely manual. Multiple methods were presented to us ranging from secretaries gleaning information for their attorneys (similar to a hunter & gatherer), secretaries who drafted timesheets and then gave them to their attorney for edits, dictated time entries, to attorneys who prepared hand notes and gave them to their secretary for entry.

 

This group complained about accuracy and leaked time, but did not know what to do about it. These timekeepers or their proxies only use simple, basic time entry software.

 

Nine Conclusions

 

1. No one time entry software tool works for every timekeeping style.

 

2. The Contemporaneous timekeeper has a full complement of software tools to meet their core requirements. To date, this is where the software and legal industries have directed their focus to the exclusion of the biggest group, Hunters & Gatherers.

 

3. Law firms are committed to improving accuracy, eliminating leaked time, and increasing the velocity of time entry.

 

4. Law firms have mistakenly tried to turn Hunters & Gatherers into Contemporaneous timekeepers by jaw boning behavior and by providing these timekeepers with software tools that only appeal to the Contemporaneous timekeeper. These efforts have mostly failed.

 

5. The answer to improving the behavior of Hunters & Gatherers is to give them software tools that support their behavior rather than try to change their behavior to fit the software.

 

6. Collaborative timekeepers and their assistants are stuck in manual processes. This group needs software tools to empower the collaborative process.

7.    All attorneys need better ways to trigger their memory to create accurate time notes.

8.    All attorneys need better ways to find leaked time to in sure every hour worked gets posted to accounting. The total value of leaked time for a firm can be considerable.

 

9. After conducting this thorough analysis, Smart Web Parts pursued other professional services organizations (including accounting and consulting organizations) and determined that the exact same issues and challenges were prevalent.

 

It was this research that motivated us to design and develop Smart Time, a software tool purposely designed for all three kinds of timekeepers. One system for all behaviors.