Most construction companies don't replace their time tracking system because it's broken. They replace it because it works just well enough to keep using but not well enough to stop causing problems.
Paper timesheets get turned in on time most weeks. The spreadsheet that someone built five years ago still runs. The system you're using now sort of connects to your accounting software, as long as someone exports the file and imports it in the right format before Friday.
It works. Until it doesn't.
If you're evaluating construction time tracking software, the challenge isn't finding something better than nothing. The challenge is choosing something good enough to justify the switch, and being confident you're picking the right one before you commit.
Here's how to think through that decision.
Start With What's Actually Costing You
Before looking at any software, get specific about where your current process breaks down. Vague frustrations don't drive good purchasing decisions. Specific pain points do.
Ask your payroll team: how many hours do you spend each pay period chasing missing time, correcting cost codes, or fixing entries before payroll closes? Ask your supervisors: how long does it take to enter time for their crew? Ask your accounting team: how many manual steps sit between field time entry and the data appearing in your ERP?
According to the American Payroll Association, manual payroll processes cost companies an average of $291 per employee per year in administrative time alone. For a contractor with 150 field employees, that's over $43,000 in annual administrative cost before you count the errors. Getting specific about your own numbers makes the case for change much clearer.
Know What "Integration" Actually Means
The most important question to ask any time tracking vendor is not whether they integrate with your ERP. It's how that integration works.
There are three types of integration you'll encounter:
A flat file export and import. You export a CSV from the time tracking system and import it into your accounting software. This is not a true integration. It's a manual handoff with an extra step, and it still relies on someone doing the transfer correctly every pay period.
A one-way sync. Time data flows from the time tracking system into the ERP, but nothing flows back. This is better than a flat file but it means your time tracking system doesn't know about your current jobs, cost codes, or employees. Someone has to maintain that list in two places.
A true bidirectional integration. Job data, cost codes, employee records, and pay types live in your ERP and flow into the time tracking system automatically. Time entered in the field flows back into the ERP without a manual step. This is the integration that actually removes work from your team.
hh2 Time Tracking uses a true bidirectional integration with construction ERPs including Sage 300 CRE, Sage 100 Contractor, Sage Intacct, and Foundation. When you ask vendors about integration, ask them specifically which type it is. The answer changes everything about how much manual work remains after implementation.
Evaluate Field Usability Honestly
The best time tracking system is the one your field crews will actually use. That sounds obvious but it's where a lot of implementations fall apart.
Field crews are busy. They're often working in low-signal areas. They're not sitting at a desk. If the mobile experience is clunky, requires too many steps, or doesn't work offline, your supervisors will find a workaround, and the workaround will usually be a text message or a handwritten note, which puts you right back where you started.
When evaluating software, have a supervisor or foreman run through the time entry process on a phone during your demo. Watch how long it takes. Count the steps. If it takes more than two or three minutes to enter time for a crew, it's going to create adoption problems in the field.
Look at the Approval Workflow
Time entry is only half of the process. Approval is the other half, and it's where most payroll delays actually happen.
A good approval workflow should show payroll managers in real time which timesheets are submitted, which are pending approval, and which have issues that need to be addressed. Supervisors should be able to approve from a phone. Reminders should go out automatically when approvals are late. Nothing should require a phone call to move forward.
For more on how time tracking and payroll connect as a single workflow, read Construction Time Tracking and Payroll as One Workflow.
Ask About Compliance Support
If your company does any work on government-funded projects, your time tracking system needs to support certified payroll reporting. If you have union employees, it needs to handle multiple pay rates and fringe benefit calculations. If your crews work across state lines, it needs to apply the right overtime rules based on where the work was performed.
These aren't edge cases in construction. They're standard. A time tracking system that doesn't support them will create compliance gaps that your payroll team has to fill manually. Read more about how multi-state payroll works in construction and what the common failure points are.
Factor In Implementation Realistically
Switching time tracking systems has a real cost. Your field supervisors need to learn a new process. Your payroll team needs to adjust their close process. Your accounting team needs to verify the integration is working correctly before the first live payroll run.
Good vendors will be transparent about what implementation looks like, how long it takes, what they handle, and what your team needs to do. Be cautious of vendors who make it sound effortless. Switching systems is not effortless. But it should be manageable, and the right partner will tell you exactly what to expect.
For a look at what implementation typically involves for construction payroll software, read Don't Overlook Implementation When Shopping for Construction Payroll Software.
The Bottom Line
Replacing a time tracking system that sort of works is a harder decision than replacing one that's clearly broken. The risk feels higher and the urgency feels lower. But the cost of staying with a system that creates manual work, produces errors, and doesn't connect cleanly to your accounting software adds up every single pay period.
The right system should remove steps from your payroll process, not add them. It should make field time entry faster for supervisors. It should give your payroll team visibility into every timesheet without requiring them to chase anyone down.
If you want to see how hh2 Time Tracking fits into an existing payroll workflow, schedule a demo or visit hh2.com.