Moving From Paper Timecards to a Crew App

Moving From Paper Timecards to a Crew App

This playbook walks you through moving from paper timecards and texted hours to a simple crew time tracking app.

The goal is not to turn your foremen into data entry clerks. The goal is to get cleaner hours with less chasing, so payroll is right and job numbers actually mean something.

Who This Playbook Is For

This is built for commercial contractors who:

  • Have crews filling out paper timecards or sending hours by text
  • Rely on office staff to read handwriting, fix mistakes, and enter hours manually
  • Want to see hours by job and cost code, not just total hours per person
  • Are ready to use an app, but don’t want to blow up payroll week

If that sounds like you, this playbook gives you a simple, step-by-step path.

Step 1: Pick the Right Starting Point

Before you roll out any app, decide how big your first step will be.

  • Start small: Pick one or two crews with solid foremen who are open to change.
  • Start simple: Use basic features only—clock in, clock out, job, cost code. No extras yet.
  • Start clear: Decide who owns setup and who owns training (usually an office/ops lead).

You are not trying to solve every problem at once. You are proving that clean time from the field is possible.

Step 2: Define Jobs and Cost Codes

Bad setup here guarantees bad data later. Keep it simple and clear.

  • Create a clean list of active jobs with names your crews recognize.
  • Define a short list of cost codes that match how you actually work (not 50 codes nobody will use).
  • Aim for 5–15 cost codes to start—enough detail for job costing, not enough to confuse foremen.

Ask yourself: “Can I expect a foreman to pick the right code in under 5 seconds?” If not, simplify.

Step 3: Set Up the App and Run a Dry Run

Before involving crews, run a quick test inside the office.

  • Create a test job and a test crew.
  • Have one person “clock in” for a fake day using a phone, just like a foreman would.
  • Walk the data through: time entry → approval → export to payroll or report.

The point is to make sure the basic flow works and that you understand where buttons and settings live before you explain it to the field.

Step 4: Train Foremen First, Not Everyone

Your rollout lives or dies with your foremen, not individual crew members.

  • Hold a short meeting with the foremen in your pilot group.
  • Show them:
    • How to pick the right job
    • How to assign the crew and cost codes
    • How to fix a mistake the same day
  • Explain why you’re doing this: cleaner hours, fewer questions, less payroll chaos.

Keep the training focused on the 3–5 taps they’ll do every day, not every feature the app has.

Step 5: Run a Two-Week Pilot

Now test it in the real world with a small group.

  • Use the app with your pilot crews for one or two full payroll cycles.
  • Have the office review time daily, not just at payroll cutoff.
  • Fix issues immediately:
    • Wrong job selected
    • Missing lunches
    • Cost codes not used correctly

Expect mistakes. The pilot phase is where you catch them cheaply instead of at scale.

Step 6: Clean Up Payroll and Simple Rules

As you go through the first few weeks, tighten up your rules.

  • Decide who approves time each day and when (foremen, office, or both).
  • Set clear expectations:
    • All time must be in by [specific time] daily.
    • All corrections must be handled before [specific time] on payroll day.
  • Document these rules in one place and share them with foremen.

The goal is to make payroll week predictable instead of a scramble.

Step 7: Roll Out to the Rest of the Crews

Once the pilot is working and the process feels stable, expand.

  • Add more crews to the system, using the same setup and rules.
  • Have your “pilot foremen” help train others—they’re proof it works.
  • Keep daily checks in place until the new process is normal.

Do not add extra complexity (new codes, new features) for at least a few payroll cycles. Let the basics become habit first.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

  • Rolling out to everyone at once before you’ve tested the flow.
  • Too many cost codes that nobody uses correctly.
  • No clear owner for setup, training, and daily time approval.
  • Changing too much at once (tools, rules, and reports all at the same time).

Any one of these can make crews blame the app instead of the process.

How to Measure Success

After 30–60 days, you should see:

  • Fewer texts and calls about missing or unclear hours
  • Faster payroll processing with fewer fixes
  • Cleaner reports showing hours by job and cost code
  • Foremen spending less time on paperwork and more on running work

If those things are happening, you’re on the right track.

Bottom Line

Moving from paper timecards to a crew app doesn’t have to be painful. Start small, keep the setup simple, train foremen first, and fix issues in a controlled pilot before you roll it out to everyone.

Done right, you’ll get cleaner hours, calmer payroll weeks, and better job numbers without burying your field leaders in extra admin work.