IMCD Group is a leading chemical distribution company with a presence in over 60 countries and a workforce nearing 5,000 employees. Headquartered in Rotterdam, Netherlands, the company plays an important role in the chemical supply chain by purchasing from suppliers and selling to customers globally. The IT department of IMCD Group is responsible for integrating and administering a wide network of technologies across the company's expanding enterprise. James Gibbons, the Group Integration Manager at IMCD Group, oversees the crucial functions of this department, focusing on system integration, partner connectivity, and automation processes.
The Challenge
As IMCD Group expanded significantly, the IT department faced challenges with tracking and managing employee time and resource allocation across multiple teams and projects.
"The main issue that we were facing was that we, as we've grown quite quickly as an IT department, didn't have a real way of firstly tracking timesheets in a standardized way across all the different teams. But also we didn't really have a way of seeing what time was being spent on which project or which ticket. So, for us, we wanted to streamline the way that we were logging hours, but also get the visibility on where those hours were being spent."
James Gibbons, Group Integration Manager at IMCD Group
This lack of standardized time tracking made it difficult to see how much time was being spent on specific projects or tickets. Therefore, the need for better visibility and streamlined logging was critical for improving operational efficiency.
The Solution
IMCD Group picked ActivityTimeline because it offered extensive time tracking and resource planning features.
"We also wanted something that could help us with the resource planning side of things and has very close integration to Jira with all of this. Activity Timeline was the first one we tried and we liked it. So we stuck with it."
James Gibbons, Group Integration Manager at IMCD Group
The choice was straightforward, with no need to evaluate other options, demonstrating the immediate fit of ActivityTimeline to their needs. Its capability to integrate seamlessly with Jira was also a key factor, providing detailed insights into time spent and resource planning in real-time.
Implementation
The implementation of ActivityTimeline introduced some initial challenges, primarily due to adjustments in work habits and the adoption of new processes. Employees had to adapt to logging their hours immediately upon task completion, a change from their previous practices.
"It was mainly around way of working and people having to get used to upfront or very soon after doing a task, making sure that the time was allocated so that they remembered where that time was spent."
James Gibbons, Group Integration Manager at IMCD Group
However, the integration with Jira made the transition easier by keeping the user interface familiar and lowering the learning curve associated with the new system.
Benefits
ActivityTimeline significantly improved the visibility and accuracy of time tracking at IMCD Group. Managers like James now have a more precise tool for verifying the time spent on various tasks and ensuring it aligns with budget allocations.
"Going down from 5 minutes to sign off an invoice to 1 minute across all of the IT consultants."
James Gibbons, Group Integration Manager at IMCD Group
This significant reduction effectively makes the process five times faster, leading to an approximate saving of over 5 hours each month per manager. The significant time savings achieved with ActivityTimeline have not only highlighted IMCD's efficiency advantages but have also proven vital across different departments within the company. Managers quickly approve team timesheets, aligning reported hours with completed tasks—key for maintaining budget and efficiency. Senior management utilizes the tool for a high-level overview of time spent, enhancing decision-making on project funding and resource allocation. Scrum Masters will soon leverage it to plan and track sprints, adjusting workloads to meet goals without overloading team capacities. This cross-functional use demonstrates the tool's significant influence on increasing company efficiency.
Feedback and Future Plans
While the experience with ActivityTimeline has been largely positive, James pointed out areas for improvement, such as enhancing the timesheet approval process. However, his overall feedback remains overwhelmingly positive.
“I also heard from a colleague who I think was in contact with a customer success manager about adding some fields. I saw the email chain that was all done very quickly. And my feedback is very positive and it works really well for us. We've done it really for the retrospective who's spent what time on what area and we haven't really used the capacity planning part. That really is for us the next step to look at the capacity planning part and how we can utilize that better.”
James Gibbons, Group Integration Manager at IMCD Group
This forward-thinking strategy aims to make more extensive use of the tool's capabilities to support resource and capacity planning throughout the organization.
Conclusion
IMCD Group's adoption of ActivityTimeline has influenced its time management practices, providing a more structured and transparent system that is in line with the company's operational requirements and growth trajectory. James recommends ActivityTimeline to other companies, particularly those that currently use Jira, highlighting its usefulness and adaptability as a time-tracking system. With ongoing enhancements and attention to user feedback, ActivityTimeline continues to increase its value to businesses aiming to improve resource management and productivity.
