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yafet_berhanu
Community Member

When should I start desktop time tracker on coding projects

I just landed my first job and I am confused when to exactly start logging my time when working with coding projects. Should I start tracking when I setup my project enviroment such as creating project and adjusting folder structure or should I start when I start coding. It does no take much time to setup enviroment but I just don't to disappoint my client.

 

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yitwail
Community Member

Setting up a project environment is a necessary part of the job so you should charge for it. Reading specifications and even communication with the client that takes 10 or more minutes are other activities you should bill. The one activity I would not timetrack is something that runs unattended, like code compilation or file transfer. 

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"No good deed goes unpunished." -- Clare Boothe Luce

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3 REPLIES 3
yitwail
Community Member

Setting up a project environment is a necessary part of the job so you should charge for it. Reading specifications and even communication with the client that takes 10 or more minutes are other activities you should bill. The one activity I would not timetrack is something that runs unattended, like code compilation or file transfer. 

__________________________________________________
"No good deed goes unpunished." -- Clare Boothe Luce
yafet_berhanu
Community Member

So should I stop the tracker when I compile a code?

I would stop timetracker while compiling code, unless you're working on some other part of the project while it's compiling. Remember also that you only get payment for segments that have keyboard activity, so unattended code compilation probably won't count, but if it did, the client could still dispute it, so it's not worth the risk IMO. 

__________________________________________________
"No good deed goes unpunished." -- Clare Boothe Luce
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