Project Management and Time Tracking Software: Do You Need Both?

Project management and time tracking often go hand in hand, but they solve different problems. While project management software helps you organize and assign work, time tracking software shows how long that work actually takes.

In this guide, we'll explain the differences, the benefits of using both together, and some of the most popular tools available.

Project Management vs. Time Tracking

Although they're closely related, these tools serve different purposes.

Project management software helps you:

• Organize tasks
• Assign work
• Set deadlines
• Track project progress
• Collaborate with your team

Time tracking software helps you:

• Record work hours
• Measure project effort
• Track billable time
• Generate productivity reports
• Compare estimated versus actual time

Many businesses find the greatest value in combining both.

Why Use Both?

Using project management and time tracking together can help you:

• Improve project estimates
• Understand project profitability
• Track billable hours
• Balance team workloads
• Identify bottlenecks
• Make better planning decisions

Over time, your time-tracking data becomes a valuable source of information for future projects.

Popular Project Management Tools

Some widely used project management platforms include:

• Asana
• ClickUp
• Trello
• Jira
• Notion

Each offers different features depending on your team's workflow.

Popular Time Tracking Tools

Common time tracking solutions include:

• Toggl Track
• Clockify
• Harvest
• TimeCamp

Many of these tools integrate directly with popular project management platforms.

Why Many Teams Choose Toggl Track

Toggl Track works well alongside existing project management software because it focuses on one thing: making time tracking simple.

Its features include:

• One-click timers
• Project and client organization
• Detailed reporting
• Mobile, desktop, and web apps
• Integrations with leading project management platforms

This allows teams to continue using their preferred project management software while adding reliable time tracking.

Make Time Tracking Part of Your Workflow

If your team already uses Toggl Track alongside your project management software, Toggl Lockscreen Widget makes it even easier to stay consistent.

Your active Toggl timer appears directly on your iPhone Lock Screen using Live Activities, allowing you to check your timer or stop it without opening the Toggl Track app.

It's a simple way to reduce interruptions and keep your project time records accurate throughout the day.