GitLab time tracking and how to make the most out of it

GitLab has become one of the most popular tools among developers for its extensive features and collaboration capabilities with over 30 million users worldwide. However, in order to ensure that all the work done is properly invoiced and paid, it is essential to track the time spent on each task. In this article, we will provide a comprehensive guide on how to track time in GitLab and generate basic reports.

Introducing Items: Issues, Tasks, and Merge Requests

Before we dive into the time tracking process, let’s familiarize ourselves with the key items in GitLab – issues, tasks, and merge requests. These items serve as the foundation for organizing and managing the work within a project.

Issues: In GitLab, an issue represents a problem or task that needs to be addressed. It can be used for bug tracking, feature requests, or general project management. Each issue has a title, description, and can be assigned to one or more team members.

Tasks: Within an issue, tasks can be created to break down the work into smaller, manageable units. Tasks are useful for tracking progress and ensuring that all necessary steps are completed.

Merge Requests: When working with multiple team members, merge requests are used to propose changes to the codebase. They allow for collaboration and reviewing before integrating the changes into the main branch.

Milestones: Milestones are used to group issues and merge requests into a timeline, helping to track progress toward a significant goal or deadline. By setting milestones, teams can ensure that key objectives are met and deliverables are completed on time.

Overview of GitLab Time Tracking

GitLab’s time tracking component is an integral part of its software development platform, primarily used by software development teams. It allows users to estimate the time needed for issue tracking tasks and record the actual time spent on specific tasks on the issue board. The main features of GitLab’s time tracking include:

• Estimating and Tracking Time: Users can track the time spent on working on an issue or merge request and add time estimates to specific tasks.
• Reporting: GitLab provides a simple and straight report of the time spent on particular tasks, enabling users to analyze their time management.
• Main Time Tracking Features: GitLab offers a built-in time tracker, slash commands for text-based shortcuts, and the ability to invite external users to collaborate on code.

How to Track Time in GitLab

Adding a Time Estimate

GitLab provides a straightforward method to add a time estimate for completing a task or project. To add a time estimate, simply open the issue or merge request for which you want to add the estimate. Then, type the slash command /estimate followed by the time estimate in the appropriate unit. For example, if you want to add an estimate of two months, three weeks, two days, five hours, and twelve minutes, you would type /estimate 2mo 3w 2d 5h 12m. The estimated time remaining is automatically calculated and is displayed when hovering over the time tracking information in the right-hand sidebar. It’s important to note that each issue or merge request can have only one estimate, and entering a new estimate will override the previous one.

After adding the time estimate, GitLab will consider this estimate while tracking the total time spent on the issue or merge request. This feature allows project managers and developers to have a clear understanding of the anticipated timeline for completing specific tasks. Additionally, GitLab’s time tracking report provides a simple overview of the time spent on a particular task. Overall, GitLab’s straightforward slash commands and intuitive interface make it easy to manage and track time estimates for issue tracking tasks within the platform.

Adding Time Spent

GitLab offers a convenient method for tracking time spent on tasks. To log time spent, open the issue or merge request and use the slash command /spend followed by the time spent in digits along with the appropriate unit. For instance, to record one month, one week, four days, one hour, and fifteen minutes spent on a task, enter /spend 1mo 1w 4d 1h 15m. The time spent is automatically added to the total time spent on the issue or merge request. Additionally, developers can add comments to their time logs by creating a comment with a description and utilizing the slash command to add the time spent, which will be displayed in the Summary/Notes column of the time tracking report.

GitLab’s time tracking feature provides a simple way to monitor and manage the time spent on tasks. By utilizing the /spend command, developers can accurately record the time they invest in specific tasks, contributing to efficient project management and resource allocation. Furthermore, the ability to add comments to time logs enhances transparency and documentation within the project, ensuring a comprehensive overview of the time spent on various tasks.

Logging Time for Existing Entries

In GitLab, developers can easily log time spent on existing tasks by using the slash command “/spend” followed by the time spent in the desired unit. For instance, if a developer wants to log time spent working on a task for two months, two weeks, five days, two hours, and 20 minutes, they would type “/spend 2mo 2w 5d 2h 20m”. This command automatically increases the overall time spent on the task. Moreover, developers have the option to add notes to their time recording report by creating a comment with a description and using the slash command to add the time spent, which will be displayed in the Summary/Notes column of the time tracking report.

To enhance the accuracy of time tracking, developers can also add time logs for past work by adding the date next to the time. For example, if a developer wants to log one hour spent on September 15th, 2022, they can type the command “/spend 1h 2022-09-15”. This flexibility allows for comprehensive time tracking and ensures that all time spent on tasks is accurately recorded within GitLab.

Adding Comments to Time Logs

GitLab enables developers to add comments to their time logs, providing additional context and details about the time spent on specific tasks. To add a comment to a time log, developers can create a comment with a description of the work completed and utilize the slash command to add the time spent. The comment and time spent will then be displayed in the Summary/Notes column of the time tracking report, allowing for a comprehensive overview of the work done and time invested. This feature enhances transparency and documentation within the project, enabling team members and project managers to gain insight into the specific activities carried out during the logged time.

By adding comments to time logs, developers can provide valuable information about the progress, challenges, and outcomes associated with the time spent on tasks. This detailed documentation contributes to efficient project management and facilitates collaboration among team members. Additionally, the ability to include comments alongside time logs enhances the accuracy and clarity of time tracking, ensuring that all relevant details about the work completed are captured within GitLab’s time tracking system.

GitLab Time Tracking Report

After diligently tracking time for various tasks, it’s natural to want to generate reports to get a holistic view of the effort invested in a project. GitLab offers a built-in time tracking report that presents a summary of time spent on different items.

To generate a time tracking report in GitLab, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the project’s homepage.
2. In the sidebar, click on the “Issues” tab.
3. On the top-right corner, click on “Time tracking report.”
4. Configure the report settings, such as the time range and the items to include.
5. Click on the “Generate report” button to generate the report.

A GitLab Time Tracking Report provides valuable insights, such as the total time spent, average time per item, and a breakdown of time by assignees. This information can be useful for evaluating project progress, identifying bottlenecks, and improving future estimations.

The details about tracking time in GitLab give helpful insights on keeping an eye on how much time is spent on projects and tasks. However, it doesn’t cover the money side of things like how much each project actually costs. To understand the money-related effects of the tracked time, you can use Canri, a tool that works smoothly with GitLab. Canri adds financial info to the time report, so you can see the actual costs of each project or task. This helps you figure out which projects are making money and which ones are using up the budget. By connecting Canri with GitLab, you can get a clear view of the financial parts of your projects, helping you make smart decisions about resources and project success.

The Importance of Time Tracking in Project Management

Effective time tracking is a crucial aspect of successful project management. It allows you to:

1. Understand Project Costs: By accurately tracking the time spent on various tasks and activities, you can better understand the true cost of your projects, helping you make informed decisions about budgeting and pricing.
2. Improve Resource Allocation: Time tracking data can help you identify areas where your team is over or underutilized, enabling you to optimize resource allocation and ensure that your projects are staffed efficiently.
3. Enhance Productivity: Regular time tracking can help your team members become more aware of their time usage, encouraging them to prioritize tasks, minimize distractions, and work more efficiently. Here are more proven strategies to improve your team’s performance
4. Ensure Profitability: By closely monitoring the time spent on projects, you can identify which projects are profitable and which are budget busters, allowing you to make strategic decisions about which projects to pursue.

Whatever happens in your GitLab projects in terms of resource usage you can easily monitor with Canri. Both a general overview of all projects, their effective costs and turnover, and a deep insight into e.g. milestones, task groups, labels, etc. is just a few clicks away.

GitLab time tracking limitations

While GitLab’s time tracking feature offers valuable functionality for monitoring and managing project timelines, it also comes with certain limitations that users should be aware of. Understanding these limitations can help project managers and team members make informed decisions and work around potential challenges. Here are some key limitations of GitLab time tracking:

• Limited Financial Insights: GitLab’s time tracking feature primarily focuses on tracking the time spent on tasks and does not provide detailed financial insights. It does not offer direct integration with accounting or cost management systems, limiting its ability to provide a comprehensive view of the financial impact of tracked time on project budgets and costs.

• Lack of Advanced Reporting: GitLab’s time tracking does not offer advanced reporting features for analyzing time tracking data. While it provides basic time tracking summaries and reports, it may lack the depth of analysis required for complex project management and financial assessment.

• Inability to Customize Billing Rates: GitLab’s time tracking does not support the customization of billing rates for different tasks or projects. This limitation can be significant for organizations that require flexibility in setting billing rates based on project requirements and client agreements.

• Absence of Resource Allocation Tools: GitLab’s time tracking feature does not include built-in resource allocation tools, making it challenging to optimize resource allocation based on time tracking data. This can limit the ability to efficiently manage team workloads and project timelines.

Understanding these limitations can help you evaluate the fit of GitLab’s time-tracking feature within your project management and financial workflows. While GitLab provides a robust platform for software development and project management, you may need to consider complementary tools to address these limitations and achieve a more comprehensive approach to time tracking and financial management in projects.

Canri, a controlling tool that seamlessly integrates with GitLab, offers a solution. Canri expands the time tracking report by adding financial context, so you can assess the actual costs associated with each project or task, and identify money-making projects from budget busters. By integrating Canri with GitLab, you can gain insights into the financial aspects of your projects and make informed decisions about resource allocation and project profitability.

Benefits of Integrating Canri with GitLab

Integrating Canri with GitLab offers several benefits that can help you streamline your project management processes and improve the profitability of your projects:

1. Automated Time Tracking: Canri seamlessly integrates with GitLab, automatically adding the time your team members spend on various tasks and activities in GitLab to a consolidated report.
2. Project Budgeting and Controlling: Canri’s powerful features allow you to assign work hours to specific projects and budgets, helping you monitor the financial performance of your projects in real-time. Learn more about the real-time budget tracking
3. Comprehensive Reporting: GitLab Time Tracking Report has its limitations. Canri’s reporting capabilities enable you to generate custom reports based on the time tracking data, providing valuable insights into the profitability and efficiency of your projects.
4. Enhanced Team Overview: GitLab users can benefit from Canri’s team overview feature, which provides a comprehensive view of vacation days and team availability, thus facilitating better coordination and scheduling within the team.
5. Enhanced Visibility: The integration of Canri and GitLab gives you a comprehensive view of your project’s progress, allowing you to make informed decisions and take proactive measures to ensure the success of your projects.

How to Integrate Canri with GitLab

Integrating Canri with GitLab is a straightforward process that can be completed in a few simple steps:

1. Sign up for a Canri Account: Visit the Canri website (www.canri.ai) and create a new account, or log in to your existing account.
2. Connect Canri to GitLab: In the Canri dashboard, navigate to the “Integrations” section and select the GitLab integration. Follow the on-screen instructions to connect your GitLab account to Canri. Canri will automatically retrieve your project structure and staff, and will offer you an easy way to connect all relevant data points.
3. Configure the Integration: Once the integration is set up, you can customize the settings to match your project management workflow, such as assigning specific projects or tasks to Canri. You can create rules based on GitLab’s issues, labels or milestones which map resources to budgets and allow powerful reports and insights.
4. Start Tracking Time: Your team members can now start tracking their time directly within GitLab, and the data will be automatically synced with Canri. Also all history data you can easily import and thus analyse current projects back to their start.

Analyzing Time Tracking Data in GitLab with Canri

Once you have set up time tracking in GitLab and integrated it with Canri, you can start analyzing the data to gain valuable insights and make informed decisions:

1. Identify Profitable Projects: By analyzing the time tracking data and comparing it to the project budgets, you can identify which projects are the most profitable and focus your efforts on those.
2. Optimize Resource Allocation: The time tracking data can help you identify areas where your team members are over or underutilized, allowing you to optimize resource allocation and ensure that your projects are staffed efficiently.
3. Improve Productivity: By monitoring the time spent on various tasks and activities, you can identify areas where your team members can improve their productivity and work more efficiently.
4. Enhance Project Planning: The time tracking data can help you refine your project planning process, allowing you to create more accurate estimates and budgets for future projects.

Best Practices for Using GitLab and Canri for Time Tracking and Controlling

To get the most out of your GitLab time tracking and Canri integration, consider the following best practices:

1. Establish Clear Processes: Develop clear guidelines and processes for time tracking, ensuring that your team members understand the importance of accurate and consistent data entry.
2. Encourage Adoption: Foster a culture of time tracking within your organization, emphasizing the benefits of the integrated GitLab and Canri solution to your team members.
3. Regularly Review and Analyze Data: Make time tracking and data analysis a regular part of your project management workflow, using the insights to inform your decision-making and drive continuous improvement.
4. Customize Reporting: Leverage the flexibility of GitLab and Canri’s reporting capabilities to create custom reports that align with your specific business needs and project management goals.
5. Integrate with Other Tools: Consider integrating GitLab and Canri with other tools in your tech stack, such as project management software or business intelligence platforms, to create a more comprehensive and streamlined project management ecosystem.

Case Study : Software Development Agency Using GitLab time tracking with Canri integration

Forsit Group, a software development agency used the integration of GitLab and Canri to streamline their project management processes and improve the profitability of their projects. By automating time tracking and leveraging Canri’s reporting capabilities, the agency was able to:

• Identify their most profitable projects and focus their resources on those
• Optimize resource allocation, ensuring that their team members were utilized efficiently
• Enhance project planning by creating more accurate estimates and budgets
• Improve team productivity by providing regular feedback and coaching

As a result, the agency saw a significant increase in project profitability and client satisfaction, leading to a boost in their overall business performance. By harnessing the power of Canri.ai:

• Project expenses dropped by over 40%
• Project complexities were discovered and minimized, implementation got faster
• Time-management and resource efficiency increased by 30%
• Sunk costs were easily detected
• Client invoicing has risen significantly
• Yet still overall client satisfaction soared, leading to repeat business and referrals

Conclusion: Streamline Your Projects with GitLab and Canri

Tracking time in GitLab is an essential aspect of project management, ensuring accurate invoicing and payment for developers’ work. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can easily add estimates, track time spent, and generate insightful reports.

By integrating GitLab with Canri, you can take your project management capabilities to the next level. Automated time tracking, comprehensive reporting, and robust project controlling features can help you focus on the most profitable projects, optimize resource allocation, and drive continuous improvement in your project management processes.