I just took a position running a training development organization. We have design ratios but currently do not have employees track their hours worked for each effort. Therefore, I have no way to track against design ratios. I'm looking for guidance around software that may be available on the market that can be used to gather data and metrics within my Design unit.

My experience and research has taught me the following over and over --

To determine time needed, tasks should not be held to some random/generic assumption of number of hours. What is needed - even more so for creative tasks, which is what instructional design is - is a need for discussion about the scope/requirements of the task at hand followed by discussion of reasonable, realistic time frames for that particular situation based on the resources one has. Then, through discussion with one's team, one sets reasonable, realistic deadlines based on that rather than trying to compare some generic set of ratios.

Making designers track specific hours often turns one's creative *salaried* *professional* staff into card-punchers -- usually extremely demotivating. Involving designers in the process of identifying realistic deadlines (and of course holding people accountable do them) is far more empowering and motivating and meaningful to getting the task done when it needs to be done.

What's more important and meaningful? That the task gets done well in a reasonable/realistic time frame or that specific hours meet some generic ratio?

What's most important and meaningful is that I can track hours and use the data as a diagnostic tool to determine effective design ratios, unit capacity, process and performer efficiency, etc. I'm just looking for software that will allow my unit to capture this data. Thanks for your reply