Perhaps, Excel -based solution attracts customers who need to plan and manage employee time and tasks. The title "employee scheduler" makes users think that MS Excel software could be used for employee management and time scheduling. But today real practice shows that time planner for Excel can be used only until an original software solution for employee time&task management is implemented.
It’s true that MS Excel software has several tools that seem to be effective for time scheduling. For example, you can try to use diagrams to display time&date information in a big-picture view format. But you can’t create employee schedules with daily, weekly or monthly view. Using Excel templates allows you to only make calculations in rows and cells. Only original time management software will enable you to develop employee schedules, timelines, to-do lists, and calendars.
However, other Microsoft packages (MS Project and MS Outlook) can be used for scheduling and managing employee time. In Outlook software you can use Calendar view to plan events and tasks. In MS Project there’s Gantt Chart view that lets you schedule tasks and events within projects.
But the biggest challenge of all Microsoft employee schedulers is the price. You have to invest a considerable amount of money in purchasing, configuring, administering and maintaining any MS product, especially Access based solution which requires SharePoint and Windows Server.
Meanwhile, non-Microsoft software solutions for employee time&task management do not require considerable investments in purchasing, installation and maintenance. For example, VIP Task Manager is an employee time&task management program that uses a free client-server platform. VIP Task Manager features tools for planning, tracking and reporting working hours that employees have spent on doing their tasks and projects. |
