Developing an In-House Web Application: A Case Study on Time Tracking, Report Generation, and Leave Management

In this case study you’ll understand why this application was required and how we improved our work productivity through time tracking.

Project Overview

Client:

Nwatch

Industry:

SaaS

Scope:

Web Application

Timeline

1.5 month

Context

During an internal discussion, we learned about an upcoming project scheduled to start in two months. The client required timely work reports to validate project progress, which led us to identify two key challenges:

Lack of Reporting System: We didn’t have an efficient system in place to generate accurate work reports.

Delayed Work Delivery: A noticeable delay in employee work delivery was impacting productivity and could potentially affect the client experience.

Understanding Problems

The first challenge didn’t require much discussion, as we clearly lacked the necessary resource for generating work reports. However, the second issue needed urgent attention. The delays in work delivery were already affecting the experience of our current clients and could become a significant problem for the new project if not resolved quickly.

Why were deliveries getting delayed?

Upon observing employees’ daily routines, we identified several factors contributing to the delays in deliveries:

  1. Frequent Breaks- Employees were taking breaks more often, which reduced the time available for productive work.
  2. Inconsistent Working Hours- With no system in place to track hours, employees were not consistently meeting the required daily working hours.
  3. Lack of Self-Assessment- Employees had no way to analyze their work patterns, leading to poor time allocation across tasks.
  4. Inefficient Leave Management- The manual handling of leave requests made it difficult to manage team absenteeism, especially during urgent projects.

Setting Goals

🎯Goal 1- Generate accurate work reports for billable projects.
🎯Goal 2- Improve productivity by optimizing employees’ daily routines and work practices.

N-watch Structure

After finalizing the features with the manager, we created a structure that outlines all the key elements of our product.

Time Tracker

Let’s begin with the time tracker, designed to help employees log their daily working hours and track their attendance.

Structuring may differ for users (Owner, Manager & Employee) as per access to features

Problems we solved through time tracking:

  • Track daily work hours to generate reports for productivity analysis and billing purposes.
  • Regulate daily breaks to help employees stay focused and productive.
  • Encourage employees to meet their required daily working hours.

Reports

Designed to generate insightful, easy-to-understand reports, This feature helps both employees and employers make informed decisions effectively.

Problems we solved through Reports:

  • Accurate Work Reports: Generate precise reports for billable projects, ensuring transparency and accountability.
  • Easy Filtering: Simplified filters to remove unnecessary data, with the option to export reports to Excel with a single click.
  • Work Analysis: Provide insights into employee performance, enabling both employees and employers to identify areas for improvement at both personal and organizational levels.

Leave Management

Designed to allow users to easily apply for leaves and efficiently manage team members’ leave requests, covers all edge cases, including emergencies, ensuring smooth handling of absences.

Problems we solved through Reports:

  • Improved Leave Management: Minimized the risk of overlapping absences, leading to better coordination and leave management.
  • Reduced Manual Work: Eliminated the need for manual leave applications via email, streamlining the process.
  • Enhanced Leave Tracking: Provided a more accurate and accessible record of leaves taken for better tracking and oversight.

Other Features

N-Watch is equipped with additional features that enable companies to efficiently manage yearly holidays, add new projects, onboard team members, and organize teams. These tools further enhance the system’s capability to streamline business operations and team management.

 

Design System

The design system for N-Watch was built to ensure consistency and efficiency in the application. It included a set of reusable components, such as buttons, form inputs, colors, and typography, that helped maintain a uniform look and feel throughout the app. This approach not only made the user interface more cohesive but also made the design and development process faster and easier.

Below is a picture showing the different components we created before designing N-Watch.

Impact we created

After using the first MVP of N-Watch for one month, we gathered valuable feedback from users that highlighted its effectiveness and areas for improvement. Here are some key insights:

The product is currently under development, with additional features being integrated. We will return with the latest updates soon!