Background
Addteq specializes in software configuration, build automation and release management, as well as developing products that automate the software configuration management process from conceptualization to build and deployment. Addteq is the largest Atlassian Expert in the NYC region, and we focus on customization, configuration, and administration of the Atlassian toolchain, especially when it relates to automation and integration. Addteq enjoys work that involves automation, large scale implementations, and integrating diverse hybrid toolchains.
Addteq offers a curated Atlassian experience with its managed hosting platform, Codefactori.
In addition, Addteq has released several add-ons in the Atlassian Marketplace that extend the functions of JIRA, Confluence, and Bamboo.
Stix - Provides mobile access to for Bamboo, allowing users to run commands, check build statuses, and share successful builds with teammates without being constrained to the office.
MscGen - Allows users to insert, debug, and render MscGen code directly in Confluence.
Graphviz - Allows users to insert, debug, and render Graphviz code directly in Confluence.
Excellentable - Extends the functionality of tables in Confluence to include dynamic cell references and other crowd favorite spreadsheet functions.
Office Admin - Allows users of Confluence to create interactive floorplan maps of their office, track employees, as well as office assets.”
Having been introduced to Tempo Timesheets four years ago when they first implemented our time tracking and reporting solution throughout their organization, they’ve been using our time tracking and reporting add-on for JIRA, Tempo Timesheets, for product development, IT, and professional services. We were interested in learning more about how Tempo Timesheets has benefited their organization. We spoke with Brendan Kaplan, Senior Marketing Specialist, to hear more about the challenges they faced before implementing Tempo company-wide.
Challenges
Before implementing Tempo Timesheets, Addteq was previously using their own timesheet collection software named Iris. However, this made it difficult and cumbersome for them to process, and served as an impediment to their sprint planning. They were not able to adequately track time in real-time, which made their planning and development process difficult. This is where Tempo helped us keep track of time properly and sufficiently. As Addteq moved from being purely a DevOps shop to an Atlassian-centered company, they installed a trial version of Tempo Timesheets.
“It became apparent almost immediately that Tempo was a great, and in fact a necessary product. As such we implemented Tempo on our JIRA instance in October of 2011. We've been able to implement evidence based planning using Tempo's metrics. By tracking projects individually, and as parts of departments, we are able to create an honest assessment of where our time goes, and estimate how much new initiatives will cost.” said Brendan
Solutions
In the fast paced world of software technology it’s crucial to meet challenges head on with powerful, scalable solutions. Addteq requires employees to log time with Tempo Timesheets when transitioning tasks. This enables all the great tracking and estimation capabilities. Tempo is useful for Addteq to track activities for many different teams in Addteq that all work in different styles.
The dev teams track their time and collaboration by the minute, while marketing works according to the hour, and sales according to the day. Their development teams also use the plan time feature, since Addteq is an Agile shop and runs development according to sprints. Tempo provides one convenient location for all these groups with disparate work styles and pay structures to log time. The product allows users to be as specific or as general as they need to be with their management staff.
Addteq has been rapidly expanding their company recently and what they’ve had to take on all sorts of challenges. “As we scale up at such a rapid pace, time budgets have allowed us to plan down to the week in terms balancing our growth spurts with sustainability.” said Brendan.
Benefits
When asked how Addteq’s employees are feeling about Tempo Timesheets, Brendan said:
“The best kinds of products are the ones that folks don't even notice. Logging time in tempo is so intuitive that it becomes second nature to most employees by the end of their 3rd day or so. People don't even realize they are using the tool, as it is so painlessly integrated into their work process. Tempo is so easy and so useful that you'll wonder how you ever used JIRA without it.”
Recommendations
We finally asked Brendan what he would tell another company asking about Tempo Timesheets, he said:
“As an Atlassian Expert that sells both licenses and services, often a company's budget limitations will mean that the more licenses the client buys, the less cash is available for us to earn on implementation services. Nevertheless, because we believe in Tempo so much, we usually advise the client to install Tempo. This comes at a short-term cost to our bottom line, but by recommending such a great product, Addteq can help implement a great solution and prove itself a trustworthy advisor.”
GET STARTED WITH TEMPO TIMESHEETS FOR JIRA
- Try Tempo Timesheets for Free for 30-days
- Getting Started with Tempo Timesheets
- Learn More about Tempo Timesheets
- Read the Tempo Timesheets Documentation
- View the Tempo Timesheets Tutorial Videos
