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What project tracking tools do you use?
Thread poster: aedw88
aedw88
aedw88
Local time: 09:39
French to English
+ ...
Aug 25, 2016

Hi all

There seems to be numerous articles on the web about the "top 25 tools" for translators etc, which seems an awful lot quite frankly, but whilst they talk about Dropbox, the typical CAT tools, image/graphic tools etc, no clear tool seems to be mentioned to track clients, payments, input project information, see your work in progress with deadlines, see productivity, etc.

Which made me think: what tool(s) do you use to track your work in progress and payment? Or do
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Hi all

There seems to be numerous articles on the web about the "top 25 tools" for translators etc, which seems an awful lot quite frankly, but whilst they talk about Dropbox, the typical CAT tools, image/graphic tools etc, no clear tool seems to be mentioned to track clients, payments, input project information, see your work in progress with deadlines, see productivity, etc.

Which made me think: what tool(s) do you use to track your work in progress and payment? Or do you go for the good-old paper diary for deadlines and a rudimentary Excel file for payment statuses/clients/etc? Do you have one for translation and another for interpreting (if relevant)?

Looking forward to seeing how people organise themselves effectively and efficiently.

Thanks,
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Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 08:39
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
Rudimentary as in basic, fundamental, even unsophisticated? Yes Aug 26, 2016

aedw88 wrote:
what tool(s) do you use to track your work in progress and payment? Or do you go for the good-old paper diary for deadlines and a rudimentary Excel file for payment statuses/clients/etc?

Basic it may be, but then the good old wheel still works fine so why replace it for ground-based vehicles? I see an Excel spreadsheet as all that's necessary - at least for my business - and it certainly has none of the negative connotations associated with the word 'rudimentary'. I tried special software but it was extremely over-complex for what I needed and would have required far more effort on my part, not just in the learning curve but always. More work is not what I look for in a tool.


 
Jan Truper
Jan Truper  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 09:39
Member (2016)
English to German
Google Sheets Aug 26, 2016

A Google Sheet with 2 pages (one for tracking workload until I send my invoice, the other one for tracking payment after I sent my invoice) and the following columns

1)
Company name / Project name / due date / WC / per word rate / PO# / (job#) / $ amount / € amount / my INV#

2)
Company name / INV#/ date sent / $ amount / € amount / notes

I use a lot of color coding on both pages so I see quickly what's going on.


 
Philippe Etienne
Philippe Etienne  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 09:39
Member
English to French
Clearly Aug 26, 2016

aedw88 wrote:
...no clear tool seems to be mentioned to track clients, payments, input project information, see your work in progress with deadlines, see productivity, etc.

Which made me think: what tool(s) do you use to track your work in progress and payment?...

Translation Office 3000 from AIT since 2005. It's all there as a "business management" tool and it suits me perfectly. It's also mentioned in many threads on this website.

Philippe


 
aedw88
aedw88
Local time: 09:39
French to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Helpful Aug 26, 2016

Sheila: Apologies if reference to a 'rudimentary tool' came across as offensive, this was certainly not my intention

Thank you all for the replies so far, very useful.


 
Angela Malik
Angela Malik  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:39
German to English
+ ...
I use a mix Aug 27, 2016

I rely mainly on Translation Office 3000 for invoicing, tracking business expenses, logging jobs, database functions, recording agreed rates/terms with individual clients, tracking quotes and marketing efforts, etc. But I also have an old-school paper diary on my desk where I record the essentials (job, contact name for delivery, word count, deadline time) and write in non-work things like doctor's appointments and coffee dates with friends so I have a quick overview of what my week ahead looks ... See more
I rely mainly on Translation Office 3000 for invoicing, tracking business expenses, logging jobs, database functions, recording agreed rates/terms with individual clients, tracking quotes and marketing efforts, etc. But I also have an old-school paper diary on my desk where I record the essentials (job, contact name for delivery, word count, deadline time) and write in non-work things like doctor's appointments and coffee dates with friends so I have a quick overview of what my week ahead looks like and can answer questions about my availability quickly.

To be honest, TO3000 is pretty "rudimentary" as far as business management software tools go, but it certainly gives you a lot of bang for your buck and I have been really happy with it.
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Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:39
Member (2008)
Italian to English
brain Aug 27, 2016

aedw88 wrote:

....what tool(s) do you use to track your work in progress and payment?


I use a thing inside my head, called "MyBrain".


 
aedw88
aedw88
Local time: 09:39
French to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks Aug 27, 2016

Angela Rimmer wrote:

I rely mainly on Translation Office 3000 for invoicing, tracking business expenses, logging jobs, database functions, recording agreed rates/terms with individual clients, tracking quotes and marketing efforts, etc. But I also have an old-school paper diary on my desk where I record the essentials (job, contact name for delivery, word count, deadline time) and write in non-work things like doctor's appointments and coffee dates with friends so I have a quick overview of what my week ahead looks like and can answer questions about my availability quickly.

To be honest, TO3000 is pretty "rudimentary" as far as business management software tools go, but it certainly gives you a lot of bang for your buck and I have been really happy with it.


Thank you Angela, interesting to see several people using this tool...I can see how a mix of this and a diary works well all the best.


 
Nadja Balogh
Nadja Balogh  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 09:39
Member (2007)
Japanese to German
+ ...
Paper! Aug 27, 2016

Believe it or not, but I still use good old paper - it looks a bit more messy with things stricken through and such, but I'm happy with my system and also glad to be away from PC and keyboard every now and then, even for a few minutes.

 
Maxi Schwarz
Maxi Schwarz  Identity Verified
Local time: 03:39
German to English
+ ...
Is such a thing needed? Aug 28, 2016

I've seen the articles too. Most if not all of what I read seemed to be written by non-translators. If you're a translator, you can only take on so many projects, so there isn't that much tracking to be done. There is an e-mail trail of course, plus your invoices and completed translations in your filing system. When it gets busy I sometimes write things out on a whiteboard.

 
aedw88
aedw88
Local time: 09:39
French to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
You have a point but... Aug 28, 2016

Maxi Schwarz wrote:

I've seen the articles too. Most if not all of what I read seemed to be written by non-translators. If you're a translator, you can only take on so many projects, so there isn't that much tracking to be done. There is an e-mail trail of course, plus your invoices and completed translations in your filing system. When it gets busy I sometimes write things out on a whiteboard.


It's true that like our helpful friend Tom above who uses his brains only, in theory if you get nice big projects then much tracking wouldn't perhaps be needed...

...however, from my experience of working in translation agencies and being on good terms with the billing department, you would not BELIEVE how many projects go un-invoiced. Even from translators who are regularly contacted..and we're not talking about small "freebies" either..we're talking about large projects or even interpreting events which cost an arm and a leg.

Also you have companies who default on payments or who directly don't pay when they should have done...also not all companies have 30 day payment terms so I feel it's worth tracking to follow up on.

This is what makes me think that no matter how much volume I have I should use a tool of some sort..

Thank you for your response though, v.interesting to see different people's approaches to organization.


 
Philippe Etienne
Philippe Etienne  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 09:39
Member
English to French
Number of jobs is the issue, not volume of work Aug 29, 2016

aedw88 wrote:
This is what makes me think that no matter how much volume I have I should use a tool of some sort.

I have a few translator friends who are a bit "complacent" with admin, but since they work mostly on large projects, they don't really need a tool to keep track of a few jobs a month. They get by with simple aids like worksheets or pen and paper.
I've also used Excel sheets with a few formulas for job management/invoicing, and it's fine to make sure you deliver on time to the right people, invoice everything you work on and get paid on time.

But with agencies, you can get a lot of smallish jobs per month and the admin overhead can get difficult to handle with accuracy. I started looking for a management tool dedicated to translators after I consistently reached 300-400 entries/year from a stable agency customer base. Not because I craved for something fancy, but because I felt my admin was becoming time-consuming, unreliable (multiple entries of the same data), limited (history search) and messy (continuous "improvements" made to my "system"), with an increased risk of making mistakes or overlooking stuff.
I put the trial period to good use and kept maintaining both methods (the old Excel way vs. TO3000) to see whether switching would be beneficial in real life and whether integrating a new tool in my work would be smooth. It required more learning, admin and setup chores for a month, but then I was also considering a major change in my habits.
I'm now on 250/year on average, and I still think TO3000 adds peace of mind, undoubtedly saves me time and most importantly, doesn't let anything go unnoticed or unmatched.

Philippe


 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 09:39
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
Brain and paper Aug 29, 2016

I'm with the Keep It Simple group.

Paper is ideal for me because it means I can always see my printout - on an A4 sheet kept under my keyboard!
Plus always write on it in pen, pencil or red, without having to close down any other job I may be doing.

That way I can manage 20 - 30 jobs a month at a glance.
When it comes to invoicing, my trusty sheet of paper has all the details, ready for use, or else I know where to find VAT numbers and client requirements el
... See more
I'm with the Keep It Simple group.

Paper is ideal for me because it means I can always see my printout - on an A4 sheet kept under my keyboard!
Plus always write on it in pen, pencil or red, without having to close down any other job I may be doing.

That way I can manage 20 - 30 jobs a month at a glance.
When it comes to invoicing, my trusty sheet of paper has all the details, ready for use, or else I know where to find VAT numbers and client requirements electronically.
Invoices vary a lot - I make them out in Word! Then my husband keeps the accounts and tax returns on Excel spreadsheets, but if he was not able to do it, I would send them off to an accountant.

The paper may look like a kind of spreadsheet, with columns for dates, rates and fees, delivery, word count, invoice sent etc. I practically always get paid on time, so I do not need to link it to bank payments and chasing up - I send reminders as necessary, again without a tool to make things complicated.

I do use tools, but only when there is an advantage for me. I find the paper so much easier to control and keep track of!
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Emma Goldsmith
Emma Goldsmith  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 09:39
Member (2004)
Spanish to English
Uninvoiced projects Aug 29, 2016

aedw88 wrote:

you would not BELIEVE how many projects go un-invoiced. Even from translators who are regularly contacted..and we're not talking about small "freebies" either..we're talking about large projects or even interpreting events which cost an arm and a leg.



Thank you for this insight. I often wonder about this.
I use TO3000, so all projects go through the invoicing phase. However, in my long years of business, a project might well have slipped through because I didn't remember or was too rushed at the time to enter it in T03000. I just hope it/they were small projects.


 
Gudrun Wolfrath
Gudrun Wolfrath  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 09:39
English to German
+ ...
Up to now Aug 29, 2016

I have survived without one (and never missed a deadline).

 
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