Worklogs
A worklog is a brief report that records how much time was spent on completing a task (or part of it) and what was done during that time. It serves as a record of the work performed.
Each worklog entry should be accompanied by a brief description of the work completed, even if the task is not yet finished. For example:
- "Set up the project locally" – 1 hour.
- "Sync with the team on new design pages" – 45 minutes.
- "Communication with Max, explained how rates work" – 1 hour.
Do not use a worklog for a detailed explanation or discussion. The comment sections in task-tracking tools are more appropriate for this. However, a worklog should not be a vague entry that lacks valuable information. Examples of poor worklogs include:
- "Had a call" – 45 minutes.
- "Worked" – 4 hours.
Benefits of worklogs
- Help monitor overwork and prevent burnout.
Worklogs provide insights into how much time a team spends on tasks. Users can see if individual employees or even whole teams regularly exceed reasonable working hours. In these situations, it is helpful to redistribute workloads or adjust task priorities to prevent burnout.
- Improve performance analysis and productivity.
By knowing how time is spent throughout the workday, teams can focus on achieving results. Monitoring daily, weekly, and monthly progress helps analyze team performance and identify areas for improvement.
- Provide real insight into feature costs.
Worklogs help teams understand the difference between the estimated time to complete a task and the actual time required. If it exceeds original estimates, then worklogs provide managers and leaders with information that explains the difference. This will help build future workflows that allow teams to present accurate estimates to stakeholders.
- Simplify time validation for billing.
When billing clients for services, worklogs help create accurate bills with evidence-based reporting without guesswork. Billing for actual worked hours, with documented worklogs as evidence, reduces the risk of payment disputes.
Where to log worklogs in Jira?
Open a task in Jira and select the additional menu (3 dots in the top-right corner) > "Log Work."
Next, fill out the fields for Time spent, Date started, describe the result of the work for the time spent (Work description), and click Save.
