A time-tracking pilot should answer whether your team can produce records it understands and corrects consistently. Ten days is a useful example period because it includes setup, ordinary work and a reporting review. It is not a promise that every organisation can finish deployment in that time. Extend the pilot when an important question remains unanswered.
This plan is for managers of remote and computer-based teams evaluating StafflyTracker. The desktop tracker currently supports 64-bit Windows 10 and Windows 11, while supervisors use a web dashboard. Confirm device compatibility and the current release with the provider before inviting employees. This is an illustrative evaluation plan, not a customer case study.
Define the decision before choosing the settings
Write one sentence that states why the pilot exists. For example: “We need an explained attendance record for our five-person remote support team before preparing its monthly review.” That is more testable than “We want to improve productivity.” Record which existing roster, work log and output report will be used for comparison.
Choose an owner who can resolve setup questions and a supervisor who understands the participants' actual duties. Include people with different work patterns: one call-heavy role, one research role and one routine processing role. Participation should not depend on selecting only people whose computer activity is easy to interpret. Explain the purpose, collection settings and review process before installation.
Days 1–2: establish the baseline
List the devices, working schedules, reporting time zone and applications used. Check the Windows version and architecture against the supported requirements. Confirm whether shared devices or multiple accounts are part of the intended setup; ask the provider to demonstrate that scenario instead of assuming it will work.
Prepare a short participant briefing. Explain clock-in, breaks, clock-out, whom to contact for a missing entry, and what supervisors may review. State which settings apply during the pilot. Ask each participant to explain the process back in their own words. Questions raised now are useful test findings, not evidence of resistance.
| Baseline item | Evidence to retain | Decision owner |
|---|---|---|
| Supported device | Device type and compatibility confirmation | IT contact |
| Schedule | Agreed start, finish and break arrangement | Team supervisor |
| Collection | Written explanation of enabled settings | Pilot owner |
| Work context | Task or case log using non-sensitive references | Team lead |
| Review method | Who approves a correction and how | Operations owner |
Days 3–4: test ordinary work
Run an ordinary shift without inventing extra activity to make the dashboard look busy. Include calls, reading and meetings where they are real duties. Compare the beginning and end of the shift with the employee's own account. Keep clock status separate from connection status: an open session does not establish that the desktop tracker is currently reporting.
At the end of each day, select one record together. Ask whether the breaks and recorded intervals are understandable. Write down the question, what evidence resolved it, and whether the instructions need changing. Avoid judging a pilot from a headline activity percentage; the objective is a dependable review process.
Days 5–6: test exceptions deliberately
Use fictional or supervised test scenarios for a missed clock-in, a missed clock-out and a connection interruption. Do not alter a real employee's final record merely to produce a test. Where separate test accounts are available, confirm their setup and use them under the provider's guidance.
Follow a correction from the original interval through its reason and approval. Check whether the reviewer can distinguish an amendment from originally recorded computer activity. A corrected time entry should not be described as a reconstruction of screenshots or application events that were never collected. Use the missing-time review worksheet to keep that distinction explicit.
Days 7–8: reconcile the report
Select the same date range in the roster and the software. Include an overnight example if the team crosses midnight. Review each named time field rather than assuming that elapsed time, working time and computer activity mean the same thing. Inspect an attendance export with the people who will actually use it.
Keep the original export unchanged and perform calculations in a separate working copy. Note any rounding or grouping questions. If the organisation needs allocation by client or project, require a demonstration of that exact workflow. A general employee attendance record should not be assumed to provide automatic client billing.
Days 9–10: make an evidence-based decision
Use a short decision table. A result can be pass, unresolved or unsuitable. “Unresolved” is a valid outcome when an important requirement has not been demonstrated.
| Question | Example acceptance evidence |
|---|---|
| Can employees follow the routine? | Participants can explain start, break, finish and correction steps |
| Can supervisors explain an exception? | A test gap has a recorded cause and disposition |
| Can the export be reconciled? | Selected dates and totals match an agreed example |
| Are required controls available? | Access and collection settings were demonstrated |
| Is support workable? | A named support route and unresolved-question list exist |
Do not invent a universal success percentage. Your team should set its acceptable error rate and review effort before the pilot. If a requirement fails, record the business impact, available workaround and owner. A manual workaround that takes more effort than the previous process is a reason to reconsider the rollout.
What to carry into rollout
Keep the approved configuration, participant instructions, example corrected record and final decision together. Expand in a manageable group and repeat checks when duties, devices or reporting requirements change. A successful trial with one department does not demonstrate fit for every other department.
Staffly owns StafflyTracker. The product overview describes its current scope; official reporting documentation explains the available views. Explore the fictional, read-only demo before arranging a personal demonstration. Bring the unanswered questions from this plan rather than only asking for a general product tour.