All Case Studies
Zagaran Case Study
Zagaran logo

Zagaran is a Boston-based software consulting company specializing in websites, mobile apps, and full-cycle software development. With a team of 30 engineers and over 11 years of experience, they handle everything from design to implementation and ongoing support.

As CTO, Zags oversees both technical strategy and the operational demands of managing multiple projects and resources. For a company where every employee tracks time against projects, precision and efficiency in time tracking are critical for both billing and resource planning.

Zags, Co-founder and CTO of Zagaran
“My job is figuring out how technology can work better for our projects and team. Having accurate, accessible time tracking is a huge part of that.”

Zags,
Co-Founder and CTO

Zagaran logo
“My job is figuring out how technology can work better for our projects and team. Having accurate, accessible time tracking is a huge part of that.”

Zags, Co-Founder and CTO

Zagaran logo
“The big thing about Timely: if it’s easy to track time, people will do it the same day. That means better descriptions, better recall, and higher-quality timesheets.”

Zags, Co-Founder and CTO

Zagaran logo
“Timely has made it so much easier to track time, bill our clients, and see what people are working on. It’s been a huge improvement.”

Zags, Co-Founder and CTO

Zagaran logo

The Challenge with Time Tracking

Like many consulting firms, Zagaran initially relied on spreadsheets to track time. While somewhat functional at a small scale, their spreadsheet system quickly became a bottleneck as the company grew. Each project had a unique format, making invoicing inconsistent and time tracking tedious.

Essential cross-project insights - such as determining which employees were allocated to which projects - were nearly impossible to generate. Staff working across multiple projects found it particularly cumbersome to log hours, leading to incomplete or delayed timesheets.

Before using Timely, compiling data for invoicing required significant manual work. Each project was time-consuming and error-prone.

“Spreadsheets worked until they didn’t. Invoicing was slow, manual, and error-prone. Cross-company questions, like how many hours someone worked or what projects they were on, couldn’t be answered.”

Zagaran x Timely

The Solution

Zagaran found their answer with Timely, a platform that aligned with their needs while introducing new efficiencies they hadn’t anticipated. By switching to Timely, they eliminated the inefficiencies of spreadsheets and significantly improved their workflows.

Timely’s ease of use encouraged employees to log time daily, resulting in better descriptions and more accurate data.

The calendar integration allowed employees to auto-populate their timesheets with scheduled events, which reduced the friction of manual entry. For a team of engineers who often juggle multiple projects, this feature was a game-changer.

Timely’s detailed descriptions for specific projects ensured consistency in client invoices, meeting the standards their clients had come to expect. The mobile app adds flexibility, letting employees log their time during commutes instead of relying on memory the next day.

Timely’s API also opened the door for customization.

Zagaran built internal tools to generate invoices and compile personalized employee reports. Timely further streamlines processes and has allowed the company to extract actionable insights that weren’t easily accessible before.

“The big thing about Timely: if it’s easy to track time, people will do it the same day. That means better descriptions, better recall, and higher-quality timesheets.”

The Result

Switching to Timely transformed how Zagaran tracked time, managed projects, and billed clients. By replacing spreadsheets with a powerful and intuitive platform, they eliminated inefficiencies and gained greater control over their operations.

The improved visibility into time tracking allowed them to allocate resources more effectively and address discrepancies before they became larger issues.

With accurate, detailed time entries now forming the foundation of every invoice, Zagaran streamlined their billing process and improved client satisfaction.

Timely also gave them a system that scaled seamlessly as they grew from smaller teams to 30 employees, handling more projects and complexity without additional administrative overhead.

“Timely has made it so much easier to track time, bill our clients, and see what people are working on. It’s been a huge improvement.”

For Zagaran, Timely didn’t just solve their time tracking challenges - it became an integral part of how they run their business, enabling them to spend less time on admin and more on delivering high-quality work for their clients.