Pair programming to build a better web

Originally founded in 2008 as a Ruby on Rails development shop, Hashrocket has evolved into a full service design and development shop. They have quickly distinguished themselves through their innovative process, team based development approach, and their apprenticeship program. Their commitment to developing software in pairs won them coverage in the New York Times.

A growing team with growing needs

In 2009, Hashrocket had a small team of 5, and a growing roster of clients. Like many young professional services companies, they were struggling to figure out the best processes for tracking time and billing clients. As their team quickly grew to 31 people, they outgrew their spreadsheet system, and turned to a number of different software providers to help them manage their time tracking challenge.

None of the options they tried met all of their needs, some of which were non-negotiable: ease of use, reporting that was “good, clean and not convoluted”, an invoice system that was built on time and materials, and, quick project set up. After discovering Harvest, they knew their search was over.

Ease of use

Since clients are billed for time, accurate time tracking is critical for Hashrocket. After the very first time he used it Project Manager Adam Lowe was convinced that Harvest was the answer they’d been looking for. “It didn’t try to be Quickbooks for us. Harvest does time tracking simply and well. Our accountant can do all of the accounting things in Quickbooks.”

“We are heavy users of the start/stop button. It’s easy and makes our tracking accurate.”

Learn more about this thing

A tool with timer functionality available on multiple platforms made entering time easier for Hashrocket’s team. Adam notes, “One of the obstacles to working with smart people is the last thing they want to do is work on a timesheet.” Most of Hashrocket’s 31 employees use the Harvest Mac App and the iPhone app to track time as they go, rather than trying to record time at the end of the week. “We are heavy users of the start/stop button. It’s easy and makes our tracking accurate.”

Versatile reporting & invoicing

Reporting is a key feature that is important to Hashrocket. According to Adam, “We rely on it heavily on a weekly basis, as a general health check to gauge utilization. Primarily, we look at billable hours by project and staff each week, to see where we’re at.” In addition, they want clients to feel comfortable that the billing is accurate. “We like the fact that Harvest provides a level of transparency for our clients. We know the time tracking is accurate, so we can bill our clients confidently.”

Quick project creation

With a growing list of clients and over 100 projects tracked, efficiency is top of mind for Hashrocket. Marian Phelan, Hashrocket’s CEO, likes the simplicity of the software. “It’s just easy to get people set up, so that they’re tracking time immediately...I haven’t seen anything that would be better.”

Learn more about managing your team with Harvest

With multiple painless options for time entry, Harvest has made it simple to get the whole Hashrocket team tracking their time. This gives them the ability to easily and accurately invoice their clients. With reports that the team can utilize weekly to measure their billable goals, Hashrocket incorporated Harvest into their business so they can get back to what they do best, developing and designing killer websites and apps.