# Track time on an activity

Plan the hours an activity should take, start and stop its timer from the list or the form, and read the sessions and the time spent.

Every activity carries a timer. Each time it is started and stopped, a session is kept with who, when and how long, and **Time Spent** adds the sessions up. Set **Planned Hours** beside it to compare the work done with the work expected.

## Before you start {#before-you-start}

- You need the **User** access right on **Activities**, and the activity must be open: a done activity has no timer.
- The demo activity "Prepare the statement of claim" has six planned hours and two sessions, three and a half hours in all.

## Start the timer from the list {#from-the-list}

Open **Activities/My Activities**. The play icon at the end of a row starts that activity's timer without opening it; it becomes a stop icon until you stop it. The kanban card has the same icons.

![The play icon at the end of a row starts the timer of that activity.](https://jaah.app/web/image/12466-acf24938/activities-timer-row_timer_icon-en.png)

## Plan the hours and read the time spent {#plan-and-read}

1. Open the activity and type the expected effort in **Planned Hours**, in hours and minutes.
2. The **Time Spent** button at the top shows the total of the sessions. Clicking it starts the timer.

![Six planned hours and three and a half spent; the Time Spent button starts the timer.](https://jaah.app/web/image/12470-9b59f7ad/activities-timer-planned_and_spent-en.png)

On a phone, the **Time Spent** button sits behind the lightning button of the form.

3. Open the **Timer Sessions** tab: each line gives the **User**, the **Start**, the **Stop** and the **Duration (hours)**, with the **Total** above. The list cannot be edited by hand.

![Each start and stop of the timer is one session, with who, when and how long.](https://jaah.app/web/image/12474-20414aec/activities-timer-timer_sessions-en.png)

## Start and stop from the form {#from-the-form}

Open the **Actions** menu: **Start Timer** starts it, and **Stop Timer** replaces it while the timer runs. The play and stop icons of the **Timer Sessions** tab do the same.

![Start Timer and Stop Timer also sit in the Actions menu of the activity.](https://jaah.app/web/image/12478-1b4ae19e/activities-timer-form_timer_actions-en.png)

On a phone, the **Actions** menu holds the same items.

The timer is kept on the activity itself, so it keeps running when you close the page or the browser, until someone stops it. **Hold** and **Mark Done** of this app also stop a running timer and keep its session; **Mark Done** in a record's chatter does not, so stop the timer first.

## Compare the time of the team {#compare}

In **Activities/My Activities**, or **All Activities** for a supervisor, the pivot view adds up **Time Spent** and **Planned Hours** by assignee and status. Its measures also offer **Remaining Hours**, planned minus spent, and **Lead Time (Days)**, the days from creation to completion of the done activities.

## FAQ {#faq}

### Whose name does a session carry? {#session-user}

The name of the user who stops the timer. When a colleague stops your timer, the session is in his name.

### Can I correct a session that ran too long? {#correct-a-session}

No. The sessions cannot be changed from the activity. Stop the timer as soon as you stop working.

### Does the timer count when I am not on the page? {#closed-page}

Yes. It measures the time between the start and the stop, whether the page stayed open or not.

### Can two activities run at the same time? {#two-timers}

Yes. Each activity has its own timer; nothing stops the first when you start the second.

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- Source: https://jaah.app/docs/activities/track-time-on-an-activity
- Updated: 2026-10-27
- Version: Activities 19.0.2.0.1
- Verified: 2026-10-27