--- title: "Tracking sheet for manual processes: measure first (PDF and Excel) – Riccardo Nentwich" description: "Free tracking sheet (PDF, Excel): record the frequency, time, waiting time, queries and exceptions of a process for two weeks, then evaluate them." url: "https://riccardonentwich.com/en/insights/measure-first-tracking-sheet/" language: "en" translation: "https://riccardonentwich.com/wissen/vorher-messen-messblatt/" updated: "2026-09-10" --- [Insights](https://riccardonentwich.com/en/insights/)[Tool](https://riccardonentwich.com/en/insights/?type=tools) # Measure first: a tracking sheet for manual processes Before you decide whether a process should be changed or automated: collect a few real baseline figures. The tracking sheet turns them into a simple, reliable baseline. - Author [Riccardo Nentwich](https://riccardonentwich.com/en/about/) - Published 10 September 2026 - Format Tracking sheet with evaluation [Download the tracking sheet](https://riccardonentwich.com/en/insights/measure-first-tracking-sheet/#download) PDF · 4 pages · A4 · free, after briefly entering your contact details “This is costing us time all the time” is a good reason to look at a process, but a weak basis for a decision. How often a task really comes up, how long it takes and where it gets stuck are rarely estimated correctly from memory. The tracking sheet records what actually happens over a manageable period. It does not replace precise time measurement and doesn’t try to. It provides a rough but reliable baseline: for deciding whether a change is worth it, and for comparing later whether it made a difference. Measure ## How to measure - **Period:** at least two full working weeks, so that normal fluctuations are included. If the task only comes up a few times a month, correspondingly longer. - **Who records:** the person handling the case, straight afterwards. Recording from memory at the end of the week gets inaccurate. - **How precisely:** estimating to the nearest minute is enough. You don’t need a stopwatch. - **What to record:** every case, including the unusual ones. Exceptions in particular become important later. - **Several people involved:** each person keeps their own sheet. What matters is that work carries on as normal. The sheet should reflect everyday work, not a particularly good day. ## What goes in the columns - Date Day on which the case was handled. - Case A single run, briefly named: an enquiry, an invoice, an order. - Handling · min Active working time on the case: reading, searching, typing, checking, writing a query. Interruptions do not count. Estimating to the nearest minute is enough. - Waiting time · hrs / days Time during which the case sits because something is awaited – an answer, an approval, a piece of information. Give a rough figure. - Transfers · number How often details were moved by hand from one place to another: typed up, copied, written out. - Queries · number Every follow-up question to a customer, supplier or colleague because something is missing or unclear. - Rework · tick Did something have to be corrected or redone? - Exception · tick Does the case deviate from the normal process? Record exceptions, don’t leave them out. - Observation What stood out? A few words are enough. The most common uncertainty is the difference between handling time and waiting time. Handling time is the time someone actively works on the case. Waiting time is the time the case sits because an answer, an approval or a piece of information is missing. A case can involve five minutes of work and three days of waiting. Both matter, but for different reasons. ![Cover of the tracking sheet: the title “Tracking sheet for manual processes” and a graphic in which individual cases collect over two weeks into a baseline.](https://riccardonentwich.com/downloads/measure-first-tracking-sheet-page-1.png) Downloadable tool “Measure First” tracking sheet Instructions and terms, the recording sheet (landscape, print several copies if needed) and the evaluation. The Excel version calculates the evaluation automatically. - PDF · 4 pages · A4 - Excel version with automatic evaluation (XLSX) - Free [Download the tracking sheet](https://riccardonentwich.com/en/insights/measure-first-tracking-sheet/#download) After briefly entering your contact details Evaluate ## What the measurement tells you After two weeks, some questions can be answered with figures instead of impressions: - **How often does the task come up?** Number in the period, converted to a week. - **How much active working time does it involve?** Total and average per case. - **Where does waiting time occur?** How many cases sat, for how long, and what were they waiting for? - **How often are queries needed?** Share of cases with a query, and the queries that recur. - **How common are exceptions and rework?** Both have a say in how much can be automated later. - **Which steps repeat?** The observation column often shows more than the figures. Minutes per case and cases per year give you a rough projection in hours. How to turn that into a cost-benefit assessment, including the costs after go-live, is covered in the article [When is process automation worth it?](https://riccardonentwich.com/en/insights/when-is-process-automation-worth-it/) ## What the figures don’t tell you Two weeks are a sample. Seasonal peaks, holiday periods or a single large order can shift the picture. The measurement shows orders of magnitude and patterns, not exact metrics. For deciding whether a process should be examined more closely or changed, that is usually enough. And after a change, you can measure again with the same sheet. If you also want to record the content of the process beforehand, start with the [Process Profile](https://riccardonentwich.com/en/insights/process-profile/). Download ## Measure first - PDF · 4 pages · A4 - Excel version with automatic evaluation (XLSX) The form requires JavaScript. Alternatively, send me a short email at and I will send you the document. Form: only usable in the HTML version (). Would you like to look at a specific process together? [Arrange an initial call](https://riccardonentwich.com/en/initial-call/) ## Goes well with Insights ### [When is process automation worth it?](https://riccardonentwich.com/en/insights/when-is-process-automation-worth-it/) Five test questions, a traceable calculation and the cases where you are better off leaving it: how to assess whether automating a specific process is worth it. 7 min read 31 August 2026 Tool ### [Process Profile: capture a business process on one page](https://riccardonentwich.com/en/insights/process-profile/) Trigger, result, steps, friction points, volume, exceptions and decisions: one process on one page. For printing, with instructions and examples. Fill-in templatePDF 21 September 2026