How CTOs Use Chrono to Scale Output and Maximize SR&ED Credits

You're leading a team that moves fast, solves hard problems, and builds real products. But without clear visibility, even your best engineers can get buried in work that doesn’t move the needle. You’re responsible for turning engineering into a business advantage, not just keeping the lights on.

That’s where we come in. In this article, you’ll see how you can use Chrono to pinpoint what’s driving impact, find hidden inefficiencies, and confidently back your SR&ED claims without chasing people for time logs.

If you want your decisions backed by data instead of guesswork, you’re in the right place. Let’s start by looking at why staying busy isn’t the same as driving impact.

Engineering Teams Are Busy, But Are They Driving Results?

Your engineering team is always busy. But you’re left wondering if that busyness actually leads to results that matter. Without a good tool, it’s hard to know where time is going, how much of it supports business goals, or which efforts truly drive value, and which aren’t.

You might have projects moving in parallel, yet it’s unclear who’s at capacity or which teams are spinning their wheels. That uncertainty adds up. Studies show that nearly 23% of engineering time is wasted on things such as unnecessary meetings or clunky processes.

Without clear data, you’re forced to guess, which leads to missed deadlines, poor resource allocation, and SR&ED credits left on the table. You might be tracking progress in Jira, managing people in spreadsheets, and still feel like you’re flying blind. If you can’t see how time maps to outcomes, it’s impossible to lead with confidence.

"Working on the right thing is probably more important than working hard." - Caterina Fake, an American entrepreneur and businesswoman

All of this takes us to a bigger challenge and what actually goes wrong when you try to scale without that visibility.

Common Mistakes CTOs Make When Scaling Productivity

Scaling a team doesn’t always lead to scaling outcomes. As you grow, the cracks in your process show up faster, especially if you’re relying on instinct instead of insight.

You’re responsible for shipping faster, doing more with less, and proving engineering is a driver, not a cost. Here are the mistakes you’re likely making, and how to get ahead of them.

1. Prioritizing Tasks for Impact

You’re constantly choosing between features, tech debt, and infrastructure upgrades, where each pulls you at your roadmap with its own urgency. But without clear data, it’s nearly impossible to know which one actually drives growth. You’re typically left balancing requests from stakeholders or reacting to whatever’s loudest, instead of focusing on what brings the highest return across revenue, retention, or long-term product value.

What makes this even harder is the lack of initiative-level time tracking. If you can't see where your team’s time is going across projects, you're flying blind. You're managing availability, not outcomes.

With Chrono, you get a clear view of time spent across initiatives, not just individuals.

That means you can finally compare tradeoffs based on real data. You get the insight to shift resources toward the work that actually matters and stop wasting time on what doesn’t.

2. Tracking Output Without Context

You’re likely watching metrics such as tickets closed, story points, PRs merged, or cycle time. But without knowing why the work matters, those numbers mean very little. You could hit every sprint goal and still miss your business targets.

What’s missing is the connection between effort and impact. 

Just because your team delivered doesn’t mean they delivered value. 

Context is what turns raw activity into strategy. As Dr Kevin Albertson, economist at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Decent Work and Productivity Research Center, puts it:

“It’s been assumed that the amount of time staff spent at their desk was a measure of productivity. However, that’s not so easily measured now we’ve entered the hybrid working era—measuring effort is not the same as measuring productivity. It has to change.”

And since Chrono lets you track time by initiative, you can now tie each push to a business outcome. Instead of measuring activity in a vacuum, you start understanding what’s actually working and what isn’t.

3. Overhiring to Solve Allocation Issues

If your roadmap’s slipping, your first instinct might be to hire. But more people don’t always mean faster results. In fact, the Putnam model shows that adding engineers rarely scales output linearly and can actually slow teams down.

When you don’t know where the actual blockers are, adding new engineers just introduces more complexity. You onboard, you redistribute, and suddenly you're still behind, only with a bigger payroll.

Chrono helps you pinpoint overloaded teams, underused engineers, and work that’s soaking up too much time. 

That way, you can fix what's not working with the team you already have or plug short-term gaps with on-demand help without rushing to add more people.

4. Failing to Maximize R&D Incentives

You’re likely leaving SR&ED dollars on the table, not because the work isn’t eligible, but because tracking it feels like a nightmare. Manual timesheets, last-minute data pulls, and vague notes make your claims weaker and more stressful.

Most companies don’t struggle with eligibility. They struggle with execution. 

If you’re not capturing time accurately across the right initiatives, you risk missing out on credits you should be claiming. And even worse, you might submit records that don’t hold up to audit standards.

One study pointed out that when companies focus on performance stats without tracking how and where productivity happens, they miss huge opportunities to improve operations. That’s especially true when financial incentives such as SR&ED are in play.

Chrono automates SR&ED prep by mapping engineering time to the right R&D categories used in your claims. You can reclassify work retroactively if definitions shift. You’ll see which hours are eligible and why, without micromanaging your team or chasing them for reports.

5. Not Treating Engineering as a Strategic Partner

Even in strong companies, engineering, product, and finance tend to operate in their own lanes. You might feel like you’re aligned, but over time, priorities drift. 

Without shared data and visibility, your team can be building hard without building right.

When goals aren’t mapped across departments, engineering becomes a service unit, not a strategic partner. You get pulled in every direction and make short-term fixes instead of long-term progress.

With Chrono Platform, you break out of that cycle. 

Initiative-level tracking and shared dashboards bring all teams onto the same page. You see how time maps to product goals and financial impact. You don’t just manage output but shape a direction.

Chrono doesn’t make these decisions for you. But it gives you the visibility to make the right calls. 

You keep your judgment. We just give you the data to back it up.

Feature-by-Feature: How Chrono Supports Strategic Execution

If you're serious about turning engineering into a business driver, you need tools that give you clarity without extra overhead. Chrono does that by giving you visibility into how your team works, without asking them to change how they work.

Here are the features that help you lead with real insight, not guesswork.

Real-Time Project Tracking

You can’t act on what you can’t see. Chrono pulls live data from your project management tools (Jira, Azure DevOps, Asana) and your calendar to show you what’s moving, what’s stuck, and what’s already been delivered. You’ll get a clear view of completed vs. in-progress work, sorted by both project and activity type. No more waiting for weekly syncs to know where things stand.

According to Magnetic, real-time tracking helps teams hit milestones more reliably, keeps everyone aligned, and prevents projects from quietly slipping off schedule. With Chrono, that clarity becomes your baseline, not a bonus you only get during fire drills.

Initiative-Level Time Insights

You’re not getting a clear picture from time sheets. Manual logs are patchy at best, and according to research, 69% of employees admit their time tracking isn’t accurate. Nearly half of hourly workers say they’ve stretched their hours. That makes it hard to know what’s real, let alone what's useful.

Chrono gives you back control by automatically reconstructing time across projects, goals, and teams. 

You don’t need to rely on perfect input to make smart decisions. You’ll see what’s getting attention, what’s falling behind, and how to realign your team with what matters most.

Auto-Categorization and Reclassification

You shouldn’t have to babysit time entries to build a clean report. And with Chrono, you don’t have to. Your work gets auto-tagged based on team goals, project context, and predefined rules. That gives you a running log of where engineering hours are going, without asking your team to log anything manually.

Even better, you can reclassify work retroactively. If the definition of SR&ED shifts or you realize an initiative qualifies after the fact, you can update the record without redoing the whole process.

That flexibility makes your SR&ED claims stronger, cleaner, and easier to justify under audit. It also means less stress at tax time and fewer surprises for finance.

Resource Allocation Insights

When your team’s working across multiple priorities, it’s easy to lose track of who’s actually at capacity and who’s just busy with low-impact tasks. Chrono gives you a real-time view of how time is distributed across people, projects, and activities. You’ll see who’s overloaded, who’s underused, and where time is going that isn’t tied to business outcomes.

You don’t need to run surveys or spend hours in spreadsheets. Chrono pulls data straight from your workflows, so you can make changes on the fly. 

And here’s why that matters.

Research shows that underutilized resources typically lead to project delays and budget overruns. Instead of reacting late, you’ll spot these issues early and shift your team where they can make the biggest difference.

Just remember that Chrono doesn’t show budget split views. But if you're tracking for SR&ED, you’ll still see what time can be attributed to claims, which helps on the financial side, too.

Proactive Risk Identification

You shouldn’t have to wait for a missed deadline to realize something’s wrong. Chrono flags early signals that something’s slipping, such as churned tickets, slow PR cycles, or work with no clear owner. These signals don’t always show up in status meetings, but they quietly delay roadmaps and strain your team.

With Chrono, you get a heads-up before the damage is done. 

You’ll know where to step in, where to follow up, and where things are veering off course. That means fewer surprises, fewer late-stage fire drills, and better planning across your roadmap.

SR&ED Credit Optimization

You don’t need to guess which work qualifies for SR&ED. Chrono maps your team’s time directly to initiatives, so you can see exactly what supports your R&D claim and what doesn’t. That level of detail doesn’t just save time during reporting. It makes your claim stronger and easier to defend.

Every engineer involved in R&D should track 100% of their time, not just the parts that seem SR&ED-eligible. That’s how you capture the full picture.

Chrono makes that possible by reconstructing time passively, without pulling engineers away from the work they’re doing. You’ll spend less time preparing your claim and feel more confident submitting it, knowing your records are clear, complete, and audit-ready.

Dashboards for CTOs and VPs

You don’t need more data, but you do need the right signals. Chrono gives you high-level dashboards built for decision-makers. You’ll see progress across initiatives, spot risks early, and track how efficiently your team is operating.

The reports are automated, focused, and easy to scan, so you can act fast without digging through noise. Whether you're reviewing delivery health or reporting to finance, you get a clear view of where engineering stands and what needs attention. There’s no clutter, just insight you can use.

Capacity on Demand

There are times when your internal team can’t stretch far enough, whether you're tackling a major release, replatforming, or simply trying to hit aggressive goals. With Chrono, you get on-demand access to dedicated engineering squads who are ready to plug in and accelerate your roadmap.

These aren’t freelancers pulled off a list but vetted teams with the technical depth to contribute from day one. You can scale up quickly without slowing your team down. That means faster execution, fewer bottlenecks, and the flexibility to build at your pace without overcommitting long-term.

Managed DevOps

You shouldn’t have to choose between speed and reliability. Chrono’s Managed DevOps service streamlines how you build, test, and ship software, all while keeping your infrastructure stable and secure. From setting up CI/CD pipelines to 24/7 incident monitoring, we cover what your team doesn’t have time to manage. You also get audit-ready infrastructure practices built in, such as SOC2 and ISO-friendly policies.

DevOps adoption is no longer optional. According to Harvard Business Review, 61% of companies already use DevOps, and that number’s even higher among top-performing teams. With Chrono, you can match that level without adding extra overhead.

Talent

Hiring great engineers is harder than ever. In just the first half of 2024, over 450,000 software development jobs were posted. Standing out in that market (and hiring fast) takes more than just posting on job boards.

Chrono helps you scale confidently by giving you access to top engineering talent that’s already been rigorously screened. We deliver a curated pool of candidates who’ve been evaluated not just for skill but for team fit, communication, and execution. Whether you need help short-term or long-term, you get talent that raises the bar, not someone you’ll need to micromanage.

What Results Look Like in Practice

Chrono allows you to stop guessing and start seeing. Once you have real insight into how engineering work connects to outcomes, everything changes.

You start solving the right problems, justifying your investments, and moving faster and without burning your team out. Here are a few examples of what you’ll experience.

Shifting Resources to Unblock Delayed Initiatives

You’ll see which teams are stuck and which ones have room to take on more. Instead of reacting after a deadline slips, you’ll reassign effort early and keep projects on track. Chrono shows you real workload patterns across initiatives, not just names on a spreadsheet.

“Real leaders focus resources in areas that provide the greatest opportunity rather than making across-the-board decisions.” - Frank Sonnenberg, Author of Follow Your Conscience

Justifying R&D Time Through SR&ED Mapping

No more last-minute timesheet chases. You’ll have clear, categorized records that show exactly where eligible time was spent. That means fewer hours wasted on claim prep and a stronger case when you submit. You’ll feel confident that your SR&ED claim reflects the full scope of your engineering work.

Finding Hidden Time Sinks That Slowed Key Deliverables

Chrono highlights where your team spends time, even when it’s unplanned or low-leverage. You’ll quickly spot recurring blockers, constant context switching, or meetings that eat into execution. Small shifts add up fast when you’re not losing hours to hidden drag.

Tracking Non-Feature Work That Impacts Roadmap Execution

Tech debt, platform updates, and compliance don’t show up in your roadmap, but they steal time from delivery. Only 7.2% of companies track tech debt methodically, and just 26% use a tool to manage it. Those that actively manage and reduce technical debt deliver up to 50% faster.

Chrono makes that work visible so you can manage it without blind spots.

Compliance work, such as audits, security reviews, and internal controls, typically gets buried under product priorities, yet it can eat up days of engineering time. Platform maintenance is just as silent. Upgrading dependencies, improving CI/CD pipelines, or stabilizing infrastructure rarely gets a line on the sprint board, but still pulls engineers off critical features.

Chrono lets you surface all this work and tie it back to the broader roadmap. You’ll finally see how much non-feature effort is required to keep the product healthy and make better decisions about what to prioritize next.

Reducing the Cost of Failure by Catching Risk Early

You’ll catch signals such as churned tickets or slow review cycles before they become project-wide delays. Risk management failures quietly cost companies billions each year, yet most teams only notice once it’s too late. Chrono helps you stay ahead of those cracks before they widen.

Best Practices for CTOs Who Want to Turn Engineering into a Strategic Driver

If you want engineering to drive the business, not just support it, you need better visibility, smarter processes, and clear alignment with company goals. This isn’t about more meetings or tighter controls. It’s about building systems that let you lead with facts, not gut instinct.

Here are the best practices that help you get there.

Track Work by Initiative, Not Just Team or Sprint

Sprints and teams give you structure, but they don’t tell you if the work is actually moving the needle. Tracking time and progress at the initiative level allows you to see what’s contributing to your business goals and what’s just soaking up time. Chrono makes that easy by mapping engineering time across projects and outcomes, not just Jira tickets.

Make Delivery Risk Visible Early

Late projects usually start going off-track long before you notice. You just don’t always catch the signs. Watch for things such as long cycle times, stalled pull requests, or repeated ticket churn. These are early warnings. We surface those signals automatically, so you can intervene before the delays start snowballing.

Audit Where Time Goes Routinely

Assumptions about time use are usually wrong. Without routine checks, your expectations drift far from reality. We believe that leaders who regularly compare planned work to actual time spent make sharper calls and avoid planning blind spots. So, Chrono helps you do this without manual tracking.

Reclassify Work as R&D Regulations Change

Tax credit rules aren’t static. If you want to maximize claims such as SR&ED, you need to be flexible. Chrono lets you reclassify past work based on updated definitions, so you’re not leaving money behind just because the scope changed after the fact.

Use Data to Inform Hiring, Not Justify It Retroactively

Before you ask for a headcount, know what problem you’re solving. Is it a capacity issue? A misallocation? A skills gap? Chrono shows you execution patterns, so you can back your hiring plan with real evidence, not just frustration or pressure.

Get Proactive About R&D Tax Credits

If your team is building new systems, solving technical problems, or experimenting with prototypes, you might be eligible for R&D tax credits. Don’t wait until tax season to figure it out. With Chrono, you can start capturing SR&ED-eligible work as it happens, and also without disrupting the flow of work.

Lead With Data, Not Assumptions

Guesswork doesn’t scale. Hence, you need real answers about how your team works, what’s getting done, and where effort is going. Chrono gives you a clear line of sight from engineering activity to business outcomes so that you can lead with facts, not friction.

You’ll make faster decisions, keep your team focused, and stay ahead of risks without micromanaging anyone. Whether you’re optimizing delivery, defending your SR&ED claim, or planning the next hire, Chrono puts the right data in front of you when it matters most.

If you’re ready to lead with clarity instead of assumptions, sign up to Chrono Platform and get started right away.