The realm of project management has witnessed several transformative changes in the last few decades. Technological advancement has been at the forefront of this transformation, changing the way projects were managed in the past. HMS Software’s journey in this realm started with introducing project management software and later evolved and launched a timesheet system called TimeControl. Being awarded the ‘Thought Leadership Award 2025’ by The CEO Views, Founder and President of TimeControl, Chris Vandersluis celebrates this achievement as a testament to having an incredible team and making a meaningful difference.
The Genesis: Starting from Scratch
HMS Software started its journey in 1984, when having computers at home was unusual and people hardly understood the difference between software and hardware. As a new and young software development company at the outset, HMS Software crafted effective project and time management software to make organizations efficient in managing projects. As Chris shares, “Our intent for HMS Software and what would become TimeControl really hasn’t changed in the four decades since I started.”
The first mandate of HMS was to develop a timesheet system appropriate for both the Finance and Project Management departments and integrate a project scheduling tool. Setting the company apart with this mandate, HMS decided to craft a timesheet system built on the philosophy of flexibility and adaptability. This sowed the foundational seeds of what became TimeControl 10 years later.
The company underwent a fundamental shift in 1994, deciding to become a software publisher rather than an integrator. It was already experienced writing timesheets and deploying project scheduling and management software all across Canada. “Our first product was the evolution of thinking of the multiple timesheet systems we had written for clients. We named it TimeControl,” adds Chris.
Today, over 30 years later, TimeControl is used globally. Every day, hundreds of thousands of employees complete a record of their day using TimeControl and integrate the data into numerous processes in their organization, including project management, payroll, billing, HR, DCAA compliance, job costing, Sarbanes- Oxley compliance, R&D tax credit recording and more
Crafting Value through Impacts
What started as a consulting business soon became a recognized source of project management and project management software expertise in Canada. After TimeControl was released in 1994, the company created lines of demarcation between Technical Services, Sales & Marketing, and Administration, which persists to this day. Over the years, the company shifted from having middleman distributors to recognizing the need for direct customer communication.
Initially, the company didn’t sell licenses to anyone who had not met with our staff or dealers in person. However, that scenario has changed as prospective clients no longer co-located themselves. With the changing client preferences of receiving products remotely, interacting through Teams or Zoom, and supporting them with remote access software, the company adapted to what serves the client best.
Revolutionizing Project Management
Unlike other software development organizations, TimeControl started by deploying project management software to some of the largest and most complex organizations in the world. With a highly skilled staff having a thorough understanding of project management challenges, the company is focused on crafting viable solutions. Chris shares, “With each new version and each new edition of TimeControl, we stretch further to ensure that project management and time management needs are accommodated.”
The most recent edition, ‘TimeControl Project,’ takes a unique view of the project management paradigm. It has distinctively identified the needs of executives at the Strategic Level, project schedulers at the Operational Level, and team members at the Tactical Level of the organization. Where large Enterprise Project Management tools struggle to squeeze all those perspectives into the same data structure, TimeControl has emphasized the effectiveness of delineating interests, responsibilities, and data.
A Thought Leader in Action
As a thought leader, Chris Vandersluis believes his leadership journey has been a privilege. The opportunity to interact with project managers and executives of some of the most outstanding projects in the world has empowered his learning. Chris acknowledged the idea of hiring people smarter than him for the organization’s best interest. He recognized this idea for the company clients as well, marking its success in becoming a problem-solver. As a leader, he speaks at industry events or online to share what he has learned.
Driving Transformation
Since the foundation of TimeControl in 1994, the company has had to keep up with the technological dynamism in the industry. TimeControl has traveled a long way in its innovation journey, from a character- based DOS-supporting application to a browser-based application. Training is a constant for the company. HMS has facilitated cross-training for everyone working there. Part of everyone’s time is spent sharing the knowledge gained in each role with the rest of the team.
A Multi-Dimensional Service Line
The fundamental principles underlying the multifunction timesheet include:
i) Data must be Auditable, and TimeControl makes the data auditable for payroll, tracking entitlements, and R&D tax credits.
ii) Flexibility is the cornerstone of TimeControl’s adaptability as per client’s needs. For instance, allowing unlimited user-defined fields on each table and supporting multiple functions focused on Approvals. It wrote its own trademarked – Matrix Approval Process for Labor Actuals™.
Impacts
- In one large organization, TimeControl was able to take the place of 9 different and disparate timesheet systems.
- For the first time, project managers and Finance personnel are looking at the same data to function.
Acing Innovation
There is no shortage of new ideas in the company. Unlike many software companies, the founders did not expect to immediately exit out of the industry after profit- making. Keeping that in mind, the company prioritizes innovation by talking with clients, working internally with their own ideas, consulting with others, and talking with staff. The plans for TimeControl’s next two versions are already underway.
Future Prospects and Words of Advice
With the industry showing no signs of slowing down and so much talk about AI, Chris believes that AI will not take over all bureaucratic needs. He expects that TimeControl will continue to be a product that is expanding and helping more clients globally and AI to be helpful with the analysis of data rather than its bureaucracy.
For other emerging thought leaders, Chris advises them to be patient. In his view, if part of their commitment is to give back, they are more likely to be considered a thought leader over time. But to become one, one must not make it a goal. Becoming a thought leader is a natural outcome of making a difference and being willing to share.
My successes are not just me. They are a collaborative effort of every member of our team and every member who has ever been a part of our team.
