I work for a painting contractor, when I came into this position I had to continue using the database which was create by the previous office manager. In the field the painters fill out daily logs of their tasks, and return them to me. I have alot of seemingly useless data. There is alot of duplication, and with the current format I cannot create charts. I am looking for suggestions on how to optimize this data so it can become useful. My goal is to be able to project labor hours, and to find the strengths of specific employees. Below is an example of what the current database looks like. All suggestions are useful and greatly appreciated. Thank you.


Employee Job Number Job Name Date Phase Task Perfomed Length of Time
John 1022 Bennett 12/20/2012 Prep 2 Tape Windows 3 Hours 10 Minutes
John 1022 Bennett 12/20/2012 Prep 1 Pull mulch back 1 hour 10 Minutes
John 1022 Bennett 12/20/2012 Prep 1 Faceplates off in Den 10 Minutes
John 1022 Bennett 12/20/2012 Prep 1 Move everything out of Master Bedroom 20 Minutes

There is also a seperate database with the SQ FT of the houses, which I will incorporate.