Method and apparatus for tracking program execution time in a computer system

An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for monitoring application program execution time in a computer system having an operating system which controls execution of one or more application programs, with each application program including an executable task and one or more executable subtasks. The method includes detecting initiation of a first-executed task associated with an application program, determining a current system time corresponding to that initiation, and setting a starting time for the application program to the current system time. The method also includes detecting termination of a last-executed task or subtask associated with the application program, determining a current system time corresponding to that termination, and setting a final ending time for the application to the current system time.