The Timesheet Blog

When you need to know how 180 employees in your department are spending their time, it’s not quite as simple as sending out a mass email or walking to each person’s desk. To gain a solid understanding of how company resources are being allocated, and where those resources could be used more efficiently, it helps to have technology on your side.

This is the case at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, where 180 IT professionals are using Web TimeSheet on a daily basis to track project time and optimize productivity.

Read this case study to see how La Trobe’s IT teams are using Replicon’s solutions to monitor their development of several key business applications.

Note to businesses: If it’s taking you 24 clicks to approve one employee timesheet, then it’s probably time to switch to Web TimeSheet.

That’s exactly what JSR Micro did when they discovered their time-keeping system was an administrative hassle for employees, managers, and payroll alike. Now, with Web TimeSheet, JSR Micro has made its time-tracking and employee time off scheduling processes much easier and more efficient. Employees alone have saved hours a month by entering their time into Replicon’s web-based system. Manager’s approvals, which previously required up to 24 mouse clicks per timesheet, now only take three clicks for all timesheets combined. And, JSR Micro can easily view its attendance compliance with Replicon’s rich reporting capabilities.

To see more ways that this electronic materials supplier is benefiting from Web TimeSheet, read the full case study.

If you’re using Replicon’s timesheet software to track projects, then you’re probably already well-versed at dividing those projects into tasks and sub-tasks. In Web TimeSheet, these tasks are naturally linked to the parent project. But what happens when you need to link two or more entire projects together? How do you do it?

For some customers, the use of “Client Name” or “Department” is sufficient. However, there may be times when you need to create dependencies for the purposes of tracking, timelines and reporting. Imagine a case of three projects that are all part of one large project, such as product design. One project may focus on “Creating the Product.” One project may require a “Factory to be Built.” And one project may necessitate “Hiring Staff” to support the new product. In a lot of cases, these activities cannot be tasks of the same projects, so here is how we would treat those in the timesheet software.

The solution is to create a new Project-Level User-Defined Field (UDF) to use as a linking code between these projects. Here’s how:
Step 1: Create a new UDF at the Project level. Use text, numbers, or even drop-down as the “Type.”
Step 2: Go to each project that is part of this same “group” and add the same code to each one (i.e. ABC123).
Step 3: On any project report, add this new UDF field as a column. We recommend that you also group the report on this new column (in the “Rows Group By” section on the Grouping tab of the report settings).
Step 4: Run the report. Make sure to select any appropriate filters to narrow down your report range.

Each one of the groupings you create will be its own section. So, if you are looking for totals on hours, $ amounts, or anything else numerical, the sums will be provided.

If you are looking for an additional level of complexity, you can use the project link code nomenclature to perform some basic functions.
Example A) Sequence. Project groupings that naturally follow each other can be named ABC123, ABC124, ABC125, etc.
Example B) Phases. Projects that are essentially phases of a larger project can be named to reflect that: NEWPhase1, NEWPhase2, NEWPhase3, etc.
Example C) Dates. Dates can be factored into the code as well: ABC123-Dec2011, ABC123-Jan2012, ABC345-Jan2012, etc.

Lastly, if your project code field is not being used for anything, then you can perform the same functions as above but without having to create a new User-Defined Field.

The end result: greater visibility of the total time, money and work going into your projects – as a whole and broken up by its supporting projects. Once you’ve linked your projects with the time-tracking software, your employees can associate their hours with any of the linked projects – and their individual tasks – right on their online timesheets. Managers can tailor reports however they choose to track overall progress for in-house use, client billing, payroll or other needs.

Intuit’s announcement to discontinue support for its Time Tracker and Time & Billing products has taken a lot of organizations by surprise and has left them holding the bag. Thousands of organizations around the world are suddenly going to have to figure out how to maintain timely and accurate time tracking.

“We’re here to help. Customers can seamlessly transition their time tracking needs to our hassle-free time tracking solutions – which integrates with QuickBooks.” A true cloud solution, we promise that we can get you set up in minutes, transfer your data without having to conduct complex, expensive and time-consuming configuration.

Replicon provides an extremely easy cloud-based solution to collect and track billable hours from employees and contractors for billing, payroll, reporting and project analysis. Consolidating this information in an intuitive, hassle-free cloud platform gives managers the visibility they need to efficiently and optimally manage projects, resources and clients in real time.

Download a free trial of our hassle-free, time tracking solution at http://www.replicon.com/lp/lp_QB_time_tracker_replacement_offer.aspx to avert a potential billing and payroll crisis at your organization.

We occasionally get questions about rounding off employee time entries, primarily for use in calculating attendance or payroll. Most inquiries come from customers who use either the locked in-out method or punch card module in our Web TimeSheets.

In most real-time systems, when users enter their start and stop times, the system captures the exact times and easily calculates a daily/weekly/monthly total. Rounding is largely unnecessary in time tracking software because no manual additions are performed offline, unlike with old paper punch cards.

If rounding is required, it is best to round up to the nearest time increment, in the employee’s favor.

This is a common Best Practice for employee time tracking. It can help protect your company. Here is additional information:

Rounding can also create extra work, instill uncertainty and doubt regarding employee time totals, and open companies to litigation. Here are some pitfalls to avoid:

1)     Historical inertia:  “We’ve always done it this way.”

2)     Unfair practice of rounding to save money.

3)     Potential auditing concerns.

When companies use manual methods or proprietary formulas for rounding the amount of time worked, it opens them up to up to potential litigation. See this article about what the U.S. Department of Labor expects in calculating work time.

Litigation usually revolves around interpretations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which states that nonexempt employees should be paid for every minute worked, as long as the rounding is non-biased in one direction or another. Here is an article about how this works.

And payroll processor ADP cites rounding as one of the three most common violations to avoid.

That being said, Replicon Software can support companies that have rounding policies.

Many of our users need a way to automatically share the data they gather in our Web TimeSheets with other applications. This helps them streamline processes and avoid errors. Among the most common data-sharing targets are Intuit’s QuickBooks and Microsoft Project. In keeping with our emphasis on a hassle-free experience, we include Integration Managers for both those apps. Each makes mapping data between applications very easy (for QuickBooks there’s even a step-by-step Wizard). But what about the other apps you may use for payroll, billing, etc.? We make sharing data with them easy, too, via our RepliConnect API.

The RepliConnect API (Application Programming Interface) lets you create robust, efficient integrations between our Web TimeSheet Software and virtually any other application that includes a standard, open API. This includes nearly all payroll, billing, portfolio and project management systems.

Of course, the way you will use it is particular to your environment, but RepliConnect features standard HTTP protocols and a JSON architecture that ensure compatibility, ease-of-use, and high reliability. RepliConnect is also web-accessible, so you can create secure integrations without needing direct access to your database.

You choose which data to integrate, and sharing can be done bi-directionally in real-time.

There’s detailed information our site about how our RepliConnect API works. Click here to learn more and get started.

Sometimes, Web TimeSheet’s standard report/export fields don’t account for the exact information you need for viewing profitability. At Replicon, we took care to include fields that are standard across most industries. However, only you can define formulas that are specific to the way you do business. For example, the calculation you use to determine your gross profit margin might be different than the calculation used at another company.

In Web TimeSheet reports, you make your own rules. With the Custom Columns feature, you can define a field that includes the formula of your choice. These are fairly simple to create and there is a help section to walk you through it. You can use numeric, text, and date operators and functions to see exactly what’s going on with any aspect of your projects.

Once you create a formula, you can make it part of any of your predefined Web TimeSheet reports. The calculation can be integrated so that it is performed automatically – you don’t have to add the custom column again every time you run that particular report. On the other hand, you don’t have to apply the customized field to every version of a report if you just need to use the function for a one-time look at some project details.

The Custom Column feature is available in Web TimeSheet version 8.7 and higher. Are you currently using an older version of Web TimeSheet software that is installed on your local server? Consider switching to our Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) version so we can always ensure that you are being given the latest upgrades. All maintenance and updates are provided free of charge as part of our Software as a Service model. Give our SaaS version a try with a free trial.

What formulas are you planning to use with our Custom Columns feature? Let us know in the comments. Stay up to date with the latest developments by following our Twitter feed and keep connected with us on LinkedIn.

In Web TimeSheet, you manage several types of confidential data including project pricing, client information, and payroll records. You need to control who sees this private information. Fortunately, our Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) products are specifically designed to keep your data secure. It will be safe from prying eyes while giving the appropriate amount of access to the users you select.

Here’s how it works:

Secure Browser Connections
The Web TimeSheet host server features Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocols. That means all the information sent between your computers and our host server will be encrypted. This keeps your confidential data safe from external parties.

Customizable Permissions
Every action a user can take in the Web TimeSheet system requires permission. This includes viewing or modifying data, running reports, entering time worked, creating a project, etc. You get to decide who can do what. Use our standard role-based permissions profiles to quickly assign access to each user in your organization. You can fine tune these profiles to restrict or add more capabilities if necessary.

Hierarchy Filtering
Hierarchy filtering prevents users from viewing or editing data outside their own department. A single mouse click allows you to activate this option and ensure confidential information is only accessed on a “need to know” basis.

Password Restrictions
Your overall data security is increased when you use complex passwords and change them regularly. Web TimeSheet helps you follow best practices in this area. You can decide how complex user passwords must be and when they will expire.

Idle User Session Timeout
Use our automatic timeout feature to choose how long Web TimeSheet can be left idle before the system automatically logs the user off. If a user forgets to sign out before leaving their workstation at the end of a session, the amount of time their private data is accessible to unauthorized users will be limited.

Do you have questions about additional steps you can take to increase your level of security? Ask us in the comments section. Also, remember to connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn to keep up with our latest announcements.

All companies strive to manage their human resources effectively, especially in today’s economy when employee populations already feel a bit lean. It is often necessary to stretch resources – to utilize their skills wherever they can make an impact – even if it means sharing employees across departments.

For managers, sharing skilled workers can present challenges. They must cooperate to schedule employees efficiently, and in a way that applies valuable skills to the company’s greatest advantage. In cases where multiple managers are vying for the same resource, scheduling can become complicated; a single resource could easily end up double or triple booked.

Visible, Real Time Collaboration

Web Schedule addresses these challenges. Similar to Google Docs (TM), it allows multiple managers to collaborate on the same schedule – each from his/her own computer – and see others’ changes in real time. With visibility into each employee’s scheduled activities, managers can avoid scheduling conflicts.

Watch this video to see how easy it is to collaborate on employee schedules with Web Schedule.

Ready to tackle your employee scheduling nightmare?  Try a free trial.  No download required – sign up and get started today!

Have a story about your scheduling challenges? Please share your story in the comment section or ask us how we can be of assistance. Get our RSS feed , connect with us on LinkedIn, follow us @Replicon on Twitter.

As your SaaS vendor, we take full responsibility for continuously upgrading all our products. We’ve just finished improving Web TimeSheet version 8.11.1 to make it even more user-friendly. Check out these new features!

Increased Employee Visibility into Time-Off Requests

As a manager, it’s no fun telling an employee he can’t take a vacation because someone else has already asked for that week off. Now, employees can collaborate in scheduling their time-off. In addition to viewing approved time-off for coworkers, Managers have the option to grant permission for team members to see requests that are still awaiting approval. That way, they have the opportunity to work out their conflicting requests and come up with a plan that satisfies everyone.

Keep Your Work Weeks Straight

Do you need to limit the number of hours employees work each week to stay in compliance with labor laws in your area? Set up a “weekly” Web Timesheet validation rule to automatically monitor hours worked. Base this on your organization’s definition of a work week for each individual’s profile. That way, if you use a monthly timesheet you don’t have to worry about employees surpassing their permitted hours.

In the past, this error might not be caught immediately. This could happen if the excess hours were worked during the final days of a partial week at the end of a month. Payroll would have to manually check timesheets to catch this problem. Now, you can set up Web TimeSheet to validate full work weeks even if they are split between two different months.

See Who Needs To Approve Timesheets Next

Several new fields are available in the Timesheet Status Details report. For example, you can now include the name of the next approver scheduled to review a timesheet. This person appears in the “Waiting Approver Name” column. You can see the previous approver(s) who have already done their job listed under the “Approver Name” column.

Check out the complete documentation on this latest version of Web TimeSheet for more.

Do you have suggestions for further improvements? We are always eager to hear your ideas. Talk to us in the comments. Track our latest developments on Twitter; network with us on LinkedIn; and sign up for a free trial.