Microsoft Partner Network, microsoft project

Microsoft extends its alliance with HMS Software for a 24th year!

We’re delighted to announce that Microsoft and HMS have renewed their technical alliance for the 2019/2020 season. This relationship is one of the oldest technical alliances in the computer industry and it is still going strong today.

This will be the 24th year that the two firms have had a formal technical alliance partnership.

The relationship between Microsoft and HMS evolved in the two and a half decades we have worked together.  Our TimeControl timesheet system is now linked to so many Microsoft technologies from Windows Server to SharePoint and SharePoint Online and Dynamics and, of course Project.  Beyond that, it is the relationships between staff in the two companies that is so remarkable.

HMS and Microsoft have done marketing together, sales together, development and technical support together.

This year so far, HMS Software has qualified as a partner in the Project and Portfolio Management category.  To qualify for these programs, HMS went through Microsoft’s rigorous 3rd party testing and had a number of staff members pass Microsoft Certified Professional certifications.  We expect that this is the first of what will be several Microsoft Partner certifications it will achieve this year.

We have created a resources portal to help identify which Microsoft technologies can be advantageous when using TimeControl. The portal includes numerous resources including white papers, webcasts, PowerPoint presentations and more. The TimeControl Microsoft Technology Portal can be found at: Microsoft.TimeControl.com.

timecontrol, TimeControl 8

TimeControl 8 begins shipping

All of us here at HMS are very excited about this announcement.  After over a year in the planning and countless hours of work, TimeControl 8 is now available!  This version represents huge changes that have been recommended by our clients, by our own research and by evolving industry guidelines.  There is so much new in this new version but for those already using or about to begin using TimeControl, don’t worry.  We have kept all previous functionality alive and well.  You’ll have no trouble finding your usual functionality for your timesheet, security, tables and reporting all where they’re supposed to be, even if they look a little different.

Here is just a bit of what you’ll see in this brand new version!

All new interface

tc8_timesheet_groupedFirst, the interface is all new.  The last time we made this big a change in the look and feel of TimeControl was 2010 and it was due.  We’re following new industry guidelines on look and feel and we think you’ll agree that it’s even easier to find your way around the new screens!

JIRA support

We’ve found many of our clients have IT groups within them who have adopted JIRA.  JIRA is a task and project management system that has a big following amongst developers and IT specialists.  TimeControl 8 includes a bi-directional link with JIRA that allows JIRA users to have their task updates and effort expended automatically populate their timesheet.  Then, when going to TimeControl to finish their timesheet for any non-development (non-JIRA) work they have they will already find all their JIRA data already there.  This promises to be a big time savings for JIRA users.

ARES PRISM Support

Along with ARES PRISM, we have also included support for a bi-directional integration between ARES PRISM and TimeControl.  ARES PRISM is a high-end project cost control system that is often used in large Engineering-Procurement-Construction mega projects.  The new link with TimeControl means that ARSE PRISM users can implement enterprise-level timesheets within the same system so that estimates can now be directly compared to actuals.  The link is effected from a plug-in inside of the ARES PRISM system.

All new TimeControl Mobile App Views

tc8_mobile_views_polarareaWe’ve gone so much further with TimeControl Mobile.  Aside from the new Mobile Crew Interface for TimeControl Industrial which we’ll talk more about next week, there is a new feature for supervisors, managers and administrators that lets them see graphical representations of all TimeControl data in their control to help them make decisions at a glance!  The new looks are stunning but more importantly, they bring the depth of TimeControl data to a look that is effective and easy to understand.

Much, much more…

There is so much more.  Support for Microsoft Project Server 2019 on-premise, additional enhancements in the TimeControl Mobile App, the new TimeControl Notification system, new email notification capacity, improved single-sign-on for corporate users, a major expansion of the API to introduce new end points and methods.

And, countless other less visible changes that have made TimeControl even better…

You can find a more complete list of changes at: TimeControl.com/features/latest.

TimeControl 8 is available for download right now for clients who have an active support agreement at TimeControl.com/support/updates.  TimeControl Industrial will be available next week and TimeControl Online clients will be upgraded automatically in mid-July.  We will inform TimeControl Online users at least a week before their systems are updated.  If you are an existing TimeControl client and need to renew your support agreement, please email info@hms.ca.

ARES PRISM, timecontrol

HMS and ARES PRISM announce a Strategic Alliance

ares_prism_200x90.jpgWe’re very excited to announce the formation of a strategic alliance with ARES PRISM who are the publishers of enterprise project control software.  ARES PRISM focuses on cost control, forecasting, change management and performance measurement and TimeControl focuses on project actual labor, material and equipment usage data collection.  This makes a powerful case for bringing these two suites of functionality together.

Teams from the two firms are already hard at work finalizing integration tools between the respective products.

Our President, Chris Vandersluis explains that “This is a situation where one-plus-one equals much more than two.  Our joint clients will enjoy the power of TimeControl’s multi-purpose timesheet and field data collection system matched with enterprise level forecasting and analysis.  We think our clients and prospective clients are going to be very excited about what comes of this new partnership.

Dates for the complete integration have not yet been announced but it is expected shortly.

You can read the complete press release at: TimeControl.com/resources/newsroom/press-releases/2019-05-23 and for more information on ARES PRISM, visit www.aresprism.com.

Oracle, primavera, timecontrol

Oracle names HMS a Gold partner for 2019-2020

Oracle and HMS Software extend their technical alliance for a 22nd consecutive year
Oracle has listed HMS Software as a Gold Partner for the twenty-second straight year of their technical alliance.

We are delighted to tell you that our long standing relationship to Oracle will get a little longer as HMS and Oracle have just renewed our technical alliance for a 22nd consecutive year.

Oracle has just named HMS a Gold Partner for the 2019-2020 season making the technical partnership that started back in 1997 one of the longest in the industry.

HMS and Oracle partner together in many different ways in order to best support our mutual clients. The TimeControl timesheet system supports Oracle databases, we also integrate with numerous Oracle Applications including Oracle-Primavera, Oracle Financials, Oracle EBS, JD Edwards and PeopleSoft.The Oracle and HMS technical teams regularly work together to support their mutual clients.

TimeControl is already used by some of the largest organizations in the world, so our ability to respond to any technical challenges with a single call to HMS technical support is a hig priority for us.

The Oracle Partner program enables software publishers such as HMS to work directly with Oracle to support mutual clients. Being an Oracle Gold Partner provides HMS with early access to Oracle technology and expertise in order to support Oracle products as soon as they are released.

TimeControl includes a bi-directional integration with both Oracle-Primavera Professional and Oracle-Primavera EPPM to allow clients to create a powerful cost control solution as part of project and portfolio management. It provides a highly flexible and auditable timesheet that updates Primavera tasks with finance-quality data and simultaneously updates Finance modules such as Oracle EBS, PeopleSoft or JD Edwards with data for payroll, HR, job costing and invoicing. Using TimeControl with Primavera means that the organization can use a single timesheet entry for multiple auditable purposes.

Some of the many TimeControl’s value-added benefits when linking with Oracle-Primavera include:

  • Support for Multiple rates per employee
  • Automated business rule validations
  • Automated workflow
  • Auditable timesheet records suitable for Finance, HR, Invoicing or Payroll
  • Missing timesheet notification
  • Simultaneous support for multiple versions of Primavera
  • The free TimeControl Mobile App for smartphones and tablets supporting both iOS and Android
  • Matrix timesheet approvals with HMS’s unique Matrix Approval Process for Labor Actuals™
  • With TimeControl Industrial, the Crew Timesheet and Materials and Equipment field data collection

TimeControl’s Industrial version also includes crew timesheets and field-data-collection capabilities to update Primavera and Finance with material consumption, equipment usage and even production accomplished information. This information is also linked with Primavera to provide both labor and non-labor costs to the project management system.
clients.

TimeControl is available as an in-the-cloud subscription service or for purchase for an on-premise deployment.

We have created a portal for information on how Oracle and HMS Technologies work together. You can visit it for free at: Oracle.TimeControl.com or contact HMS at info@hms.ca.

Article, timecontrol

Do more with less at CEO Today Magazine

CEO_Today_May5_2019_300x251I was delighted to be asked to pen an article for CEO Today Magazine.  The piece is called “Do more with less: 5 Steps to Capitalize on the Resources You Already Have“.  It’s a familiar topic around here as we speak to hundreds of organizations who use TimeControl to identify time that is being spent on tasks that is unproductive.  If you’re interested in reading the article, you can find it at: https://www.ceotodaymagazine.com/2019/05/do-more-with-less-5-steps-to-capitalize-on-the-resources-you-already-have/.

case study

TimeControl case study with WHP Engineering 

We’re delighted to tell you that we have just finished collaborating with WHP Engineering on a greate case study describing how this UK-based engineering company has implemented TimeControl to improve operational efficiency in the organization.

WHP Engineering specializes in precision engineered solutions for the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and other clean process manufacturing industries.  It has grown more than 135% since 2017.

WHP has deployed TimeControl in part due to its integration with both Oracle Primavera and Sage and are delighted with the results.

“The fact that I can see what projects people are spending their hours on and what they’re delivering for those hours is crucial,” explained John Wheeler, WHP’s Engineering Manager. “If we hadn’t made the change to TimeControl, we certainly wouldn’t have the level of key business metrics that we’re getting now.”

You can read the case study in its entirety at: TimeControl.com/why-timecontrol/case-studies/whp or to see more case studies, go to: TimeControl.com/why-timecontrol/case-studies.

timecontrol

The TimeControl Buyer’s Guide is a treasure trove of information!

Our TimeControl.com website hosts a section that will be of interest to anyone Railway next to the coal mineconsidering a new timesheet.  The TimeControl Buyer’s Guide contains numerous resources that are the culmination of experience from our HMS timesheet deployment experts.

This area of the website provides information that both helps prospective timesheet buyers determine what kind of timesheet they might require and then shows how TimeControl can respond to those requirements. The information isn’t specific to just TimeControl so no matter what kind of timesheet you’re looking for, this section of our site may be useful.

The Timesheet Buyer’s Guide includes a number of tools that may be of interest to those considering a new timesheet system including:

  • Webcasts of how to determine what type of timesheet might be required,
  • A white paper analyzing the choice of buying a commercial off the shelf timesheet system vs. subscribing to a timesheet in the cloud vs. writing your own customized timesheet
  • A downloadable evaluation checklist spreadsheet of the most commonly requested timesheet features with options for weighting features and scoring multiple timesheet systems,
  • A Return on Investment Calculator spreadsheet which shows the financial impact of automating your timesheet system and;
  • Numerous links to other resources.

The HMS Timesheet Buyer’s Guide is available at: TimeControl.com/why-timecontrol/buyers-guide.  Access to the Buyer’s Guide is free.

Testimonial, timecontrol

Another testimonial letter, this one from JGC

We’re very proud to have received a wonderful testimonial letter from our friends at JGC in the UK.  JGC is an jgc_200x108engineering consultant contractor based in London who have been using TimeControl Online for some time now.  The letter from their Man-hours Control Administrator talks about how TimeControl has helped automate their time booking and approvals and their reporting of man-hours.

We thank Essam Albu-khaleel and the entire JGC team for their support and wish them many more years of success with TimeControl there. You can read the letter in its entirety at: TimeControl.com/why-timecontrol/testimonials/jgc.

timecontrol

A new but familiar face at HMS

Patrick_First_Day_CroppedWe’re delighted to announce the arrival of Patrick Grunikiewicz to the sales department at HMS.  Patrick is well known to us here.  He has worked in collaboration and project management systems in the Montreal area for much of his career.  In that capacity, Patrick and HMS have worked together on client presentations and joint ventures for over 15 years.  We are very excited that we are able to have Patrick join the team as one of our senior account executives.  If you know Patrick already, please drop him a line at his new email: patrick.grun@hms.ca to say hello.  If you haven’t met Patrick yet, we’re sure you will soon as he begins working with our existing and prospective clients.

Welcome aboard Patrick!

timecontrol

Compatibility testing with MS Project Desktop 2019 is now complete!

We are delighted to announce that we have completed testing the integration of msprojpro_300x188TimeControl with Microsoft Project 2019 for the Desktop.  This continues an unbroken integration of TimeControl with every version of Microsoft Project since 1995.  Yep – 1995 when the Dow was at 5117 and you could get a new car for $15,000.  Ebay got started that year and a new revolution – the DVD was announced.  It’s not a trivial thing to say that the relationship between HMS and Microsoft is one of the oldest technical alliances in the software industry.

We believe that the integration between TimeControl and Microsoft Project is essential.  Many software companies focus solely on integrating with Microsoft’s Project Server.  We have that integration also but there are millions of licenses of Project Desktop in the market and delivering an integrated centralized timesheet that can link to them is how TimeControl is best known.

We’re proud that TimeControl has had the longest standing integration with Microsoft Project of any tool in any category in the industry.”

The integration between TimeControl and Microsoft Project has evolved over the 24 years it has existed.   The link currently supports Microsoft Project, Microsoft Project Online, Microsoft Project Server and many other Microsoft products like SharePoint and Excel.

Integrating TimeControl with Microsoft Project gives a single source of timesheet entry for multiple purposes.  TimeControl’s auditable, multi-purpose design means the timesheet can be used not only for updating Microsoft Project with hours, costs, material and equipment consumption and task progress but also for updating Payroll, HR, Billing, Job costing, R&D tax audit tracking, Defense Contract Audit Agency Compliance and much more.

The TimeControl website contains numerous resources to support organizations who wish to explore how the link between TimeControl and Microsoft Project can help make them more effective.

For more information on which Microsoft technologies can be advantageous when using TimeControl, visit the Microsoft TimeControl portal.  It includes numerous free resources including white papers, webcasts, PowerPoint presentations and more.  The Portal can be found at: Microsoft.TimeControl.com.

The official blogsite of TimeControl