All posts by chris.vandersluis

TimeControl 8.6.1 now available!

December 15, 2025 chris.vandersluis

We are very excited to announce the launch of TimeControl version 8.6.1. This version of TimeControl includes a surprising number of exciting new features layered onto the already established TimeControl 8.6 architecture. There are changes to be enjoyed in TimeControl on-premise, TimeControl Industrial on-premise, the free TimeControl Mobile App and as it is upgraded in the coming weeks TimeControl Online and TimeControl Industrial Online.

Here are just a few of the new and improved features to enjoy:

Included integration with Birdview PSA

We have an all-new integration with Birdview. HMS and Birdview established a strategic alliance earlier in 2025 and the two development teams collaborated on adding a bidirectional link to Birdview from within TimeControl. This allows this powerful project planning system from Birdview to integrate with the TimeControl multi-purpose auditable timesheet system making a powerful combination. The TimeControl team was able to leverage the extensive Birdview API system to allow data to flow between both products. As an added bonus, both Birdview PSA and HMS Software are Canadian-based so this is an all-Canadian solution. Find out more on the Birdview Solution Page.

New Integration with Microsoft Planner

With Microsoft announcing the end of life date for Project Online, we have several clients concerned about what direction to take for future integrations with TimeControl. We support numerous project management systems of course. Microsoft is suggesting to its clients that one option is for them to migrate to Microsoft Planner. TimeControl will now include an integration with Microsoft Planner. We have supported every version of Microsoft Project since 1995. So this update should be no surprise. Find out more on the Microsoft Planner Solution Page.

Increased Language Support

While TimeControl has been multilingual since its very first version in 1994 (We are headquartered after all in a bilingual part of the planet), we have not supported 2-byte characters in our translations in the past. With this version that now changes and we will include Japanese, Chinese, Turkish and Arabic as new languages out of the box.

Start/Stop

There are numerous enhancements to the Start/Stop functionality. First of all, it will now be available in both regular individual timesheets and TimeControl Industrial’s Crew timesheets. It will also be available in the free TimeControl Mobile App for both individuals and crews.

And there is so much more

Improvements in the link with Oracle Primavera, a new Sign-off module, a new Shift module to save default schedules, alternate users in the free TimeControl Mobile App, Material Debit/Credit in TimeControl Industrial and even more.

You can see the full list of new and enhanced features at www.timecontrol.com/features/latest.

Availability

The launch of TimeControl 8.6.1 will happen in phases. The on-premise version for TimeControl and TimeControl Industrial is available now for all clients with an active TimeControl Support agreement. Simply go to www.timecontrol.com/support/ and click on Updates. You will need to log in.

For subscribers to TimeControl Online, TimeControl Industrial Online and TimeControl Project, updates will be scheduled automatically in mid-January. Subscribers will be informed from inside the application of when the upgrades for their system will be scheduled.

For more information contact HMS at info@hms.ca.

timecontrol

TimeControl named Most Reliable Timesheet Solution Provider

December 3, 2025 chris.vandersluis

Silicon Review Magazine has awarded TimeControl it’s Most Reliable Timesheet Solution Provider Award. The magazine listed HMS Software, publishers of TimeControl as the top listing of their 2025 finalists.

We are delighted at TimeControl’s recognition and think of it as a testament to the TimeControl Team and our partnership with so many of our customers.

Along with the award, the magazine featured an interview with our President, Chris Vandersluis which can be found here.

You can download a PDF of the article, by clicking download.

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HMS and Birdview PSA form strategic alliance.

November 21, 2025 chris.vandersluis

We are very excited to announce a new Strategic Alliance between HMS Software and Birdview PSA. Birdview is a Canadian-based project management software publisher and the Birdview and HMS teams have committed to creating a new link between TimeControl and Birdview in the upcoming release of TimeControl.

The link between TimeControl and Birdview would see the project, task, resource and assignment information transfer from Birdview into TimeControl and then the timesheet hours and estimate to complete transfer from TimeControl into Birdview.

Both technical teams have already engaged in the work.

Aside from another link with a global project management software supplier, there is an additional bonus in having both HMS and Birdview be Canadian suppliers, making an all-Canadian solution for our existing and prospective clients.

You can read the full press release on the Alliance here. To find out more about Birdview, go to birdviewpsa.com.

For more information on this link, contact HMS at TimeControl.com/contact.

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TimeControl welcomes new dealer for Spain and Turkey

November 18, 2025 chris.vandersluis

HMS is delighted to announced the appointment of PRM Yazilim as a TimeControl Dealer for the countries of Turkey and Spain. PRM joins a large network of TimeControl strategic, alliance and reseller partners around the world, making the technical reach of TimeControl more global.

“I’m very excited by the addition of PRM Yazilim to our TimeControl Dealer Network,” explains Chris Vandersluis, President of HMS Software. “As a company with strategic project management experience spanning decades, we are already highly aligned on our technical background and prospective clients.”

PRM operates as an Oracle Primavera P6 Specialized Partner and providing a full range of Oracle Construction and Engineering offerings, training and consulting services.

“We possess a vast experience in the fields of project controls, scheduling and risk management,” says Nihat Yıldırı, General Manager of PRM. “Our team can really make a difference when customers are looking for ways to transform their project processes. We are here to work with business partners who need someone who understands their business and pains. We have represented Primavera project management solutions in Turkey since 2003”

TimeControl will add to PRM’s extensive representation of supply and deployiment of project and portfolio management solutions.

“Including TimeControl in the products we offer is a natural extension of what we already do,” explains Yildiri. “TimeControl’s link to the Primavera project management solutions is already established and has been in existence for decades. We believe that we can extend what we already do with our clients and prospective clients who need Primavera to include TimeControl’s multi-purpose and auditable timesheet system in a win for everyone.”

Adding TimeControl to Primavera for PRM will bring to their clients and prospective clients extra functionality and process ability including Crew timesheets, Material, Equipment and Production realization to Field Data Collection, Unlimited Rate Codes and management and much more. PRM expects to offer TimeControl, TimeControl Online, TimeControl Industrial and TimeControl Industrial Online as well as TimeControl’s free mobile app for Android and Apple devices.

Information on PRM can be found at https://www.prmyazilim.com/en/ or contact HMS at https://www.timecontrol.com/contact for more details.

We PRM, representing Primavera project management solutions in Turkey since 2003, has vast experience in all project oriented industries and continues to work with several companies for addressing project management needs. Since 2009 when Primavera Systems acquired by Oracle, we are operating as an Oracle Primavera P6 Specialized Partner and providing full range of Oracle Construction and Engineering offerings, training and consulting services.

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More customizing of the TimeControl timesheet

November 13, 2025 chris.vandersluis

We talk often in here about how to configure or customize the views and interface of TimeControl. One area that is rarely discussed is how to add User Defined fields to the Timesheet header.
Timesheet Header fields are distinct from timesheet line User Defined fields.

When a timesheet is created, TimeControl creates a Header which includes the Employee ID, the start and end dates of the timesheet, the user name of who created the timesheet and the timesheet status. It also then creates timesheet lines which contain the user id of who created or last edited that line along with the project, charge code and rate code and then timesheet details with the information per day of what hours were spent.

Clients who customize their configuration of TimeControl often includes adding additional fields to each timesheet line but what about for the entire timesheet? That’s done at the Header level.

TimeControl comes with 10 Timesheet Header user-defined fields already created. They can be seen in the System Preferences module under the timesheet tab. We always default those 10 fields to invisible in User Profiles field security so you’ve probably never even noticed them. These fields can be renamed in the Manage Languages module then activated in the User Profiles for any users who need to see them. Also in User Profiles is a flag to Show Timesheet Header fields. Once the fields are defined and that flag is turned on for that particular User Profile, a new button will appear in the timesheet called “Fields”.

Presto – new user defined fields at the Timesheet header level.

The field values can be typed in or can be linked to a drop down list in the Manage External Links module.

Flexibility has been one of the key elements that has made TimeControl so successful across so many different industries. User

Defined fields is only one part of that success.
For more information on TimeControl flexibility, see TimeControl.com/features/flexibility.

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Supporting a hybrid workforce

November 5, 2025 chris.vandersluis

For so many in the technical world, working remotely or in a hybrid environment has become commonplace. Many of our staff work on a hybrid schedule here at HMS. TimeControl is ideal for supporting this.

The flexibility of TimeControl allows almost any kind of data to be attached to or configured right into the timesheet interface. For example, some of our clients require knowing where work was accomplished. Was this work done from home or from our office? Other clients need to know how many days an employee worked at the office and what days those were.

This is easily accomplished in TimeControl through timesheet user defined fields. We can enter a new column for “work/home” then give TimeControl only certain options such as “home” or “work” to allow a drop down list. The list can be as long as you wish. Alternately it could be left open so people could type in a location.

Once the data is collected, then reporting on it, filtering it or looking for discrepancies is as easy as can be. The field doesn’t even need to be filled in by everyone. You can hide such a field using TimeControl’s user profiles so it only appears for certain departments where the data is relevant.

Also, like all other timesheet data. This type of field can be used for creating validation rules so you can make the field mandatory or create warning message for people out of compliance for your own internal hybrid practices.

If you are using TimeControl Online or TimeControl Industrial Online, our Software as a Service subscription in the cloud, then you already know your employees can access TimeControl from anywhere in the world either on the web or via our free TimeControl Mobile app. If you are using an on-premise TimeControl then all you have to do is ensure that TimeControl is outward facing so it can be accessed while out of the office.

Flexibility allows TimeControl to be many things.

Supporting a hybrid workforce is just one.

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Microsoft partner relationship now enjoys its 30th anniversary

October 30, 2025 chris.vandersluis

It started in 1995. HMS had published its very first version of TimeControl in 1994 and was determined to add Microsoft Project as a new integration in the version 2 launch in 1995. The link up between the companies was getting a slow start until a chance encounter between Chris Vandersluis, President of HMS and Frank Clegg, then the President of Microsoft Canada (he is now the CEO of Canadians for Safe Technology). The two men found themselves sitting next to each other on a flight from Toronto and Montreal and before the flight had landed, Frank had promised to make sure that the right Microsoft people connected with HMS.

That chance encounter paid three decades of dividends for both companies. TimeControl did launch its version 2 that year with the link to Microsoft Project and a link to the Microsoft Project family of products has continued uninterrupted ever since.

HMS became a Gold Certified Partner at Microsoft and continues to be in the Microsoft Partner program to this day.

With changes this year in the Microsoft Project lineup, HMS is making adjustments to keep up.

Microsoft Project on the Web was retired earlier this year and as a result, we’ve removed it as a possible link within TimeControl. Microsoft Project Online will be retired in September 2026 and our link to Project Online will continue until it is fully decommissioned. Microsoft has recommended that Project Online clients shift to either Microsoft Planner or Project Server on-premise. TimeControl already includes integrations with Project Server. We were one of the first companies in the world to link to it in any software category.

What about Microsoft Planner?

We are announcing here for the first time that TimeControl 8.6.1 which is due out before year’s end will include an integration with Microsoft Planner. We will talk more about the link when we start shipping the new version.

Thirty years and counting. This long term technical relationship is one of the oldest in the software industry and shows no signs of slowing down.

For more information on the many ways TimeControl leverages Microsoft Technology, see the TimeControl Microsoft Portal or just contact a TimeControl professional.

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Online training is an often forgotten resource

October 16, 2025 chris.vandersluis

TimeControl’s website is a treasure trove of useful tools for any TimeControl user.

The Online training section, for example, shows numerous short (5 mins or so) lessons on different aspects of TimeControl. We add to this regularly. This week we added a lesson on TimeControl’s Alternate User functionality. We have a blog post on this called What happens when someone isn’t here? but the online lesson shows the configuration and result of the function in operation. for the 4 minutes it takes to see, a lot of time can be saved by the end user.

Other

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The Timesheet Audit with TimeControl

October 7, 2025 chris.vandersluis

For many organizations, there comes a time when the data in your timesheet becomes the subject of an audit. There can be many reasons for this. Perhaps there is a research and development tax claim and the government auditor wishes to reconcile the time you have recorded in timesheets against the task-by-task descriptions in the claim. Perhaps your organization is a publicly traded company and undergoing verification for Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. Perhaps there is a need to reconcile and validate the time taken by each employee for sick leave, vacation or personal time against the Human Resources department records. Or, perhaps it’s just a validation of collected timesheets for some other internal process. Whatever the reason, TimeControl was designed to support the auditing of its records.

TimeControl Administrators never fear a timesheet audit!

When something is woven into the architecture, we rarely think about it. Auditing isn’t a “feature” or “function” of TimeControl. There’s no Audit button. The manner of collecting and verifying data has been thought about since the earliest days of TimeControl’s existence decades ago. It is a part of everything in the product.

We take care to ensure the timesheet data is auditable in so many ways. Once data is posted, for example, it can only be changed through our adjustment or Debit/Credit functionality which tracks who made the change, what change was made and exactly the date and time of the change. We also track who approved a timesheet and when and the path of that timesheet from draft to released to rejected (if it was) to released again and finally to posted. We track the work of Alternate Users to ensure that the audit trail isn’t obscured by someone doing timesheet data changes on behalf of someone else. We also make sure that the data that is going into the timesheet is coming from lists of employees and charges that have been validated and tracked by design with referential integrity.

We have had many praises from both internal and government auditors for how effectively TimeControl gives them what they need to accurately report what happened with timesheet data.

You can find out more on the TimeControl Auditability story in the TimeControl Auditability white paper on the TimeControl website or, feel free to contact the TimeControl team to discuss your interest in timesheet auditability.

microsoft project server

Project Online will go Offline

October 2, 2025 chris.vandersluis

It’s true. You may have seen social media or come across blog posts about the future of Microsoft Project Online. Here at HMS we have known for some time that the days of Project Online were surely numbered through a variety of contacts at Microsoft. The time has finally come with an official announcement from Microsoft about the end of Project Online. As of today, you are no longer able to buy a new instance of Project Online. HMS has been around Project Server and the translation of Project Server into its SaaS equivalent since its inception. And that’s all about to change.

Let’s get some of the facts straight here and then talk about the impact on TimeControl.

Here are some key dates:

September 5, 2025: Microsoft announces the end-of-life of Project Online for the end of September 2026.

October 1, 2025: End of new sales of Project Online

April 1, 2026, New tenants will no longer be able to be created in Project Online

July 14, 2026: Project Server 2016 and Project Server 2019 shift to “extended support” mode. Microsoft recommends shifting to Project Server Subscription Edition

September 30, 2026: Official end of Project Online. There will be no more access to Project Online after this date. This includes access to any data that has been saved in Project Online. It is essential that clients remove or back up their data in other sources prior to this date.

Dec 31, 2031: Microsoft has committed to support Project Server Subscription edition until at least this date.

What does this mean for you?

First, if you are using Project Online now, you need to start making plans to no longer be using the product by September 2026. You have a year to decide on your destination system and to remove your data from Project Online. Once September 30, 2026 comes, you will not be able to log into Project Online even to retrieve your data.

What are your options?
You have a couple of big decisions to make

The first is whether to stay with Microsoft for your project management needs at all. If you do, you have several possible paths:

Migrate your Project Online projects to Project Desktop. These products have no projected end of life at the moment and are widely expected to continue to be available for the foreseeable future.
Migrate your Project Online projects to Planner / Planner Premium. These products are not designed to be an enterprise project management system to replace Project Online. Their functionality will no doubt expand but no one in Microsoft is saying that the ultimate goal is to make a product similar in scope to Project Online. You will have to look at what Planner can offer you and how that meets how you are using Project Online now. This will probably work for some clients.
Migrate your Project Online projects to Project Server on-premise. In some ways this sounds like the simplest solution but you have some things to consider here:
- First of all, you are moving from a SaaS environment back to on-premise where you are responsible for the hardware, the installation, monitoring security and stability as well as any upgrades. The Project Server environment includes both Project Server and SharePoint.
- Project Server 2016 and 2019 will go off of main support and into “extended support” this coming July. Moving to those two products will leave you with little help from Microsoft moving forward.
- You can elect to migrate to Project Server on-premise Subscription edition. Microsoft will even help create a backup of your database that could be used to populate Project Server. If you make this migration, there will be some things you are used to that won’t be supported. This includes the old PSI in Project Servers 2016 and 2019 has been replaced with code more like the Project Online CSOM code for integrations and if you have been using OData calls to get reporting data, that will no longer be supported. And, of course you will be responsible for the upkeep of an on-premise solution.

If you elect not to stay with Microsoft there are numerous project management vendors who will be vying for your business in the year to come.

What about TimeControl?

Here at HMS we take pains to be project management technology agnostic. We have so many technology alliance partners that it’s impossible for us to promote one solution over another. For clients who elect to stay with a Microsoft project management solution, we know that our links with Project Server on-premise are already well established and our links to Project Desktop started all the way back in 1995.

For TimeControl clients who are thinking of non-Microsoft options, we keep an updated list of possible combination solutions on the TimeControl website in the Use-Case Solutions area.

The Solutions area will be updated as we bring new possible products into the mix as we expect to do with our next TimeControl release expected by Christmas. We will quietly remove products that no longer exist or for which there is no ongoing ability for TimeControl to link. So, expect a number of changes to this area this year.

It is reasonably common for us to face a change of project management system with a client who wants to maintain TimeControl but not maintain their current scheduling system so we are able to help discuss your options with you.

The information in this blog post will be uploaded to the Project Online sections of the TimeControl website and, as more data and more options become available we will make sure that information stays updated.

As always, if you have questions or concerns about using TimeControl with any of the possible project management systems either from Microsoft or other vendors we work with, please talk to our staff at TimeControl.com/contact.

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All posts by chris.vandersluis