Category Archives: timecontrol

timecontrol

Supporting a hybrid workforce

TimeControl supporting a hybrid workforce, Timesheet, hybrid timesheet, Chris Vandersluis, Christopher Vandersluis, Christopher Peter VandersluisFor 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.

TimeControl hybrid support with home / work column

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.

 

timecontrol

Microsoft partner relationship now enjoys its 30th anniversary

Microsoft Planner, TimeControl 8.6.1, Microsoft Partner Network, TimeControl, Chris Vandersluis, Christopher Vandersluis, Christopher Peter VandersluisIt 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.

timecontrol

Online training is an often forgotten resource

TimeCoOnline Training, TimeControl, Chris Vandersluis, Christopher Vandersluis, Christopher Peter Vandersluisntrol’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

timecontrol

The Timesheet Audit with TimeControl

Timesheet Auditability, TimeControl, Chris Vandersluis, Christopher Vandersluis, Christopher Peter VandersluisFor 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.

 

timecontrol

Timesheet Creation

TimeControl best practices, timesheet time saver, Chris Vandersluis, Christopher Vandersluis, Christopher Peter VandersluisSo many options in TimeControl are designed to simplify the data entry process.  Timesheet Creation is just one.

For timesheet administrators, the depth of functionality in TimeControl including its remarkable flexibility is a huge draw.  That’s not the same for end-users.  End-users typically view having to enter their timesheet as a necessary evil.  They’d avoid it if they could but if they have to do it, they’d like the process to be as quick and easy as possible.

That’s one of the reasons we created the Timesheet Creation function.  In its first few versions, TimeControl would ask users to create their next timesheet and then, depending on the options selected by the TimeControl Administrator and the end user, the timesheet would be pre-loaded with lines that were expected for that week.

Timesheet Creation allows the TimeControl Administrator to create the timesheets for end-users in advance.  This means, when they enter the system at the beginning of their week (or whatever their timesheet period is), the timesheet is already there, already pre-loaded with expected tasks and ready to be entered.

Not every organization wants to work that way but for many, it’s a small time-saver that pays dividends in a couple of ways.  First, everyone’s timesheet is created at the same time with the same options and that helps with consistency and a uniform user experience.  Next, if the end-users select the timesheet-entry screen to be their home-screen, what appears when they log into TimeControl is their current week’s timesheet, already created, already pre-populated with all the expected tasks already loaded.  This can serve to lower the resistance to doing the timesheet at all and can promote entering the timesheet quickly.  Finally, having the timesheet already created eliminates one possible step and one possible end-user error point.  The Administrators can create multiple timesheets in advance or even in the past if that is required.  The configuration of how many periods can be created is controlled in TimeControl’s System Preferences.  The Timesheet Creation also doesn’t need to be applied universally.  It can be constrained for certain groups or certain locations as the Administrator decides.

Of course, the end-user may have other tasks they did this week that were unanticipated.  Almost everyone does something in their week that wasn’t in the plan on Monday morning.  TimeControl will always allow users to add to the timesheet from any possible charge codes that are available to that user.

The savings of the Timesheet Creation function is perhaps only 30 to 60 seconds.   But think about that this way.  If you have 1,000 users, that 1,000 minutes a week that’s saved.  52 weeks a year means 52,000 minutes.  That’s a half a person-year in savings.  And that’s just from one possible feature in TimeControl.

We often talk about best-practices for both organizations and individuals using TimeControl.  You can find webcasts, papers and presentations on the subject in the Timesheet Best Practices section of our website at: www.timecontrol.com/resources/best-practices.

timecontrol

TimeControl receives Excellence in Enterprise Timesheet Solutions award

Business Honor, Excellence in Timesheet Solutions Award 2025, TimeControl, Chris Vandersluis, Christopher Vandersluis, Christopher Peter VandersluisWe are delighted to announce that Business Honor Magazine has awarded TimeControl its “Excellence in Enterprise Timesheet Solutions” award for 2025.  Business Honor featured TimeControl in an article on its website which has just published.  The article is available at: businesshonor.com/magazine/profile/timecontrol-timesheet-platform-financial-governance-environments.

In being interviewed for the article, HMS Software President, Chris Vandersluis explains that the award is the result of a full team effort of the TimeControl team at HMS Software.

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The hidden richness of TimeControl features

TimeControl Period Generator, Flexibility, Chris Vandersluis, Christopher Vandersluis, Christopher Peter VandersluisSome parts of TimeControl are rarely seen.  Let’s take one of the most fundamental elements of the timesheet and how it’s created.  When you open your timesheet, you see a week at a time, right?

Not always.

When we released TimeControl version 1.0 back in 1994, the timesheet length was always 7 days.  We hadn’t encountered anyone where that was different.  But it didn’t take long before we did.

Some organizations have timesheets that are two weeks in length.  Some TimeControl Industrial clients do crew timesheets every day.  Some organiztaions do monthly timesheets or bi-monthly (that’s one timesheet from the 1st-15th, and a second timesheet from the 16th to the end of the month so the timesheet length is variable).

Can TimeControl have different period lengths?

Let’s make it more complicated.

Let’s say that part of the organization insists on weekly timesheets and another part of the organization insists on bi-weekly.  Impossible?  Need two separate TimeControls?

No.  Let’s talk about the TimeControl Period Generator

The Period Generate lets you create multiple timesheet periods.  There’s an automatic generator that lets you create those periods for years in advance and give them labels that match how you refer to those timeframes such as “Week 17, 2025”.  Once created, that collection of periods are attachable to each employee record.

There are many possible automatic period generation options: daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, bi-monthly or custom (meaning you can type in any sequential periods you need).  The period generator won’t let you create overlapping periods in one collection but otherwise you can have an array of different time spans.

You can create multiple periods so the challenge of some of the organization is weekly and the rest is bi-weekly is met right there.

But the Period Generate allows for much, much more.

TimeControl always stores the results of a posted timesheet in a daily format so it can be exported, integrated to other systems or reported on.

Some organizations have to do that exporting or reporting using different periods.

Let’s say you collect on a weekly basis but export on a bi-monthly basis for payroll and a monthly basis for Finance.  Or, let’s say you use a 13-month calendar (popular in some government projects where each month is exactly 4 weeks long to make up a 52 week year of 13 months). This could all be accommodated by the Period Generator.

It’s an elegant and rich part of TimeControl that almost no one outside the TimeControl Administrator will ever see.

 

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Managing Missing timesheets

TimeControl Administrator, TimeControl, timesheets, missing timesheets, Chris Vandersluis, Christopher Vandersluis, Christopher Peter VandersluisAn enterprise timesheet system is so much more than just collecting timesheets at the end of the week.  There are countless features, functions and processes that lie beneath the surface from most users that allow the system to thrive.  Let’s take a look at just one timesheet situation that timesheet administrators all over must deal with and how TimeControl helps.

Let’s imagine that at the end of the week, not all the timesheets have been approved, posted and accounted for.  We have some missing timesheets!

With TimeControl we know this because of the Missing Timesheet report.  Supervisors and Administrators can quickly account for what timesheets might be missing and determine where they are.  There are a couple of options.

First, the timesheet might have never been created.  This might just need a gentle reminder to the employee to get their timesheet created.  But, perhaps this employee is away on sick leave.  In this case, someone in the Approval Release Path of the employee such as their supervisor might have to create it and post it.  Remember, even when someone other than the employee does the timesheet, TimeControl keep auditing control to know that the timesheet was created on behalf of the employee by the supervisor.

Let’s take a more complex problem.  The timesheet is missing but it was, in fact created and half-filled out.  But, the employee left the company in mid-week.  Now a supervisor can’t create the timesheet.  It’s already there.  But, they don’t have the ability to change the timesheet because it is ‘owned’ by the departed employee.  TimeControl handles this with the Change Ownership feature.  This allows an Administrator to move the timesheet’s ownership from one user to another within the Approval Path.  Once the timesheet ownership has changed, the person with the control over the timesheet can now complete it in an auditable fashion.

Perhaps the problem is that there is no one in the Approval Path available who can take care of that timesheet.  No worries.  TimeControl allows the Administrator to create an Alternate User to log into TimeControl as though they were the departed employee.  As the Alternate User, the timesheet can be completed and released for approval just as though that employee is still there and, in the background, TimeControl keeps track of who is really making those changes.

TimeControl Administrators have to handle cases like this every week to ensure that 100% of the timesheets are accounted for and that the data has been validated and sent off to the appropriate systems that are waiting for it.  Administrator features like those dealing with missing and orphaned timesheets is just part of what makes TimeControl so popular with timesheet administrators.

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Branding TimeControl with your logo

Many organizations taken advantage of TimeControl’s flexibility to make it a little more like their own.  One way to do this is to put your own logo on the login screen and at the top of every TimeControl page.  These logos are added on the Administrator/System Preferences page.  Let’s see how to do this…

System Preferences

In the Company Information area of TimeControl, there is a place to add a graphics file for the top of screen logo and another for the login screen logo. Let’s add files right here.  We’ll use logos from our friends at EPM Guidance.

The Top Bar logo should be 300×45 pixels in size.  The login logo should be 300×100 pixels.  The files can be .png, .jpg or .gif.

TimeControl Branding System Preferences, Chris Vandersluis, Christopher Vandersluis, Christopher Peter Vandersluis

Here are the results

Login Screen Logo

TimeControl Branding, Login logo, Chris Vandersluis, Christopher Vandersluis, Christopher Peter Vandersluis

Top Bar Logo

TimeControl Branding, Top Bar, Chris Vandersluis, Christopher Vandersluis, Christopher Peter Vandersluis