Selecting TimeControl for Online or On-premises

September 22, 2011 chris.vandersluis Leave a comment

With TimeControl now available to be purchased for on-premises installation and for subscription to our TimeControlOnline hosted timesheet service, there is a choice to make. Here at HMS we’ve been asked recently “Which is better – Hosted or Purchased?” and the answer isn’t obvious. Whether you subscribe to TimeControlOnline or purchase TimeControl to install on your own servers, there’s lots of great functionality including:

Multi-browser easy to use interface
TimeControl mobile smartphone interface
Links to project management systems like MS Project
Links to ERP/Finance, Payroll and HR systems
Matrix Approvals
Automated Validation Rules
Extensive Reporting
Vacation approvals
Email notifications
Multi-lingual functionality

But there specific advantages for both subscribing or installing so we’ve put together some resources that we hope you’ll find useful on our Timesheet Buyer’s Guide solution portal including:

Webcast
A short webcast by our President, Chris Vandersluis comparing the differences of purchasing TimeControl vs. subscribing to TimeControlOnline along with some basic questions you can ask yourself to see which path is optimal for you. Read more…

Slides
A PowerPoint slideshow that is used in the webcast. Read more…

Factsheet
A 4-page factsheet entitled Online vs. On-premises which puts side-by-side comparison of the different options available with both products. Read more…

Timesheet Buyer’s Guide
This solution portal contains numerous resources other than those we’ve listed here on how to select a timesheet for your needs and how TimeControl might apply to those requirements. See more at buyersguide.timecontrol.com.

timecontrol, timesheet, timesheet systems, timesheet upgrade

TimeControl 6.3 now available

September 15, 2011 chris.vandersluis Leave a comment

TimeControl 6.3 has arrived and with it a long list of great new features many of which have been suggested by our clients. Some of these features should delight both Administrators and End users. Here are a few of the new features:
Virtual TreesTimeControl has always allowed for hierarchical display of our charge codes and other table entries. Some TimeControl clients have tens of thousands of such hierarchical table entries. In the past, TimeControl has had to load 100% of these records and then had to sort them into their appropriate hierarchy prior to displaying them and when the volume was large, this could take some time. Our new Virtual Tree display allows TimeControl to fetch only the top level of the hierarchy, display that and then fetch only the data the user wishes displayed when they click on the “+” key. We’ve been doing testing with 150,000 records and the results are startlingly fast.

Manage statutory holidays with the new TimeRequest™ WizardThis allows administrators to create pre-approved TimeRequests for employees of their choice. It’s an ideal tool for pre-loading entries such as statutory holidays. A TimeControl administrator can now create a “Statutory Holiday” TimeRequest for every employee in the system that would include all statutory holidays for the year (Canada Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc…). These TimeRequests are automatically approved and will appear on all affected employee timesheets at the time of their creation. TimeRequest iCal When your Vacation is approved in TimeControl you can now just click to have it automatically open in your Outlook or other calendar program! TimeRequest Notifications People love how TimeControl can notify you by email automatically when there’s a problem with a timesheet. Now you can do the same with TimeRequests. When your vacation is approved, your supervisor can send you a quick note right from the TimeRequest screen and even include a link to add it to your agenda. It’ll be nice to get happy emails from TimeControl! Lots, lots more…There are numerous other improvements including:

Cache updates right from the menu
Copy User Settings from one user to many
Copy Status from the Project table directly to all associated charge codes
Copy Status from one charge code to all the child charges in a single click

Existing TimeControl clients with current support contracts can find more information on TimeControl 6.3, on the Support/Updates page at timecontrol.com/support/updates. There is no charge for the upgrade.

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Being more effective with TimeControl

September 12, 2011 chris.vandersluis Leave a comment

We confess that here at HMS, there are some people who actually have happy dreams about timesheets… but then we don’t expect that of normal people!

The truth is, no one likes having to do a timesheet at the end of the day or the end of the week when you’d like nothing better than to be in your car on your way home so we put our heads together to see if there were ways we could share that would save a minute here and a minute there on doing your Timesheet. Here are the top 8 of our favorite tips on saving time when using TimeControl:

Make a timesheet icon on your desktop
Set tab defaults for the home page
Copy last week
Personal preloads
Resource preloads
Set defaults for Rates and Projects
Hide fields you don’t use
Click Append or Insert rather than Save and then Append

We’ve made a webcast showing how to implement each of these 8 tips called Timesaving Tips in TimeControl. We hope you like it. You can find this webcast and other great lessons in the TimeControl Online Learning Center.

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TimeControl now available as a hosted service with TimeControlOnline

August 30, 2011 chris.vandersluis Leave a comment

TimeControl is open for business in the cloud with TimeControlOnline! We are delighted to announce the availability of our Timesheet as a Service (TaaS) hosted subscription. This new service brings all the power, flexibility and ease of use of one of the world’s most popular timesheets to a hosted subscription model.

TimeControlOnline culminates a development initiative that began in 2007 and lets clients who are interested in a hosted timesheet service start with TimeControl instantly.

The new hosted service brings a remarkable set of TimeControl features and benefits to the online subscription model. TimeControl and TimeControlOnline include functionality for time and attendance, time and billing, project-tracking, linking to project management tools, vacation approvals and even a mobile interface all in the same package. And, with TimeControlOnline, there is no hardware to purchase, nothing to install, nothing to maintain and nothing else to purchase. Everything is included in one competitive subscription price.

TimeControlOnline Features include:
Multi-browser/Multi-lingual interface
TimeControlOnline’s interface is designed to be easy to use. We know that end-users will spend only a few minutes a week entering their timesheet so the interface must be both simple and intuitive. TimeControlOnline is multi-browser compatible and multi-lingual.
TimeControlMobile Smartphone interface
TimeControlOnline now includes a mobile interface designed for smartphones like the iPhone, Blackberry as well as Android and Windows 7 Mobile devices.
Vacation approvals with TimeRequest
TimeRequest is TimeControl’s vacation approval system. It is a simple easy-to-use screen to enter requests to take time off in the future and once approved, the time will automatically appear in the appropriate future timesheet.
Matrix timesheet approvals
TimeControl has an extensive approvals system including automated validation rules, multiple levels of approvals and individualized approval paths. The unique Matrix Approval Process for Labor Actuals was designed to allow both work-based approvals and organization-based approvals to occur at the same time.
Email notifications for missing timesheets
On Monday morning the hardest thing about timesheets can be finding them. TimeControlOnline makes this easy with automatic scheduled email notifications.
Links to Project Management
TimeControl supports more project management links than any other timesheet on the market. Whether you use Microsoft Project or Project Server, Oracle’s Primavera or Deltek’s Open Plan or Cobra, TimeControl can help create an integrated Enterprise Project Management environment.
Government compliance
TimeControl enables organizations to comply with many different government standards including the DCAA, R&D tax credits, the FMLA, California Wage Laws, the European Time Directives and Sarbanes Oxley.

Pricing for TimeControlOnline starts at a highly-competitive $12/month/user with a minimum of 10 users. Discounts are available for volume subscriptions. Prospective clients can request pricing for their particular configuration at www.timecontrol.net/contact/pricing. TimeControlOnline is available immediately. Additional information and pricing can be found at www.timecontrol.net.

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TimeControl is your SharePoint timesheet

August 16, 2011 chris.vandersluis Leave a comment

Did you know that TimeControl can be deployed right inside the SharePoint interface? For organizations that have adopted the Microsoft SharePoint environment as their Intranet or Corporate Portal software, TimeControl is the perfect fit because it allows end-users to enter their time in TimeControl without ever leaving SharePoint.

SharePoint is a powerful collaboration environment which is used by over 85 million people around the world. TimeControl is one of the first timesheets anywhere to completely support the SharePoint interface (versions 2003, 2007 and 2010) and provide SharePoint end-users with an uninterrupted user experience!

The following video-presentation shows how you can integrate your TimeControl 6 environment with SharePoint in a couple of ways. First, the demonstration in this webcast shows TimeControl provisioned into a SharePoint worksite. The webcast also shows how SharePoint lists can be saved so they can be imported and implemented right into TimeControl and then shows a timesheet with those SharePoint tasks available as charges on an employee’s timesheet.

To find out more about how TimeControl can be implemented within SharePoint, consult our TimeControl and SharePoint Solution page.

If you are interested in extending your collaborative experience by adding Microsoft Project to the TimeControl / SharePoint mix, be sure to also visit the TimeControl, SharePoint, Microsoft Project Solution Portal.

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Free Solution Portal: Collaborative Project Management

August 9, 2011 chris.vandersluis Leave a comment

HMS Software has released a new solution area for those who wish to create a collaborative project management environment and who have already adopted SharePoint for their collaboration platform and Microsoft Project desktop as their scheduling tool. This portal contains numerous resources showing how to link TimeControl, Microsoft Project and SharePoint.

The combination of SharePoint and Microsoft Project desktop already gives much of the functionality that a collaborative project environment requires. The combination of functionality allows for planning, scheduling, issue tracking, team communications, document management and more. There is, however, a gap when it comes to tracking tasks as they move forward:

Time

HMS Software’s TimeControl is already integrated with both Microsoft Project desktop and SharePoint. TimeControl’s integration with Project dates back to 1995 making it one of the longest standing relationships with Project in the world. TimeControl’s interface can also be provisioned directly into a SharePoint site. The product’s design has catered to this functionality since SharePoint 2002. TimeControl also integrates with Microsoft Project Server for those organizations which eventually graduate to Microsoft’s EPM solution.

This new solution area on the www.timecontrol.com website contains numerous resources that showcases TimeControl working with both SharePoint and Project.

Resources on the website include Webcasts, Factsheets, PowerPoint presentations, a White Paper, screen shots, and links to other online resources. There is even a link to the free TimeControl Hosted Trial site.

The new TimeControl Solution Portal is available for free at: www.timecontrol.com/solutions/projectsharepoint/.

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Manage your vacations with TimeControl

June 29, 2011 chris.vandersluis Leave a comment

It’s summer time and the vacation schedules are just about to get underway. Here at HMS we thought it would be a good time to share with you a free guide on how to use TimeControl to better manage vacations in your organization. TimeControl is one of the most recognized timesheet systems for organizations who need a single timesheet interface to fulfill the multiple requirements of payroll, human resources, project management and finance.

We’ve created a free webcast narrated by HMS Software’s President, Chris Vandersluis. It’s only a few minutes long and you can see some key functionality demonstrated that helps organizations manage vacations whether from an end-user or administrator perspective. Included in the webcast are discussions on:

The TimeControl Dashboard
The TimeControl dashboard includes a module by default which shows Vacation, Sick Leave and Personal time banks with indicators of how much time the employee has available in each bank, how much they’ve taken and how much is remaining. Just knowing how much time is left available to them lets employees plan their vacations better.

Managing Banked Time
TimeControl can also control banked time in a number of ways. TimeControl can be configured to accrue vacation as its earned so the bank of time increases each month. You can also track banked overtime if your organization has such a policy and track deposits of overtime into the bank and withdrawals of time off from the bank.

Vacation Approvals with TimeRequest™
TimeControl’s TimeRequest feature let’s the employee request approval for vacation right inside the timesheet itself. Then, once approved, the vacation is automatically inserted into the employee’s future timesheet.

Validation Rules
TimeControl’s Validation Rules let administrators determine what vacation rules are acceptable. You can restrict an employee from taking time that they’re not entitled to or, if you allow it, permitting time to be taken before it’s earned. These business rules have everyone who enters their vacation timesheet already complying with the organization’s policies.

Alternate User Functionality
We’ve thought of supervisors also. After all, managers and supervisors take vacation too! TimeControl’s Alternate User function lets a supervisor delegate their approval responsibilities to someone else while they’re away. (TimeControl still tracks who has actually done the approvals for proper auditing.)

TimeControl Mobile
Finally, if the vacation is going so well that you’d like to keep it going for another week, TimeControl Mobile is a part of every TimeControl implementation. Use your Smartphone to log into TimeControl from wherever you are and add a week’s vacation in your timesheet!

To see the free webcast, visit the TimeControl HR Solutions page at http://www.timecontrol.com/solutions/hr/. The webcast is available in the Webcasts area at the bottom of the page.

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TimeControl 6.2 now available

June 21, 2011 chris.vandersluis Leave a comment

HMS has released TimeControl 6.2 for both new and existing clients.
This version continues the 6th evolution of one of the world’s most popular timesheet systems. Since its initial release in 1984, TimeControl has been one of the most recognized timesheet systems for organizations who need a single timesheet interface to fulfill the multiple requirements of payroll, human resources, project management and finance.
Enhancements in TimeControl 6 new features, enhanced functionality and feature updates including the following:
TimeControl Mobile™
TimeControl Mobile is designed to work on popular smartphones like the Blackberry and iPhone. This is a web application that works with TimeControl as an extension of your existing implementation. As a mobile web-application there’s nothing to install. The user simply points their smartphone browser to the new /mobile directory of their TimeControl implementation and they are directed to an interface specifically created for the mobile device.
TimeControl Mobile includes functionality for adding, editing and deleting a timesheet, adding, editing and deleting timesheet lines. Even changing values for user defined fields is supported.
Just like the full web-based TimeControl, users who have pre-loading turned on or have defined personal pre-loaded charges will see them appear automatically in TimeControl Mobile when they create a new timesheet. This makes adding data very easy in the mobile device.If your TimeControl implementation is tied to a project management system like Microsoft Project or Primavera, your assignments could automatically appear when you create a new timesheet so you can update your activity hours in the field.
TimeControl Mobile works in both Portrait and Landscape mode. When the user flips their device from one orientation to the other, TimeControl immediately resizes the screen to take advantage of whatever space is available.
We’ve tried TimeControl Mobile on iPhones, Blackberry’s, Android and Windows 7 Mobile devices. Whatever your smartphone, there’s a good chance that TimeControl Mobile will work on it.
Filter details in Report headers
TimeControl now allows an option where the report headers will show the details of the filter you’ve selected. This means that selecting a date range or a particular range of data will be apparent from the values in the filter thus making it easier to ensure you’re looking at the right report data.
Improved table performance
We’ve made some huge improvements in table performance some of which have improved some table functions by as much as 500%!
Improved customized branding
TimeControl has allowed the client to insert their own image into the TimeControl login screen for some time. Now we’ve enhanced the ability for customized branding by providing a new image in the header of each TimeControl page.
Improved links with Microsoft Project Server
We’ve improved our TimeControl to Project Server link to take advantage of some of Project Server 2010’s capabilities. Now enterprise fields can be put into the charge code definition when linking and TimeControl will support the transfer of Sub-projects.
And lots, lots more… There are improvements and other minor enhancements across the system including in logs, reporting fonts, the timesheet list, the timesheet interface and drop down field descriptions.
TimeControl 6.2 is available immediately. TimeControl customers with existing current support contracts can download the new version from the Support/Updates area of the TimeControl website.

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TimeControl goes Mobile!

June 12, 2011 chris.vandersluis Leave a comment

TimeControl is now available for your smartphone. Included with the regular TimeControl systems is now an all new interface that is designed for use with iPhones, Blackberrys, Android and Windows7Mobile devices.
There’s nothing to install and nothing special to manage when using the new TimeControl Mobile interface because it has been designed as a web application. Simply point your browser to the special URL that is available with all TimeControl versions from 6.2 and up and the mobile interface is immediately available.
TimeControl Mobile brings the flexibility and power of one of the world’s most popular timesheets right to your hands wherever you are. The system supports the creation and editing of timesheets in the field as well as automated validation rules, approval including release and reject. The interface, like all of TimeControl is multilingual and even supports user defined fields for timesheet entry.
TimeControl Mobile can flip from horizontal to landscape orientation and the interface will immediately reorganize itself to take advantage of the screen real estate that’s available.
There’s no additional cost for TimeControl Mobile. It’s included.
There’s also nothing special to do during the installation or upgrade to make the mobile functionality available to the users. Users will simply point their mobile browsers at their usual URL plus /mobile and there it is.
TimeControl Mobile is available as of TimeControl 6.2 to all new clients and automatically part of the 6.2 upgrade to existing clients. Any client with a current support contract has access to version 6.2 on the regular support site.
For more information on TimeControl Mobile and to see a webcast of it working on a Blackberry and iPhone, go to www.timecontrol.com/timesheet/mobile.

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Leveraging TimeControl reports with Dynamic Filters

May 3, 2011 chris.vandersluis Leave a comment

TimeControl is designed with a very powerful reporting system that works in conjunction with other elements of the system to allow many possible results from a simple configuration. The first area to think about when making reports available to users is within User Profiles where the data that this role of user can access is defined and if necessary constrained. Also, the Report security will determine what report formats or templates will be visible for each user. The combination of available reports, data and even fields defined in the User Profile will ensure that no one sees information in a report that they shouldn’t.
Once you’ve defined a report however, it’s a common request that the report only show a subset of the timesheet data. For example showing only the timesheets for a particular project, department or range of dates.
This is easily done using TimeControl’s “Dynamic Filters”. In a dynamic filter, we choose a field or combination of fields but instead of entering a value for that field, we use square brackets: []. This tells TimeControl to request the filter’s value at the time it’s used for a report or an export. Let’s say, for example, that you want to create a dynamic filter that only selects timesheet. We create a filter on the Posted Time Detail table that selects the Date Work Performed field, the Between operator and uses the square brackets to denote the value:

Now we save that filter and run a report on Posted timesheets. TimeControl asks us to fill in the value which we can do by double clicking the empty field or clicking the ellipses to the right of it. If the field is a date as in this example, we get a calendar. If it’s a possible list of values, the TimeControl shows the list:

Let’s take a more complicated example. Let’s say we want users to be able to select a project and a range of dates. We create the filter again on the Posted Time Detail and add both the Project Name and the Date Work Performed fields. For the values, we use again the square brackets []:

When we run this report, we’re asked now to fill in all 3 of those values at the time the report is created:

We can make any combination of values, dynamic requests and macro-type field values in a single filter. For example, we could create a filter which automatically shows data for all of this year but asks only for the project value by using the [YEARSTART] value for Date Work Performed and the square brackets [] for the Project Name. The TimeControl Reference Guide contains examples of how to make such a Parameterized filter with a list of the parameter values.
Using combinations of these features makes for an easy to use system with a tremendous amount of power working for you in the background.

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