Matrix Approvals, Multifunction timesheet, multipurpose timesheet, timecontrol, timesheet

New white paper: The Timesheet Approvals Challenge

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We’ve done a rewrite of our core white paper; the document that describes how TimeControl became one of the world’s most popular timesheet systems.  “The Timesheet Approvals Challenge” shows why so many organizations end up implementing more than one timesheet system.

We know that no one wakes up one day and says “I’ve got a great idea.  Let’s deploy as many timesheet systems as we can find,”

The problem is that different aspects of the organization are trying to solve different problems and even if they find a powerful timesheet, where it breaks down is in the concept of approvals and that is most challenging in a matrix organization.

When an organization needs a timesheet for only time and attendance, timesheet approvals are fairly straightforward.  We have the supervisor approve the timesheet in its entirety along with any time off that was recorded. There are timesheets that cater to this need.

When it needs a timesheet for only project tracking, again timesheet approvals are fairly simple.  We have project managers approve the time allocated to each task.  There are timesheets that cater to this need.

When the organization needs a timesheet for only HR Tracking, timesheet approvals are again quite basic. HR supervisors will ensure that the timesheet does not exceed entitlements for vacation, sick leave or personal time off. There are timesheets that cater to this need.

When a timesheet is implemented for billing, it is the account manager and the billing clerk who will review the time and ensure it meets the billable criteria and has the appropriate rate.

But, what do you do when you have more than one of these requirements?  It is to this environment that “The Timesheet Approvals Challenge” white paper was created.  The paper outlines the timesheet selection and implementation difficulties that are most prevalent in industry and outlines how organizations try to overcome them.

The paper lays out key criteria for deploying a multi-purpose timesheet with the approvals functionality required to allow a single timesheet interface to collect and approve the timesheets for multiple requirements.

Access to the white paper is free and can be found on the Matrix Approvals Solution portal of HMS Software’s TimeControl website at timecontrol.com/solutions/matrixapprovals.

Oracle Timesheets, Oracle-Primavera, primavera, Primavera P6, Primavera Timesheet, Solutions, TimeControl 6

An all new and improved Primavera Solution Portal

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We have many clients who use TimeControl with their Oracle-Primavera system.  Perhaps it’s no surprise.  TimeControl has integrated with Primavera since 1997 with P3 and we’ve maintained that link all the way up to the most recent P6r8 release even once Primavera was purchased by Oracle.  Primavera clients who need a single timesheet to update not only the task progress in Primavera but also Payroll, Billing, Finance, Job Costing or HR have looked to TimeControl to provide multi-purpose timesheet functionality that will allow a single point of timesheet entry and multiple back-end uses.
Our relationship with Primavera goes back to 1997 and our relationship with Oracle separately tc6_p6_linkalso goes back to 1997 when TimeControl was first able to store its data in either SQL Server or Oracle (We now also support MySQL which is coincidentally also owned by Oracle).  So the relationship has many facets and runs deep.
We’ve done a little work to remake our TimeControl and Primavera Solution Portal with a range of new materials that we hope you’ll find useful.  Aside from a remake of the portal itself, we’ve got new factsheets, slide presentations, white papers and an all-new on-demand webcast that shoes TimeControl 6 and Primavera’s P6 interacting back and forth.
The integration options between TimeControl and Primavera are extensive.  Not only can you bring into TimeControl Primavera tasks, resources, steps and assignments, you also have abilities on how to match employees to generic skills and Primavera codes to TimeControl user defined fields.  Updating your Primavera project data with TimeControl timesheets is incredibly flexible.  You can update hours and costs, Primavera Step progress, ETC, Financial periods and more.
The new and improved TimeControl / Primavera Solution Portal covers some of the benefits of integrating these two world-class tools including:

  • Automated Business Validation Rules
  • Extensive Rate Management
  • Management of Vacation, Sick Leave, Personal time banks
  • Management of Banked Overtime
  • Included integration with P6 and other project systems
  • TimeControl Mobile interface for tablets and smartphones
  • Missing timesheet management
  • The Matrix Approval Process for Labor Actuals™

Access to the portal and its resources is free.  Find out more at www.timecontrol.com/solutions/primavera.

Excel, timecontrol, TimeControl Reporting, timesheet

Exporting / Printing long notes

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If you have timesheet notes that are longer than 255 characters, you may have found it difficult to print those notes in a regular TimeControl report.  This is thanks to the Formula1 module that has been used in TimeControl for a very long time to product and view reports.  In an upcoming version of TimeControl we’ll have some additional reporting functionality but for the moment, there is another easy way to get a report that includes notes up to 4,000 characters.
Just export them to Excel.  Here are the basic steps
1. Make a new Table Export based on PSDetails
exportnotes1
2. Select fields that may interest you such as Charge Codes and Descriptions from the Posted Charge Revision table and Hours and Date work performed from the PS Detail table
exportnotes2
3. Now select the Posted Detail/Line table and select Posted Notes. These are the notes that are attached to each line in the timesheet. (For the notes that are attached to the entire timesheet header, select the Posted Line Header table and select Posted Header Note)
exportnotes3
The resulting CSV file will export the notes which should be readable into Excel.

64-bit, 64bit, Installation, TC5 installation, timecontrol, TimeControl 5, timesheet

TimeControl 5 Supports 64bit installations

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There are a number of clients who have happy TimeControl 5.x installations and for one reason or another aren’t ready to move up to the TimeControl 6 family.  While there are numerous great reasons to go to TimeControl 6, we understand that upgrading right away isn’t for everyone.
We’re happy to report that while we are not putting new functionality into TimeControl 5, improvements in its infrastructure continue.  We’ve found with the help of a couple of clients who were determined not to say no, how TimeControl 5 can be successfully installed into Windows 2008 R2 (yes, R2, the 64bit version!)
We’ll make sure we include these steps in future TimeControl 5 Installation documentation but for those who want to try this sooner, here are the steps required.  First, do your installation as normal in your Windows 2008R2 64bit server environment.  We have only tested this 64bit installation technique on that version of Windows Server using IIS7.  Next:

1. Create an application pool and in *Basic Settings* make sure you set the *Managed Pipeline* to *Classic* (Click on the image at right to see the full-sized screen)
Install_64Bit_1

2. The under *Advanced Settings* set the *Enable 32-Bit Applications* setting to *True*
Install_64Bit_2

3. Then set the web site to this application pool by going into the *Basic Settings* and select the *Application Pool* to the new application pool that was just created.
Install_64Bit_3

4. Now restart the Application Pool and the Web Site to make sure the new settings are accepted and voila, you should be good to go.

Compatibility Mode, IE9, Internet Explorer, Internet Explorer 9

TimeControl 6.4.1 delivers native IE9 support

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Internet-Explorer-9When IE9 was first launched, we were certain we’d have no native support problems for it at all with TimeControl 6 After all, TimeControl now supports numerous browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Safari (yes, even on your Mac and iPad) so we were sure that IE9 support would be pretty much automatic.

Sadly that wasn’t the case and, while TimeControl 6 has worked just fine in IE9 compatibility mode, we have been working on completing our work with IE9 native (non-compatibility-mode) support.  We’re delighted to say that we’ve completed that work.  It wasn’t quite ready in time for the recent TimeControl 6.4 launch so it has been put into TimeControl 6.4.1 which has just been released.  If you’ve already configured all the PCs in your organization to use TimeControl 6 in compatibility mode, then don’t worry.  TimeControl 6.4.1 will recognize both IE9 in native and compatibility modes.

While we were at it, we added functionality to the new Project Manager Validation view to allow it to show all timesheet lines even if they’re not linked to a project management system or even to a resource and did some small fixes to other features.

The new version is available to all TimeControl clients with current support agreements at timecontrol.com/support/updates.

TimeControl 6.4, TimeControl Mobile, TimeControl updates, TimeControl upgrade, TimeControlOnline

HMS has released TimeControl 6.4

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HMS has just released TimeControl version 6.4 for new and existing clients. This version extends on the long-standing success of the TimeControl timesheet system with another new wave of enhanced and new functionality. Since its initial release in 1994, 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 this version include the following:

All new Project Manager Validation!
We’ve completely redesigned the way that Project Manager Validation works in TimeControl 6.4. pmvalidationThe all-new multi-browser, multi-device interface allows project managers to highly individual line items that they approve or reject and TimeControl can now be configured to only transfer to a project management the approved items. This extension of TimeControl’s remarkable Matrix Approval Process for Labor actuals will make life even easier for project managers and organizational managers alike!

Not only can this view be used for approvals but project managers can move directly from the PM Validation view to do an adjustment on any timesheet line that they have rights to adjust and do the adjustment instantly. Plus Project Managers can update the ETC (Estimate to Complete) right on the screen before sending the data over to a project management system like Microsoft Project, Project Server, Primavera or Open Plan.

Direct Link to SharePoint task items
We’ve had integration with SharePoint almost since its release to the market but now TimeControl goes even further with a new ability to automatically load charge items from SharePoint task or project task lists just like we do with project management tools like Microsoft Project and Primavera.

My Assignments view
We’ve added an all new view in the MyAccounts area that lets users see what tasks they’ve been assigned to right from their own screen. myassignmentsIt allows users to look forward in TimeControl to what’s coming their way. Not only can users see this view, they can report on it or save it as an Excel or PDF file.

Expense Dialog view
Entering expenses in your TimeControl timesheet have gotten even easier as we’ve now created a new Expense dialog view that shows expenses in a form as well as a grid.

Cross-tab reports
We’ve created some brand new report types that we think will be super popular with both the accounting and project personnel. Cross tab reports let you put financial periods (Quarters, months, Weeks) as columns at the top of the report and projects and tasks as rows. It’s just the thing to show trends in labor being spent over time in any category that interests you.

Grouping by financial period
Aside from the all new cross-tab reports, we’ve made other reporting improvements. While you’ve always been able to sort and select along a financial period, it’s been harder to do sub-totals and grouping in reports by year, quarter and month.
Not anymore
TimeControl 6.4 adds date categorization fields to every line item including all historical data to allow you to do grouping and sub-totaling of any TimeControl report by these financial periods.

Improvements in TimeControlMobile
We’ve been busy with TimeControlMobile also. The updates in TimeControlMobile 6.4 includes the ability to update your (ETC) Estimate to Complete right on your smartphone. We’ve also added support for user defined fields on the timesheet. We’ve taken the opportunity to reorganize some of the data on the mobile screens so it is easier to view and update on your iPhone, Blackberry, Android or Windows Mobile 7 devices.

And lots, lots more…
There’s so much more that just won’t fit into our announcement. We’re confident that both existing and new users will love this new version.

TimeControl 6.4 is available immediately. TimeControl customers with existing current support contracts can download the new version from the Support/Updates area of the TimeControl website at no charge. TimeControlOnline customers will be notified in advance before we update our online Timesheet as a Service environment.

For more information about TimeControl, monitor the TimeControl blog at blog.timecontrol.org, the TimeControl website at www.timecontrol.com. For information about TimeControlOnline, our hosted timesheet subscription service in the cloud, go to www.timecontrol.net.
For any other questions contact HMS Software at info@hmssoftware.ca.

TimeControl dealers

New TimeControl dealer in mainland China!

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225px-Flag_of_the_People's_Republic_of_China_svg HMS Software is delighted to welcome Beijing EastWise Science and Technology Co. Ltd., our first TimeControl dealer in China. EastWise is based in Beijing and has over 10 years of expertise in Cost Engineering, Scheduling and Planning Engineering and Earned Value Engineering. We are looking forward to great things from them in representing TimeControl to their clients in China.

TimeControl is distributed worldwide through an extensive list of distributors and dealers located in several countries including: Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, Finland, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Singapore, Thailand, the UK and the USA.

For more information on Eastwise and our other TimeControl dealers, please visit: www.timecontrol.com/partners/dealers.

best practices, Billing, Financial timesheet, time and billing, TimeControl 6

New white paper on Time & Billing

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Time_and_billing_wp We have a brand new white paper to add to our collection entitled, Using TimeControl 6 for Time-and-Billing.  This 25-page document is just loaded with useful information whether you have purchased TimeControl or are still in the evaluation process. 

This white paper describes how to configure TimeControl for Time and Billing. While there may be many possible configurations for Time and Billing that TimeControl would support, this simple design covers all the basics including project-based per-employee rates, projects grouped by client, summary and detailed reporting and exports for Finance and Billing.

For more information on using TimeControl for time and billing, visit the Time & Billing Solution Page on the timecontrol.com website or click here to go directly to the white paper.

best practices, project management, project timesheets, Tips

Grouping Projects for Selection

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Blog_Grouping_1Many TimeControl clients group their projects by various categories such as; by client, project  type, billable / non-billable and other criteria.  When an employee needs to select a project from the pick list for inclusion on their timesheet, the common practice is to select the category first then drill down to the projects included under that category. A common example of this is to select by client first then select the project associated with that particular client.

This type of grouping is most typically identified as a user defined field on the Project Table and may be named however required. This field can be used to create a tree-like display on the project select list when inserting a new line item on a timesheet. Grouping_blog_2An example of this would be a company who has a lot of projects that are associated to a specific client. Being able to choose the client first and then the project makes it easier for an employee to select the appropriate project, when completing their timesheet.

The setup of the tree field for the project table is completed on the Administration / System Preferences tab. For the Project tree structure, select the filed you wish to use for grouping by using the dialog box. If you wish, you can choose multiple fields and have a multi-level display.

Once this has been setup the project pick list on the time entry screen will show in a cascade fashion following the user fields. Grouping_blog_3
It is important to note that these are global settings and will affect all users.

The official blogsite of TimeControl