Tag Archives: TimeControl

timecontrol

TimeControl on-premise security architecture white paper rewrite

tc7secure_cover_300x389.jpgWith the launch of TimeControl 7, we are gradually working through updating the vast array of TimeControl resource that are available online.  This week saw a rewrite of the TimeControl On-Premise Security Architecture white paper which is now available on the TimeControl.com website.  Rewriting such material gets everyone thinking about the subject matter so security turns out to be one of our most popular internal conversations this week.

To be fair, security has been a topic of conversation for the TimeControl developers since long before the first version of TimeControl was released.  The first ever timesheet that HMS created was 10 years before TimeControl.  Our client, Philips Information Systems in Canada needed a timesheet that would integrate with both the Payroll system and the Project Scheduling system.  Security was a huge element of the design as the data for Payroll was, of course, very sensitive and the costing information in the project system was information that would have been terribly damaging to the company if it fell into the hands of competitors.

That original HMS timesheet was very secure for its time and there are elements of that design that live in TimeControl still.  But times have changed and the threat of data and systems compromise has become ever more sophisticated each year since that first timesheet system.

While the TimeControl On-Premise Security Architecture reveals many of the elements of the TimeControl deign that lend themselves to a safe and secure system, it is primarily a document that lets prospective clients review TimeControl against their own security standards.   Yes, we use the latest in many technology designers in TimeControl and we test against the OWASP standards (owasp.org) looking for potential threats and ensuring we protect against them but there are risks that you can implement at that are beyond the security architecture we designed for TimeControl.  Here are a couple of basic tips you can think about regardless of your size:

  1. Have a security plan for your key systems and data and choose someone to be accountable for it.
  2. Authentication is key.  How do people authenticate to your network, to your applications and even to your building.
  3. Outward facing or inward?  Does TimeControl need to be accessible to the Internet or will it serve your purposes just as well being available only within the corporate firewall?  Inward implementations aren’t as easily accessible and that can mean they’re safer.
  4. Don’t forget physical security.  If someone can get physical access to the servers, they can get access to your systems.
  5. Monitor.  Make sure you take advantage of the many technologies available to monitor unauthorized access or out of pattern use of your applications, your data and your network.
  6. Functional and Data restrictions.  In TimeControl, User Profiles determine what users can see which data and which users can use or perform which functions.  Think about who needs access and don’t be scared to start with less access and later ease up on your restrictions.
  7. Disaster Recovery.  Make a plan for your data and systems being compromised and how you’ll recover from it.  Then do an actual practice to make sure your plan works.  Iterative and redundant backups and a plan for restoring them is something that makes security officers sleep better.

This is not a comprehensive list of course.  There are many aspects to a complete security plan that are better explained by specialists in that field.  We’ve been talking about TimeControl for an On-Premise implementation.  Next month as we upgrade TimeControl Online to version 7 we’ll be updating our Security Architecture white paper for TC Online and we’ll be sure to talk about that here in the blog.

You can find the TimeControl 7 On-Premise Security White paper at: TimeControl.com/resources/whitepapers

timecontrol

The new Calendar View in TimeControl 7

TimeControl 7 sports a fancy new interactive feature called the Calendar View.  It is one of the features that is generating the most excitement for certain TimeControl users. Calendar_view.jpg

When we first designed the Calendar View we expected that it would be popular among users who wanted a graphical representation of their upcoming vacations and holidays as well as any assigned tasks.  We thought of it primarily as a personal view.

But, once we’d created the new view and started using it, the advantages of the view for Supervisors and Administrators overshadowed our original expectations.

Supervisors who have to approve future vacation have been able to do so for some time with TimeControl’s TimeRequest™ functionality. Users can request time off, the supervisors can accept or reject the request and administrators can even push holiday time for banked holidays to any selection or to all users.  So far that all sounds fine and TimeControl supervisor users have reported how happy they are with the function since it was first released years ago.

Now with the introduction of the Calendar View we are seeing a missing link in the approval process that we didn’t think about in the past.

The Calendar View allows a supervisor to visualize all the TimeRequests from their team simultaneously.  They can color code the view to show approved vacations, pending requests and even rejected requests on the same page.  Now, at a glance, a supervisor can determine if the new request for time off will conflict with other requests.  They can see the impact on how many team members might be absent at the same time and making the right decision about whether to accept or cancel the new request for time off is so much easier.

In some organizations it is key to also see if accepting time-off requests will conflict with tasks that are scheduled so the supervisor can also display tasks assigned to each of their team members at the same time.calendar_config_444x572

The View is flexible with numerous options for the display as you can see here.  The Calendar View is accessed from the reporting menu or directly from inside the TimeRequest screen.

The availability of the new Calendar View will make the process of time-off approvals much more effective and gives all users a new way to visualize their own personal TimeControl data.

For more information about what else is new with TimeControl, visit www.timecontrol.com/features/latest.

timecontrol

TimeControl 7 now available!

We are so excited to announce that we have released an exciting new version of TimeControl. TimeControl version 7 is a major upgrade to the product we launched the first version of over 20 years ago and we are sure it will be welcomed by both existing and new customers.  There are over 40 major new features or enhanced features that you’ll be seeing as the new version is released.  Here are only a few:

Multi-line edit timesheettimesheet.jpg

The TimeControl 7 timesheet has been completely rewritten to allow all cells in the timesheet to be edited simultaneously.  In previous versions, a single line had to be edited at a time due to the many customizable validations that are tracked on each cell and each line.  We have determined methods to accomplish the same thing while allowing all the lines to be changed at once.  For those with timesheets that have a large numer of pre-loaded tasks, this will be a welcome change.

Gantt Views

TimeControl 7 now allows you to view projects, tasks or assignments in graphical Gantt charge views.  MyAccount_Gantt2.jpgThis gives users an easier perspective into data they have access to and to highlight potential assignment challenges in the coming days.  The view is highly configurable and is accessed from either the Reporting tab or the MyAssignments tab of each user’s Options page.

Calendar Views

TimeControl 7 introduces a brand new view into assignments with a calendar view.  The view can include assignments and/or TimeRequests™ and can be access from either the reporting view or from right inside the TimeRequest Approval screen. Now a supervisor with multiple requests for vacations in a given period can quickly pop up a calendar to see them graphically displayed and can distinguish between draft, released for approval, approved and rejected requests by using different colors for each type.

There are more than 40 more exciting new and improved features in TimeControl 7 that we haven’t even listed here.  For a more complete list, see the Latest TimeControl page on the website.

TimeControl 7 is available for download right now for clients who have an active support agreement at TimeControl.com/support/updates.  If you are an existing TimeControl client and need to renew your support agreement, please email info@hms.ca.

 

autofill, timecontrol

Timesheets by exception

autofill1.pngNot every organization expects all their staff to fill in a timesheet every single week.  Instead, theses salaried staff are instructed to fill in a timesheet only “by exception” meaning only if they were not at their intended post for the entire pay period.  If the employee has an exception such as a sick day, vacation, a day when they left early, etc.  they must then enter only the exception.

TimeControl can be used like this of course because if that is what your payroll system expects, then TimeControl export to the payroll system will have only the expected exceptions.

Ah, but if life were only that easy.

Here’s a much more difficult scenario:  Imagine an organization where some of the staff who are project oriented must fill out timesheets to account for their entire week and other non-project personnel will be asked to only fill in timesheets by exception.  Must there then be two separate timesheet systems?

Not at all.

TimeControl’s AutoFill functionality is designed to fill in where the exception timesheet leaves off.  Here’s how it works.

First, define who will be entering timesheets by exception.

Next, create a process that allows people who have exceptions to enter them by a certain time in the timesheet period.  For example on a weekly timesheet perhaps exceptions must be entered by noon on Monday.

Now run the AutoFill functionality and have it “fill-up” the timesheets for the people defined to the total number of hours per day that you define.

In this manner TimeControl will create blank timesheets and automaticall fill them in or add to the exceptions that are already there to fill in a complete timesheet.  Now the project staff who enter a complete task-based timesheet every week and the non-project staff who enter a timesheet only by exception will end up with a completed timesheet that can be reported on together, exported or analyzed together and, if you still need to send only the exceptions to the payroll system, that too can be filtered to send only the appropriate data.

TimeControl’s AutoFill is one of the more popular features for HR and Payroll adminstrators for the enormous time it saves by automating a simple function and allowing a single timesheet to replace multiple timesheets.

You can see more HR related functions in the TimeControl and HR use-case area of the TimeControl.com website.

timecontrol

FAQ: Tracking approvals

Question: We now have clients sign paper timesheets to show they were approved.  How would we deal with this requirement in an automated timesheet like TimeControl?

TimesheetAuditability_300x200.jpg This is a great question and one faced by any organization that is shifting from paper-based timesheets to an automated system.  Signature approvals are designed to have evidence that the person who signed the document actually saw the document they signed and their signature signifies their approval of the content.  There are two main areas of reluctance for auditors to accept an automated version of a signature in a computer-based timesheet:

  1. How do we know that the person whose name is now on the timesheet is actually the person who approved it? And;
  2. How can we be sure that the data in the view the person approved has not been changed.

In TimeControl, both of these concerns are dealt with in the way that TimeControl deals with auditability of the movement of timesheet ownership.

When a timesheet is created.  TimeControl notes in the database the user name and the date/time.  Then, whenever the timesheet changes ownership through releasing it for approval, the timesheet being rejected, updated re-released, approved and ultimate posted, TimeControl creates an entry in the Timesheet Release Log.

If a user is using the Alternate User function to log into TimeControl as someone else, TimeControl accommodates this also.  In this case the audit log will show both the person who had the responsibility of releasing or rejecting the timesheet as well as who the actual user was who performed the action.

Since this means that there is no reason to share one’s credentials to get into TimeControl, virtually all financial auditors HMS has encountered accept the user name entry in the audit log as equivalent to a signature on a piece of paper.  This has been tested in audits by authorities such as both Revenue Canada and the US IRS for R&D Tax Credits, Defense Contract Audit Agency audits, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance audits and countless other situations where timesheet data is part of an audit.

To be certain that this functionality will pass your own auditing standards, you should consult your Finance team and, if need be, have them speak to the technical experts at HMS.

 

FAQ, timecontrol

FAQ: Can the TimeControl Menu be edited?

 

Yes you can.  Not only can you edit existing elements of the TimeControl Menu, but you can add to it also.  In the Administration Tab there is a selection called Menu entry.  Using this function, you can move menu items fromtcblog_menu tab to tab or add a new entry.  Imagine that you’ve created an internal project management tracking process manual and you’d like to make sure that all of your TimeControl users can access it from right inside TimeControl.  You can click Add in the Menu Entry module and add the URL and an icon for that selection.  Once you’ve added the new entry, it will immediately become visible in the User Profiles module in case you want to make sure it is secured for one user or another.

Or, imagine that you’ve created different manuals for different users perhaps for users in a particular country.  You could create manuals for each country and a menu item for each and then use User Profiles to only show the appropriate manual to someone in that country. tcblog_menuadd

The same goes for any other function you’d like to create.  The URL destination of a menu item could also be an external system.  This type of flexibility is powerful so you need to keep track of what you’ve added to your TimeControl so you can train people on finding the right function in the right place.

 

 

Excel, Excel timesheets, timecontrol

The relationship between TimeControl and Excel

We often get questions here at HMS about how TimeControl and Excel.  Answering appropriately requires knowing why people are asking.  timecontrolexcel.jpgFor those who are interested in knowing if they should migrate from an Excel timesheet to TimeControl, there are numerous resources on the TimeControl website identifying the benefits of going to a centralized data-driven timesheet model.  But, there are so many other ways that the two systems are tied, we’ve created a special solutions portal to help

Let’s take a look at some of the different ways you might be thinking that TimeControl and Excel are related:

Migrate from an Excel timesheet to TimeControl

Many organizations create their first timesheet using Excel. It’s a natural fit. The Excel format is infinitely flexible and perfect for designing a grid that has to use calculations to total up the week’s time and even costs.  But, as an organization grows, the need for the functionality of a full timesheet system grows also. Maintenance and the management of an Excel timesheet when an organization is a handful of employees is relatively simple. When the number of people grows, that maintenance becomes more complex, more costly and a bigger challenge.  That’s where TimeControl’s centralized data structure becomes much more attractive.

Importing and Exporting data between TimeControl and Excel

TimeControl includes complete support for importing and exporting data in an Excel format.  If you maintain some data now in Excel, then moving that into TimeControl is a matter of moments.  If you use Excel for analysis of data, then sending TimeControl’s source data to Excel is very simple.  You can even schedule exports to Excel or imports from Excel to happen automatically on a schedule you determine.

Integrating Excel Services dashboards into TimeControl

Some people like using Excel’s server-based charting capabilities to create analysis of timesheet or project management data.  TimeControl supports displaying Excel views in the dashboard.  Need an Excel pivot report?  No problem. Need an Excel traffic light dashboard?  No problem.

Displaying Reports in Excel

Every TimeControl report including those created in our TimeControl Report Designer or with the TimeControl Drill Down Analyzer can be saved as Excel files so you can do more extensive analysis and reporting in the tools you are familiar with.

You can find out more about how TimeControl and Excel can work together to help your organization become more efficient on our TimeControl/Excel Use-Case portal at: www.timecontrol.com/use-cases/excel-to-timecontrol.  On the portal you’ll find webcasts, factsheets and slide presentations explaining some of your options and potential benefits.

 

timecontrol

FAQ: How do I control vacation entries?

We are often asked if TimeControl supports a method to ensure that employees don’t take more vacation time than they’ve been approved for.vacationtime_300x150.jpg

This is controlled in TimeControl two ways:

TimeRequest™
First, the approval of the timesheet is managed in the TimeRequest™  feature.  TimeRequest let’s employees request vacations in the future.  If the vacation is approved, the employee will be able to see that in the TimeRequest screen.  They can also be optionally notified by email through TimeControl and that email can automatically include a calendar notification to load into their Outlook or other calendar system.

TimeControl can then be configured to include a Validation Rule that says “You cannot enter vacation without a matching approved TimeRequest.”

Employee Banks
TimeControl also uses banks which can  be loaded for the entire year or loaded as time goes on through the TimeControl Accruals module to show vacation, personal time off, banked overtime, etc. that has been earned by this employee.

TimeControl has numerous banks created by default in the system which can be used for this purpose so different types of banks can be defined by the TimeControl Administrator. A TimeControl Validation Rule can then be created that generates an error if the amount of vacation taken in the current timesheet exceeds the amount in the bank for the vacation category.  Different organizations have different rules for this.  Some will allow only vacation that has been completely earned.  Others will allow an employee to be up to a week “negative” in their vacation bank.  Whatever the rule is, it can be defined for this in the Validation Rule.

 

timecontrol

FAQ: Saving time in TimeControl with Best Practices

Let’s be honest: We don’t know anyone who wakes up early on Friday morning and excitedly shouts, “Yay! It’s Timesheet Day!”. bestpractices.jpg

Most of us do our timesheets because we have to and because the result of doing our few minutes of work entering data pays back bigger dividends to both ourselves and to the organization we’re doing the timesheet.  Here at HMS, our technical staff are asked often about the best practices for timesheet use.

HMS maintains a portal of materials that will help you get the most out of timesheeting with TimeControl.

The resource center is divided so you can focus on practices for the whole organization or individual best practies.  The Timesheet Best Practices Portal has tips, techniques and materials that are identified as being more useful from the organizational or individual perspective.

One of the more popular areas is the Timesheet Best Practices Q & A page.  Ever wondered just how much time is too much to spend on entering your timesheet?  Do you question just how much detail is productive in a timesheet?  Or, perhaps you’re wondering if it makes sense to track the start and stop times of the day along with the durations for each task? You’ll find answers to these and other questions in the portal.

There are many materials in the Best Practices Solution Portal including white papers on how to increase resource capacity through better timesheet practices, guidance for executives on how a timesheet system can benefit the organization, webcasts of how to be effective with your timesheet system and even a blank timesheet process template for creating your own timesheet process.

Access to the Timesheet Best Practices Solution Portal is free.  Some materials may require registering and logging into the timecontrol.com website which is also free.

To access the Timesheet Best Practices website, visit www.timecontrol.com/resources/best-practices.

 

timecontrol

FAQ: Timesheets by Exception

autofill.jpgCan TimeControl support timesheets entered only by exception? We have some operational staff who do the same thing all the time and are on salary so the only time we need their timesheet is when they need to book sick leave or vacation.

You can do timesheets by exception.  But, more importantly, you can do timesheets by exception for some staff while doing positive-entry timesheets for everyone else.  A positive-entry timesheet is one where an employee is expected to enter the timesheet with what they did with their time each day.  An exception timesheet is one where the employee typically does the same task each day so tracking their day-to-day activities is not important.  In their case, we’d like to default their timesheet to a standard week (for example: 40 hours of “in attendance”). Those employees would only have to make an entry for an “exception” such as vacation or sick leave or personal time off.

TimeControl includes a function called “Autofill” that automatically fills a timesheet for any employee in this category to the maximum per day required.  If there are no entries for that person, a complete week is filled in.  If there are some exception entries, only the gaps are filled in.  In this manner we can accommodate both exception timesheet employees and positive-entry timesheet employees.  More on this and other HR-related functions can be found at: http://www.timecontrol.com/use-cases/human-resources