Managing Time Entries

Time Entry is located under Time-->Standard Time Entry (see figure 29.1).
Time Entry allows you to input the hours that you worked on a single timesheet. You can view your time for a single day or an entire period. Time Entry displays the period view by default. To enter time for a period, go to Viewing by Period. To enter time or view hours for a different period, you can use the Calendar in the login bar in the upper right corner to jump to a particular date. Alternatively, you may use the Date Arrow Icons () to move backward or forward one period at a time. To enter time for a single day, go to Viewing by Day. To enter time or view hours for a different day, you can use the Calendar in the login bar in the upper right corner to jump to a particular date. Alternatively, you may use the Date Arrow Icons to move backward or forward one day at a time.



Figure 29.1. Time Entry

Keep in mind that timesheets are configured by administrators so your timesheet may vary in appearance and functionality from the one shown. The system allows your organization to customize the names of items used for time tracking. For example, certain column headers in your timesheet such as Project, Activity, Pay Type, and Bill Type may be hidden or may have been renamed altogether.

Users are able to enter time as discreet units of time that are associated with individual Projects, Activities, Pay Types and Bill Types. Additionally, each of these time entries may also have a text comment associated with it to further specify the nature of the hours logged.
The default timesheet is shown below. This section of the manual will refer to items as they are seen on this particular timesheet. Again, your timesheet may differ slightly. However, it should behave exactly as described here, even if the names have been changed or certain columns are not visible.

Your administrator has already set up your timesheet to let you log hours worked during a particular period or date range. Timesheet periods are typically a week, month, or pay period, depending on how your company prefers to track the time that you spend on projects. To enter time or view hours for a different period, you can use the Calendar in the login bar in the upper right corner to jump to a particular date. Alternatively, you may use the Date Arrow Icons () at the top of the timesheet to move backward or forward one period at a time.

Standard timesheets will typically let you select a Project, Activity, Pay Type, and Bill Type. To create a time entry, select a value from each of the dropdowns shown on your timesheet. You may also be required to specify a Comment for the time entry, depending on what your administrator has set up for your timesheet. Once everything has been selected, you need to specify the hours worked for that project on a specific date. Assuming your administrator has not limited entry to a single format, your timesheet will accept hour entries in both standard HH:MM (2:35) format as well as in decimal format (1.25 = 1:15). If you enter hours in decimal format, it will convert your entry to HH:MM, rounding to the nearest whole minute. Values 0.5 and higher will be rounded up; values 0.49 and lower will be rounded down. Therefore, if you enter 1.13, the system will convert this to 1:08 (1.13 hours = 1 hour and 7.8 minutes, rounded up to 1 hour and 8 minutes).

Depending on the timesheet settings set up by the administrator, you may also be able to enter your time as a percentage of the work day. The total hours in a workday will also be defined by your system administrator. So if the workday is defined as 8 hours per day and you worked 4 hours, you would simply specify 50 for having worked 50% for that workday.

Once you have selected the appropriate items and entered your hours for that combination, click the Save button at the bottom of the time entry grid. The timesheet will refresh and your entries will now appear in the Current section. In some cases, your Journyx Administrator may have configured the system so that existing entries are locked. In this case, you can not simply change the amount for an existing entry. Instead, click on the link for the time amount, make the necessary change, and specify the reason for the change. If the sheet is not locked, you may add hours to this entry in the same day simply by changing the amount. In either case, you can always add hours to another day in the time period that is currently displayed.

You may create more than one time record at a time. Simply create the actual time entries for different days and/or different combinations of items and then click the Save button at the bottom of the timesheet. The timesheet will refresh and your entries will now appear in the Current section.

To edit a time entry on your timesheet, click the Edit Icon () to the left of the respective entry. (Note that for locked sheets, the edit icon will not be available.) This will refresh the screen and allow you to change the Project, Activity, Pay Type, and Bill Type. You can also modify your Comment associated with the entry.

To delete a time entry from your timesheet, you can click the Delete Icon (), a trash can, to the right of the respective time entry. The screen will refresh with the time entry having been removed.

Searching For and Selecting a Project

There are four ways to select a project when managing time entries. You can use the expandable Project Tree, the Inline Tree in the Project dropdown, Project Search, or the My Projects List.

Project Tree

The first method allows you to select a project from a hierarchical tree that contains all the projects to which you have been granted access, as well as some of the parent projects that are required for drilling down into the hierarchy. To view the tree, click the Project Tree Icon (), an arrow with a list, located to the left of the respective Project dropdown. This will launch a pop-up window containing a navigable project tree with expanding and collapsing nodes (see figure 29.2). To open a node and view all child projects, click the expand node. To close a node and hide all child projects, click the collapse node. When you have found the project that you wish to log time to, select the project and then click the Done button. This will close the pop-up window and the project you selected should appear in the Project dropdown.



Figure 29.2. Project tree

Inline Tree in Dropdown

The second method allows you to drill down into the project hierarchy using a project tree that is included in the project dropdown itself. If your administrator has set up your timesheet to include this option, you can navigate down through the hierarchy of projects by clicking on selections directly in the Project dropdown. After each selection, the next level in the hierarchy is displayed. The final selection that is made prior to save determines the project to which time will be logged.

Project Search

The third method allows you to specify search criteria and select a project from the search results. To do a project search, click the Project Search Icon (), the magnifying glass, located to the left of the respective Project dropdown. This will launch a pop-up window containing search criteria (see figure 29.3). Specify the project name or description for the project that you are searching for. As you type, you will see returned search results below the search criteria. From the search results, you can select the project that you wish to log hours for. When you select the project, the pop-up window will automatically close and the project you selected should appear in the Project dropdown menu. Additional search options can be selected by clicking on the arrow to expand the Search Options table.

Figure 29.3. Project search

My Project List

You can maintain your own unique list of projects that will be displayed by default in the project dropdown. This will keep you from having to routinely search for or select a project from the project tree for projects that you frequently log hours to. The My Projects link, located at the bottom of the timesheet will launch a pop-up window that can be used to add and remove projects from your unique Project List (see figure 29.4). You may add projects from the Available Projects list by selecting the project and clicking the Add button. These projects will be added to your Project List shown in the box to the right. To remove a project from your Project List, select the project and click the Remove button. You also have the ability to add and remove all projects to and from your Project List. When you are finished, click the Save button.



Figure 29.4. My Projects

 

Memorized Entries

Memorized Entries allow you to save your most common tasks so that you do not have to repeatedly select them when entering time. A Memorized Entry contains a single Project, Activity, Pay Type, Bill Type, and Comment. After an entry has been memorized, it will appear in all your timesheets thereafter. You then only need to specify the hours, if any, for that task.

To create a Memorized Entry, select the appropriate Project, Activity, Pay Type, Bill Type, and Comment, and then click the Save button. You can only create a Memorized Entry after that entry has been saved in your timesheet. After the entry has been saved, you will see the Memorize Icon (), an embossed M, to the right of the entry. Click the Memorize Entry Icon, review the contents of the entry as it is displayed on the User Memorized Entries screen, and click Save to preserve the entry. The information in that entry will be memorized, except the hours, and will appear in all your timesheets thereafter. You can also memorize part of an entry by using the wildcards feature. Selecting the 'any' value from the appropriate dropdown will not memorize that field. The same is true when leaving the Comment field blank.

Alternatively, you may create a Memorized Entry by going to Time-->Memorized Entries-->Create Memorized Entry (see figure 29.5). Select a Project, Activity, Pay Type, Bill Type, and Comment. When finished, click the Save button. The entry will be memorized and will appear in all your timesheets.



Figure 29.5. Memorized Time Entries

To manage existing Memorized Entries, go to Time-->Memorized Entries-->Manage Memorized Entries. This screen will show you all the Memorized Entries that you have stored in the system. These are all the Memorized Entries that appear in your timesheets. You can change the Project, Activity, Pay Type, Bill Type, and Comment for the respective Memorized Entry that you want to modify. When finished, click the Save button. To delete a Memorized Entry from your timesheet, select the Memorized Entries to delete and click the Delete button.

Memorized Sheets

Memorized Sheets allow you to save your routine tasks with preset hours so that you do not have to repeatedly select them when entering time. A Memorized Sheet can contain one or more time entries. Each time entry will contain a Project, Activity, Pay Type, Bill Type, Comment, and hours. Once a Memorized Sheet has been created, you can load it into your timesheet when you are logging hours. To view Memorized Sheet functionality, click the Memorized Sheets link at the bottom of your timesheet. This will load the Manage Memorized Sheets section (see figure 29.6).



Figure 29.6. Memorized Sheet options

Create Memorized Sheet

You can create a Memorized Sheet from within your timesheet. Select your routine Projects, Activities, Pay Types, Bill Types, Comments, and Hours. Once finished, specify a name for the Memorized Sheet - one that will be easy to remember when you want to load it into your timesheet in the future. Then check the 'apply above time records' setting and click the Memorized Sheet button. This will direct you to the Memorized Sheet Modification screen which will allow you to make changes to the new sheet. When you are finished editing the sheet, click Modify to save the Memorized Sheet for future use.

Loading an Existing Memorized Sheet

If your administrator has granted you permission, you can load an existing Memorized Sheet containing your routine tasks and hours. When logging hours in your timesheet, simply select the Memorized Sheet that you would like to load from the respective dropdown and click the Load button. Your timesheet will refresh with the Memorized Sheet, which contains your routine tasks with preset hours.

Edit and Delete Memorized Sheet

To manage an existing Memorized Sheet, select the Memorized Sheet from the selection dropdown and click the Edit Memorized Sheet button. This will direct you to a page containing that Memorized Sheet's routine tasks and preset hours. You may change your Project, Activity, Pay Type, Bill Type, Comment, and Hours. Additional entries can be created by entering time in one of the blank rows. Entries can be removed by clicking on the Remove icon. When finished making modifications, click the Save button.

To delete a Memorized Sheet, simply select it from the dropdown and click the Delete Memorized Sheet button.

 

Time In/Out

Your administrator may have configured your timesheet to contain the Time In/Out feature. If so, this feature allows you to manually log the time that you begin and end your work day. Alternatively, you may be able to click on a punch clock icon that records the in and out times based on your company's Journyx server clock. Additionally, your administrator may have also given you the ability to log in and out multiple times in a single day. To log the beginning of your work day, simply specify the time in the In field, including an 'a or 'p for a.m. or p.m. of the respective date. To log out, specify the time in the Out field of the respective date. At the bottom of the Time In/Out module, you will see the total hours from logging in and out for your work day. Along with entering your Time In/Out, you may have the standard timesheet features to enter the number of hours spent on specific tasks throughout the day. At the bottom of the standard timesheet module, you will see the total hours from entering the time spent on specific projects. Your administrator may require that the total Time In/Out hours equal the total time spent on specific projects for the day.

Project Entry Notes

The system allows you to create Project Notes for any time record within a time entry. Project Notes provide a way for you to record complex comments and information for hours logged to a project over the course of a time period. You can create a Project Note for a specific time record by clicking the Project Note icon (), a small yellow note, located immediately to the right of a saved time record on your timesheet. Again, the time entry must already be saved in the system before you will see the yellow note appear. Clicking on the note will launch a pop-up window, which can be used to create, edit, or delete Project Notes (see figure 29.7).



Figure 29.7. Project Notes

You can also manage Project Notes under Preferences-->Project Notes. You can view existing Project Notes by specifying the search criteria and date range and then clicking the Search button. The search results of Project Notes will be displayed below the criteria. To create a new Project Note, go to the 'Create a New Project Note' section. Select a Project and specify a note. When finished, click the Save button.

View Time Report

Figure 29.8. Time Report


This report displays information regarding the time records that have been saved for this time period. The top of the report screen includes four buttons for manipulating the Time Report. The Past Period and Future Period buttons allow you to view reports for periods in the past or future. The View As button allows you to see the Time Report in different formats depending on your needs. You can view a version of this report that has been formatted for printing. You can also view a tab-delimited file that can be saved from your browser and imported into Excel or any other program that works with tab-delimited files. You can also run a Cube Report and have this data export directly into Excel. For more on this and other reports in the system, please see the Reports section of this manual.

Sheet History

Figure 29.9. Sheet history


Sheet History contains notes regarding the timesheet and the approval process for that specific timesheet. The Sheet History link is located in the Additional Options section at the bottom of your timesheet. Clicking the Sheet History link will launch a pop-up window containing all the actions associated with the timesheet to date. You can insert a note in the sheet history (i.e., for approvers) by specifying the text in the available textbox and clicking the Submit Comment button. To view more details click the Show System Notes button. This will display the system notes that correspond to the actions associated with the timesheet. To hide the system notes, you can click the Hide System Notes button.

Uploading File Attachments

If your administrator has enabled this feature you can attach file uploads to your time entries. Before you can upload files you must first create some time entries and save changes. After creating time entries click the View/Upload File Attachments button located at the bottom of your time sheet. This will open a pop-up window that lists your current time entries and allows you to attach files to particular entries. Find the entry you want to use then click "Upload File Attachment". Click the "Choose File" button and select the attachment from your local computer files then click "Upload File" to complete the process. You can upload multiple attachments per time entry as long as they each have a different filename. Your administrator may choose to limit the total number of attachments or the type of files allowed - for example the administrator may only allow PDF files. The administrator may also set a limit on the size of individual files.

Accruals

Figure 29.10. Accruals


Accruals are used to manage hour count balances for such things as vacation, sick leave, family leave, etc. If your manager has provided accrual balances for you, an Accruals link will be in the upper right corner of your time entry screen. Hovering over this link will display all the accruals that have been assigned to you along with the type of accrual and remaining hour count balances. A soft accrual type will allow you to exceed the hour count balance when entering time taken. A hard accrual type will not allow you to exceed the hour count balance allocated to you. An administrator may also create a hidden accrual balance, which functions like a hard accrual except the current balance will not be shown to you.

Submitting Timesheet for Approval

From your timesheet, you can click the Submit for Approval button to submit your timesheet to your supervisor. This button will only appear on your timesheet if your company is using Approval Plans and if you have an approval plan assigned to you. Once a timesheet has been submitted for approval, you may not alter any of the time records contained in that timesheet. Therefore, do not submit your timesheet until you have finished all time entry for the time period in question. For more information on the Approvals process, please see the Approvals section of this manual.

Time Entry Corrections

When an entry is changed on a Time Entry screen, it can be handled in several different ways, depending upon the System Setting for "Level of auditing required when users make changes to existing entries." At the lowest levels of auditing, changing an entry on the screen will actually modify the value in the database, not preserving the original value. Each time record is stamped with a last changed time and the ID of the user who last changed it.

At higher levels of auditing, records cannot be changed in the database. Instead, any change that is made to a record will create a corrective record, which records only the changes to the entry.

Corrective Entry Example
Tom logged 8 hours on Monday toward Painting. Later that day, he realized that he had really only spent 2 hours painting and 6 hours managing. On his time entry screen, he changes the number for Painting to a 2, and adds an entry for 6 hours for Managing. In the database, Tom will now have 3 entries: an 8-hour entry for Painting, a -6 hour correction for Painting (totaling 2 hours), and a 6-hour entry for Managing.
If Tom had changed the whole Painting entry to Managing, there would be a -8 hour corrective entry in the database for Painting, effectively zeroing out the existing entry without losing track of what had been entered before.

Administrators and users whose role includes the Corrections ability can manually make changes to time records contained in a timesheet even if it has already been approved, provided that corrections are allowed by the system configuration. For these users, the Save Corrections button will appear on approved timesheets. When this button is present, corrective entries can be manually entered in the blank rows at the bottom of the screen.

To make corrective entries for a prior period, a user who has the Corrections role ability should navigate to the timesheet in question and enter corrective entries as needed. Corrective time entry allows the entry of negative records. Note that in some systems, corrections cannot be made without a unique comment. In these cases, corrections should be made by clicking on the time to be changed, entering a new value, and entering a correction note to indicate the reason for the change.

Historical Timesheets

Your past and present timesheets can be viewed under Time-->Time Sheets-->All Time Sheets (see figure 29.11). Here you will see a list of timesheets with their relevant periods. You can view the details of the timesheet by clicking the link labeled 'Click to View'.



Figure 29.11. Historical timesheets

Requesting Leave

Leave Requests are dates that you have requested for time off. You can view your total pending, approved and declined requests under Leave-->My Requests. Pending requests will show up as a red number next to the Leave menu. Clicking through the menu will direct you to the My Leave Requests section (see figure 29.12). Here, you can view all your pending, approved and declined Leave Requests. The value in the Accrued column is the remaining balance for the accrued pay type on the day you are viewing the leave requests. You also have the option to delete pending and approved requests that will not be used. To delete a pending or approved Leave Request, select the requests to delete and click the Delete button.



Figure 29.12. My Leave Requests

To request time off, click the Create button. This will direct you to the Request Time Off screen where you can specify the dates and hours per day that you wish to take off. You can also select a Project, Activity, Pay Type, Bill Type, and Comment. The Pay Type will contain the Accrual that you will need to select to identify the type of Leave that you are requesting. If the new request exceeds the current accrual balance less existing leave requests, you will receive a warning when you submit the new request. Finally, you can select the persons that you wish to notify for approval of the Leave Request. When finished, click the Submit Request button or the Submit and Create New button if you would like to create another leave request.

You can also view your Leave Requests and request leave on a calendar under Leave-->My Calendar (see figure 29.13).Annual and monthly views show summary information, while weekly and daily views include the details of each request.



Figure 29.13. My Leave Calendar

Leave Request Management

If you have Manager or Approval Plan authority over other users in the system, you will have access to Leave Calendar and Manage Leave Requests under the Leave menu. These areas allow you to search for, view and approve/decline all leave requests for the users in your groups or approval plans. Roles with Reporter authority can view the requests for users in their groups, but they will not see options to approve or decline them.

The Leave Management Calendar includes annual and monthly views which show summary information, as well as weekly and daily views which include the details of each request. Hovering your mouse over the totals for a given day in the monthly view will display the names of the users and the amount of leave they have requested.

Stopwatch Entry

If your administrator has given you access to a Stopwatch screen, you can time your work under Time-->Stopwatch Entry (see figure 29.14). Stopwatch is an optional timer for users who want to keep track of specific tasks as they start and stop them. The times are automatically filled in (as total hours or in/out times) on the user's standard Time Entry screen. Depending upon your screen configuration, you may need to select your details from the drop down lists before or after you've completed a task. If your screen is configured to set the details before you begin a task (on the "punch in"), you will see Pause and Resume buttons on your screen. You have the option to start timing a new task by selecting details from the drop down lists and clicking on Start/Start New or on the red button next to a Memorized Entry. When you have completed the first task, you can either Stop it or select new details and click on the Start/Start New button. This will stop the previous task and start the new one in a single step. You also have the option to Pause a task in the event of an interruption. You can then Resume the task without selecting the details again.



Figure 29.14. Stopwatch Entry

Stopwatch entry is optional and does not enforce the capture of in and out times. If documenting in/out times is required for your business, please use an "allocation" Time Entry screen with a punch clock or a simple Punch Entry screen.