Time Reporting and Ad-Hoc Time Reporting

• What is time reporting and why to use it?
• What settings to consider (Toolbox, Server > Bookings...)
• Time Report window
• Time Report Mode and Edit Project window
• Time reported More Than Booked
• Time Reporting in the Web and iOS
• Ad-hoc Time Reports
• Differences between Booking vs Ad-hoc Time Report
• Notifications

What is time reporting and why to use it?

Time Reporting enables tracking the differences between the BOOKED, actual USED and (To) INVOICED time.

What settings to consider (Toolbox, Server > Bookings...)

To time report the User must have the Permission to time report, and the corresponding settings on Bookings have to be set to use this feature.

Server Settings:

In the Server Setup > Bookings tab configure the corresponding settings to time report.

User permission:

There's a difference between Advanced vs Web Users for time reporting permissions.

Necessary Permissions for Web Users to be able to create ad-hoc Time Reports:

Since v7 you can also choose the default Booking Status for ad-hoc Timereports. This can be useful in specific reports related workflows where you'd like to exclude ad-hoc time reports from some reporting.

Toolbox settings:

In the Toolbox > Settings > Booking Defaults make sure that Use Time Reporting is ticked, this way the Time Report icon (little clock, changing colors depending on the status of the Time Report) appears on the Bookings and gives an easy access to the Time Report window and a quick overview whether a Bookings has been time reported or not.

Access the Time Report - Advanced Users

The Time Report can be accessed through the Time Report icon on the Booking in the Hourline or from within the Booking Edit Window, from the Booking inside of the Project, the Long Form if the corresponding setting is activated (Toolbox > Settings > Projects Tree > Timereport) or via the To do tab in the Toolbox.

Time Report window

• Involved: In the dropdown menu of Involved select the start and end time of all Objects involved on that day. Other options are: Clear Day, Time Selector, Set Time As Booked (if the amount of used hours is the same as the booked hours). The same settings can be chosen to apply the changes to All Days.
• Used: Press the dropdown arrow below Used to set time the amount of hours used individually.
  
• To Invoice: This option, if enabled in the Server Setup, allows to set the hours to be invoiced for each individual person or Object and it will be reflected in the Project View as well as in the invoice. If used, this option has the highest hierarchy of the three.
  
• Booked: Displays the original booked hours of the Objects.
  
• Breaks: Select this option to time report any breaks. Breaks will be automatically deducted from the time reported hours.
  
• Days: Lists the days of the Booking to easily jump from one day to another and indicates whether the Booking on that day has been time reported (green clock) or not (red clock).
  
• Time Report Note (All Days): In this area you can fill in any notes related to the entire Time Report.
  
• Time Report Day Note: If the Booking is a multiple day Booking this field allows to leave a note per day. The Note can only be accessed through the Web/iOS of past/current Bookings > Time Report.

• Extras: Add Extras like Materials, Services, Expenses as well as Objects (yellow star) to the Time Report. Extras can be modified by clicking on the drop down arrow next to Amount.
  
• Edit: Edit the Note.
  
• Amount: Edit the Amount.
  
• Date: Edit the Date.
• Remove: Remove the Extra.
• Outgoing Purchase Order: Add an Outgoing Purchase Order if there exists one.
• Invoice Flag: Set the Invoice Flag to Ready, On Hold or Ignore.
  
  
  

Time Report Mode and Edit Project window

Via the Project and Booking button is is possible to quickly access the Project and the Booking from within the Time Report window.

Time report Status: 

• RED = Not time reported 
• GREEN (all days) = Time reported 
• YELLOW = Project is closed
• WHITE = Booking has been invoiced.

The Time Report mode is by default set to "To Invoice / Used / Booked" meaning in the Edit Project window the user always sees the "to date" numbers. The Time Report Mode can be changed temporarily to e.g. see all what was USED so far.

Time reported More Than Booked

In 6.8 there is new setting which allows to see in the Hourline, Project Tree and Project window, if the booking was time reported more than booked.

If "Time reported more than booked" is enabled in the Toolbox Settings > Hourline or Project Tree, it will indicate which bookings were reported over booked time. You will see red exclamation mark on top of the green dot. 

When you hoover mouse over the icon, you will also see the detailed information on booked and used time.

Time Reporting in the Web and iOS

https://support.farmerswife.com/support/solutions/articles/17000061742-time-reporting-in-the-web-client

https://support.farmerswife.com/support/solutions/articles/17000061744-time-reporting-in-ios

Ad-hoc Time Reports

An Ad-Hoc Time Report is a Booking that is not considered to be booked in advance. Typically, this occurs when the day is interrupted by some unforeseen, urgent work.  

The reason for differentiating between “Ad-Hoc” and normal Bookings is to get accurate financial reporting. If a normal Booking is booked from 09:00 - 11:00 and time reported the same, then the Financial Report will show “Booked: 2 hours” and “Used: 2 hours”. 

But on the same Ad-Hoc Booking, it will show “Booked: 0 hours” and “Used: 2 hours”. This is an important detail for example when trying to improve estimates by learning from past projects.

In the Hourline you can create an Ad-hoc Time Report in the 'Used/Booked' and "Used" View Mode. 

Click and drag through the hours you worked on this "unplanned" project and a pop up window will appear with the "Ad-hoc time report" option. 

In the Web Client click either on the "Ad-hoc time report" button placed on the top left of the page or on the plus symbol on the bottom and fill up all the information required or drag&drop down the ad-hoc time.

In the iOS app click the + and choose: Ad-hoc Timereport. Select a Project. Choose time in/out. The "booked" time shows as 06:00-06:00 (or 00:00 - 00:00 depending on start of the day configuration.)

Differences between Booking vs Ad-hoc Time Report

1. Booking have to be time reported, if time report is enabled, this is useful for planned work.
2. Ad-hoc time reports are usually created in the past to track work that has been done but there was no booking for it.
3. Visibility of Ad-hoc Time Reports:
   1. It's not possible to see Ad-hoc time reports in the Long Form (Object Tree) > Long Form is only showing Booked time. If Ad-Hocs were showed in the LF,  it would let the users perform operations on them that could lead to an inconsistent database.
   2. To visually see Ad-hoc time reports in Long Form go to: Personnel Tree > View mode > Time report > see who time reported, who did not.
   3. When you move an Ad-hoc time report to another day it will reset the reported time to 06:00-06:00 and you can no longer see the booking clearly in the Hourline. To move 
4. When creating Ad-hoc time report you can not choose a binder. When you create a booking you can choose/create binder.
5. Ad-hoc time report have N/A in BOOKED time. It gives you the accurate used vs booked numbers: ad hoc time report is something that was never booked before.
6. Ad-hoc time reports don’t cause conflict with other bookings.
7. Permission profile > you might not want to allow users to book, but it’s ok if they time report.

Notifications

It is possible to get notified when Ad-Hoc Timereport is created on the Project. (v6.6 SP1+)

See the article on Global Notifications.