Understanding and Working with Time Management

Timesheets are typically generated by an automated schedule that references team member settings. They can also be generated manually (e.g. if a team member works on a day they normally have off). These timesheets are used by each team member to record their time. 

Team members with the additional privileges can record time for others. After a team member submits a timesheet, an approver can review, reject, modify, or approve it.

Manually Creating a Timesheet

Team member user group privileges control whether they can create a timesheet. Approved users can create timesheets for themselves or others.

1. Navigate from Main Menu > Internal > Timesheets, then click New. 
2. Specify the team member(s) and date(s).
   Note: After you create the timesheet, you cannot alter the record's date.
   
3. Click Add.

The specified timesheets are generated as Pending records. The Status indicator circle shows yellow, orange, or red based on whether the timesheet is due in the future, due today, or past due.

Filling Out Timesheets

The Timesheets module initially displays the timesheets you're responsible for — your own Pending timesheets and any Submitted timesheets you need to approve.  

1. Navigate from Main Menu > Internal > Timesheets and locate the timesheet you want to work with.
2. At the detail view, click Edit. 
3. Enter the details:
   • Job — Required for recording a cost.
     When you first select a job, you must either type in the job number or use the Search icon () to locate it. After you select a job, it is added to a drop-down list of all jobs you have referenced in the previous two weeks for easier reference. System administrators can specify whether users can post time to closed jobs or only to open jobs by marking the related flag in the Fulfillment section of System Preferences.
   • Task — If needed, select an activity related to the selected job.
   • Line Item Code (LIC) — Auto-populated based on this hierarchy:
     1. Task — If you have specified a task, the LIC assigned to the Task Budget is added.
     2. Team Member — If the user's Team Member record has a default LIC specified, it is added.
     3. Manual — You can specify an LIC by clicking the LIC field or the Search icon (), otherwise the field is left blank.
   • Notes — Summarize the work completed.
   • Hours — Enter the time used to accomplish the work. This number will be multiplied by the team member's Bill Rate.
   • Overtime — Mark this flag to identify hours exceeding scheduled time.
4. Click Save to record the details.
5. Click Actions > Submit Timesheet > Submit. 

Certain supervisors can view and approve additional timesheets:

• Timesheet Approvers — Can search for timesheets of the users they are assigned to review. The assignment to approve a user's timesheet is set on the user's Team Member record.
• Timesheet Management — Can search all timesheets, create timesheets for any team member, and approve any timesheet. The Timesheet Management access privilege is set at the User Group module.

Reviewing and Approving Timesheets

Approvers can easily review records in the Timesheets module using the footer links (e.g. click More Finds and select a timeframe). Additional functionality includes:

• Reminders — You can send a message to users who have not submitted their time: Actions > Email Team Members in List.
• Salaried Employees — These team members may have time entries that vary from typical hour/week expectations. You can enter manual adjustments to equal an eight-hour day or you can use additional GL transactions, depending on your company policies.
• Errors and Corrections — You can send timesheets with errors back to the team member: 
  • Single timesheets — Go to the detail view for the desired timesheet. Click Actions > Revert Timesheet to Pending.
  • Multiple timesheets — Use the Quick Search bar to locate the desired timesheets. Click Actions > Revert Timesheets in List to Pending. 

All updates to Timesheet records are tracked in the record Log (click Actions > View Logs).

Correcting Timesheets

If you revert a timesheet to Pending status for corrections, be sure to communicate with the team member(s). Explain what correction is expected. 

You might not recognize an error until after the timesheet has been approved and closed (i.e. after accounting transactions have been created). For these timesheets:

1. Locate the timesheet.
2. At the detail view, click Actions > Void Timesheet.
   This removes the timesheet from activity and reverses the related GL transactions.
3. Click Actions > Duplicate Timesheet to replicate the timesheet and make the corrections.

Approving Timesheets

At the timesheet's detail view, click Actions > Approve Timesheet > Approve. This generates the related GL entries for the time expense (unless the team member is flagged as a freelancer). This allows you to produce very accurate income statements for each order.

Reviewing GL Transactions

You can easily jump to the actual GL entries for an Approved timesheet. From the timesheet's detail view, click Admin Actions () > Go to Related General Ledger Entries.

The GL transactions show the expenses and the off-setting accrued wages. You can sub-summarize by account to compare these values. Later, the accrued wages will be debited by the payroll account and by any purchases for freelancer time. 

The actual personnel cost is also linked to the Job and Order records, which helps identify true profitability per order. Supervisors can review progress on job costs from Main Menu > Order Management > Job Costs.

The Note field () highlights which team member is associated with each GL transaction. For salaried team members, the balance in Accrued Wages can serve as an estimated profit / loss. (Note: For this estimate, you can simplify reconciliation by requiring eight hours/day on timesheets, using PTO to supply the balance.)

Reporting and Exporting

The Timesheets module Print options provide reports specific to timesheets. After generating a report, you can export the results. Please note that using the FileMaker Save as Excel feature may introduce discrepancies.

The Orders module also provides reports with useful summaries of time data. Some of these reports include sensitive data (e.g. individual labor rates), so they are restricted to user groups with the needed access privileges.