The online time sheet: Leveraging the power of the Web

What makes i-Timesheets different from our competitors?

1. Whether you’re using our Hosted subscription or In-house solution, our time sheet solution is 100% web-based. In other words, there is no need to install anything on your local computer. Simply log-in to the website to use the i-Timesheets time sheet system, either as a User or an Administrator. i-Timesheets leverages the power of the World Wide Web to give you time sheet access to the system anytime and wherever you are connected to the Internet.
2. Our time sheet is available via mobile devices. If an employee is on site and does not have access to a computer to enter their time sheet, they can access i-Timesheets on their mobile device via our Compact Interface. This provides a neat and easy-to-use interface for time recording. i-Timesheets Administrators can also access the Compact Interface to view and edit time sheets on behalf of staff.
3. Our timesheet integrates with financial software for sales invoicing, purchases invoicing and payroll integration. Once staff time sheets have been completed, you can export the data as sales invoices, purchases invoices or activity slips and automatically generate invoices, or process the activity slips for payroll integration or time billing.

To find out more about i-Timesheets’s innovative and easy-to-use time sheet functions, have a look at our Key Time Sheet Features Listing.

i-Timesheets v5.0 – released

We are proud to announce the release of our next major upgrade for  i-Timesheets:  i-Timesheets version 5.0. Now, you can track time anywhere, anytime, more effectively and more efficiently, thanks to a suite of new features and enhancements in i-Timesheets.

Version 5.0 sees a whole host of new features and functionality added to the already proven and easy-to-use i-Timesheets solution. Some of the major enhancements include:

New Stylish Interface – Choose a Colour Scheme
i-Timesheets v5.0 features a new stylish interface which updates the look and feel, making the interface more visually appealing as well as easier to use for both Administrators and Users.
Choose between Blue, Green, Orange, Grey, Brown and Black based colour schemes to more closely align with your existing corporate profile.

Global Projects
In the past, to make a Project visible to all Staff, the Administrator was required to assign each Staff member to that Project either manually or using the application’s Copy Project/Staff features.

In i-Timesheets v5.0, the Administrator is able to flag a Project as “Global”, meaning that it will automatically become visible to all Staff without any need for the system administrator to make the assignment. To achieve this there are other associated enhancements such as Default Staff Cost and Charge Rates stored at the Staff level and used by the application when assigning Staff to Projects.

This functionality will significantly reduce the amount of administrative overhead for organisations that require all or certain Projects to be set up to be visible to all Staff.

Staff Projects – Bulk Change
Staff Projects – Bulk Change is a powerful new feature in i-Timesheets v5.0 designed to streamline the task of maintaining Staff-Project records in i-Timesheets. In the past Administrators had to make changes one record at a time, which could be time consuming when rolling out rate changes and the like. The new Bulk Change function simplifies the process by letting i-Timesheets Administrators update multiple Staff Project records at once, significantly reducing the time and effort it takes to perform these changes. Bulk Changes can also be made to apply from an effective Date, allowing the Administrator to retrospectively apply changes to existing Time records.

Text Search in Admin Records Listings
Administrators can now perform a text search on the maintenance pages in i-Timesheets, making it easier to find specific records without having to browse through all records in the list.

The text search function cleverly looks through all relevant columns for matching records and is available on all the Admin maintenance screens.

Other enhancements
i-Timesheets v5.0 also features a number of minor enhancements that extend on existing system operations:

• Negative Time Entry: i-Timesheets can now be configured to allow for the entry of Negative Time into the timesheets. Negative Time is deducted from the total of hours recorded against a project, and is useful for correcting errors in times recorded in previous periods.
• Entry of Zero Time: You can now configure i-Timesheets to allow Entry of Zero Time. This is useful when Staff are required to submit a timesheet for a period even if they have not worked during that period.
• Enter Expenses Including Tax: This is a new configuration setting that allows Administrators to determine whether Expense entry in i-Timesheets is to include or exclude Tax.
• Default Charge and Cost Rates: The Manage My Projects screen, which lets Users assign themselves to Projects, has been enhanced to take advantage of the Default Charge and Cost Rates which can be assigned to Staff Records. When Users add themselves to Projects using this screen, the Default Charge and Cost Rates in their Staff records will be automatically applied to their new Staff Project record assignments.
• Project Specific Tasks sequencing in Time Entry: Project Specific Tasks listed in the Task Undertaken drop down menu in Time Entry is now in numerical order, based on the Sequence Number assigned to the Project Specific Tasks, making for easier identification of Tasks by Users. If Task Sequence Numbers are not used then the ordering of tasks is as it was previously (description order).
• Administrator Access Only: It is now possible to immediately prevent all access by non-Admin Staff by setting a configuration option. Previously it was only possible to prevent non-Admin Staff members from logging on, and thus there was no way of preventing access for those already logged on.
• Rate Change Options: When using the special edit function ‘’ located on the Staff Project screen alongside the Charge Rate, Cost Rate and Cost Code fields, you can now choose to make a Standard Edit or a Historical-Preservation Edit. The Standard Edit modifies the selected record directly, affecting historical time and expense records already attached as well as any new time and expense records to be entered. The Historical-Preservation Edit is different in that it disables the selected Staff Project record, thus preserving the Charge Rate, Cost Rate and Cost Code fields attached to existing time records – a new Staff Project record is then automatically created with the new values to which all future time and expense records are associated.
• Displaying Roles in Print and Authorise Timesheets: i-Timesheets Print Timesheets (Project Timesheets, Summary Timesheets and Detail Timesheets ) and Authorise Timesheets have been enhanced so that Roles, if used, will also be shown with the Project, Task and Task Description data displayed on these timesheets.

New Year Greetings from Team i-Timesheets!

Team i-Timesheets would like to wish all our existing and prospective customers a happy 2008.

The new year sees us finalising i-Timesheets version 5.00 for release in the next few weeks. If you are an existing i-Timesheets customer, keep an eye out for the release of our Summer 2008 Newsletter, which will announce the upgrade and detail key features and functions in the release.

In the meantime, if you would like a preview of version 5.00, our i-Timesheets Demo Rooms have been upgraded to version 5.00. You can give i-Timesheets v5.00 a solid test run in the Demo Rooms:

Try out new features, such as Global Projects, Bulk Change, Text Searching and Negative Time Entry.

Have a look at the brand new interface design, which you can change via the Configuration Settings (under the Settings Tab > General Settings > Colour Scheme).
On behalf of the team at i-Timesheets Sales and Support, we’d like to wish you all the best for 2008, and we look forward to working with you this year.

i-Timesheets Deluxe – Version 5.00 nears release

This year,  i-Timesheets canvassed our broad customer base to enquire about improvements they would like to see in i-Timesheets v5.00 – our next major upgrade for  i-Timesheets web timesheets.

The new features, functions and improved performance of i-Timesheets v5.0 are based on feedback and requests for enhancements to the system we received from you, our valued customers.

With the New Year just around the corner, the  i-Timesheets team is busy finalising the development of i-Timesheets v5.00. Look for our official announcement of the release of  i-Timesheets v5.00 on our website.

Coming Soon to i-Timesheets: Global Projects, Bulk Rate Change and a New Interface

We continually strive to enhance and improve  i-Timesheets web timesheets by adding functionality that is applicable to our broad customer base. In this light, we are planning to release the following important new features with our next major upgrade: i-Timesheets v5.0.

Global Projects
In the past, to make a Project visible to all Staff, the system administrator was required to assign each Staff member to that Project either manually or using the application’s Copy Project/Staff features.

In future the Administrator will be able to flag a Project as “Global”, meaning that it will automatically become visible to all Staff without any need for the system administrator to make the assignment. To achieve this there will be other associated enhancements such as Default Staff Cost and Charge Rates stored at the Staff level and used by the application when making the assignment of Staff to Project.

This functionality is expected to significantly reduce the amount of administrative overhead for organisations that require all or certain Projects to be set up to be visible to all Staff.

Bulk Rate Change
The new Bulk Rate Change feature is designed to streamline the task of maintaining Staff-Project rates in i-Timesheets. With Bulk Rate Change, Administrators can change the Cost and/or Charge Rates for all or nominated Staff on Projects.

Staff will also be assigned default Cost and Charge Rates, which will be used when you assign Staff to Projects.

New Stylish Interface
i-Timesheets v5.0 will feature a new stylish interface which updates the look and feel, making the interface more visually appealing as well as easier to use for both Administrators and Users.

Moreover, you can now select the colour scheme for the interface from a choice of available colour themes.

i-Timesheets v4.6 – Now Available

i-Timesheets v4.6 is now available for all new clients and prospects. This upgrade includes new features, such as the Compact Interface (for PDA or mobile devices), Staff Manager Authorisation and Advanced MYOB Integration.

You can test run the latest version of i-Timesheets by registering for our Demo Rooms at www.i-timesheets.com. Remember that we also offer a free 30-Day Trial of i-Timesheets, which you can populate with your own organisation’s records.

For more information about the new features in this upgrade, please visit our i-Timesheets Features Upgrade webpage.

Existing i-Timesheets Hosted customers on i-Timesheets version 4.4+ are eligible for a free upgrade upon request. For other Hosted customers, there is a small once-off migration fee to covers the site setup and data migration. The upgrade fee schedule is based on the number of steps required by the database administrator to upgrade you from your current version.

i-Timesheets+ In-house customers who are currently on support and maintenance are eligible for a free upgrade when the upgrade is released for i-Timesheets+ at the end of March 2007.

Changing hourly rates in i-Timesheets

The New Year often brings with it an increase in hourly rates for work undertaken. If you need to change the rates for Staff in i-Timesheets, read on…

Charge and cost rates are defined in Staff Project Records in i-Timesheets. There are two primary ways in which you can change the charge rates for Staff in i-Timesheets:

1. Set a new rate which retroactively applies to all time records (historical and future records): This is achieved by editing nominated Staff Project Records and changing the charge or cost rates in the appropriate fields. Doing this changes the charge or cost rates for all time records associated with the Staff Project Records which have been edited this way.
2. Set a new rate for all future time records: This sets a new rate for all future time records associated with the Staff Project Record, whilst retaining the old rate for historical time records. You do this in the Staff Project listing by clicking on the ’set new rate’ button located next to the Charge or Cost rate you would like to change. The new rate applies from the time it is set via this method. The ’set new rate’ button resembles three dots [...] set in a button.

Retrospectively changing rates

At times, you may need to retrospectively change rates so that the new rate comes into effect on a nominated date in the recent past. For example, you may need to change the charge rate for a Staff Project record effective the 2nd January 2007.

• To do this, you would use the second method above (set a new rate for all future time records) to create a new rate record for the Staff Project record. You would then need to review the Staff member’s timesheets for the periods since the date of the rate change to locate times against projects in which the new rate applies.
• Edit these timesheets and you will see that the projects against which these times have been recorded will now be marked with [DISABLED]. This refers to the fact that the Staff-Project record for that Project item is now disabled, having been replaced with a new Staff Project Record with the new charge rate for the Staff member working on that Project.
• Simply select the active project from the Projects drow down menu (you will note that both the active and [DISABLED] Project are selectable), and click the ‘Save’ button once you have updated the record.
• Do this for all instances of the Staff member’s time records against that Project in their timesheet until the current period’s timesheet.

Example:

• On the 1st January 2007, John Brown’s rate on the Adaptec Helpdesk Services project increases from $85/hr to $100/hr. John has already recorded a week’s worth of time records against this Project in i-Timesheets. The current date is January 9, 2007.
• As i-Timesheets Administrator, you access the Staff Projects listing and using the second method above, you set the future charge rate of the Staff Project Record for John Brown – Adaptec Helpdesk Services to $100/hr. The new rate comes into effect the moment you submit the change.
• You now need to retrospectively update John’s timesheets from the 1st of January to reflect this change. You view John’s timesheet for the week of 1/1/07 and note that he has 5 time records against Adaptec Helpdesk Services, one per day.
• You edit each day’s time record, noting that the project listing for ‘Adaptec Helpdesk Services’ is now listed as [DISABLED]. You click on the Project listing drop down and select ‘Adaptec Helpdesk Services’ from the items there. You then save that timesheet.
• You repeat this for each entry that John has recorded against ‘Adaptec Helpdesk Services’ for the week, effectively updating John’s time recorded from the old rate to the new rate.
• When you have finished, you submit John’s timesheet so that the times for that week will be billed on the new rate.

Coming soon: i-Timesheets 4.6

Due out in a matter of days, i-Timesheets 4.6, the latest upgrade of  i-Timesheets, our web-based time recording and timesheet management solution, will include a host of new features including:

• i-Timesheets Compact Interface – Makes i-Timesheets accessible to users with mobile PDA devices, Pocket PCs, Palm Pilots and Blackberrys, or users who simply want to use a neat and reduced entry interface for core time-entry activities.
• New Staff Manager Authorisation: i-Timesheets Administrators can now choose to assign a Manager to a Staff Record, and choose to set the Use Authorisation configuration in i-Timesheets to enable authorisation of Staff timesheets by Managers.
• Access Control: Lets you release specific administration pages, including Admin-only reports, to other users of i-Timesheets.
• Admin Data Export: i-Timesheets Admins can export Admin-related information that has been recorded by the i-Timesheets Administrator.
• New Time and Expense Data Export options.
• Advanced MYOB Import: The new Advanced MYOB Import gives Administrators the option of inserting imported MYOB Customer and Supplier data into the i-Timesheets Customer and Supplier records, thus eliminating the need to re-create these records in i-Timesheets.

i-Timesheets 4.6 will be released at the end of December 2006.

i-Timesheets gets skinned

‘Skinning’ a product allows it to be customised to reflect an organisation’s branding and visual identify.

When new UK client, Plugin Design, sought a web timesheet solution that could be integrated with their corporate branding and identity, the team at  created a custom i-Timesheets ‘skin’ to reflect Plugin Design’s slick, clean and innovative aesthetics.

Within a day, our designer was able to implement a new colour scheme and incorporate the Plugin Design logo into i-Timesheets – see screen shot. For more information on skinning and customising i-Timesheets to reflect your company’s visual style, please contact us.

What’s New in i-Timesheets v4.4 (released February 2006)

Major Enhancements

• Weekly Time Entry: i-Timesheets time entry function has been made even more flexible with the addition of the Weekly Time Entry feature. This gives i-Timesheets users the choice of either entering worked hours by day or by week. Please note that this feature is only available when the i-Timesheets system has been set to enable Worked Hours time entry (done via the ‘Settings’ tab in i-Timesheets).

  In Weekly Time Entry, i-Timesheets users select the Customer, Project and Task as per Daily Time Entry, and enter their hours worked for the Project or Task for each day of the week. The Weekly Time Entry grid will automatically calculate and display the total hours recorded per day and per project/task as they are entered, giving i-Timesheets users an immediate view of the time spent within the week on specific projects.

  Weekly Time Entry has been developed with the needs of your staff in mind – it allows staff to more effectively match and manage their time entry activities to work priorities and time recording methods.

• New, easy-to-use Toolbar: Your use of i-Timesheets has been made easier and more accessible with the provision of a new Toolbar. This Toolbar gives you easy access to frequently used functions and timesheet reports, as well as a new timesheet report: the Summary Timesheet, which is explained in more detail below.

  The new Toolbar replaces some of the buttons in previous versions of i-Timesheets, and also incorporates new features. Functions that are now available via the Toolbar are:

  • Copy Timesheet: This button allows users to copy the time records for the currently displayed period to another time period. It replaces the ‘Period Copy’ button in previous versions of i-Timesheets.
  • Print Summary Timesheet: This button, a new feature with this upgrade, generates a Summary Timesheet report. See the section below for more detail.
  • Print Detail Timesheet: This button replaces the ‘Print Staff Timesheet’ button, previously located adjacent to the ‘Quick Reports’ button in the Timesheet View screen. The ‘Print Detail Timesheet’ button will generate a printable timesheet displaying worked hours for all projects and tasks in the time period.
  • Print Expenses: This button replaces the ‘View Quick Report on Expenses’ button, previously located next to the Expenses button in the Timesheet View screen. This button will display an Expenses Quick Report for printing, if your i-Timesheets system has been configured to enable ‘Expenses Tracking’.
  • Submit Timesheet/Complete Timesheet: i-Timesheets users can now use this button on the Toolbar to submit their timesheet (if Use Authorisation is enabled) or complete their timesheets at the end of the time period. For convenience, this button is also available at the end of the Timesheet View screen. Please note that once a timesheet has been submitted or completed, this button becomes unavailable – shown as a ‘greyed out’ button on screen.
• Summary Timesheet: With a single click of a button, i-Timesheets will generate a Summary Timesheet report that will show Project Totals and Sub-task Totals of hours worked for the given time period. The report also shows sub-totals for the day and week, and period totals.

Minor Enhancements

• The functionality of time records deletion has been altered. In earlier versions of i-Timesheets, time records were permanently removed when the user chose the Delete option. Now, time records are first marked for deletion and only permanently removed when the user presses “Save Changes” in the i-Timesheets entry screen. This gives the user the ability to back out if records have been deleted by mistake.
• Several very minor miscellaneous bugs have been fixed.