Track time worked
Compare planned hours with the time employees logged on timesheets, and let finished shifts propose draft timesheets that employees confirm.
This page is for planners, project managers, timesheet approvers and employees. With the SmartERP Planning - Timesheets bridge installed (it needs the Project bridge and Timesheets), a shift on a project shows the time actually logged against it.
How timesheet lines find their shift#
When a timesheet line is saved or changed, Planning looks for the shift it belongs to. A line is linked to a shift when exactly one shift matches:
- the shift is a real shift (not a forecast) of the same employee;
- the shift is on the same project as the line;
- the shift overlaps the line's date, in the employee's time zone;
- if the shift has a task, the line has the same task.
If no shift matches, or more than one matches (for example two shifts on the same project the same day), the line is left unlinked. Planning never guesses.
Read the figures#
[planning-shift-attendance]
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Effective Time | Hours on timesheet lines linked to the shift. Draft lines proposed by Planning ("To Confirm") do not count until confirmed. |
| Progress | Effective time as a percentage of allocated time. |
| Variance | Effective time minus allocated time. Positive means more was worked than planned. |
| Actual Cost | Effective time multiplied by the role's hourly cost. Planners only. |
You see them on the shift form, in the list (Effective Time is shown; Variance and Progress are optional columns), on the shift card ("Effective"), and in the pivot as measures. On the schedule, a thin green line along the bottom of a bar shows progress. The project overview shows total hours done.
Propose draft timesheets from finished shifts#
Planning can propose a timesheet for each finished shift, so employees confirm instead of typing.
- Open Planning → Configuration → Settings and find the Timesheets block.
- Tick Draft timesheets from shifts.
- Set List for managers when unconfirmed after n days (7 at first).
- Save.
A project can override the company choice. On the project form, in the timesheet options, set Draft Timesheets from Shifts to Company Default, Propose or Don't Propose.
Every hour, a scheduled action looks at shifts that ended in the last 31 days, belong to a project that allows timesheets, have a person with an employee record, and have not been handled yet. For each, it creates one draft timesheet line: the employee, project and task of the shift, the date of the shift, 0 hours entered, and Proposed Hours equal to the shift's allocated time. The line's Planning Status is To Confirm.
The employee confirms#
- The employee opens their timesheets list. Draft lines show the badge To Confirm and a Confirm button.
- They may change the hours first.
- They press Confirm. The line takes the hours entered, or the proposed hours if they left zero, and its status becomes Confirmed. It now counts as effective time.
Pressing Confirm on a line that is not waiting gives "Only timesheets to confirm can be confirmed."
[planning-timesheet-status]
Managers follow what is not confirmed#
Open Planning → Reporting → Timesheets to Confirm. It lists the draft lines older than the number of days you set, grouped by employee. The menu is for Planning Administrators and timesheet approvers.