New Timesheet System Keeps Mobile Project and Client Based Workforce on Track in A Recession

Silsoe UK, 4.12.2008: Leading UK HR and Payroll systems group Carval (www.carval.co.uk) has launched a Timesheet module that allows organisations to record and manage the hours employees spend across multiple projects, activities and client locations. As the application is either web or desktop based, it is accessible remotely anywhere and anytime.

The new module, which can be used in conjunction with any of Carval’s Unity range of integrated HR, Payroll and self-service modules, is designed to simplify the tracking of time and projects across the enterprise. Carval believes that, once deployed, the new system will deliver the significant productivity increases organisations are seeking in the current economic climate and contribute greatly to ensuring that projects come in on time and budget.

Allowing extensive customization from within its administration interface; the SQL based system automatically calculates detailed reports and invoices from the time sheet information entered by multiple employees for multiple projects, tasks or clients. Clients can be either internal, like the Human Resources department or external such as customers.

Browser based input allows site managers or individual employees to enter their hours via an intranet or the Internet. Users can easily clock-on and clock-off, or at the click of a button manage and update time and tasks against clients, activities or projects. Multiple rates can be set-up for each client project and work periods can span multiple days.

Two options are available for data input methods, depending upon who enters the data. If employees only ever work on one contract per day, they can enter their time on a per-day basis. Alternatively, if employees work on multiple projects and multiple activities per day, they have the ability to enter detailed information on what time is being spent on what projects and when.

Management can use the system’s calendar based view to review daily, weekly and monthly totals for particular projects, showing overall work patterns across all projects. Projects can either belong to a specific client or standalone and generally available on a shared database; accessible to managers.
A comprehensive list of standard reports enables users to view details of not only employee timesheets but time spent on client’s projects. Reports include: lists of clients, projects and activities, together with project or client analyses and timesheets.

The system also includes extensive facilities for exporting timesheet information either into Carval’s own HR, Payroll and absence modules or indeed to any other accounting, business process or project management applications of choice.

John Ovington, Sales and Support Director of Carval, believes the new module will bring significant benefits to employees and management alike, noting:

“In this current economic climate, keeping track of how much time you spend on a project or client is critical to any business. Indeed the old adage that ‘time is money’ has never rung more true. And, in organisations where the “bottom-line” depends on field or account based staff working across multiple activities, clients or projects, an organisation’s management needs to ensure that employee time usage is as efficient as possible. Thus, we designed our new timesheet module to make such control a reality. And with its simple yet powerful interface, it allows management to make sure that the right staff are allocating the right amount of time to the right activities.

“In addition, for managers battling against a recessionary backdrop, being able to view all the work you've ever done for a client is a great way to identify those clients you need to improve your relationship with, and to focus on those that you need to keep in touch with more.

“From an employee perspective it also has benefits. They now have either an online or desktop interface that allows them the flexibility to input and access data whenever and wherever they want to.”