Time tracking suggestions
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Recent posts in this topic
I posted my suggestions about time tracking in another post (http://www.activecollab.com/forums/topic/2230/) that I would like to publish in this forum, since I think it is more relevant here :
The time tracking feature of AC is usable right now, but definitely not to its full potential.
What we have right now:
- Easy to enter time records on a per-project basis (time log)
- Not-so-easy to enter time records on a per-ticket basis (not so intuitive)
- Reporting by project (only), for all or a specific employee and within a specific time period (last week, this month, custom, etc.)
Essentially, this is about it. (It's already a good start!)
What would be essential:
- Time record on tasks
- Global time reporting (throughout projects)
Ex: I want to know how many hours Mr. Developer worked last two weeks... independently of projects.
What would be exceptionally nice:
- Budget (in hours) on tasks and tickets
- Reporting on spent time vs budget for projects (did my completed project go under/over budget?)
What would be amazingly wonderful:
- Percentage completion on tasks and tickets
- Comparison of completion vs spent time vs budget, to identify budget problems.
Ex: I have a budget of 10 hours on task XYZ. We already spent 8 on the task, but I evaluate it at only 40% completed. I need to react.
My two cents... take it or leave it :)
Hope this project is off to a successful start!
The time tracking feature of AC is usable right now, but definitely not to its full potential.
What we have right now:
- Easy to enter time records on a per-project basis (time log)
- Not-so-easy to enter time records on a per-ticket basis (not so intuitive)
- Reporting by project (only), for all or a specific employee and within a specific time period (last week, this month, custom, etc.)
Essentially, this is about it. (It's already a good start!)
What would be essential:
- Time record on tasks
- Global time reporting (throughout projects)
Ex: I want to know how many hours Mr. Developer worked last two weeks... independently of projects.
What would be exceptionally nice:
- Budget (in hours) on tasks and tickets
- Reporting on spent time vs budget for projects (did my completed project go under/over budget?)
What would be amazingly wonderful:
- Percentage completion on tasks and tickets
- Comparison of completion vs spent time vs budget, to identify budget problems.
Ex: I have a budget of 10 hours on task XYZ. We already spent 8 on the task, but I evaluate it at only 40% completed. I need to react.
My two cents... take it or leave it :)
Hope this project is off to a successful start!
Hi dmarquis,
Count me in !! I like the features you propose. I emailed Ilja about these options some time ago. I already looked in to the code to make tasks time-trackable, no succes so far.
Grtz
OneShoe
Count me in !! I like the features you propose. I emailed Ilja about these options some time ago. I already looked in to the code to make tasks time-trackable, no succes so far.
Grtz
OneShoe
As a note: see http://www.billingtracker.com/ for the best (quite old and out-of-date) system we found-- allows times and per-project-task timing billing, basic reporting, but quite cludgy, no recent updates, no PDA integration, etc.
Time tracking/billing/invoicing is a major project in itself, of course, but would be quite useful for us to be able to create and attach time records to things as things are done-- AND I'd certainly like it to be generated from internet connected PDAs or similar. Ah, wishes..
Thanks.
Time tracking/billing/invoicing is a major project in itself, of course, but would be quite useful for us to be able to create and attach time records to things as things are done-- AND I'd certainly like it to be generated from internet connected PDAs or similar. Ah, wishes..
Thanks.
Please also add a start/stop timer to record time. I've been using http://www.getcashboard.com/ which is very good at recording time etc. I would love to see features like this in aC.
One of the key features in BT Pro for us was the timer, which-- while a sort of late 90s Microsoft tool, with a clunky drop-down and only two "slots" to record time to projects, is still relatively good at getting to a project to record time and a description of the work done.
For aC, what I personally imagine is an Ajax time took that allows you to quickly record time to any project/issue/ticket/etc, starting with whatever object you currently have open and then navigating to nearby ones and finally to more "distant" projects/records-- adding a short note and any further details/notes you may need.
And then there's reporting...
For aC, what I personally imagine is an Ajax time took that allows you to quickly record time to any project/issue/ticket/etc, starting with whatever object you currently have open and then navigating to nearby ones and finally to more "distant" projects/records-- adding a short note and any further details/notes you may need.
And then there's reporting...
I completely agree with dmarquis and am holding off on purchasing activeCollab until these two essentials are addressed (Time record on tasks and Global time reporting). The other stuff would be nice but may only serve to begin bloating the program.
-Brian
-Brian
cbtrussell
on Dec 5. 2007. 6:03 pm
+1 for time tracking on tasks, this is a MUST HAVE
+1 for global reporting
Also note that the report generator needs an 'all time' option in the quick list, could be labeled All Time, From the Beginning or similar. As is, if the project spans the end of a calendar year, you have to choose custom dates to get time.
+1 for global reporting
Also note that the report generator needs an 'all time' option in the quick list, could be labeled All Time, From the Beginning or similar. As is, if the project spans the end of a calendar year, you have to choose custom dates to get time.
+1 too for time tracking on tasks ! I often end up entering a time tracking record for each tasks I do, it's double work. I think another thing would be nice : having the total hours for a checklist (sum of all tasks) and for a milestone (sum of all checklists tied to that milestone).
Reporting is not as criticial IMHO, though it would be great :)
Reporting is not as criticial IMHO, though it would be great :)
The best way to predict the future is to invent it
I'm not sure how I feel about budgeting features because I use PMS for that or it is done on the client end, but it sure think it would be nice to enter expenses including time and attach them to tickets and milestones. Please see my post Expenses instead of Time? in Feature Requests for details to see if you agree that this type of setup would help.
Last year I ended up hacking together a time tracking system which worked within AC. It helped us a lot but was never taken to the next level as I never made the time. We encouraged our staff to keep AC open and enter time as they worked (by clicking NOW). They could adjust times for accuracy and enter comments if neccessary. Every night we would get mailed a report of who worked on what and another report showing if we were over/under budget on projects - it helped us make more accurate calls on projects.
Below are some screenshots of my system - I feel the current time tracker on the new version of collab is too basic and doesn't allow staff to track a full days work and enter time for meetings/other events. Are there plans to take collab's time tracking further than it is now? Are people busy with plugins for this?
Below are some screenshots of my system - I feel the current time tracker on the new version of collab is too basic and doesn't allow staff to track a full days work and enter time for meetings/other events. Are there plans to take collab's time tracking further than it is now? Are people busy with plugins for this?
