Conference 7.286::digital

    I've never heard of electronic time cards, but I have used electronic
    job ticket.  Sorry, I don't know where to go for it.  The note caught
    my eye becaause I was hoping something might be coming for electronic
    timecard submission - sure would make life easier for ALOT of people!
    
    -sandy
    

    
    In EMDS, we use a system called "CARDS".  It has been in place for
    about a year, and it is easier to use than the one we used before
    which we invoked as "LABOR".
    
    Our co-ordinator is Phyllis Toomey (EMDS::TOOMEY).  She may be able to
    put you in touch with someone who knows more of the details.  The name
    "Betty Pichette" occurs to me, but that may be wrong.
    
    Good luck in your search.  I hope you have more luck than I had when I
    tried to find out about possible bar-code inventory control systems in
    use around the company.  I finally dropped it when I couldn't find
    anything turnkey.  This should be more straightforward.
    
    Regards,
    		John Cross

                    <<< Note 2439.0 by TINCUP::VENTURELLA >>>
          -< Information on electronic time card submission systems >-


>I am looking for information on any electronic time card submission systems
>in use within Digital. If you you using one I would like to know what types
>of functionality it contains, how approvals are done, does it have any
>facilities for tracking project time, etc...

>thanks,
>
>joe


Get directly in touch with Len Haug, Payroll Manager for Digital.  He sits in 
PKO.

    Re: .1

    The project management tool PMF includes an electronic job ticketing
    facility, where team members can enter actual dates and actual hours
    against tasks and overhead categories each week.  Is this the system
    you used?  (The phrase "job ticket" caught my eye.)

    If so, Nancy Cross (MODEL::CROSS) is the person to contact for more
    information.

    In the UK we have a system called 'SAMS'.  All direct Digital services
    people enter their time each week and then the time is charged out
    to the purchasing Account team.
    
    I would not recommend it for Project management as the PM has no
    control over the amounts of time entered against the project, nor
    people 'qualified' to book to a project.  Having said that, we are
    repeatedly told that SAMS was never intended as a control tool, only
    to track amounts of direct labour booked.  It also accumulates totals
    of overhead time spent in each week.
    
    This situation will change in the near future when an integrated
    project reporting system becomes available.
    
    Calvin                                                         

    
    Read my personal_name ;-)

  If .0 is asking about time cards and not labor tickets, converting to an elec-
tronic time card is not doable unless the U.S. Payroll dept. is involved in the
project, and I don't expect that to happen anytime soon. 
  If .0 is talking about labor tickets, there are several electronic systems in
use. It can be done either by employees entering their own time on-line or by
employees submitting time logs (usually via electronic mail) to a secretary,
who then enters the time into a program. Having the employees enter their own
time is more efficient IF the system is user-friendly and simple.
  In my former job, we used a system called LJT in which employees entered 
their own time. It was not user-friendly and took more user time than filling
out paper labor tickets as we did 10 years ago. The way it works is that the
cost center's maintainer "loads" the system with all relevant charge numbers and
the cost center's allotted hours for each. As users enter their time on Thurs.
or Fri., the time is drawn down. If the allotted time for a charge number is
overdrawn, the system tells you and doesn't allow you to enter any further time.
On the surface, this
sounds like a good idea, but in practice it doesn't work because it means if
there is an overdraft, you are caught in a bind. You must either set up a per-
sonal "overdraft log" in which you borrow time from a charge number with plenty
of time on it to make up the deficit and submit your time log on time (and make
up the time after more hours have been added to the overdrawn charge number)
or try to get more hours added to the charge number on the spot, which usually
means submitting your time log late. 
  If you submit time logs on paper or by electronic mail, overdrafts can, of
course, still occur, but this doesn't prevent you from submitting your time
log on time. Any electronic system that is set up should not interfere with the
timely submission of time logs.

First I would like to thank everyone for the help provided, both via
this notesfile and mail. Since my base note was vague I received comments
on a lot of different systems.

Clarification: My base note was confusing because I was exploring solutions for
	two needs and didn't actually say that. Primarily I am interested in
	a system that would allow standard timecards to be submitted 
	electronically. My hope was to find a system that tracks all labor
	by project and automatically generates timecards when necessary
	(vacation taken, etc...).

Again, thanks for the help,
joe

    A couple of years ago we developed an electronic time card process in
    Augusta.  This system was supported by Len Haug (Corp. Payroll) and was
    tied into the Corp. Payroll System.  The system permitted hourly people
    to enter their time on a weekly basis and salaried people to enter time
    for vacation and personal time.  The system got electronic approval and
    automatically fed the information through RTE (Remote Timecard Entry)
    into the payroll system.  We felt this system could save millions by
    avoiding the keypunching and verification of the data.  I've heard the
    system was passed on to the FMC but I'm not sure why it hasn't been
    implemented.  I really wish somebody would champion this project
    because it could save a great deal of money with minimal investment!
    

Here in SF, our time cards are submitted electronically.  After
we fill out the time card and get it signed, someone enters them
into the system here.  

Hote on SBS, it is NOT a time card system.  It is a system that
perpetuates fictitious information about what Sales Support and
Software Delivery people are doing to middle management so they
can plan who to lay off at the next TSFO, AKA a time tracking 
system.  My manager just showed me a report from SBS.  This report
showed that the Account Group was using 32 Support People when they 
budgetted for 25.  We are personned at 25.  

Larry

    Is there not some way or should'nt there be one for hourly field
    service folks to submit electronically a time card that could be linked
    to the hourly champ report(Engineer Activity report). We as Field
    Engineers (excuse me, Digital Multivendor Customer Support Engineers)
    have to track our every move every day. If this Engineer Activity data
    could be used to submit time cards, it would not only save thousands of
    man-hours but be an accurate audit tool as well.
    
    We make the worlds finest computers and still struggle when it comes to
    making them help us do our jobs.

    I have often wondered the same thing. It would eliminate the need to go
    to the office to turn in a timecard, when we could be out handling
    calls. This translates to about 1 hour a week X (total FS Engineer
    population). That's a LOT of hours.

    -=- Paul