Timesheet list

This Office product will reach end of support on October 10, 2017. To stay supported, you will need to upgrade. For more information, see , Resources to help you upgrade your Office 2007 servers and clients.

 

Topic Last Modified: 2016-11-14

Team members can create their timesheet and report utilization when requirements for Timesheet Periods, Timesheet Classifications, Administrative Time, and Timesheet Settings and Defaults are defined by stakeholders and are configured in the project server by the Administrator.

Users click the My Timesheet page to display their Timesheet List and perform the following actions:

  • Create and access timesheets to track Administrative, Project, and Non-project work.

    • Add more Administrative Time categories to the timesheet.

    • Add task assignments, projects, or ad-hoc line items to record additional utilization.

  • Plan Administrative Time to schedule time away from work.

  • Create Surrogate Timesheets to report utilization on behalf of other users.

  • View the overall status of their timesheets.

This article discusses these features and the display and viewing options that are available with Timesheets.

View Filters

After the Administrator creates the Timesheet Periods, users can create Timesheets for all open periods. Users can utilize the DHTML Grid to view a list of Timesheets that are based on the following filters that are available from the view drop-down menu. The view drop-down menu is located on the right side of the page.

  • Current & Last 3 Months

  • Next 6 Months & Last 3 Months

  • Last 6 Months

  • Last 12 Months

  • All Timesheets

  • Created and in progress

These default filters cannot be customized in Manage Views.

When Timesheets are created, in progress, or complete, users can view their overall status in the Timesheet List. The Timesheet List displays the Timesheet Name, Period, Total Hours, Next Approver, and Transaction Comment.

Depending on the organization's requirements and practices, users may or may not have access to future periods. If a filter is selected, users see only those Timesheets that meet the filter criteria. If no Timesheet fits the criteria, no Timesheet displays. If no Timesheet Periods are defined in the system, the user receives an error that explains that the Administrator has not yet created a Timesheet Period.

Creating Timesheets

There are four types of Timesheets that track utilization. Each of these Timesheets offers versatility to meet an organization's specific requirements.

A Timesheet with default settings is automatically created when users click the link Click to Create in the Timesheet Name column. Depending on the Default Timesheet Creation Mode in Timesheet Settings and Defaults, the Timesheet displays Current task assignments, Current projects, or No prepopulation. Users see Administrative time that is always displayed each time, because the primary purpose of a Timesheet is to track Administrative time.

Users can also hover over the Click to Create link for the time period and click the drop-down menu to create a Timesheet. The user can then select one of the four types of Timesheets to create:

  • Create with Default Setting. The Timesheet is automatically populated with the information that the Administrator configures as the default.

  • Create with Tasks. Lists the current assignments for the Timesheet Period and Administrative Time.

  • Create with Projects. For a Timesheet where utilization is reported per project, team members report the total hours they spend on all current tasks for their assigned projects.

  • Do Not Auto-populate. Users can select this option to yield a Timesheet with Administrative Time categories that are marked Always Display.

When a Timesheet is created, it is automatically populated with the following Administrative Time Categories that are marked Always Display. These additional timesheet options add additional line items to the Timesheet.

Plan Administrative Time

Some Administrative Time Categories may not be marked Always Display. The Plan Administrative Time feature enables users to add these other categories to their Timesheet. After a user clicks Plan Administrative Time, the Administrative Time dialog box displays and the user can add the category to the Timesheet for the selected period. The user sees the following parameters in the Administrative Time dialog box:

  • Category. The categories that are defined in the drop-down list correspond to the Administrative Time Categories that the Administrator configures.

  • Approval required. The individual Administrative Time Category is marked for approval that is required in the Administrative Time settings. This requirement dictates that the Timesheet must be routed to the Timesheet Manager for approval.

  • Work Type. This designation is assigned to the Administrative Time category. Sick Time, Jury Duty, and Family Leave are examples of Non-Work types. Training is an example of Working. The person is out of the office but is still contributing to their overall time utilization.

  • Description. Users can add comments regarding why this category is added to the Timesheet.

  • Period. The Timesheet Period where the Administrative Time category is applied. The Save button is not available if the user tries to add this category to an approved Timesheet.

    • Committed. The hours that are applied to the Administrative Time category. These can be hours that the user is out sick or is in training.

    • Planned. The hours in the future when the individual is not available. Examples are Training, Military Leave, Family Leave, and Vacation.

A line item for the category is viewable in the Timesheet when the line item is saved.

Surrogate Timesheet

Sometimes unexpected events require a user to be out of the office without planning time to transition details or responsibilities. Under those circumstances, an e-mail or voicemail are the likely method of communication. If a team member is unable to create and submit their own Timesheet, a lead or a Manager with the "Create Surrogate Timesheet" category permission can create, complete, or submit a Timesheet on the team member’s behalf. This is called a Surrogate Timesheet. The hours can be recorded if details about the work for an assignment are known. However, when the user returns, the Timesheet should be imported in the My Tasks page to accurately update the same assignment progress to the Project Manager for inclusion in the project plan.

Creating a Timesheet Surrogate

The following permissions must be enabled for the person who enters the time utilization on behalf of the user:

  • Security Categories: Create Surrogate Timesheets

  • Global Permission: View Surrogate Timesheet

These permissions are not provided by default for users other than the Administrator. A Surrogate Timesheet can be created when these permissions are provided.

You must enter the following information in the Create Surrogate Timesheet page:

  • Timesheet Owner. Click Browse to select the team member’s name.

  • Timesheet Type. Select the type to determine how the Timesheet is pre-populated.

  • Timesheet Period. Select the Timesheet Period that applies to your reported hours.

The Create Timesheet button is available when all information is selected. The Surrogate Timesheet then displays for the surrogate to update.

If the surrogate selects the criteria and clicks Create Timesheet and a Timesheet has already been generated by the originator, a message displays that states that another Timesheet is in progress.

The surrogate timesheet owner clicks Yes to create the Timesheet and to continue to report on behalf of the originator. If the surrogate originator saves the Timesheet, the originator’s Timesheet List shows the status of Surrogate in place of In Progress. If the surrogate performs a Save and Submit action, the status changes to Submitted.

When the originator returns to work and sees a Status of Surrogate for the Timesheet Period indicator, the originator clicks the Timesheet to view and a message returns. The message states that a surrogate was created. The originator then clicks Yes to delete the message or No to cancel.

The warning does not appear if the Surrogate submitted the Timesheet for approval. With a status of Submitted, the originator can use Import Timesheet to update task assignment progress that was entered to the My Tasks page.

Assignment Owner

The Assignment Owner feature can be used to reassign resource tasks if a user will be away for an extended amount of time. The assignment owner is specified in the Manage User information properties under Server Settings. Plans that the resource is assigned to are published for the changes to take effect. The assignments are visible in the Assignment Owners My Tasks page, where the task is worked or it is reassigned to other resources. However, the assignment owner has no effect upon the timesheet feature.

Download this book

This topic is included in the following downloadable book for easier reading and printing:

See the full list of available books at Downloadable books for Office Project Server 2007.