Manage timesheet periods

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Topic Last Modified: 2016-11-14

Managed Time Periods was introduced in Microsoft Office Project Server 2003. Managed Time Periods enables Project Managers to assign a timeframe when team members can enter time for their assignments and administrative tasks. The organization can assign criteria; for example, time periods can be weekly or monthly. When the time period passes, the Administrator can close Managed Time Periods to prevent users from submitting additional time.

Managed Time Periods is called Timesheet Periods in Microsoft Office Project Server 2007. Timesheet Periods are not applied to the My Tasks page as they were in previous versions of Project Server. The My Tasks page displays tasks depending on the Define Current Tasks option in Task Settings and Display. Timesheet Periods is part of the new Timesheet feature in Office Project Server 2007.

The first purpose of the Timesheet Periods feature is to report non-project work or Administrative time. This feature replaces the Administrative Projects feature in Project Server 2003. An organization may decide to report additional task work on the Timesheet or to allow the team member to decide what will be updated in the Timesheet. This is different than the process in the My Tasks page. The Administrator must configure the server with various options and create the Timesheet Periods to enable these actions.

The creation of Timesheet Periods enables organizations to set the criteria for when utilization is reported within the Timesheet feature. When users create a Timesheet to report their progress, the Timesheet is based on the periods that are defined.

The Administrator performs the following steps to open the Timesheet Period page in which Timesheets are created:

  1. Log in to Project Web Access as Administrator.

  2. Click Server Settings.

  3. In the Time and Task Management section, click Timesheet Periods.

Define Bulk Period Parameters

The Administrator can click Insert Before or Insert After and set the calendar to create time periods individually. This is the same as previous versions of Project Server. A new feature in Office Project Server 2007 is used to define bulk periods.

The following fields are required if the Administrator chooses to create multiple periods through the Define Bulk Period Parameters section:

  1. Number of periods to be created. By default, this field is pre-populated with 52 to reflect 52 weeks in one year. The field can be modified; for example, 6 months = 26 weeks

  2. Date the first period starts. The first period begins on the date that the user enters or selects with the calendar icon.

  3. Type the standard period length (days). The length in days for each period where the user enters progress. By default, this field is pre-populated with 7 days or weekly. The field can be modified; for example, 15 (bi-monthly) or 30 (monthly).

Define Batch Naming Convention

In conjunction with Define Bulk Period Parameters, the Define Batch Naming Convention feature enables the Administrator to use a unique naming convention for each period that is created with the Bulk Creating option.

The naming convention uses the following format: prefix, sequence number, and suffix.

  1. Type a prefix. Added in the beginning of the naming convention; for example, a prefix can be Fiscal Year (FY) or an abbreviation to represent a specific Project Server if more than one Project Server is deployed in an organization. This is a text field with a limit of 15 characters.

  2. Next Sequence Number. The sequence number the bulk periods starts from. This field is required. The field is typically 1 for each year that is defined; however, an organization can choose to begin where the last year ended.

  3. Type a suffix. Added at the end of the naming convention. A suffix can be the year, such as 2007 or FY 2007. This is a text field with a limit of 15 characters.

After the parameters and naming convention are entered, the user clicks the Create Bulk button to create multiple time periods. The timesheet periods are displayed in the Create Periods section.

Create Periods

The Create Periods section displays the timesheet periods that are created automatically with the Create Bulk option, Period Label, Start Date, End Date, and Status.

If timesheet periods are created manually, the Insert Before and Insert After buttons are used to add the periods. The Administrator selects the following:

  • Start Date and End Date by clicking the cell, using the calendar date picker, and clicking Insert Before or Insert After.

  • Enter a Period Label or accept the default value; for example New Period: 1/6/2008–1/12/2008.

When timesheet periods are defined by any means, they cannot contain the following:

  • Duplicate Names for the Period Label.

  • Gaps between the timesheet periods; for example, 1/1/2007–1/5/2007 and 1/8/2007–1/12/2007.

  • Overlap between timesheet periods; for example, 1/1/2007–1/5/2007 and 1/3/2007–1/7/2007.

If the timesheet periods contain the information above, a warning message appears below the Timesheet Periods heading. The warning message asks the user to correct the mistake. This functionality also appears in Project Server 2003.

Status Field

The Status field shows whether the timesheet period is opened or closed. The Status must be Open to allow users to enter values in their timesheet. By default, timesheet periods are Open when they are first created, which allows the user to plan administrative time into future periods.

Closing Timesheet Periods

In accordance with the organization's financial reporting requirements, Timesheet Periods are marked closed so that no further updates can be submitted for the specified time period. To close a Timesheet Period, the Administrator selects the Status field for the timeframe and clicks the drop-down menu to select Closed.

When Timesheet Periods are closed, users cannot create or submit their timesheet. The Status field indicates if the timesheet is Not Yet Created, In Progress, or Closed Period on the user's Timesheet List. If the Status field is marked Closed Period, the team member cannot enter values for the closed timesheet.

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