time@work Version 6.0 Available for Download

Version 6.0 of time@work is now released and can be found on the Customer Web (http://customers.systemsatwork.com).

Version 6.0 contains the following enhancements:

PSW Graphical Revision

The browser-based Professional Services Workbench (PSW) has been radically revised to provide a more modern and easier to use interface. Navigation pages are now responsive to the device you are using.

If you are upgrading your system from an earlier version, please take note of a few specific points listed at the end of this email (see Upgrade Notes).

 

taw_version6_screenshot

 

  • The ‘Home Page’ is now the ‘Today’ tab. Tabs contain panels where links to forms, or reports, or other functions are listed. Panels for which there are no current data or functions are not shown.
  • The To Do panel on the Today tab lists tasks that you must perform on your own behalf – timesheets, forms, etc.
  • An Employee’s Current Timesheet can be opened with one click.
  • The Approve panel on the Today tab lists tasks that you must perform on behalf of others – timesheets to authorise, forms to authorise or review, transactions to approve, etc.
  • A Reports panel lists reports that have been specified as useful on this tab.
  • A Shortcuts panel (shown on every tab) provides links to most-used Reports, to Skill searches and to Projects and Employees you are related to through a Role.
  • News are no longer shown following Login, but the most recent item of News is shown in a separate panel on the Today tab.
  • ‘Selection’ (opening forms, reports, etc.) is now consistently through the clicking of an icon arrow_icon. You will no longer open timesheets or forms by clicking on Timesheet Period or Form Reference.
  • The Modify Password and Employee Details options are now accessed by clicking the small triangle, or the employee code or name, in the top right hand corner of the page (next to the new Help button).
  • Administration tools (Ledger Modification, Data Import, Ledger Export, Timesheet Control, Form Control) are listed in a panel on the Administration tab, where links to Reference Data (Employees, Clients, Projects, Tasks, etc.) can also be found.
  • Inquiry Profiles (in Reports panels and in customisable panels in the Reporting tab) are now either profiles that present a grid of data, or profiles that present a report rendered by Crystal Reports or Microsoft Reporting Services, not both.
  • All types of reports are listed in Reports panels or customisable panels in the Reporting tab without differentiation. You need no longer know in advance that a report is a Status Inquiry report, an Active Schedule report or any other type of report.
  • Timesheet History and Form History are available from a separate History tab. All Timesheet History includes timesheets you have submitted, confirmed or authorised, and All Form History includes forms you have submitted, confirmed, authorised or reviewed.

 

Static Data Inquiries

A new type of report has been introduced. Static Data Inquiries enable you to report on Employees, Clients/Projects/Tasks, or Analysis Values, irrespective of whether transactions exist for any of these.

Static Data Inquiries may also be configured to export data into Excel spreadsheets, or CSV text files, so that these can be imported back into time@work or into other systems.

Static Data Inquiries may also be scheduled for execution by the Task Scheduler.

Timesheet Control

We have added a new function to the PSW – Timesheet Control – which allows you to reassign Timesheets waiting for authorisation to other eligible Employees. This is similar to Workflow Control, which has now been renamed as Form Control.

Invoicing

We have revised the way in which you may specify the email recipient for an invoice, using Roles. You may now specify (on System Parameters) the role or roles  – a System, Company, Project or Client role to which an Employee or Client Employee may be assigned –  that will determine the default recipient(s).

We have allowed (optionally) for the specification of additional Employees as recipients of emailed invoices at invoicing runtime (only in the PSW).

We have simplified the specification of Email Subject and Body so that these may be specified at System, Company, Client or Project level, defaulting ‘upwards’ towards System level if no values are found at a lower level.

Invoice Reversal is now available in the PSW (but partial reversal is not yet enabled).

Mobile Browser Interface

This is no longer available.

 

IMPORTANT UPGRADE NOTES

Experience with pre-release upgrades of time@work suggests that it is very important that you should inform your employees that in the new version of the PSW:

They must click the arrow_iconicon to open Timesheets, Forms, Profiles, etc. Clicking on Timesheet Period and Form Reference number will no longer open Timesheets and Forms.

Timesheet and Form history is now reached through the History tab, where All Timesheet History includes timesheets they have submitted, confirmed or authorised, and All Form History includes forms they have submitted, confirmed, authorised or reviewed.

Inquiry Profiles (in Reports panels and in customisable panels in the Reporting tab) are now either profiles that present a grid of data, or profiles that present a report rendered by Crystal Reports or Microsoft Reporting Services, not both.

time@work Maintenance can be used, as always, to upgrade your database. Note that Reports will initially be grouped on the Reporting tab by ‘type – e.g. Active Schedules, Inquiries, Invoice Status Inquiries, etc.

There is also a small, but important change to the technical configuration of the time@work browser application.

So far, all Application pools used by systems@work software used the Classic Managed Pipeline Mode. From Version 6.0 all Application pools must use the default Integrated Managed Pipeline Mode. Any new installation of Version 6.0 will create the new Application Pools appropriately (when the ‘IIS Configuration’ option is chosen during installation), but if you want to continue using your existing Application Pools, you must switch them to the Integrated mode manually.

Demonstration Database

The time@work Demonstration Database has been revised and brought up to date (data are entered for May, June and July 2016).

We expect to release expense@work and forms@work Version 6.0 within the next two weeks.

We look forward to your feedback and suggestions. We intend, in the coming weeks, to release a sub-release with further graphical enhancements to ensure consistency of style throughout the product.

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