Time Capture

Overview

The Time Capture feature enables users to record the amount of time they spend working on primary items. Time can be captured on state and transition forms. The Time Capture feature can be enabled or disabled at various levels (system, workflow, project, or for specific states and transitions).

For transition forms, time entries always apply to the current state of an item. For example, if an item is in an "Assigned" state, all time entries applied during a transition out of the state or during an update are attributed to the "Assigned" state. In other words, work is considered to have occurred while the item was assigned. You can also require users to record time spent for all transitions or for specific transitions.

For state forms, all states an item has resided in are available for users to capture time. This is so users can capture time for work they completed while the item resided in a particular state.

Entries can be in quarter-hour increments in digit format (4.25 or 4,25, for example, to represent 4 hours and 15 minutes), cannot exceed 30 days, and cannot be in the future. Dates are shown in the date/time format selected in each user's profile.

When users are viewing a state form, a time summary shows the total time captured for a particular item for all users. When users are working with a transition form, the summary shows entries for the item's current state.

Summary reports can be used to sum time capture entries for particular projects based on specific report criteria.

Time Capture changes are noted in the Change History section.

Enabling Time Capture Options

By default, Time Capture options are disabled, but they can be enabled for your entire system or at various levels. You can override the settings at each of these levels. This allows users to record time spent on items only when the information is required or is meaningful for your process.

Time Capture options can be enabled or disabled at these levels:

You can also require users to enter the amount of time spent on an item for all transitions in your system, in specific application workflows, for all transitions in a project, or for individual transitions.

Time Capture Form Placement

Privileges and Time Capture

In general, Item privileges control users' ability to use the Time Capture options.

For example, users who can only view items can see entries, but not add, edit, or delete them.

Users who can update or transition items can add, edit, and delete their own entries, but cannot do so on behalf of other users. These users can also view entries made by other users.

The "View Change History" privilege is also required for users to view, edit, and delete Time Capture entries on state forms.

Managed administrators who have privileges to edit a project can edit and delete time capture entries on behalf of other users.

"Super" administrators can edit and delete time capture entries on behalf of other users.

For details on user privileges, refer to About Privileges. For details on administrative privileges, refer to Administrative Privileges.

Calendars and Time Capture

The system will automatically distribute time entries over several days. For example, if a user enters 20 hours for an item for a five-day duration, the system automatically distributes four hours to each day.

Users can change the distribution of hours as needed.