Time approval
Use this function to manage time entered by individual employees.
You use this function to control, approve, or reject time entry records once an employee has entered and "validated" labor time either using the Time entry function (PJMTE), or the Weekly timesheet function (PJMTEW). For a single company, you can manage time entry records at a single site or at all sites, for a single employee or for all employees, for a single project or for all projects, and for non-project activities.
Time entry record control and approval is usually carried out by a project manager, or a project administrator.
Entry, approval, and posting of labor time occurs in separate individual stages. An optional stage is available to your organization if they require it. This additional stage is called a "control" phase. It is essentially the opportunity for one time entry administrator to review a validated time entry record before a different time entry administrator approves it. With a control phase in place the processing cycle of a time entry record is as follows:
- Entry: Labor time is entered, then validated.
Entry and validation takes place in the Time entry function (PJMTE) or in the Weekly timesheet function (PJMTEW).
Entry, and validation that the time entered is correct is usually made by the employee themselves, by the user that entered the time entry record, or by a time entry administrator.
Each new time entry record is created at Validated status if the PJMTIMAUTO - Time entry auto. validation parameter (TC chapter, PJM group) is set to Yes. - Control: All validated time entry records must be "controlled" before they can be approved if the PJMTIMENT - Time entry control phase parameter (TC chapter, PJM group) is set to Mandatory.
The "control" phase takes place in this function (PTEVAL).
Time entry record control is usually carried out by a project manager or a project administrator. Whatever the role of the manager or administrator they must be authorized as such in their function profile, as defined in their user record. - Approval: Validated and controlled (optional phase) time entry records are approved or rejected.
Approval or rejection of a validated and controlled time entry record takes place in this function (PTEVAL), again usually by a project manager or a project administrator. - Time entry records must be approved using this function before they can be posted.
- A time entry record cannot be changed once it has been controlled.
- Rejected time entry records are redisplayed in the Time entry function and in the Weekly timesheet function for correction.
- Posting: When a time entry record is posted it is included as a cost against a project in the accounting module.
The posting of an approved time entry record takes place in the Time posting function (PTELABPOS).
All time entry records must first be validated then controlled (mandatory if the PJMTIMENT parameter is set) before they can be approved then posted.
Time entry records can only be posted if they have been approved using this function.
Prerequisites
Refer to documentation Implementation
Screen management
The Time approval function contains a home section for you to enter your selection criteria, two sections for you to view labor time awaiting validation and to process time that has been validated, and a reference section:
- To process. Use this section to change the status of validated time entry records.
- Awaiting validation. Use this section to view time spent, by date that the employee has not yet validated. This section is particularly useful for time entry administrators in ensuring all expected time entry records complete the time management process in a timely manner.
- Analytical dimension. This section displays the analytical dimension types associated with the selected site. They are for reference only and cannot be posted to the general ledger.
Header
Presentation
Use this section to filter or select your employee time records:
- Start date / End date. To manage labor time entered for a single day, enter the same date in the Start date and End date fields. You can leave the Start date field blank to search all records to date.
- Project. Type in or select a specific project code, or leave blank to include all projects and non-project activities.
You filter the results by the status of the time entry records using the Status field. This field is mandatory.
Close
Fields
The following fields are present on this tab :
Block number 2
Criteria
| Type in or select the company at which the projects are managed. |
| Use this field to filter for employee time records for a budget site, which will be a financial site, or for a task site, which will be an operational site. Type in or select a specific site code or to include all sites, leave blank. |
|
|
| The site for which the employee time records are to be selected. |
| Type in or select a particular job role.
|
| The user code against which employee time records have been entered.
|
| Use this field to filter the parent (or source) project codes to which you, or the defined employee are assigned. Type in or select a specific project code or to include all project codes, leave blank. |
|
|
| Filter for results within a range of dates. For a single day, enter the same date in the Start date and End date fields. You can leave the Start date field blank to search all records to date. |
| Use this field to filter the employee time records to be selected by the current work in progress status of the time entry line. The following stages are associated with the validation process of a time entry record:
|
Close
Tab To process
Presentation
Use this section to change the status of validated time entry records.
The actions available are displayed sequentially, according to the current status of the time entry line. For example, the Approve action is only displayed when the labor time records have been controlled if your organization has a "control" phase in place. The management sequence is Validate > Control (optional) > Approve. The Reject action is only available until labor time has been controlled or approved, as appropriate.
Tip: To change the status of all displayed lines, click the Select all action.
The user record controls each stage of the entry and validation cycle of a time entry record, as follows:
The Time entry check box must be selected to enter and validate your own labor time. The Time entry check box and the Time entry administrator check box must be selected to enter labor time for a different user. The assigned Function profile must be authorized for function PTEVAL (Time approval) with option 4 to "validate" labor time for a different user. The assigned Function profile must be authorized for function PTEVAL (Time approval) with option 5 to "control" labor time. The assigned Function profile must be authorized for function PTEVAL (Time approval) with option 6 to "approve" labor time. To "reject" a time entry line, the assigned Function profile must be authorized for function PTEVAL (Time approval) with option 7.
Close
Fields
The following fields are present on this tab :
Grid
| Select this checkbox if the status of this particular time entry line must be changed. |
| This field displays the current status of this validated time record. The following stages are associated with the validation cycle of a time entry record:
|
| The user code against which employee time records have been entered.
|
| This field displays the specific date this labor time was carried out by this employee. Time can be entered against a project, a task, an operation, for a specific budget code, and for non-project activities such as training, or annual leave. |
| This field displays the code of a particular project or job your company is working on. |
| This field displays the specific task code for the displayed project against which this labor time was recorded. Each task code corresponds with an operational phase of a project. |
| This field displays the specific task operation sequence number against which this employee's labor time was recorded. |
| This field displays the specific budget code for the displayed project against which this labor time was recorded. Each budget code represents a financial phase of a project. |
| This field displays the description of the task operation sequence number. |
| This field defaults to the currency associated with the sales site (Sales site field) defined for the project. It cannot be changed once the project has been created. |
| This field displays the code that applies to the unit of time in which this labor time was recorded. |
| This field displays the amount of time this employee entered against a specific activity on a specific date. Time can be entered against a project, a task, a task operation, and against a specific budget code, and for non-project activities such as training or annual leave. |
| This field displays the specific time category (for example, overtime, double time, travel time) against which this employee's labor time was recorded. |
| This field displays the factor by which the labor rates defined in the Project labor rate (PJMCST) and Employee labor rate (CLBCST) fields for this time entry will be multiplied. It is determined by the value of the Time category field (PTETYP). For example, it will display "1" if the time category is blank as this equates to standard working time, or "2" if the defined time category equates to a rate to be paid at double standard working time. If set to "0" (zero) this time entry record will be valued at zero. This rate multiplier is used in the Financial overview function (PJMFINOV0) (cost calculation) and in the Time posting function (PTELABPOS) to calculate the value of the associated journal entry line. The amount posted will be calculated using the appropriate formula:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| This field displays for a budget code, the financial site associated with the operating site, or for a task, the operating site for this project. |
| This field displays the code of the user that created or entered this record. |
| This field displays the code of the last user to modify this record. |
| This field displays the code of the user that validated this record. |
| This field displays the code of the user that controlled this record. Essentially this indicates that one project manager or project administrator has reviewed this time entry record before a different project manager or project administrator approves it.
|
| This field displays the code of the user that approved this record. |
| This field, if populated, displays the code of the user that formally rejected this record. |
| This field displays the code of the user that posted this record. |
Close
Action icon
Currency rate
Click Currency rate from the Actions icon to view or change the exchange rate applied to this line.
Close
Tab Awaiting validation
Presentation
This section displays all new time entries for the filters defined in the home section. Use this section to view labor time entered by date that the employee has not yet validated.
The time entries in this section are not yet ready to be processed.
This section is particularly useful for time entry administrators in ensuring all expected time entry records complete the time management process in a timely manner.
Fields
The following fields are present on this tab :
Grid
| The user code against which employee time records have been entered.
|
| This field displays the specific date this labor time was carried out by this employee. Time can be entered against a project, a task, an operation, for a specific budget code, and for non-project activities such as training, or annual leave. |
| This field displays the code of a particular project or job your company is working on. |
| This field displays the specific task code for the displayed project against which this labor time was recorded. Each task code corresponds with an operational phase of a project. |
| This field displays the specific task operation sequence number against which this employee's labor time was recorded. |
| This field displays the specific budget code for the displayed project against which this labor time was recorded. Each budget code represents a financial phase of a project. |
| This field displays the description of the task operation sequence number. |
| This field displays the code that applies to the unit of time in which this labor time was recorded. |
| This field displays the amount of time this employee entered against a specific activity on a specific date. Time can be entered against a project, a task, a task operation, and against a specific budget code, and for non-project activities such as training or annual leave. |
| This field displays the specific time category (for example, overtime, double time, travel time) against which this employee's labor time was recorded. |
| This field displays the factor by which the labor rates defined in the Project labor rate (PJMCST) and Employee labor rate (CLBCST) fields for this time entry will be multiplied. It is determined by the value of the Time category field (PTETYP). For example, it will display "1" if the time category is blank as this equates to standard working time, or "2" if the defined time category equates to a rate to be paid at double standard working time. If set to "0" (zero) this time entry record will be valued at zero. This rate multiplier is used in the Financial overview function (PJMFINOV0) (cost calculation) and in the Time posting function (PTELABPOS) to calculate the value of the associated journal entry line. The amount posted will be calculated using the appropriate formula:
|
| This field defaults to the currency associated with the sales site (Sales site field) defined for the project. It cannot be changed once the project has been created. |
| This field displays Awaiting validation. This status indicates that the time entry line is either incomplete, is still work in progress, or this line has been devalidated, corrected and is currently awaiting validation. |
Action icon
Currency rates
Click Currency rates from the Actions icon to view or change the exchange rate applied to this line.
Close
Tab Analytical dimension
Presentation
This section displays the analytical dimension types associated with a time entry selected in the To process section.
The analytical dimensions are just for reference, they cannot be changed using this function.
Default dimension code PTE is supplied with your system to provide default dimension values for a new time entry record. PTE is defined in the Default dimensions function (GESCDE).
Close
Fields
The following fields are present on this tab :
Block number 2
| This table is loaded automatically with the default dimension types for the site of the selected time entry line. |
| Type in or select a dimension code to assign to the associated dimension type.
|
Close
Specific actions
Click the Search action to load the list of time entry records that meet the entered selection criteria. The maximum number of lines displayed is defined in the Inquiry screens function (GESGTC) for code PTE. |
Click the Select all action to select the Status change check box for all lines in the To process section. |
Click the Deselect all action to clear the Status change check box for all lines in the To process section. |
Click the Validate action to validate all lines in the To process section with the Status change check box selected. |
Click the Control action to confirm that you have reviewed all lines in the To process section with the Status change check box selected. This action is only available if your organization uses a "Control" phase as part of the labor time approval process (the PJMTIMENT - Time entry control phase parameter (TC chapter, PJM group) is set to Mandatory). |
Click the Reject action to formally reject all lines in the To process section with the Status change check box selected. This action is only available for time entry lines at Validated status. It not available for lines that have been controlled or approved.
|