Introduction
Our newest Bezala feature is Time & Attendance, where employees can write their time entries either as work time or project time.
Work time entries only records generally how much work you do each day. See more here.
Project time entries tell you how much time your employees spend on each task. This time entry version is popular with e.g. consulting companies that need it for client billing.
This article will explain to you how you create the different tasks your employees can choose from, when they do their project time entries.
0. Before tasks you need to have cost centers
The cost centers do not need to be named as cost centers. They can have different names, such as projects. Go to cost center view like this: Main menu ==> Cost Centers ==> "+Add cost center" to create new cost center. To edit an already existing one you should click edit pen on correct cost center row.
Note these things when you create cost centers that are going to be used in time entries:
Make sure that you have a cost center for your whole company, e.g. Company name, so you can create project tasks that are for everyone, e.g. internal meetings, education etc.
If you only need the cost center(s) for time entries, not expenses then you should do this:
Make sure you name the dimension of the cost centers as time entry or something that includes the words time entry.
Make sure all time entry cost centers use exactly the same dimension name, because the name is case sensitive. This means that time entry, Time entry and Time Entry are all different names.
Contact Bezala's customer support at [email protected] and include the following in the email:
Your Bezala environment name
Your name
I want to use include cost center's dimension name(s) here just for time entries.
Tip: If you want to exclude cost centers from time entries, give us the name of those dimensions and say that these should only be used for expense forms.
Read more about cost centers here.
Read more about how to massimport cost centers with excel.
1. How to create Tasks:
You need at least a manager role in Bezala to create tasks, and you can only do this in the web version.
1a) Before you create tasks:
Create cost centers you need for tasks (see above 0.)
Make sure Project time check box is on:
Login to webversion and click "Company settings" in main menu.
Go to "Basic settings"-tab.
Check "Project time" check box in Time & Attendance feature-section:
1b) How to create Tasks:
Login to webversion and click "Company settings" in main menu.
Go to "Tasks"-tab.
Click "+New Task" in lower right-hand corner.
Fill in information:
Task name: your tasks name, e.g. internal meeting
Project drop-down list: Here you can see the list of your available cost centers that you created in step 0. Your choice here limits the task to a specific project (i.e. cost center). Therefore, it is important to choose project on appropriate level (e.g. Company level for general internal tasks, more specific level for specific tasks).
External ID: If your payroll/other system uses external ID for every task, fill in the same ID here for that specific task.
State drop down list: In progress, Completed or Not started.
Start and End date: If you want to limit the time for when employees can start/must stop using this specific task.
Notes: add clarifying note for task, if you want to make sure it is not used in the wrong way.
Check box "Show billable field": make sure you click if billable, unclick if task is not billable.
Click "Save Task".
2. Task visibility: who/where/when
2a) Who
Make sure cost center, i.e. chosen project in task project drop down list has the correct visibility. If cost center visibility field in "choose resources" in cost center edit page is empty, it means that everybody can see this project.
2b) Where:
Depending on if you have enabled both absences and project time or just project time in Time and Attendance feature-section (see above 1a3) you will in the main menu see Time & Attendance or Project time.
Project time-tab
Click "+New time entry"-button in lower right-hand corner
Fill in information:
Choose "Project": Drop-down list shows all cost centers you have created that have correct visibility (see above 0.2c and 2.2a).
Choose "Task": Choice of "Project" limits the task drop-down list to only tasks added to that project (see above 1b.4b).
Task notes: here are the user instructions shown, which you could have added when you created task (see above 1b.4f, and down below in screen shot marked with yellow).
Date (only one day's date can be chosen).
True hours: The hours you worked on the project. Fill in either in HH:MM format or decimal hour format with comma or dot. So 7h and 30 min is either 07:30 or 7,5 or 7.5.
Description: fill in more detailed information about your task.
User: For manager and accountant role users you can switch for which user you create time entry.
Click "Create time entry".
In the "Project time"-tab you can see your own/other users project time entries. You can sort by:
Project (i.e. cost centers used by users in time entries)
Description or Task name
Date range
User: if you leave field empty you will see all project time entries in Company. Default value in this field is your own name, which therefore only shows your own time entries.
How do I see every time entry for a specific task?
In project time-tab, you should clear the User sort tool (marked with blue in screenshot down below).
Write task name in "Task name"-field (marked with green in screenshot down below).
You can then click "Download Spreadsheet" to get all task related time entries in one excel file.
2c) When: Visibility issues due to task state
Visibility might also be limited due to timing, i.e. task state (see above 1b.4d). This is how you can check if task is not visible, when creating time entries:
Click Company settings in main menu
Tasks-tab
Sort by "Completed" or/and "Not started" or write task name in field if you know it.
If task is found in list, click edit pen on correct row to change task state.
Choos in progress instead of "Completed" / "Not started"
Click Save Task
Go back to Project time-tab and try creating a time entry with task:
FAQ
Why is the project/task not visible for my employee?
Check the following things:
Go to cost centers and search for cost center (i.e. project name)
Click edit pen and check if visibility field is:
Empty: Then project should be visible, unless dimension has been limited (see also above 0.1).
Names are included in field: Add the name of the employee and click save.
Go to Tasks-tab and check under which project the relevant task is made under. Inform employee to choose that project, when making time entries to find that task or edit task and choose a project on a better level (See also above 1b.4b and 2b.3ab).
Go to Tasks-tab and check State of task. Task needs to be "In progress" to be visible to your employee. Click edit and change task state.
How do I limit visibility of Projects and Tasks for my employees?
If you limit project i.e. cost center visibility, then only the cost center resources can see the tasks added to that project. In screen shot below only Bezala Assistant and Bezala support can see tasks connected to 1 Admin project.
If task is created before it should be used, then you do it by making task state as "Not started" and add a start date for the task. The state should be updated to in progress automatically, when start date arrives.