Introduction to Timelogs

Time is precious, they say. It is true.

It is imperative you know where and how your time is spent. You must identify which activity is eating up your time, and why certain activities never end.

Timelogs module will help you keep track of the time spent on activities, and in turn, you will be able to reach your goals smoothly.

Benefits

Using Timelogs will help you to,

• Create a schedule to complete work on time.
• Identify and eliminate low-value activities on which you may be wasting time.
• Record time against a specific client and automatically bill for tracked hours.
• Avoid procrastination and postpone work.

In Vtiger CRM, Timelogs are majorly used in Tasks, Cases, Internal Tickets, and Work Orders modules.  

Don’t hesitate to scroll down because it just got interesting!

Time Tracking using Timelogs

Logging the time spent on a task is an essential part of Project Management. It helps Project Managers keep track of time spent by team members on activities assigned to them.

Tracking the time will help the managers to:

• Track the estimated time duration v/s actual time spent. This helps in further planning, collaborating, assessing, and budgeting.
• Bring transparency to resources working on assigned tasks.
• Assess team productivity and revise project plans. This becomes an input for future capacity planning.
• Create an invoice with the help of timesheets for clients as per agreed rates.

Use Timelogs, and you can up your game in Project Management!

Wondering how? Read this section to know how Timelogs are used in Tasks.

Feature Availability

Important Fields in Timelogs

Timer for a Timelog

Vtiger CRM has made it easy for you to log time for an activity you are currently working on. All you have to do is click the Timer icon. 

Now, are you wondering where this timer icon is and how to start it? Read on…

Follow these steps to log the time spent on an ongoing activity (task, case, etc,.):

1. Click the Main Menu.
2. Go to any of the following modules:
   • Cases under Support
   • Internal Tickets under Support
   • Tasks under Projects
   • Work Orders under Inventory
3. From the List View, open the record you want to work on.
4. In the Summary View, click the Timer icon from the Timelog block.

You will see the timer ticking in the top bar, and a time log will be automatically created.

5. You can do the following with the timer:

1. If you wish to pause the timer, click the timer on the record or on the top bar and click Pause.
2. Click Resume to resume your work.
3. Click Stop to end the timer.

6. In the Timelog Details window, enter all the details.
7. Click Save.

Different statuses of a time log

The Status field in a time log is not editable. It changes automatically based on your actions. Read this segment to understand the statuses that show on your time log.

1. Working: A timelog is in the Working status when the timer is running.
2. Paused: A timelog is in the Paused status if the timer is paused.
3. Completed: A time log is in the Completed status once the timer is stopped.

Creating a Timelog

In the previous section, you read about logging time for an ongoing activity that automatically creates a timelog record. 

In this section, you will read about creating a timelog for an activity that is already completed, provided you have a specific time duration in your mind. 

You can create a timelog in the ways mentioned below:

1. From Timelogs’ List View 

You can use the +Add Timelog button to create a new timelog. 

Follow these steps to create a new timelog:

1. Click the Menu icon.
2. Go to the Projects tab. 
3. Select the Timelogs module.
4. Click the +Add Timelog button.
5. Fill in all the mandatory details.
6. Click the View full form button.
   1. Enable the Is Billable radio button to make the timelog billable.
7. Click Save.

2. From Quick Create

You can also create timelogs by clicking the + button present on the top right corner of the screen.
Follow these steps to create a record using Quick Create:

1. Click the icon displayed on the top right corner of your screen. 
2. Click Show all to view all the modules you can create records in using Quick Create.
3. Select Timelog from Project. 
4. Enter all mandatory details.
5. Click the View full form button.
   • Enable the Is Billable radio button to make the timelog billable.
6. Click Save to save the record.
   • Clicking Cancel discards all the information you entered.

To know more about Quick Create, click here.

3. From Tasks

You can create a timelog through a task with the Do button or from the Timelogs widget. 

Follow these steps to add a timelog from Tasks:

1. Click the Menu icon.
2. Go to the Essentials tab.
3. Select the Tasks module.
4. Open the task you want to work on.
5. From the Summary View, there are two ways:

1. Do button

1. Click the Do button on the top right of the screen.
2. Click Add or Create button.
3. Click Timelogs.

1. Timelogs widget

1. Click the Timelogs widget in the right-side panel.
2. Click the + icon.

6. Enter all necessary details.
7. Click the View full form button.

1. Enable the Is Billable radio button to make the timelog billable.

8. Click Save.

This newly created timelog will be linked to the task. It is visible in the Timelogs widget in the Summary View of the record.

List View in Timelogs

List View sorts and lists all timelogs based on the last modified timelog. Let us learn more about the List View in the Timelogs module.

• Columns in List View 

The columns that are visible by default in the List View are:

1. Timelog Name -  Displays the name of the timelog.
2. Related To - Displays the module for which the timelog is created.
3. Started On - Displays the date and time when the timelog was started.
4. Ended On - Displays the date and time when the timelog was finished.
5. Status - Displays the current state of the timelog.
6. Assigned To - Display the user to whom the timelog is assigned to.
7. Is Billable? - Displays Yes or No, based on whether the timelog will be invoiced or not. 

• List View actions

You can perform quick actions such as Edit, Export, Tags, etc. on the List View’s timelog records. 

To learn more about List View actions in Vtiger CRM, click here.

Ways to View a Timelog

• Summary View

Summary View is the view that appears when you click a particular record from the List View. The Summary View displays the key information of a record.

Summary View can be divided into the following three sections. Each section has a particular functionality.

• Summary View actions

• Follow: You can follow a time log record to get updates on all the activities performed on that record.
• Tags: You can add tag names to the record to identify the record quickly.
• Duplicate: You can duplicate the current record and have all the details reflected in a new record.
• Delete: You can delete a record by clicking this button.
• Link: You can copy the URL of the current record.

• Activity 

You can add comments and view the updates made on a particular record by enabling it in the Filters button.

• Do button

When you click on the Do button on the top right corner of the Summary View, you can add or create other modules related to the timelog.

• Deep Dive View

You can view and edit information in a time log record by clicking the Deep Dive button in the Summary View of the record.

Timelogs in Tasks

Time logs are used to track the time spent on a task, a case, a work order, or even an internal ticket. 

In this section, you will read and understand the importance and benefits of using a time log to track the time spent on a task. Remember, the same logic applies to a case, work order, and an internal ticket as well.

Different types of billing task

A time log related to a task can be billed in either of these modes:

1. Project-based billing - The project is billed at a fixed rate for the execution of the project. Hours are tracked for internal planning only and not used for invoicing the client.
2. Resource-based billing - Rates are assigned based on the resource’s skills and experience. Billable effort varies based on the resource assigned to a task.
3. Task-based billing - Rates are based on the type of service. Billable effort is based on the service rate and the number of billable hours logged for a Task. This is the only mode of billing supported in Vtiger.

Creating a billable task is no rocket science. All you have to do is enable a radio button.

Follow these steps to create a billable task:

1. Click the Main Menu.
2. Go to the Projects tab.
3. Select the Tasks module.
4. In the List View, click +Add Task on the top right corner of the screen.
5. Fill in the mandatory fields.
6. Click the View full form button.
7. Scroll down to the Service Details section.
8. Enable the Is Billable radio button. The dependant fields - Service and Rate are visible. 
9. Click the Services icon.
   • You can also search the service by entering its name.
   • You can add a service by clicking the + icon.
10. Select a service from the list of all services.
11. Click Save.

Logging time for a billable task

Now the billable task is ready, you can start working on it and track the time spent on it. 

Follow these steps to log time for an ongoing task:

1. Click the Main Menu.
2. Go to the Projects tab.
3. Select the Tasks module.
4. Open the task you are working on from the List View.
5. In the Summary View, click the Timer icon in the Timelog block.
   • A time log record is automatically created.
6. Click the Pause icon if you wish to take a break from the task.
7. Click the Stop icon once you are done with the task.
8. In the Timelog Details window, you can,

1. Provide a name for the timelog.
2. Enter the time spent on the task.
3. Enter log details if you have any.
4. Enable the Is Billable radio button if you want a bill.

9. Click Save.

You can view time log details in the Deep Dive View of the task.
 

As an Admin, you can restrict users from manually adding the time spent and allow users to create time logs using the timer.

• Admins, for a given profile, can limit the number of time logs that can be created only via the timer. Users can start and end the timer to create a time log automatically.
• Admins, for a different profile, can allow users to create time logs manually, where they will set the start and end time and time spent (if enabled in the profile).

Timelogs in Workflows