CD ROM Paradise Collection 4/CD ROM Paradise Collection 4 1995 Nov.iso/business/fttlv532.zip/HJS.EXE/MANUAL2.DOC

Text File | 1995-06-12 | 15KB | 316 lines

           FLEXITIME & TIME LOGGING SYSTEM VERSION 5

                       END USER'S MANUAL


1. Logging On

The system should have been set up by your system administrator and you will
have been told which menu item to use to get started. Basically this should
take you to the directory where the program is stored and enter the command
"fttl".

You will see an introductory screen (this is extended in the demonstration
version) and then a calendar will appear with one of the dates (hopefully
today's) highlighted. Unless you want to change the date press ENTER or use
the cursor keys to highlight the correct date and press ENTER.  If you have
to keep changing the date please ask your system administrator to check the
clock on your workstation.

From now on you can obtain help at any point by pressing F1. A help screen
will be displayed and the contents may be viewed by using the cursor keys to
move down and up as required. Press ESC to return to the program.

If you get stuck always try pressing ESC a few times before calling someone.
Read the messages at the bottom of the screen and in the dialogue boxes which
appear from time to time.

You will then be asked to enter your surname. You only need to type in the
first few (3 or 4) letters and you can use any case. When you have typed in
your surname or part of it press ENTER.

If you are the not only person in the system with your surname you will be
given a list starting with the first closest match to what you entered. Use
the up and down cursor keys to highlight your name and initials and press
ENTER.

You will then be asked for your password - you must enter this carefully and
exactly. The system administrator will have given you a password when you were
set up on the system, but you can change it subsequently to one of your own
choosing (Recommended). If you have no password just press ENTER. If you fail
to enter the correct password you will be unceremoniously dumped out of the
system!

You will then see the main screen. This consists of a top level menu on the
top line of the screen, a system description in the centre of the screen and
a message at the bottom right hand corner of the screen saying who you are and
what four week period you are in - it is important that you check this to make
sure it matches what you think it should be.

The top level menu will say

FLEXISHEETS  PERIOD  EMPLOYEES  TIME FILES  SYSTEM  QUIT

and the FLEXISHEETS menu item will be highlighted.

To access a menu item either use the left and right cursor keys to move the
highlight to the desired item and press ENTER, or simply press the first
letter of the required item. If you press ESC while at this top level the
system will assume that you want to QUIT.

Unless you are the System Administrator or a Supervisor you will find that you
can only access the FLEXISHEETS and PERIOD menus.


2. SELECTING A PERIOD


For all flexisheet operations to succeed two things are absolutely critical:-

     1. The correct person has been selected.

     2. The correct period has been selected. A period is a 28 day/four week
     time span starting with the selected date.

The currently selected person and period are shown at the bottom right hand
corner of the screen.

To change the PERIOD highlight the period top level menu item and press ENTER.

A Sub-Menu will appear:

1. Select Period
2. Add next period

To operate the Sub-Menu use the up and down cursor keys to highlight the
required item and press ENTER or just press the number against the required
item.

To leave a Sub-Menu and return to the main menu press ESC.


1. Select Period

You will be presented with a list of periods starting with your currently
selected period. Use the up and down cursor keys to choose the required period
start date and press ENTER. This way you can go back and look at or print out
an old sheet. If the period you require is not there use


2. Add next period  - add the next four week period to the pick list of
possible periods.


To leave the Periods Sub-Menu press ESC.



3. Working with Your Flexisheet


To work with your current flexisheet or to set up a new one choose FLEXISHEETS
from the main menu.

Some points to remember:

     a) Check that you have the right person and period as shown at the
     bottom right hand corner of the screen. If the person is wrong use sub-menu item 8 to change it. If the period start date is incorrect press
     ESC to exit to the main menu and use Periods to change the start date.

     b) If this is a new period or person and there is no flexisheet set up
     for that period and person use sub-menu item 5 to start a new sheet.


1. Enter Flexitime Details

If you are warned that there is no sheet set up, use item 5 to start a new
one. The system will check to see if this is your first ever sheet. You will
also get this check if you have been away and your sheets are not consecutive.
If you have been asked this question it means that all the "carry forwards"
will be set to zero and will need entering by hand. Get your supervisor or
System Administrator to do this for you.

Provided all checks have been passed you will get a calendar with the date of
the next required entry highlighted. To accept this date just press ENTER. To
move to another date (e.g. to correct a prior entry) use the cursor keys to
highlight an alternative date and press ENTER. You cannot select a date
earlier or later than the current period - so to correct a date in a previous
sheet you need to change the period first.

The screen will then display boxes for you to enter your morning in and out
times and your afternoon in and out times. Use a twelve hour clock and enter
the hours and minutes in separate boxes as shown. Press ENTER to move to the
next box and use the up arrow to move back through the boxes to make any
amendments. If a box is filled the highlight will automatically move to the
next box.

When all the boxes have been filled in the system will attempt to calculate
that day's totals and display them on the lower half of the screen. At this
point you can press ENTER to continue or ESC to abandon and start again. You
are reminded about this at the bottom of the screen.

If you press ENTER you will be presented a menu of possible reasons for
absence including N/A for not applicable (or not absent). Choose the required
item by pressing the appropriate number or using the cursor arrows to
highlight your choice and press ENTER. You can do this up to two times to
allow for mixed reasons for absence. The system will take the appropriate
action or prompt you for further input as necessary depending on the reason
you have chosen. Don't worry if you make mistakes here because you can always
abandon or not confirm input and start again, or go right back and choose this
date again and start over.

When you have finished this you will be asked for any additional or overtime
hours - that is hours you have worked before or after leaving work that day
that are not otherwise included in the day's calculations. Continuous hours
before or after the start or end of a working day will automatically be
calculated as overtime by the system as will any hours booked into a non work
day. Start and end of working days and which are working days are set by the
System Administrator and cannot be altered by you. Just press ENTER twice to
get past this screen.

You will then be asked whether or not you want to update your flexisheet (that
is - write your entries and the calculations to the hard disk). Just press y
or n as required.

So far you have been entering how much time you have spent at work. Now* you
will be prompted to enter what you have done with that time.

(* This will only happen if your organisation has set up the system so that
you log your own time. Some organisations use a batch system. If you do not
see a time log you can just skip the next section.)

The time log appears with a box showing the various categories for which time
needs to be recorded across the top (there is some information off to the
right which you can see by pressing the right arrow key). In the top right
hand corner you are shown the amount of time you have recorded for today on
your flexitime sheet, how much time you have accounted for (nil to begin with)
and, in red, the different. Initially this will be equal to the negative of
your target because you have not yet entered any time logging details. As you
successively add details this will change - your goal is to make the Achieved
figure match the Today's Target Figure. The figure at the bottom shows you
what the difference, plus or minus, is. A negative figure indicates that you
have not yet logged enough time to match your flexitime sheet.

To add your first item press INS

You will be given a list of CLIENTS - who you have spent some time working
for. Use the cursor keys to highlight the one you want, then press ESC. On a
long list use the PgUp and PgDn keys for speed or type in the first three
letters of the required code and press ENTER. Provided a match can be found
you will be taken to the required entry.

You will then be given a list of JOBS - the detailed job or task you have
spent your time on. Again use the cursor keys to highlight the one you want
and press ESC.

Next you will be given a list of ACTIVITIES - that is the type of work you
have done for this client. Again use the cursor keys to highlight the desired
item and press ESC.

The next screen starts by indicating the Client, Job and Activity selections
you have made. You are placed in a field which contains the default rate for
that job. You will not normally need to change this so just press ENTER.

You then need to enter the hours and minutes which you spent on this job. If
you enter something here you will NOT be allowed to enter one off expenses -
do this on a separate line. However if you just enter 0,0 here you will be
taken to the expenses field so that you can enter one off expenses which are
not related to any time calculation.

Finally you can enter a NOTE to remind you of any detail relating to the time
spent or expense recorded - this is important in the case of expenses.

When you have recorded any notes you are taken back to the time log, but this
time any necessary calculations have been made, a new line appears in the time
log, and the figures in the top right hand corner will have changed.

Repeat the above steps until the Today's Target and Achieved Figures match -
at which point the system will keep beeping at you. Press ESC to finish.

If you have made a mistake, highlight the line containing the mistake and
either press DEL to remove it completely or highlight the field you want to
change and press ENTER. Please note that you cannot change some entries this
way so it is sometimes better to delete the line and start again.

The data for CLIENTS, JOBS and ACTIVITIES is maintained by your supervisor or
the System Administrator. All three must have been properly set up before you
start a job, otherwise you will find that they do not appear in the lists! You
procedures for doing this will have been set up by your organisation.

Finally you will be asked if you want to select another date - again press y
or n as required.


2. View current sheet on screen

This produces a screen image of you current flexisheet. If you have not yet
fully completed the sheet some of the calculations beyond the point where you
have completed your entries will look odd. Press ENTER to move through each
week of the four week period or press ESC to abandon.

3. Quick calculation of flexitime

Produces a quick output of flexitime, leave left and overtime to date.

4. Print current sheet

This will print the current sheet and also write any carry-forwards to a
special file on disk ready for use by the next sheet - it is therefore
normally only relevant to run this when a sheet is complete. Please note that,
when you print a sheet which contains the first day of the month which starts
your organisation's new annual leave year, your annual leave carry forward
will be reset to your default annual leave entitlement without adding any
outstanding leave.

5. Start New Sheet

Initially there is no sheet set up for you for each period. You have to do
this yourself each time you enter a new period where a sheet has not already
been set up. Unless this is your first sheet the system will attempt to carry
forward such things as remaining flexitime and overtime and holidays from the
previous period. This will only work successfully if you have already printed
the previous period's sheet and you will be warned if you do not appear to
have done this. What is carried forward depends on your company's policies and
is established by the System Administrator.  The System Administrator and your
Supervisor will have access to another part of the system which enables them
to amend your carry forwards if they need to. When you choose this item a new
empty sheet will be created. If this is your first sheet or there has been a
gap between sheets you need to get your supervisor to check and establish your
first set of carry forwards.

6. Delete Current Sheet

This does what it says so only use this if you really want to start the
current sheet over again. You will need to recreate a new sheet for the
current period using menu item 5.

7. Amend Targets for this Sheet

For each working day the system establishes a target for hours to be worked.
What is established as a default can be set at overall system level be the
System Administrator and at individual level by your Supervisor. The target
hours can be different for each day in the period if you want - this is
important for part timers. Normally you should not need to alter this but
there may be an "odd" period where you need to. You are presented with a list
of all the dates in the current period and you should enter the date you wish
to change. You can then make the changes necessary. At the top right hand
corner of the screen is a reminder of what your normal target hours are and
how different they will be as a result of the change you have just made. These
figures do not have to be equal - what is allowed is very much dependent on
your organisation's policy. Any changes made this way affect the current sheet
only. If you are finding that you need to change something every time ask your
Supervisor to make the necessary amendments to your defaults file so that
future sheets will automatically be set up correctly.

8. Select Person

This enables someone else who might be sharing your workstation to enter data
without having to close down the system. It works just like the initial
signing on procedure.

9. Change Personal Password

You should use this now and again to prevent unauthorised access to your
flexi-sheets and certainly the first time you use the system.