Our Client processes weekly payroll per Union guidelines. Several hundred foremen are responsible for reporting their crew's time. Some foremen needed up-to 4 hours to complete the weekly timesheets for their crew each week. Pay-period began on a Monday and ended on the pursuing Sunday. Since timesheets were due by the close of business on Friday, foremen were forced to estimate the hours for the weekend, which often required correction in the following week. Timesheets were FAXed, FedEx’d or delivered in person.

Each Monday morning employees in Accounts Payable (A/P) and Payroll departments (15 in total) would spend over 4 hours entering timesheet data into the payroll system. Job numbers or activity/cost codes were often transposed or incorrect, which required verification from the field.

• Eliminate data-entry in payroll department by replacing manual timesheets with Excel timesheet templates.
• Devise a means to update job specific activity (cost code) list in Excel Templates for each foreman.
• Devise a system to upload Excel data into payroll system.
• Train several hundred foremen in Excel and e-mail system.

The team reviewed various options and concluded that a custom WEB solution would provide the highest ROI. Noravand developed a custom WEB based time collection and approval workflow application for field foremen that was simple and intuitive to use. The WEB based timesheet data entry system mimicked Client's hard-copy field timesheet, thereby increasing user acceptance and substantially reducing training requirements.

Critical data such as job number, employee clock number, activity/cost code, hours, alternate rate of pay, etc. are validate at the time of data entry. Foremen have the option of assigning a team to a specific activity (clock-in & clock-out), or enter time for each individual employee. The Superintendent’s office has immediate access to the data, which they reviewed for accuracy prior to passing the information on to the payroll department. The system can easily identify who has not submitted time for the week. Foreman’s roster can be updated in the field or by an office staff. Prior to uploading timesheet data into the ERP system, payroll department reviews the information for compliance with union and corporate policies. When necessary, hard-copy printouts of timesheets are produced.

• About $1,600,000 in annual cost reduction.
• Eliminated Payroll data entry in A/P department.
• Increased control over Payroll data by limiting access to payroll department.
• Increased accuracy and eliminated number transposition errors.
• Eliminated the practice of estimating the hours for the weekend, and problems associated with it.
• Reduced post payroll processing of missing timesheets.
• Eliminated hard-copy delivery of timesheets (FAX, FedEx, In person, etc.).
• Improved field and office employee satisfaction.
• Eliminated multiple copy submissions.
• Improved control over timesheet submission by authorized foremen.
• Reduced need for expensive custom printed timesheet books.