Two Reasons To Use Timesheet Software

Writen by Mark Nemtsas

This short paper will expand on two key reasons to move to a computerized timesheet system at your company. There are more than two reasons of course, but these will be expanded on at a later date. The two key reasons to be discussed here are Timesheet Efficiency, and Timesheet Automation.

Timesheet Efficiency is the concept of a single data entry exercise done accurately and quickly. Timesheet Automation is the simple concept of managing timesheet information electronically rather than on paper. When taken individually both these concepts make a compelling argument to move to electronic timesheets, taken together you should be asking yourself why you aren't kicking off the process today.

Timesheet Efficiency

When I started out my working career in consulting we had paper timesheets. These were (supposedly) to be filled in daily, submitted weekly, and data from them entered into the accounting system monthly. However, people being people, the accountant only checked them once a month, so they were generally only submitted once a month, and thus usually only filled in once a month when prompted by project managers. This resulted in inaccurate and late timesheet information.

This affected billing, time and materials projects would take up to four weeks to be invoiced, and thus it could be up to 60 days before payment was received. Why then are some companies constantly challenged with getting employees to accurately complete their timesheets while other firms have no problems? The difference is usually leadership and data ease of data entry. Most consulting companies employ skilled intelligent people, and a manager who fills in his timesheet information promptly and accurately can legitimately expect his staff to do so. However if the system is cumbersome and difficult to use then there will be constant conflict.

Easy to use computerized timesheet systems mean more employees are successfully filling out timesheets as they work rather than writing the time into a diary or calendar and then transferring the information at the end of the week (or month). It has been well proven that debtors are easier to manager and projects more easily monitored the closer that timesheet information is processed and invoiced to the time the work is carried out. It is just much more simple to collect all your billable hours (more chargeable time!) if employees record their work as they do it.

Of course data entry is just one side of things. Processing the information is just as important. Internal discipline and company policies must be set to ensure that all information is collected by the time you have decided is the deadline. Whether this is Friday 5:00pm, or Monday 9:00am, deadlines must be followed and enforced. Timesheet software with built in workgroup functionality like messaging, timesheet approval, live monitoring, and so on can greatly enhance this process.

There is no point pretending that timesheet information and collection is glamorous. It isn't. It should just be part of the normal mundane fabric of business. It should be routine and boring. But most importantly it should be quick, easy, and provide no disincentive to doing it. Good computerized systems should offer all of this.

Timesheet Automation

The most basic benefit that a computerized timesheet system gives is one of automation, timesheet information is entered into a computer rather than onto paper. This eliminated the need for people to transcribe their timesheet information from a diary onto a paper form, and then for administration staff to re-enter this information into a job costing system. The computerization allows you to completely eliminate the middle steps. Staff enter information directly into the job costing system.

The next logical step of computerization is to leverage off of the computer to provide a host of other benefits. This includes interlocks like preventing people from booking time to projects that dont exist, or projects that are closed, or projects they should not be booking time to. It allows project managers to access live data showing actual time spent on their projects, this data can be manipulated and visualized in different ways using other computer software. It can even interface directly with dedicated project management software.

Other benefits can include automatic timing of work, popup information showing specific project information helping timesheet accuracy, daily timesheets, reminders telling people to fill in their timesheets, integration with messaging, email, and the web, and live integration with accounting packages.

Conclusions

By themselves each of these points makes a good argument for moving to a computerized timesheet system. Taken together they are truly compelling. Increased accuracy and reduction of the billing cycle means that a computerized system can usually measure its payoff in just a few months. For any company that does bill its time, it is should not be an option any longer, it is a simple next step. Interested in looking at some low cost alternatives? Why not take a look at Timesheets Lite or Timesheets MTS. These are low cost systems ideally suited to the small company.

About The Author

Mark Nemtsas, Moving Target Software

Get low cost, efficient, timesheet software! This article is © Moving Target Software, 2004. It can however be reproduced in full on any web page as long as it is edited in no way whatsover.

Where Are We Going Net Vs Java

Writen by James Arendt

What in the world is going on in the marketplace? Technology is moving so fast that it is sometimes a little difficult to tell what is happening.

Let's take a short trip back to the past.

It wasn't too long ago that applications were designed, developed, and deployed on a single machine. For those of you that can remember the early days of the personal computer era, things like dbase, FoxBASE, and the like might ring a bell. Everything ran on the same machine -- the user interface, the business rules, and the database services.

Then along came local area networks, which ushered in the era of clientserver applications. Now the user interface and the business rules sat on the PC and sent requests to a client-server DBMS such as Oracle or SQL Server, while on the server side, records were processed and results were returned to the client.

As LANs matured and their reliability improved, application development went through yet another evolution, namely, the advent of 3-tier architecture. This transformation resulted in the user interface, business rules, and data services each becoming its own independent logical element in the application architecture. The physical world may have implemented each element on a separate machine, but that was not required.

The main advantage of the 3-tier model is that business logic could now be broken up into components, where they could be used not only in one but many applications. Additionally, changes to business logic in the server did not require the calling party or client to change at all. In other words, the details of the implementation of business logic or the function is not important, as long as the way it is called and the type of information that it returns do not change. Let's face it, the world is changing quickly and we need to be able to adjust without having to re-deploy.

Of course, the initial implementation of the 3-tier model (later to become the n-tier) was primarily on common machines and operating systems such as Intel, Windows, and Unix. Vendors each supported their own brand of components. Microsoft supported COM, followed by DCOM. IBM promoted CORBA, and Sun touted RMI. Each of these middle tier component flavors was proprietary and did not provide for inter-operability and communication among disparate pieces. In order for a Microsoft application to talk with a CORBA component another piece of software was required for translation. The same was true for apps trying to communicate with DCOM objects as well.

All of this made it difficult for diverse systems to talk to one another, creating an increasingly significant problem, as Internet business-tobusiness applications became the focus. The web, a relatively recent addition to the overall IT architecture, has dramatically changed the way we look at application development and correspondingly the deployment of associated services.

If you log on to Land's End, for example, it's not unlikely that the underlying application will have to utilize components developed by a number of other parties such as AMEX, MasterCard, Visa, UPS, FedEx, along with a host of internal systems to provide the total consumer shopping experience.

Sun, with it's Java language, was in the right place at the right time. Java's ability to be compiled to byte code and run on any machine that had a Java Virtual Machine gave it portability. The fact that it was designed to be totally object oriented, target web-based applications, and observe security issues associated with distributed apps gave it tremendous appeal to corporate clients.

Visual Basic, on the other hand, earned its stripes in the Windows-based application development world. It's easy to develop apps that leveraged the Window's Operating System, and as it VB evolved it took on more and more features that made it increasingly object oriented, capable of creating reusable COM/DCOM objects, and a viable tool for web-based applications. Today, Microsoft claims that there are more than 3 million Visual Basic programmers in the world.

Introduced in 1991, Visual Basic has gone through 6 versions. Each one increased power, features, flexibility, and capability, leading up to two major programming languages -- Java and Visual Basic, with each camp feeling that their product is better.

The fact is that language is not truly the key. The winner will be the framework/platform that enables the design, development, and deployment of applications and takes advantage of services or components distributed throughout the web.

With the pending release of the next version of Visual Studio (of which VB is a part), Microsoft has decided to radically change the way that their language suite works. The next version of Visual Studio will be called Visual Studio.Net or VS.Net, and the next version of Visual Basic will be titled VB.Net. There are many new features and capabilities, but in my opinion, there are two major changes that will move Microsoft to the center stage.

First, VS.Net will be a common development environment into which C#, C++, and VB along with about 14 other non-Microsoft languages will connect. Language will be a matter of preference. This is largely due to the fact that they will all compile down to the same level by utilizing a common run-time module. In addition, they will all share the same class libraries. What this means is that an application comprised of components and services can be developed by a team of developers in several different languages with the assurance that it will all work together.

If one were to look closely, one could see that the general architecture that makes Java so popular is that the output of the compiler is not necessarily tied to the chip set or operating system. It would not surprise me if Microsoft made the run-time module, which is similar in nature to the Java Virtual Machine, available to the standards committees to be ported to other platforms. If this were to happen, VS.Net and VB.Net could take a major leap forward in the language race.

The second major event that parallels the introduction of VS.Net is the advent of SOAP. Remember our previous discussion concerning different types of components trying to work with each other? SOAP or Simple Object Access Protocol, is an open standard based on XML or Extensible Markup Language, that IBM, Sun, and Microsoft have agreed upon now makes it possible for components, developed with competing standards, to communicate. XML is used to describe the underlying elements of a class including the methods, associated arguments, and return values. While SOAP on the other hand, describes the interface including the path to the XML document. This will remove a significant obstacle to inter-operability in building applications using distributed web-services.

To summarize, Java and Visual Basic are currently in strong competition with one another. A recent check with ComputerJobs.Com shows that jobs requiring Java, Visual Basic, and C++, the distribution is 55%, 35%, and 10%. With VS.Net/VB.Net, SOAP, and the freedom to choose language independent of platform, one can expect this distribution to shift from Java to non-Java languages. In fact, with VS.Net hosting almost 20 different programming languages (including a Java implementation from Rational) and compiling to a common byte-code level, personal preference will surely rule the day.

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10 Ways To Learn A Software

Writen by Syed Feroz Zainvi

Following tips help you to learn a software in lesser time and in an efficient manner:

1. After installing a software package, look for any README file in the installed folder. Besides company and product details, it may give an overview of features, usages and limitations of the software.

2. Next run the software and have a feel of the look of the software. Identify the different parts of its main screen.

3. Look for the information shown in the TITLE-BAR of the main screen. Usually, it shows the product name. If the application is SDI (Single Document Interface like Notepad) or MDI (Multiple Document Interface like MS Word) then title-bar will also contain name of the opened file. Similarly, there may be STATUS-BAR at the bottom that shows the operation being performed.

4. Then comes the main MENU-BAR. Most of the GUI based software have common menu-items. So its better to learn once-for-all. Some of the common menu-items are:

FILE, EDIT, VIEW, TOOLS, WINDOWS, HELP.

Each of these names are intuitive itself.

-The FILE menu will have operations NEW, OPEN, SAVE, SAVE AS, PAGE SETUP, PRINT,CLOSE and EXIT.

-Similarly, EDIT menu contains editing operations like CUT, COPY, PASTE, FIND AND REPLACE.

-The VIEW menu helps in controlling the view of the software GUI. You can switch on-off various toolbars.

-The TOOLS menu usually have options to customize the software you like and also other supporting functionalities like Read-Aloud function in a word processor package.

-The HELP menu may contain GETTING STARTED tutorial, detailed indexed and searchable help and ofcourse, a popup dialog-box that shows information about the software. It may also contain a link to website of the product.

5. Once acquainted with different menu and their menu-items, look at each menu again to find shortcuts to them. For example, Alt+F will take you to File menu. Some common shortcuts are:

Ctrl+N - New
Ctrl+O - Open
Ctrl+S - Save
Ctrl+Shift+S - Save As
Ctrl+P - Print
Ctrl+X - Cut
Ctrl+C - Copy
Ctrl+V - Paste
Ctrl+F - Find

6. Next have a look on various tool-bars that are present below menu-bars. They provide a visual shortcut to the desired operation. Examples are a paper folder on top right corner for NEW, an opened folder for OPEN, a scissor for CUT, two papers for COPY, a paper on clamp-pad for PASTE, floppy icon for SAVE and printer ICON for PRINT. A book or question mark icon represents HELP.

7. If the package is a development tool then start with the sample applications provided with it. It will help you understand what functionality level the package can provide. Also, you may need not start your application from scratch; it can be dervied from one of the sample application (provided source code is available).

8. Mostly, the menu-item name will tell its functionality. Even if it does then also try each operation available in the package.

9. You can master a software with its usage and little study. The best place for getting some help is the in-built help provided in the package itself.

10. Remember Internet is always there to solve your problem. Use a search-engine with appropriate phrase to get the best material available as solution to your query. You can visit my website: http://www.geocities.com/zainvi_sf for Tips and Tricks for various softwares, programming langauages and links to ther useful material available on the Internet.

Syed Feroz Zainvi has obtained M.Tech. (Comp Sc & Engg) degree from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (INDIA). His areas of interests are distributed computing, computer graphics and Internet Technologies. Currently, he is involved in Software Project Planning, Development and Management. His other interests include writing for magazines and contributing utility softwares on Magazine's CDs. He also have flair for teaching computer science with new teaching methodologies.

Medical Office Software Simplifies Business Procedures

Writen by Jordan Bartlett

What's the best thing you can do for your practice or clinic? Do you have a small practice or large practice? How will the needs of your practice be fulfilled so that it can run smoothly and more effectively? One of the most critical and best decisions to make for your practice is to find the medical office software that best suits the needs of your staff, clients, and business. By meeting the needs of all the targeted areas of your practice or clinic, you'll save in time as well as in costs.

The medical practice software you choose for your practice will allow flexibility for you and your staff. This means no more hassling with outdated software and hard-to-find data sheets on the patients. The web-based software comes with customizable views that enable your staff to quickly pull up relevant information on and for the patient. The easy-to-use tabs help organize and sort the data on a single screen without needing to have multiple windows that become cluttered and hard-to-read. With custom fields, your staff will be able to store whatever kind of information on the patients in the areas they want for quick retrieval. Your staff will benefit from pop-up reminders, memos, and ticklers along with automatic alerts for co-pays, recalls, and other medical billing procedures.

You'll be able to keep up on reports while using the management physician practice software. There are over 100 reports that come with the software to help your practice organize everything from billing and scheduling to claims. For your convenience, you can also export the reports to Excel or MS Access, whichever one you prefer. Depending on how you enter information, you'll be able to configure the system to view aging by date of entry or by service rendered. Your office reporting will no longer waste time and be the hassle it once was. With the latest reporting procedures at your fingertips, you'll be able to focus on the other everyday tasks of your clinic or practice.

Managing the office is tough without the right tools, but its process can be effective and efficient for all parties involved. Your billing statements also will be maintained with proficiency to help maximize your profits as a business. Charges for medical claims become easier through processor tracking mechanisms. You won't have to worry anymore about printing the statements and sending them out to collect the money. All you have to do is submit the bills electronically. This means you can send them out on a daily basis and do not have to sort the bills one-by-one. In all, this means more money in an efficient, timely manner.

Your practice or clinic deserves the best software to help maximize its stability and efficiency. From regular scheduled tasks to billing procedures, your office will reap the rewards and be a better place for your staff to work. Your patients will appreciate the overall service, and you will be grateful for medical office software that takes care of the most important management aspects of running your business.

Jordan Bartlett is a client account specialist with 10x Marketing– More Visitors. More Buyers. More Revenue. For more information about medical office software please visit http://www.advancedmd.com.