ConsulTracker is created with the small consulting business owner in mind. ConsulTracker automates the tedious and error-prone process of tracking and approving time spent by consultants on projects, generates payroll reports for your affiliate consultants, and automatically generates invoices for your customers.
ConsulTracker allows consultants to be assigned to projects, enter billable hours on their assigned projects, and save their timesheet based on the reporting periods you specify. Once saved, the timesheets are automatically routed to project managers for approval, and once approved, timesheets are available for automated generation of both payroll and invoice reports.
ConsulTracker gives you the ability to set up your own reporting periods and to keep track of consultant information, including rates (both billable "price" rates and payroll "cost" rates), notes, assigned projects, and address. ConsulTracker also allows you to set up customer accounts and add projects to those accounts. You can also track customer data, including customer notes, project notes, and customer addresses.
ConsulTracker automates the process of generating accounting reports by combining your consultants time entry, payroll, and invoicing into a single, integrated system. ConsulTracker can generate reports based on the criteria you specify, allowing you to filter by customer, project, and/or consultant.
Most pages in ConsulTracker have a line at the top of the page starting with the words "Go back." This line allows you to navigate to other sections of the site without going through the main menu.
ConsulTracker also provides a site map which can be used to navigate from one area of the site to an unrelated area. There is a link to the site map on each page of the site.
Consultants can enter time on projects by navigating to the "Active Timesheets" link under "Consultant Functions". There, the reporting periods which have been defined by the administrator appear as links under "Reporting periods." The consultant then selects a reporting period, clicks the link, and is taken to the timesheet for that reporting period.
There, the consultant can enter time segments, each billable to a project assigned to that consultant. (Projects can be assigned to consultants and managers by the administrator using Employee Administration or Project Administration.) The consultant enters the date on which the work occurred, the begin time, the end time, a description of the activity, and the number of billable hours for the segment. The consultant can also delete segments previously defined on the timesheet.
When the consultant is ready to submit the timesheet, he or she clicks on the "Save Timesheet" button. This sends the timesheet to the managers for all projects on which the consultant has billed hours.
The consultant can also view previously saved timesheets by clicking the "Historical Timesheets" link under "Consultant Functions." Historical timesheets appear by reporting period, and may only be viewed, not edited.
Managers can view timesheets that are awaiting their approval by navigating to the "Manager Functions" page. From there, the manager can view any timesheets awaiting their approval, and approve or reject timesheets. When a timesheet is approved by all project managers who have time charged on that timesheet, it will be available for payroll processing. If a manager rejects a timesheet, the timesheet is re-opened for editing by the Consultant who submitted it. The rejected timesheet is saved for archival and viewing purposes with the status of "Cancelled."
A manager may also approve or reject multiple timesheets at a time by clicking the "Mark" checkbox for the timesheets to approve or reject and clicking the "Approve All Marked" or "Reject All Marked" buttons.
ConsulTracker provides support for accounting by generating Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable reports, which can be saved locally for archive purposes.
Both Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable can restrict the data on which reports are based using the "Report Filter." Reports are generated based on the first day of their reporting period, and can be filtered by consultant, project, customer, or any combination of the above. Only time data which match all of the criteria defined by the user will be included in the report.
To filter a report based on one or more of the criteria, the user simply selects which items to include in the report. For instance, if the user wishes to generate a report for two projects "Project 1" and "Project 2", then the user would select "Project 1" from the "Filter by project" box, and then use Control-click to select "Project 2" from the "Filter by project" box as well.
To select a report not filtered base on an item, the user can simply deselect everything in that filter. (Items can be de-selected by Control-clicking on them.)
Accounts Payable reports are used for payroll processing, and report the amount due to each consultant. Since it is a payroll report, accounts payable reports are grouped by consultant.
The summary report includes a grand total and a section for each consultant. Each consultant section includes the total for that consultant and a project-by-project breakdown of where the consultant spent time and what that time cost.
The detail report also includes a grand total and a section for each consultant. Each consultant section in the detail report, however, includes the total for that consultant and a sub-section for each project. Each project section includes a entry-by-entry detailed report of time spent on specific tasks (from the timesheet) and the cost for each of those tasks.
Accounts payable computes the amount due a consultant by the formula "(consultant cost rate) x (number of hours worked)"
Accounts Receivable reports are used for invoicing customers, and report the amount due from each customer. Since it is an invoicing-type report, accounts receivable reports are grouped by customer.
The summary report includes a grand total and a section for each customer. Each customer section includes the total for that customer and a project-by-project breakdown of where the time was spent and at what price.
The detail report also includes a grand total and a section for each customer. Each customer section in the detail report, however, includes the total for that customer and a sub-section for each project. Each project section includes a entry-by-entry detailed report of time spent on specific tasks (from the timesheet) and the price for each of those tasks.
Accounts payable computes the amount due from a customer by the formula "(consultant price rate) x (number of hours worked)"
ConsulTracker allows flexible administration and setup via the "Administration / Setup" menu. There, the administrator can set up employees, customers, projects, and reporting periods.
Under the Employee Administration submenu, the administrator can view a list of all the employees currently in the system, delete employees from the system, create new employee records, or edit existing employee records. Employees records can only be created for users which have been previously set up under Security Administration.
To view or edit an existing employee, the administrator simply clicks on the employee's name to get to the employee editor, where employee data can be entered, viewed, or edited. The fields available include name, address, and notes. If the employee is set up as a consultant, the administrator may also enter the consultant's cost and price rates.
The cost rate is the rate at which the consultant is paid. This rate is used for calculating Accounts Payable reports. The price rate is the rate at which the consultant's time is billed to the customer. This rate is used for calculating the Accounts Receivable reports.
To set up an employee as a consultant, the administrator simply clicks the "Make Employee a Consultant" button and enters the price and cost rates when prompted. Likewise, to set up an employee as a manager, the administrator clicks on the "Make Employee a Manager" button. To remove an employee as a consultant or a manager, the administrator clicks on the "Delete ... Record for Employee", where "..." is either consultant or manager. WARNING: Deleting a consultant record for an employee will remove that employee from all projects (as a consultant), and will delete any active and saved timesheets they may have. Use this option with care.
The employee editor also allows the administrator to add the employee to projects as either a consultant (if the employee is a consultant) or a manager (if the employee is a manager). The administrator can also remove the employee from projects or navigate to the Project Administration screen for any of the projects assigned to the employee. To add the employee to a project as a consultant, the administrator goes to the "Projects Assigned" section of the form and selects a project from the drop-down box and clicks "Add to Project". The administrator can override the consultant's default cost and price rates for this project by entering the appropriate data under "Cost Rate" or "Price Rate" and clicking "Update Cost/Price Rates." To remove the employee from one or more projects as a consultant, the administrator goes to the "Projects Assigned" section of the form and checks the checkboxes next to the projects to remove the employee from and clicks "Remove from Marked Projects". To add or remove an employee as a manager on a project, the administrator performs the above steps in the "Projects Managed" section of the form rather than the "Projects Assigned" section of the form. To view the project details for a project assigned to the employee (as either a consultant or a manager), the administrator clicks the project name.
To create a employee, the administrator chooses the user id for the user to make into a employee on the and clicks "Create Employee." The administrator will then be taken to the Employee Editor for the newly created employee, where all the data mentioned above can be entered.
To delete employees, the administrator selects the checkbox next to the employee name(s) and then clicks "Delete Marked Employees." WARNING: Deleting a employee from the system will remove them from all projects (as manager and/or consultant), and will delete any active and saved timesheets they may have. Use this option with care.
Under the Customer Administration submenu, the administrator can create new customer records, delete existing customer records, or view or edit existing customer records. To add a new customer record, the administrator chooses a unique customer ID and clicks the button labeled "Create Customer." To delete an existing customer, the administrator checks the box next to the customer's name and clicks "Delete Selelcted Customers." WARNING: Deleting a customer from the system will delete all projects for that customer. Use this option with care.
To view the Customer Editor, the user clicks the customer's name. On the Customer Editor screen, the administrator can view or edit the customer's name, address, and notes. To save the changes, the administrator simply clicks the button labeled "Update." The administrator can also create or delete projects for this customer. To create a project, the administrator types a unique project ID un the "New Project ID" box and a brief description of the project in the "New Project Description" box and then clicks the "Create Project" button. To delete a project record, the administrator checks the box next to the project name and clicks the button labeled "Remove Marked Projects."
To navigate to the Project Editor (part of the Project Administration page), the administrator simply clicks on the project name.
Under the Project Administration submenu, the administrator can create new project records, delete existing project records, or view or edit existing project records. To add a new project record, the administrator chooses a unique project ID and the customer name for the new project and clicks the button labeled "Create Project." To delete an existing project, the administrator checks the box next to the project's name and clicks "Delete Selelcted Projects." The administrator can also navigate to the customer editor for the customer which owns this project by clicking the customer's name
To view the Project Editor, the user clicks the project's name. On the project Editor screen, the administrator can view or edit the project's name, address, and notes. To save the changes, the administrator simply clicks the button labeled "Update." The administrator can also add or remove consultants or managers for this project. To add a consultant or manager, the user selects which consultant or manager to add under the "Project Manager(s)" or "Project Consultant(s)" section (whichever is appropriate) and clicks "Add ... to Project", where "..." is either "Manager" or "Consultant", whichever is appropriate. To remove a manager or consultant from a project, a project record, the administrator checks the box next to the emploee's name under either "Project Manager(s)" or "Project Consultant(s)" (whichever is appropriate) and clicks the button labeled "Remove Marked ... from Project" where "..." is either "Manager" or "Consultant", whichever is appropriate.
The administrator can also override the cost and price rates for a consultant assigned to the project by entering the appropriate data in the fields provided and clicking "Update Cost/Price rates."
The administrator can also navigate to the employee record for an employee assigned to this project by clicking the employee's name.
Under the Reporting Period Administration submenu, the administrator can create new reporting periods or delete reporting periods. To add a new reporting period, the administrator enters the begin and end dates for the period and clicks "Create Reporting Period." To delete an existing reporting period, the administrator checks the box next to the reporting period and clicks "Delete Marked Reporting Periods." WARNING: Deleting a reporting period from the system will delete all active timesheets for that reporting period. Timesheets that are approved, pending approval, or cancelled for that reporting period, however, remain in the system but cannot be re-opened for edititing by a consultant. Use this option with care.
Under the Timesheet Administration submenu, the administrator can view, delete, reject, or fully approve (bypassing project manager approval) any timesheets in the system. The timesheets shown on this form can be filtered according to various criteria. To delete, reject, or fully approve one or more timesheets, the administrator clicks the "Mark" checkbox for the timesheet(s) to modify and the clicks either "Delete Marked Timesheets", "Reject Marked Timesheets", or "Approve Marked Timesheets". To filter which timesheets are displayed, the administrator selects the filter criteria and clicks "Filter". To view a timesheet's details, the administrator clicks on the reporting period for that timesheet to get to the timesheet detail view.
On the timesheet detail view, the administrator may delete, reject, or fully approve the timesheet by clicking on the appropriate button.
The Timesheet Administrator form can restrict which timesheets are displayed using the "Timesheet Filter." Timesheets can be filtered based on their consultant, project, customer, the first day of their reporting period, or any combination of the above. Only time data which match all of the criteria defined by the user will be included in the report.
To filter a report based on one or more of the criteria, the user simply selects which items to include in the report. For instance, if the user wishes to generate a report for two projects "Project 1" and "Project 2", then the user would select "Project 1" from the "Filter by project" box, and then use Control-click to select "Project 2" from the "Filter by project" box as well.
To view timesheets not filtered based on an item, the user can simply deselect everything in that filter. (Items can be de-selected by Control-clicking on them.)
The security of ConsulTracker is based on a robust system of rights, roles, and users. Rights are based on the section of the site protected, and include "admin" (Administration/Setup), "entry" (Consultant Functions), "approval" (Manager Functions), "payable" (Accounts Payable), "receivable" (Accounts Receivable), and "security" (Security Administration).
A collection of rights makes up a role. A user, in turn, may have one or more roles in the system. For example, suppose that Jim is the systems administrator, Jane is in accounting, George is a project manager, and Nancy is a consultant. Jim would have one role, "security", which has one right, "security." Jane would have one role, "accounting", with two rights, "receivable" and "payable". George would have one role, "manager", with one right, "approval", and Nancy would have one role, "consultant", with one right, "entry". By grouping employees together into roles, the security administrator can quickly add or remove rights to groups of employees. Alternatively, one could set up each role to have only one right and assign roles to employees based on those roles.
Under the "Set up users" submenu, the security administrator can add users to the system, delete users from the system, or edit user records. To add a user to the system, the administrator types in a unique userid for the new user and types in the initial password for the new user. To delete one or more users from the system, the administrator checks the box next to the user names to be deleted and clicks "Delete Marked Users." WARNING: Deleting a user from the system will remove their employee records (if any), them from all projects (as manager and/or consultant, if any), and will delete any active and saved timesheets they may have. Use this option with care.
To edit a user's records, the administrator clicks on the user name to be taken to the user editor. Here, the administrator can modify the user's roles or reset the user's password. (To enhance security, no one can view the users' passwords. If a users forget their passwords, they must have the security administrator reset their passwords.) To add a role to the user, the administrator selects a role and clicks 'Add Role.' To remove one or more roles from a user, the administrator checks the boxes next to the roles to be removed and clicks "Remove Marked Roles." To change the user's password, the administrator types in the new password where prompted and clicks the "Change Password" button.
A user can also have one or more delegates, other users who are permitted to sign in as that user. (The login screen has an optional input box to sign in as another user.) To add or remove delegates for a user, simply use the "User Delegates" section of the user editor in the same manner as the "User Roles" section.
Under the "Set up roles" submenu, the security administrator can create or delete roles, and assign rights to those roles. To create a role, the administrator enters a unique role name where prompted and clicks "Create Role." To delete one or more roles, the administrator checks the boxes next to the roles to be removed and clicks "Delete Marked Roles." To edit the rights assigned to a role, the administrator clicks the role name to navigate to the Role Editor.
Once in the role editor, rights may be added to the role by selecting a right and clicking "Add Right". Rights may be removed from a role by checking the box next to the right name and clicking "Remove Marked Rights."
To allow for simplified assignment of multiple roles to multiple users, or multiple rights to multiple roles, there are two views of security called "Grid Views." In the "user / role" grid view, users appear on the "Y" axis, and roles appear on the "X" axis. If a user is to has a particular role, the checkbox at the user's row and the role's column will be checked. Otherwise it is unchecked. Likewise, on the "roles" grid view, roles appear on the "Y" axis and rights appear on the "X" axis. If a role is to have a particular right, the checkbox at the role's row and the right's column will be checked. Otherwise it is unchecked.
To modify the assignments of users to roles (in the "user/role" grid view) or roles to rights (in the "roles" grid view), the administrator simply updates the checkboxes to reflect the desired assignments and clicks "Update Security."