Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Functionality Managers Need In A DCAA Timekeeping Application

By Ladonna Chambers


A DCAA timekeeping application gives government contractors the tools they need to enter their time. Government contracts require workers to accurately input their work times in a timely fashion. This data is used for more than issuing paychecks. The data is useful for managers in making important decisions. Time data must be entered according to a highly structured format. The interface to the application must enable the entry of this complex data structure with a user friendly interface.

The ability to customized the application to meet an organization needs is an important characteristic. An organization's pay ranges, job descriptions, pay periods and more need to be set up in the application. Decision makers must have instant access to the data so that decisions can be made quickly. Time entry is just one part of a larger application. The information derived from time entry is useful throughout the management of the project.

The application gives consulting firms the ability to be completely compliant with Federal requirements. This includes creating the necessary audit trail, obtaining approvals, a process for making corrections, and proper charging and allocation of labor. While the data structures are quite complex, the user interface used to enter data must be a web enabled easy-to-use internet application.

Time entry must be integrated, in a seamless fashion, with the full accounting application. The inputting of time data must include allocation to a specified task which is linked to the chart of accounts. In this way manager's can determine if projects are staying on budget and on schedule. The payroll data should be in a form that can be used by the major payroll processing software. A user friendly interface for supervisor approvals is necessary.

Tax forms like W-2s and 1099s can easily be produced during tax season to make it easy for workers to file income taxes. The fact that everything runs on the world wide web eliminates the need for expensive software and costly cumbersome upgrades and updates. Behind the scenes the system is complex, but this is hidden by the simplicity of a web browser interface.

Each application user is given an unique ID. A user can create their own password. The application is very secure. The end user has control of the entry of their information. Comments may be inserted to their time entries. Comments are accessible to managers and administrators. Sophisticated business rules control what projects and tasks workers are authorized to allocated time to. The data that is collected is a powerful managerial tool that helps keeps projects on budget and on schedule. A full menu of reports is available to assist decision makers in assigning tasks.

An email notification system notifies workers that their time input is needed, is incomplete, or if there are any problems. Managers are also notified about the status of the time entry process. Automatic emails keep all the players notified of any potential problems during the payroll process.

DCAA timekeeping is an crucial part of managing government projects. Applications must includes this functionality. This process is automated as much as possible. Workers will not get sidetracked with an overly complex system of entering time. Instead, a user friendly application also becomes an important management tool.




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