The challenge
Eliminating paper- and Excel-based processes
Joanneum Research’s goal was to eliminate paper- and Excel-based processes across the entire organisation and introduce an integrated, paperless solution. This was intended to speed up many processes and avoid errors. In particular, Joanneum Research needed faster and better reporting options for the extensive documentation requirements in the context of the very important funded research.
Mr DI Kubista therefore looked for a solution that offers integration of working time and project time tracking with SAP and enables time tracking on mobile devices.
Mr DI Kubista: “What was crucial for us was that the basic requirements such as an interface to SAP, mobile use, modularity and ease of use were met. TimeTac also offered us the option of a step-by-step rollout to ensure good acceptance within the company. Data security, which TimeTac provides, was also important to us.”
The solution
Digital time tracking and leave management with an interface
Paperless, integrated solution
Before the introduction of TimeTac, time tracking was recorded using Excel spreadsheets. Leave requests were processed on paper.
Mr DI Kubista: “Across the company, we had more than 20,000 paper documents per year in the form of leave requests and timesheets that had to be archived. In addition, the paper documents had to be transported back and forth between our locations. You can imagine what that meant. With the introduction of TimeTac, we have fewer paper documents and susceptibility to errors has naturally been reduced, and we can identify errors much earlier.”
Joanneum Research uses TimeTac on PCs and notebooks, but also on tablets and smartphones due to the high amount of travel. Almost all options are available to all employees.
Step-by-step rollout in the organisation
TimeTac was first tested in the smaller subsidiary JR-AquaConSol GmbH with around 30 employees. After successful implementation, the roll-out was carried out at all locations for around 500 employees. In the first step, leave management was introduced; in the second step, working time tracking and project time tracking followed, which was specially modified for Joanneum Research.
“Some of our employees work on up to 10 projects in parallel. We need precise activity tracking and reporting for this. That’s why all our employees record their time in project time tracking,” says DI Kubista.
Complex interface solution
The base software at Joanneum Research is SAP. The data is transferred from SAP to TimeTac, and the captured data is then fed back into SAP. The SAP interface automatically creates tasks as well as working time models and assigns them accordingly. As soon as the timesheet is completed by the responsible manager, the data is exported back to SAP. Certain tasks are assigned a “mandatory comment” from SAP. If no comments are written, employees receive a reminder email from TimeTac.
Controlling options
Joanneum Research needs precise documentation and fast reporting options, especially in the area of funded research. During timesheet processing, individual reports are enabled, for example to track which employees and managers completed the timesheet at what time.
Mr DI Kubista: “TimeTac met 90% of our customisation requests as we had hoped. However, there are still some open requests and improvement measures that we would also like to implement.”
The result
Improved quality, less effort, faster processes, better overview
“By introducing TimeTac, we have been able to improve our quality. Digitisation and integration have made processes faster and helped avoid errors. In addition, we have a quick overall overview of the company that we didn’t have like this before TimeTac.”
“At the beginning, employees had to get used to the new time tracking. Thanks to the good usability, however, it was well received. For new employees, TimeTac is a given. What is particularly appreciated is that no paper is needed anymore for leave and time off in lieu, and requests are processed much faster,” says Mr DI Kubista.
