Prevent 0 ETC timesheet tasks

[Wendy Edgar]

In my organization we have issues with resources not charging time correctly to projects. I want to work with the resource manager to determine ETCs for their resource. Then once they are 0, the timesheet tasks are no longer available on timesheets to put time against (even if its within the date range) to force a conversation on ETC. In other words, how do I prevent 0 ETC tasks open for time entry? Currently resources can charge time against 0 ETC tasks assigned to them.

[Ashok Kumar Modi]

Hello Wendy,

I am not really sure how to stop end user to add their 0 ETC tasks to their timesheets. However, if you want to show an error message to the end user and block the submission of the timesheet when they click on Submit button after entering time against their 0 ETC tasks, that can be achieved using Timesheet Rules available in modern UI.

Steps:

Step 1) Login to modern with admin credentials.

Step 2) Navigate to Administrations -> Functional Settings.

Step 3) Click on Timesheets tile. Here you will see all existing Timesheet rules.

Step 4) Click on New Rule button.

Step 5) Enter appropriate values under Name and Description text boxes.

Step 6) Enter the error message you want to show to the user when he enters time against a ETC 0 task.

Step 7) Under Time Entry Error Conditions section select "Any Entry" radio button.

Step 8) Click on Add Condition button against "Where Time Entry".

Step 9) From the dropdown choose condition as "ETC Is Equal To" 0.

Step 10) Click on Create button to save the rule.

Now every time a user tries to make a time entry for a task which has ETC=0 and click on Submit button, they will get the error message you had set in Step 6 and submission of the timesheet will be blocked.

Hope this helps in your use case.

Regards

-Ashok

[Liz Williamson]

Hi Wendy,

In addition to Ashok's answer, in 16.2.3 you can set the open for time entry flag at the assignment level where it used to only be on the task level.

You may still need a process to remove the flag when the assignment's etc = 0.

Ashok's suggestion of using a rule is a more likely solution, but I wanted to provide awareness that in 16.2.3 that the the open for time entry flag is at the assignment level as well.  

[Alistair Miller]

One option I used a long time ago (in the classic UI) was to write a process that searched for tasks with 0 ETC, and then closed them for time entry. Depending on how often timesheets are submitted, you could execute it daily, hourly, weekly, etc.

Doesn't prevent the PM from re-opening them of course, but does put a speed bump in the midst of your current compliance issue.