Support & Documentation

User Guide

Estimated vs. Actual Time Report

Section Contents

• • Report Description
  • Generate Estimated vs. Actual Time Report (HTML Format)
  • Export Report Data in CSV Format

Report Description

Estimated vs. Actual Time report shows time estimates specified for the tasks of the selected customers and projects, spent time reported for these tasks by actiTIME users, and variance between estimated and spent time.

Spent time and variance between estimated and spent time are calculated on the date specified in the report parameters.

Variance between estimated and spent time is calculated as

    <Variance> = <Time Estimate> - <Spent Time>

When spent time is less than time estimate, variance is positive and means remaining time budget. When spent time is greater than time estimate, variance is negative and means extra time spent for the task, customer, or project.

Estimated vs. Actual Time report supports up to 3 levels of data grouping. The available grouping options include:

• Customers
• Projects
• Projects having the same names (by project names)
• Tasks
• Task having the same names (by task names)
• Billing Types

For example, you can create Estimated vs. Actual Time report with the following structure:

• Group results by customers (only)
• Group results by projects (only)
• First group results by customers, then group by billing types
• First group results by billing types, then group by customers
• First group results by customers, then group by projects, and then group by tasks
• etc.

On the 'lowest level' report shows either per-user or per-task data. The report can be configured to hide this information and show only summary records, calculated according to the selected grouping options.

To access Estimated vs. Actual Time report interfaces, use sub-menu 'Estimated vs. Actual Time' of the top-level menu 'Reports'.

Generate Estimated vs. Actual Time Report (HTML format)

To generate and view Estimated vs. Actual Time report in the HTML format follow the instructions below:

1. Select option 'Estimated vs. Actual Time' in the top-level menu 'Reports' to open the report interface.

   
   Estimated vs. Actual Time Report form

2. Specify parameters for the report to be generated.

   You can load a report configuration with pre-configured report parameters. See section Working With Report Configurations for more information.

   The report parameters include:

   • Customer(s) and project(s) to generate the report for:

     To see archived customers and projects in the customers and projects selector, set the 'Show archived customers and projects...' check box above the list of customers and projects.

     
     Customers and Projects Selector

     If you select a customer when option 'Show archived customers and projects...' is not selected, archived projects of this customer will not be shown in the report.

   • Tasks to generate report for - one of the following options:

     • open tasks only
     • completed tasks only
     • all tasks (open and completed)

     By default report shows only started tasks that have time estimates. In addition you can configure how to process not started tasks and tasks without estimates:

     • If you want to get all time estimates specified for the selected projects - select option 'Include estimates of not started tasks'

     • If you want to see all time spent on the selected project by the specified date (including time spent on the not estimated tasks) - select option 'Include time spent on the tasks without estimates'

   • Data grouping options

   • Time format to be used in the HTML report - either decimal format (##.##) or hours/minutes format (HH:MM).

     This option is not applicable to the reports in CSV format. Reports in the CSV format always use decimal format for time-track data.

   • Date to calculate spent time and variance between estimated and spent time on.

   Initially, just after your login to actiTIME, the report parameters are pre-set to the following options:

   • Customers and projects: All active customers, All active projects
   • Tasks: All tasks (open and completed), include estimates of not started tasks
   • Data grouping: Group records by customers, then by projects, then by tasks; show per-user information
   • Time format: as configured in the general system settings
   • Date: Today

   After you have generated a report, the interface saves its parameters and will pre-set them when you open the report page next time.

3. When you are ready, submit the page by clicking 'Generate Report' button at the bottom of the interface. The system will generate and show the report according to the specified parameters.

If you want to modify parameters of the generated report, click the link 'Change report parameters' above the table. This will return you to the page with report parameters. Modify them and generate the report again.

Export Report Data in CSV Format

To export data of the Estimated vs. Actual Time report in CSV format follow the instructions below:

1. Specify report parameters in the same way as for generating an HTML report (for more information see section Generate Estimated vs. Actual Time Report).

2. When you are ready, submit the page by clicking 'Export Report to CSV Format' button at the bottom of the interface. The system will generate and return a file with report data in CSV format.

   Save the generated file. For examining exported data open the saved file in Microsoft Excel or any other spreadsheet software.

   Report records will be delimited by the field separator configured in the general system settings. You may need to change the default field separator if your spreadsheet software does not automatically split the report data in columns (for more information see section Adjust General System Settings).

   Numbers shown in the report will be formatted using decimal symbol configured in the general system settings.

   In contrast to HTML reports, CSV reports always convert time to the decimal format. This means that if HTML report shows spent time as "1:15", CSV report will contain value "1.25".

You can also export the report data to CSV format just after generating a report in the HTML format. To do that click on the 'Export to CSV format' link under the report. The system will generate and show you a new report in the CSV format using the same report parameters as in the previously generated HTML report.