iTimeKeep v.2

Bellefield has recently published a new version of iTimeKeep, which is a great way to enter and manage your time in Elite.

What is iTimeKeep?

For those not using iTimeKeep, it is a time entry system licensed supported by the firm.  I would say it is alternative to Webview, but I actually recommend it over Webview.  Rest assured we will be supporting both methods for the foreseeable future.  I think iTimeKeep is superior in many ways.

For starters, you are not limited to using certain versions of Internet Explorer.  iTimeKeep supports virtually any modern web browser.  There are also free apps for your Android or IOS (iPhone & iPad) devices.

If you have not yet tried iTimeKeep, now is a great time to see if this makes your time entry easier.   You are free to go back and forth between iTimeKeep and Webview.  Using one does not prevent you from using the other.  Your iTimeKeep user name and password should be the same as you use for Gmail.

Another good reason to use iTimeKeep is that, especially for the satellite offices, it works much faster than Webview in most circumstances.

What's New with iTimeKeep v.2?

If you are already an iTimeKeep user, you may have notice some significant changes in the last couple of weeks.

The biggest change for timekeepers is that everything is much more tightly integrated with Elite. Under the old system, iTimeKeep would not let you edit, or even view, time entries made in Webview.  Now, any time entered in any way is visible in iTimeKeep and can be edited.

No more batch submissions: with iTimeKeep v.2, when you enter or edit time, it immediately updates in Elite. You don't need to go through a separate step to submit your time.  There is no longer an need to save entries as drafts, since you can continue to edit your entries even after they have been submitted.

Timers are now synchronized.  If you start a timer on your phone, you will also see it running when you view iTimeKeep on your computer.  You can seamlessly move back and forth between devices as you enter and track your time.

Real time validation of Time Entry.  If you violate a rule for a time entry, such as omitting a task code when mandatory, you will be informed immediately so you can correct the error right away.  This feature will not work until we update the back end, however.  More on that below.

Any abbreviations set up in Elite will also work on iTimeKeep.  Alas this is not true for Shortkeys, which is not available for phones or tablets.  Of course, Shortkeys on your computer will still work if entering time via iTimeKeep on that computer.

You can also track your monthly progress.  iTimeKeep will show you your month-to-date hours so you can track your progress toward monthly targets.

For those so inclined, the new iTimeKeep also support Apple Watch.

Upgrading to v.2

Your browser connection should show you the new v.2 interface already.  If you have an App on your phone or tablet, you will need to update your App.  Many of you may have this set to happen automatically, in which case you should be fine.  If you have updates set to manual, you must update your iTimeKeep App to the latest version.

Once you are upgraded, you will have most of the functionality of the new version.   There are a few features that required the IT Department to make changes to the back end.  We will be making these changes shortly. We want to give everyone time to upgrade their Apps first.  Because while the new App works fine with our existing back end, once we upgrade the back end, the older versions of the Apps will no longer function at all.