Defining Online Time and Attendance Reporting (OTAR) - Purpose/Goal/Objectives and Succinct Definition

Purpose: 

To provide a web-based system for electronic collection, authorization, submission and processing of time and attendance reporting.

Vision: 

Each user and college using the Time and Attendance Reporting system will have a system that is user-friendly, efficient, and effective, and that provides for easy and useful reporting. The system integrates easily with other college systems where needed and provides a seamless process for supporting the colleges’ needs for processing and tracking pay and hours of hourly individuals, student workers and others as identified.

Goal(s): 

The goals are to improve efficiency and effectiveness of processing and tracking pay and hours and to provide a platform for future development where identified and supported. Specific goals include the following:

  1. To improve efficient use of staffing resources by reducing the staff time required for processing attendance hourly pay (i.e. leave)
  2. To improve accuracy of time and attendance reporting
  3. To reduce HR/Payroll timesheet and leave report data entry errors
  4. To reduce liability as a result of inaccurate time or leave payments
  5. To improve timeliness of time and leave reporting

 Objectives: 

The objective is to have a system that is easy to understand and use, both by the user and HR/Payroll staff, and that meets college needs for timeliness, reporting needs and accuracy. The goals will be accomplished through a system that meets the following criteria:

  1. Accessible from any location on campus or off.
  2. Accessible 24x7x365 for both reporting and related approvals.
  3. Recognizes all employees based on employee type and the hours or leave they are authorized to report.
  4. Captures Meta data – time, date stamp. Meta data will be collected for audit tracking and be available for further system analysis and improvement (bottleneck analysis/business process reengineering).
  5. Provides for time and leave reporting as defined by the colleges.
  6. Allows for electronic approvals and zero dependency on hard copy format.
  7. Tracks hours for multiple purposes as defined by the colleges: e.g. 1050, financial aid, 350 representation, etc.
  8. User friendly; requires zero to little user support or training.
  9. Loads directly to the PPMS system for update and processing.
  10. Provides user input directly to system.
  11. Eliminates paper forms and all manual input by HR/Payroll.
  12. Allows for real-time or minor delayed time reporting.
  13. Incorporates reminder systems for user input and authorization transactions.
  14. Allows for communication by authorized individuals to users and authorizers.
  15. Provides for electronic recordkeeping and access to historical information.
  16. Incorporates appropriate audit controls

Succinct Definition: 

Individual employees would post and submit hours worked (e.g. if hourly employees) and/or leave taken (all leave eligible employees) to an electronic system. Authorizations would also happen electronically by identified timekeepers or defined alternate(s). Notification and communications would be available in both push and pull formats and the system provides for electronic reporting and recordkeeping as needed.