Understanding Time Tracking in Ontraccr: Purpose, Functionality, and Core Concepts

⏱ Understanding Time Tracking in Ontraccr: Purpose, Functionality, and Core Concepts

⚡ Executive Summary: Understanding Time Tracking in Ontraccr
 

• Time Tracking is the foundation of labor management, job costing, and payroll inside Ontraccr.
• It connects the field to the office by:
  • Capturing accurate labor hours
  • Assigning time to specific projects, phases, and cost codes
  • Enabling real-time reporting, billing, and compliance tracking
• Every time entry in Ontraccr supports:
  • Project costing and budgeting
  • Payroll and accounting processes
  • Field productivity tracking
• Time can be tracked in multiple ways:
  • Live clock-in/clock-out
  • Manual time entry
  • Tablet mode (shared devices)
  • Form-based timesheets or workflows
• Well-structured time tracking eliminates payroll errors, improves job cost forecasting, and builds operational transparency between teams and management.
   
• Ontraccr uses a 3-tier approval hierarchy:

🔹 Tier 1: Project-Specific Approvers

• If set, this overrides all other tiers

🔹 Tier 2: Team-Based Supervisors

• Approves time for users within their team (under Staff > Manage Teams)

🔹 Tier 3: Company-Wide Approvers

• Fallback if no project or team approver exists

🧭 What Is Time Tracking in Ontraccr?

In Ontraccr, Time Tracking is the system for recording how workers spend their time on jobs, tasks, and service work.

It goes far beyond simple clocking in and out — it connects every hour worked to the bigger operational picture:

• Which project the work was done on
• What phase or task it belonged to
• Which cost code it maps to for billing and analysis
• Whether the hours qualify for regular pay, overtime, or special rates (e.g., weekends)

Time Tracking ensures that labor — the biggest cost on most projects — is accurately captured, validated, and turned into actionable insights.

🎯 Why Use Time Tracking?

Accurate time tracking powers:

• Real-Time Job Costing
  Tie hours worked directly to budgets and cost codes, allowing proactive tracking of overruns.
   
• Accurate Payroll
  Ensure workers are paid correctly for hours worked, overtime earned, and shifts completed.
   
• Compliance and Auditability
  Maintain a traceable record of hours for union agreements, labor laws, and client reporting.
   
• Productivity Analysis
  Understand crew performance, phase-level labor demands, and resource needs.
   
• Change Management Support
  Document unforeseen work to justify change orders and billing adjustments.
   

In short: Time tracking is not just about paying people — it's about running profitable projects.

🛠️ How Time Tracking Functions Conceptually

Time tracking in Ontraccr is built around three core layers:

Each time entry goes through a controlled lifecycle:

1. Creation (user action or form submission)
2. Validation (submission, review, approval)
3. Finalization (push to payroll, cost reports, financial systems)

Throughout the process, Ontraccr captures metadata like:

• Location (GPS stamps)
• Method of entry
• Associated project/phase/cost code
• Approver actions
• Rounding adjustments
• Custom form fields (notes, equipment, safety info)

🧩 How Time Tracking Fits Inside the Ontraccr System

Time tracking integrates deeply across Ontraccr’s ecosystem:

In Ontraccr, time isn't isolated — it's woven into every operational and financial function.

🏗️ Time Entry Methods: Built for Flexibility

Ontraccr offers four different ways to capture time, depending on your team’s needs:

This flexibility ensures that no matter how you operate — centralized, decentralized, scheduled, or service-driven — you can capture time reliably.

🔁 How Time Tracking Powers Automation

When combined with Ontraccr’s automation features, time tracking can:

• Auto-prompt submissions at clock-out
• Auto-calculate overtime and double time
• Auto-create time cards from form submissions
• Auto-approve time based on custom workflows
• Auto-export approved hours to payroll or accounting systems

Manual data collection and spreadsheet chaos are eliminated.

📈 Why Time Tracking Matters (Beyond Just “Clocking In”)

Without proper time tracking, companies face:

• Budget overruns
• Payroll mistakes
• Poor visibility into project progress
• Difficulty justifying change orders
• Compliance risk during audits

With Ontraccr Time Tracking:

• Labor is mapped clearly to activities and budgets
• Hours are validated and approvable
• Cost recovery improves
• Field and office teams stay in sync
• Operations become more scalable and auditable

In short: Time Tracking transforms hours into dollars, compliance, and clarity.

🧠 Best Practices for Using Time Tracking

• Require Projects and Cost Codes to force proper assignment
• Use Auto-Submission to avoid end-of-week bottlenecks
• Enable Geofencing or Facial Capture for real-world validation
• Create Clear Approval Paths (project approver > supervisor > company approver)
• Lock Pay Periods After Payroll to protect data integrity
• Train Supervisors and Crews on Color Codes and Submission Flow
• Pair Form-Based Time Entry with Daily Log Workflows for field automation
• Use Rounding and Break Policies Thoughtfully to minimize disputes

📌 Quick Summary