COBI.time - User Manual for the Standard User
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Purpose and area of application
The following information is intended to provide the standard user with all the necessary information for using this software in the time recording management process. It supports the user in using COBI.time to record his working times, which are then integrated into SAP Business One.
** The documentation is divided into the following sections **
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General settings:
- Device configuration
- Language settings
- View
- Profile Picture
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Employee time recording:
- Dashboard
- Menu bar
- Digital time clock
- Attendance list
- Notifications
- Monthly Overview
General Settings
Device configuration
If you enter the domain name with /start, the configuration mask of COBI.time is displayed.
Example: https://cobitime-url/start
You have the option here of choosing the way you want to log in. Select the desired configuration and click on
Save.
The username is generally taken from SAP Business One. If no SAP user code is defined, a username can be assigned manually by the administrator before the import from SAP Business One.
When importing employees from SAP into COBI.time, the administrator assigns a unique start password for all employees. When trying to log in for the first time, employees are requested to change the password accordingly.
The PIN is generated automatically during import and can be requested from the administrator.
RFID chips can be activated and made available by the administrator.
If the "Terminal mode" checkbox is ticked, the system automatically returns to the login screen after 15 seconds (default). The time can be adjusted accordingly. Terminal mode is useful if, for example, several users (production, warehouse, etc.) have to log in on one tablet.
If COBI.time is used in the terminal, the employee is only shown the digital time clock when logging in and not the complete dashboard.
Language settings
You also have the option of selecting your preferred language to work with. This function can be found in the top right-hand corner. COBI.time is available in both German and English.
Display View
COBI.time can be operated in both dark and light mode. The slider for changing the view can also be found in the top right-hand corner, to the left of the language selection.
Insert profile picture
To add or change a profile picture, click on the image area at the top of the menu bar and upload the chosen picture.
Employees Time Recording
Dashboard
After all general settings have been selected, you can now log in to COBI.time as an authorised employee and receive the following dashboard.
The dashboard is divided into 5 areas. See points 1 - 5 below in relation to the illustration above.
1. Menu Bar
By clicking on the "Time recording" icon, the complete dashboard is displayed.
When you click on the "Attendance list" icon, you get an overview of all employees or just the team colleagues, depending on the authorisation given. The authorisation for the corresponding view is assigned by the administrator.
By clicking on the "Absence request" icon, another window opens with a drop-down menu with a list of reasons for absence.
You can now select a reason for absence, half or full day and the date. Furthermore, you can optionally add a comment or an attachment.
When you click on the "Request absence" button, this is forwarded to the line manager for approval.
Here you can log out of COBI.time, which must be confirmed again.
The following window appears after clicking on "Log out":
2. Digital Time Clock
Buttons Coming / Business trip
These are primarily used to start the daily time recording. Clicking on the " Coming" button starts the time recording for the day. There can be also the "Business trip" button, which is displayed to the right of the "Coming" button. It has the same function; the time is started accordingly. There are two options for displaying the "Business trip" button. This can be displayed in general or only if there is an authorised business trip for the day.
Note: The business trip function is not a general function; it is activated by the administrator in the settings if it is relevant for the employees.
Location Selection Button
You can use the "Location" button to select where you are currently working, which will be shown in the attendance list with a corresponding icon visible to colleagues. The icon also appears in the top left-hand corner of the digital time clock.
Standort Icons:
Once the working time has been started, the time worked is displayed in the centre of the grey circle. The time circle changes colour from grey to red to green when the target working time for that day has been reached.
After the working time has been started, the buttons in the digital time clock are changing as follows.
Button „Book Breaks“
This function can be used to start and end breaks. After pressing the " Break start" button, the " Break end" button appears automatically.
During the break, the colour of the time circle changes to yellow. The employee is also displayed in yellow in the attendance list so that everyone can see who is currently on a break.
Button „+ Activity“
Once the working time has been started, you can use the "+Activity" button to book time on projects, service calls and financial projects within the working time. After clicking on the button, the following selection menu opens:
Once a project has been selected and confirmed, this also appears as information in the digital time clock under the employee's name.
Projects, service calls and financial projects are taken directly from SAP Business One and cannot be created in COBI.time.
The time booking for the project can be ended using the "End project" button. Breaks can also be booked during booking on a project. If no name has been assigned to project stages in SAP, these stages are displayed as an empty field for selection.
The "Search" field can also be used to search for specific projects.
Posting to projects is not a general function; it is activated by the administrator in the system settings and in the authorisation assignment if this is relevant for the employees.
Information Field
In the top right-hand corner of the digital time clock there is an icon where you can call up personal information.
After clicking on the "Show information" icon, the following window opens:
Here you have an overview of the attendance status, the current working time including breaks and the total balance since the employee started using COBI.time. Plus or minus hours are displayed accordingly. In addition, an overview of the total leave (planned, open, unconfirmed and taken) is displayed in the lower half.
E-Mail Notifications
In the top right-hand corner of the info window, you can activate whether you would like to receive an e-mail notification when an absence request has been approved or rejected.
Monthly History
By clicking on "Balance", you can open your monthly history.
You get the following view per month in which all attendances and absences are displayed. You can also use the arrows to navigate forwards and backwards by month.
By clicking on individual days, an overview of the selected day is displayed so that single bookings can be traced in more detail.
1. Absence Request
You also have the option of initiating an absence request in the info window by clicking on the plus next to "Absence request".
The same mask appears as from the "Leave request" icon in the menu bar.
2. Time Report
You can retrieve your own time report using the symbol to the right of the balance.
Once you have selected the "Time report" button, you will see an overview of a monthly time report, in which the daily bookings, actual and target working time and the corresponding difference in per cent are displayed.
The red arrows at the top left and right can be used to scroll month by month. With the "Export" button in the top right-hand corner, the time report can be exported into an Excel spreadsheet and used for further processing.
3. Attendance List
By clicking on the "Show all" button, you get an overview of all employees or team colleagues, depending on how the administrator has assigned the viewing rights. The attendance list function is the same as the icon in the menu bar under point 1.
Overview Attendance List:
The attendance list has a search function in the top left-hand corner where you can search for colleagues by first name or surname. There is also a filter function in which you can display departments separately. You can also tick the box next to it to display only colleagues who are present.
The status of the colleagues can be recognised by the highlighted colour or the displayed symbols, see legend on the right of the image.
4. Notifications
The notification field shows when absence requests have been approved or rejected. Alternatively, you can use the e-mail function as described under point 2. Digital time clock - e-mail notifications.
5. Monthly Overview
In the monthly overview, you can see your average working and break time and the corresponding balance.
By clicking on the "Show history" button, you can jump to the identical history as under point 2. Digital time clock - monthly history.
Additional Modules
Depending on the rights assigned by the administrator, the employee could be shown an additional module in the menu bar on the left, the manual time recording.
There are two options here:
- if only the "Manual time entry" right has been assigned, the following window opens:
The employee has the option of booking times in the past only.
- The rights "Manual time recording" and "Project times" have been assigned, then the following extended window opens:
The employee has the option of booking times on projects, business partners and service calls etc., e.g. on the previous day or in the past.
In both cases, click in the corresponding fields and select the desired times or projects, business partners, service calls, etc.
Note:
The right of manual time booking is rarely assigned to employees alone. This would be used, for example, if the employee had forgotten to log in or out of COBI.time the day before and now wants to enter the working time accordingly. These processes are usually authorised by the line manager with appropriate comments.The manual time booking authorisation in conjunction with the project times authorisation is assigned more frequently. Here, employees have the option of adding project times in the past as part of their working time.
Ultimately, the assignment of rights for both aspects depend on how the company policy is defined.
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[New Feature added]
Time correction request
It happens that employees forget to log times or other activities. You can use the following function to submit a request for time correction.
If you select this function, you will get the following mask:
When you click on the date field, the calendar opens; on the days with green dots there is already a time booking that you might want to correct. For days without marking, there is no time booking; you could also request a time correction for a complete day.
You now select the day on which you would like to request a time correction. In the example below, a day was selected on which the employee forgot to log in in the morning. He did this at 9:42 a.m. and is now submitting a request for a time correction because he started his work at 7:30 a.m.
To do this, click on the time you want to correct, in this case 9:42 a.m., and change it to the desired time. You also have the option of using the “Plus” button at the top right to book entire days as working hours or so-called “activities”. When you click on “Activities” the selection window opens, identical to that in the digital time clock (activity button) in which you can see the projects, service calls, financial projects and cost centers. You could request time corrections here if you forgot to book such activities.
In all cases it is mandatory to enter the reason for the time correction in the comment field, after which the application can be sent. This will be sent to the registered manager/team leader.
