Announcing the synchronization of time-off between Timesheets and People Schedule

We are pleased to announce the release of a new feature improving time-off management in Forecast!

What is changing?

We have synchronized time-off between Timesheets and People Schedule. Beginning April 30, 2024 any new time-off entered into Timesheets will automatically create a corresponding time-off allocation in People Schedule. Similarly, any new time-off allocated in People Schedule will automatically create a linked Timesheet entry.

Why is this changing?

We have reduced the amount of administrative work required to create a single source of truth for time-off and resource utilization.  Only one instance of time-off entry needs to occur for accurate, consistent and transparent time-off data across the platform. It also mitigates the risk of resource planning with limited or incomplete data. 

How does this affect me? 

With this change, there is a potential risk of duplicate data. 

What is the potential risk?

Time-off existing within the platform in Timesheets or People Schedule prior to April 30 will not be synchronized, while newly created time-off will. The risk of duplicate time-off data occurs if new time-off is registered in timesheets or created as schedule allocations for time-off that already exists in the platform. 

How is potential risk created?

User A entered time-off in Timesheets for a future date prior to April 30. Then, sometime after April 30, User B, a resource manager, creates a time-off allocation for User A for the same date/s or time period in People Schedule. This results in duplicated time-off appearing in the timesheet for User A. The new time-off allocation creates a linked timesheet entry, while the pre-existing timesheet entry still exists.

What do I need to do?

How you and your team enter time-off will determine the potential risk of duplicate data.

Workflows with no potential risk

• If you and your team only enter time-off as schedule allocations, or if time-off is only reported in timesheets, there is no risk of duplicate data.
• If you have been creating linked time-off by adding a schedule allocation and selecting the option to add the time-off to timesheets (as in the image below), there is no risk of duplication. 
  
• Integrating with a third party platform such as BambooHR. Time-off created by a third-party integration appear in People Schedule and Timesheets. Time-off must be created and managed within the third party app; it cannot be done in Forecast.

Mitigating potential risk

If neither of the workflows noted above are applicable to your team, the following steps can prevent risk of duplication. 

Mitigating risk using Timesheets

1. Review time-off reported in Timesheets.
2. Remove any future-dated timesheet entry that does not have a corresponding time-off allocation in People Schedule.
3. Create new time-off allocations for the time-off entries removed from Timesheets. 
4. New, linked time-off will appear between Timesheets and People Schedule. 

Mitigating risk using Allocations

1. Review time-off allocations in People Schedule. 
2. Remove any time-off allocation not already linked to a timesheet. 
3. Create new time-off allocations for the time-off allocations removed from People Schedule. 
4. New linked time-off will appear between People Schedule and Timesheets.