Time Registration Helpers

Forecast provides artificial intelligent-based time registration helpers for tasks. These helpers can assist with quickly registering time to tasks resulting in diminishing the effort and time it would normally take to do the process. 

The article includes

• Overview of Time Registration Helpers
• Quickly Find and Add
• Time Entry Suggestions

Overview of Time Registration Helpers

Time registration helpers are a Forecast AI functionality. They are based on the BERT 'similar tasks' model. The model inputs Tasks, Projects, Previously assigned person role, and time registrations with the output being the list of tasks or time registration suggestions.

There are two separate features that fall under Time Registration Helpers, those are the Quickly Find and Add feature in the timesheets page and the Time Entry Suggestion feature. Below the article will explain how these features work. 

Quickly Find and Add

Under the 'My Timesheets' tab a user will find the 'Quickly find and add' section in the second half of the page just under the calendar. This section is designed to allow a user to quickly and effortlessly find tasks that they may want to register time on. To access this feature follow the steps below. 

To access the 'Quickly Find and Add'

1. Click on the 'My Work' tab in Forecast.
2. Click on the 'My Timesheets' tab next to the 'My Tasks' tab.
3. Once in the My Timesheets tab scroll until you come across the 'Quickly find and add' section of the timesheets.

Task Categories and How They Work

The different task categories presented in the feature all serve to assist a user with quickly finding the task they might be looking for. Depending on the status of the task it may fall under one or several categories. 

Each category looks for specific conditions on tasks in order to present them to the user. These conditions could be tasks the user recently registered time on, similar tasks to tasks the user has previously registered time on, tasks with a deadline for this week or planned future tasks. The breakdown below explains how each category presents the tasks to the user.

Overview of Task Categories

• Suggested: This category will present AI-generated tasks, internal time, and time-off suggestions. For example, tasks that reside in a project that you have previously registered time on tasks on over the last few days.
• Starred: This category will present tasks that you have marked with a Star. Marking a task with a star sets it as 'Favorite' so that you can easily find it under the My Work page in the stared section. A starred task will always appear, regardless of deadline.
• Recent: This category will present tasks that you have recently, over the last week or so, logged time on. This is an easy way to register time on tasks that have already time registrations from previous days.
• Planned: This category will present tasks planned to be worked on during the day or week that has been selected from the calendar above.
• In progress: This category will present tasks assigned to you with the workflow status set to 'In progress'. This category will show tasks outside of the dates in the calendar heatmap that you are viewing. The main requirement is for a task to be in the 'In Progress' workflow status.
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Registering time by using the Quickly Find and Add feature

If the task the user is looking for falls under any of the aforementioned categories then they can register time on them by following the steps below. 

To register time in the 'Quickly Find and Add' section

1. Click on the 'My Work' tab in Forecast.
2. Click on the 'My Timesheets' tab next to the 'My Tasks' tab.
3. Once in the My Timesheets tab scroll until you come across the 'Quickly find and add' section of the timesheets.
4. Click on one of the categories that you believe the task will fall under.
5. Once you find it, click on the empty boxes under the date and on the desired tasks line.
6. Enter the amount of hours that should be registered for that task.
7. Click anywhere else on the page (outside of the box) for the hours to be registered.
   

Time Entry Suggestions 

Another feature belonging to time registration helpers is the suggested hours to register. These time registration suggestions will be based on historic data from previous time registrations on similar projects/tasks, internal time options, and time off options.

This feature relies on past data in order to produce these suggestions. The more data that resides within a Forecast account the more accurate these time suggestions will be. A fresh account will have no suggestions for a while as the Forecast AI model will need some time to learn/teach itself. 

The time suggestions will appear in two different places within Forecast. Under the My Timesheets page and also within the task module's time entry window. To access and review the feature follow the steps below.

To access and review the Time Entry Suggestions from the My Timesheets page

1. Click on the 'My Work' tab in Forecast.
2. Click on the 'My Timesheets' tab next to the 'My Tasks' tab.
3. Navigate the arrow in your device over to the right side of the page where the New Time Entry area resides.
4. Select the category that time needs to be registered on.
5. Click on the Time Entry box.
6. If the AI has enough data, suggestions will appear in a small window below the time entry box.
7. Click on the time entry suggestion to register the hours.

To access and review the Time Entry Suggestion from the task module

1. Click on the name of any task that time needs to be registered.
2. Click on the Time Entries box that is situated between the Estimate and Remaining boxes.
3. If the AI has enough data, a suggestion should immediately appear.
   
4. Click on the time entry suggestion to register the hours