actiTIME

actiTIME is a web-based and streamlined tool designed for project managers. It facilitates a user-friendly working environment and puts at their disposal intuitive and practical tools for time tracking.

This is a free edition that allows access for a limited number of users. You can also check out actiTIME Small Team Edition and actiTIME Extended.

The installation procedure takes a while to finish unwrapping everything. Before doing so, however, you can select the database platform to work with, between Microsoft Access and MySQL. The setup wizard is able to either create a new database or to copy data from an existing one. What's more, you can indicate the IP address and port number to use.

Once the installer is over, you can log into actiTIME via a web browser using the default user name and password displayed here. It is highly recommended to change these credentials immediately afterward for security purposes. After this step, you can directly launch the app with an empty database or review two demos.

You can configure general settings, create billing types and tasks to report time for, as well as put together accounts for other users. The web interface is clean and intuitive, having all these aforementioned modules neatly organized in separate areas.

General settings revolve around time-track hierarchy levels, time report, time-track of other users, leave time, control of overtime and undertime, time estimates, user groups, reporting, formats (calendar and time, time zone, numbers, currency), email (mail server, message parameters, error processing), along with notifications.

Billing types can be studied when it comes to their status and rate. Moreover, you can set any of them as default, change their order in the list, and delete any entries. The same rules apply to the leave types too (sick leave, time off, vacation). Plus, the logo and color scheme may be customized.

The first step you have to take is building a list with users, in order to assign them to projects and assign the projects to clients. New users can be created with a user name, password, access type (enabled or disabled), contact information, department, time zone, workday duration, overtime tracking mode (enabled or disabled), hourly rates, and access rights (time-track submission, reporting, task hierarchy management, system administration).

New customers can be created with a name and description, while new projects can be put together with an assigned customer, project name and description, along with an assigned project team.

New tasks can be added to the database with a customer name, project to assign it to, task name, estimative budget, deadline, and billing type. They can be optionally added to the "Enter Time-Track" page, and any tasks may be removed from the list. Tasks can be filtered by name, customers and projects. Plus, you can view only completed tasks and archives.

A calendar with working and free days can be reviewed. It is possible to generate reports for time (staff performance, overtime, leave time, time-track in detail, estimated versus actual time), together with cost and billing (billing summary, invoice export, cost of work, profit and loss).

You can activate email notifications: a reminder to any number of users as well as reports for unsubmitted time-track projects, upcoming deadlines, worked out task estimates, changes in project assignments, overrrun project budgets, and personal earnings. Evidently, all of these alerts come with their own set of rules which can be user-defined.

actiTIME can be integrated with iPhone devices. It had a good response time and worked smoothly in our tests, without triggering Windows to hang, crash or pop up error messages. It is obvious that the app has numerous features and customization settings. All of them are made to ease the job of project managers when it comes to overseeing and administering a team's work.