Official release of Time and Project Report PRO

In May 2018, Marketplace Bitrix24 was replenished with a small but very useful application from Aviv's developers under the name of Time and Project Report, which is available to users both cloud edition and en-premise edition. The program significantly exceeded the standard functional for user convenience, the scope of reporting, and could upload data to a spreadsheet document. In a short time, the application has gained popularity in the Bitrix24 community: over 10k of downloads only on portals in the former CIS and almost as many around the world — it has allowed Time and Project Report to get into Top 10 most downloaded applications for Bitrix24! The success of the project has contributed to further development and now we present the PRO-version of our development.

Before telling about the latest versions of this release, we recommend that you do not waste time and install the application right away. If you are already running the previous version it’s not a problem, these are different applications and they will not interfere with each other. The trial period will go on, but you will have enough of it to appreciate all the advantages of the PRO-version. We have prepared 8 update points, for which we will give the expanded comments. And so, without losing time consider and compare the application for reporting on time and projects.

Of course, the first thing that catches up with the average user is the software interface. If the simple version does not differ much from the standard Bitrix24 windows, then the PRO-version was developed pretty scrupulously. Here, the functional is not just added (which we will discuss later), but also the layout of all the elements in gradation from the most used to the less important. Fields that are not always hidden by default, but appear when they click on their name.

Another feature of the new version is the interaction with the fields. Previously, by clicking on "+ Add", you could not close the popup until you have selected something from it. Now the window disappears when clicked for its limits, which can only please people who appreciate the speed with which programs work.

Previously, you could add only one person at a time - that’s basically the main difference. In the PRO-version you can add and remove from the list everything (and everybody). Qualitatively modified picker allows you to:

• Use search or select from the list of individuals;

• Add to already selected new employees without losing already selected ones;

• Easily remove unnecessary items from the list;

• Add entire departments of the company;

• Add the whole company at once.

In a word, now you, and not the application, decide who and how to add to the field. The application uses employee’s avatars from the Bitrix24 portal, so you don’t have to search for the right person for a long time - you will recognize it by the usual photo. It is also important to be able to find and select employees who were previously dismissed for reporting. You can completely clear the field in one click by clicking on the cross in the right corner. This option is available in all Time and Project Report pickers.

The picker of project selection works on the same principle as the staff - you can select several projects at once if the employee (-s) are busy in several areas of the company’s work. For convenience, already selected projects in the list are delimited by dark background stripes.

Not everyone uses tags, but this method of project selection is very convenient and effective for searching. In the PRO-version, the tags were approached with special creativity and optimized the work with them to the maximum. In the previous edition, the data in the “Tags” field were perceived as plain text. Now words separated by commas (as indicated by a hint in the field) will be defined as separate tags. Moreover: if you write a word without a comma and wait 3 seconds, the program will automatically fix a separate tag.

Now the time periods have become much narrower and more specific. For the convenience of users, in addition to just the reporting dates, the ability to select the time in the date is added. This is very convenient if you need to structure the report, for example, only in the afternoons, etc.

Also three checkboxes have appeared for quick selection of the reporting period in the calendar:

• “Last week”;

• “Last month”;

• “Last quarter”.

By default, the month is selected, as statistically it is the most requested parameter.

And now there is a completely new opportunity. “Filter Templates” is an indispensable option for any manager who eliminates the routine work from one reporting period to another. The meaning of the template is simple: you can only create and save any request once. At any time you can return to the place all requests and repeat the formation of the report. The date and time you specified initially will automatically change to the current one! Thus, by creating and saving a template, for example, a week ago, today you will receive the same report, but with the current date. By analogy, this applies to the fast parameters of the week, month and quarter.

The template is stored at the bottom of the first screen of the application in a table form and you can always see in it a set of queries. There is an opportunity to save 5 templates for each employee in the Portal Bitrix24. If you need more templates, Avivi developers will be able to provide this opportunity during individual communication.

The most important point in the PRO-version, which has undergone a grandiose refinement, of course, is the creation of reporting.

From the fact that you will not see visually, but definitely notice during the work, you need to note a different algorithm to the time calculation approach. A report in the regular version can do it and in the PRO-version it takes seconds. Of course, time is affected by the amount of information, but in any case, a comparison of the speed of a new and old Time and Project Report is equivalent to a comparison of a car and a scooter.

Already a noticeable feature is the output of the result: if earlier the table was built directly under the request, now a new screen opens for this. Users can go back to the filters using the arrows in the upper left corner. In the table was added a color, which helps to navigate the arrays of information. In addition to task names, a status column has been added, so you can always see which task has already been completed and which one is still working on. Each time, in addition to general statistics, you will be shown the total amounts for the projects as a whole, each individual project, each task, etc. This allows you to see in the smallest detail a picture of what is happening in your company and how much time it takes.

You can view reporting in two modes: “Day” and “Month”. This type allows you to get a lot of important statistical information. If the result does not fit the screen in width, the columns move horizontally using the mouse cursor as well as, for example, in Bitrix24 kanban.

But what you will not find in the PRO-version are graphs. The developers felt that this information is not a key to reporting. If you think otherwise, you can write about it in the comments. However, Avivi company’s plans include creating a reporting application that will only produce results in visual form using histograms, graphs and charts.

As before, it is possible to send the generated report for uploading to an XLS spreadsheet file in one click. The corresponding red buttons are for convenience at the top and bottom of the screen. Document generation time in the PRO-version is also much shorter, and now the new options are available that affect this. Four checkboxes allow users to select the desired options, which include:

• By employees;

• By projects;

• By months;

• By days.

If the checkbox is not selected, the corresponding information will not be exported to a spreadsheet, which will significantly shorten the time it takes to generate the file.

The downloaded file is a formatted table, stylized by color in accordance with the fields of the application. The cells are arranged on the principle of dynamic selection of height and width in accordance with the content. Now the data will not “crawl” anywhere, and thanks to color differentiation even the longest report will be quite understandable. Tasks from one project will be merged into a single cell. And if an employee was busy in several projects at the same time, in the general list this is displayed by alternating light and dark fillings of the background of cells. At the bottom of the document you will see nested sheets that correspond to the checkboxes you have marked.

As with any other worthy program, subscription rules are applied in Time and Project Report. The first 7 days after installation you will be able to use absolutely all the functionality without restrictions! At any time, clicking the link “Manage my subscription” at the bottom of the screen, you can make the necessary amount to activate the application. You will be able to see the date of the next charge of funds and even change your decision to stay on a subscription or not almost an unlimited number of times.

Even in case of your refusal, all settings, templates and other information will not be lost and you can always resume using the wonderful Time and Project Report application from Avivi company.