adorsys GmbH & Co. KG

Time recording: in-house development reaches its limits

Since software development is one of the company's core competences, it was obvious for adorsys to also write a corresponding software solution internally for time recording. However, with continuously growing project volumes, this in-house development reached its limits over time. "Moreover, at some point we simply lacked the time to further develop the solution in such a way that it could meet the increasingly diverse requirements on both the user and project controlling sides," recalls Katrin Tschiersch, who as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at adorsys is responsible for finance and contracts. "For this reason, we then began to look externally for an appropriate software solution for time recording."

"As we know from feedback from our project staff, the solution is very user-friendly and intuitive to use."

As a result of the research, those responsible came across the ZEP solution from provantis IT Solutions. ZEP stands for ZeitErfassung für Projekte (Time Recording for Projects). The web-based solution has been on the market since 2000 and was developed especially for project-oriented companies as a complete solution for the areas of time recording and verification, travel expenses, project management and controlling as well as invoicing.

Katrin Tschiersch explains: "We currently use ZEP exclusively for time recording, as well as holiday and absence management. All data recorded with ZEP is then transferred to our invoicing solution and financial accounting via CSV import and processed there."

Time, location and device-independent recording of project times

Thanks to the browser-based user interface, ZEP enables project times to be recorded independently of time, location and device. The adorsys project staff are thus able to record their project times at any time and from anywhere. In addition to the intuitive and user-friendly web interface, mobile apps for all common operating systems (Android, iOS) are also available for input.

"Most of our employees work on site at the customer's premises. It is therefore essential that they are able to record their times on site or on the road so that project times can be billed as promptly as possible and they don't have to wait until the next time they are back in the office at their workplace," explains Katrin Tschiersch. Currently, 130 adorsys employees use ZEP every day to record their project times.

As soon as a time booking is recorded in ZEP, it is transferred to various evaluations and reports (time statements, target/actual comparisons). Thanks to the continuous live display of the booked actual times, diverse functions such as an overbooking stop, blocking of settled times, a release mechanism for booked times, month-end closing and more, projects can be monitored quickly and efficiently with ZEP and deviations from the plan can be detected at an early stage.

Katrin Tschiersch confirms: "In principle, it doesn't really matter to me in Controlling when, where and how an employee records their project times. The only important thing is that the times are available promptly on a central platform such as ZEP and can be processed from there. The target/actual comparisons provided by the system are an important tool for our project controlling."

Also in use at adorsys is ZEP's holiday and absence management. Using a corresponding calendar, each employee can apply for leave quickly and clearly and, if necessary, have it approved by their supervisor. The complete application and approval process takes place via the software. In addition, ZEP makes it possible to record and document absences in various categories such as illness, maternity leave or parental leave, but also flexitime (e.g. for compensatory time off).

Cloud vs. On Premise: A Question of Cost

ZEP is offered both in on premise and cloud computing operation. In the former, the ZEP customer buys a licence and installs the solution on his own IT systems. He receives support in the form of corresponding installation manuals. As an option, they can also conclude a maintenance contract and then receive technical support during the operating phase as well as regularly available updates of the software solution.

If the customer opts for cloud operation, he does not have to install anything, but receives access to the cloud-based software variant of ZEP, which is operated in an ISO 27001-certified high-performance data centre in Germany. The basis for use is an online usage contract that can be terminated at any time at the end of the month as well as a contract for order processing in accordance with the German Data Protection Regulation (DSGVO). Billing is based on usage per user and month.

adorsys currently uses ZEP in the on-premise model. Katrin Tschiersch explains: "With on-premise operation, we are 'in control' of the application and data ourselves. However, we are currently carrying out a cost comparison between the costs of on-premise operation and operation in the ZEP cloud. If it turns out that using the cloud is more attractive for us in terms of price, we can very well imagine switching to the cloud."

ZEP as time recording for project-oriented companies "Thought from the user's point of view".

With this statement, Katrin Tschiersch draws a final conclusion from the use of ZEP to date. She confirms: "As we know from the feedback from our project staff, the solution is very user-friendly and intuitive to use. For me in Controlling, however, the advantage of using ZEP is the ability to access all project times in real time via a central platform, analyse them and transfer them to invoicing and financial accounting at the touch of a button."