Your project timesheet entries should be made daily, and they are to be submitted/frozen at the same time that you submit your design notebook, as noted in the course schedule (roughly every 2 weeks throughout the term). Once timesheet entries for a given period have been submitted, they will no longer be editable. When it is time for you to submit the previous 2 weeks of entries, a submit button will be present when you login.

The course instructor will use the information in the timesheets (after the class is over) to improve the 2.009 product development process through a detailed understanding of the resources needed during different phases of the project. Your lab instructors will not see these data.

Use instructions:
It is a good idea to review the sheet right away so that you know what categories to think about when you are working. Timesheets are completed on a daily basis, with one entry per day. You do not need to make an entry on a day when you do not work on your project. Please try to back-complete your time entries for the first week, before the forms were available.

You can enter your time data online directly, or you can download an excel spreadsheet or pdf file (to be printed). However, if you use the spreadsheet or pdf file you will still need to enter the data online before each submission period. You may want to look at descriptions of the different categories when completing your timesheets.

To get started, go to https://2.009.scripts.mit.edu/apps/timesheets (opens in new window).

The login screen also includes a link to reset your password if you have forgotten it or do not know it. The first time you use the system, please follow the instructions for resetting your password so that you can set your own password.

After successfully logging in, the application shows you a table of the timesheet entries you have saved so far on the system. When you log in for the first time, you will not have any entries, so the table will not be shown.

Click on the "Add new entry" link to add a new entry.

This main screen also tells you when the current timesheet period ends and when you may next submit your timesheet to the course instructor.

The timesheet entry form is used to input information about your 2.009 activities. Entries are made on a daily basis. You can add an entry for a new day, or go back and edit the form for an existing day.

The add new entry and edit entry forms are nearly identical except for the following differences:

• Each form states whether you are adding a new entry or editing an existing entry.
• When editing an entry, the date cannot be changed.
• When editing an entry, the information currently saved for the entry will be loaded into the form.

The timesheet entry form is used to input information about your 2.009 activities. The activities are grouped into six main categories: Designing activities, Researching activities, Prototyping activities, Testing/Debugging activities, Planning activities, and a catchall Other category. Record how much time you spend on each type of activity each day. In addition, distinguish between activities that you perform on your own (i.e., an individual effort, even if there are people around you) and those that you perform with others.

Keep in mind the following:

• One timesheet entry (one form) should be used for each day you perform 2.009 activities.
• A "day" may end at midnight or whenever you go to sleep, whichever is later.
• When a block of time involves a mix of many activities, use your best effort to allocate the time spent among the various activities.
• Time may be entered in hours and minutes, or in total minutes.
• No entry is needed for days in which no time is spent on 2.009.
• Do not over bill (e.g., record class or lab time if you did not attend class or lab).

The timesheet entry form includes additional details about each activity that can be obtained by mousing over the activity name.

At the bottom of the form are three buttons:

• the discard button on the left will bring you back to the table of your saved timesheet entries without saving information that you have entered into the form. A prompt will appear to make sure that you intend to leave the form without changing anything.
  
• the save and continue button will save the information entered and keep you on the form so that you can add more to it, and
• the save and exit button will save the information entered and bring you back to the table of your saved timesheet entries.

If there are any problems with trying to save the information in the form, error messages will appear on the form. If applicable, the error message will include the name of the activity and the name of the column in the form with which there is a problem.

The table of timesheet entries displays the current milestone you are working toward based on the date of the entry. It also displays the total time recorded for each entry. Using the timesheet entries table, you can:

• Edit an existing entry by clicking on the date of the entry.
• Delete an existing entry by checking off the checkbox in the "Delete?" column for the entry to be deleted and then clicking the "Delete checked entries" link.

Other tips:

• You will stay logged into the system until your browser is closed.
• Be careful if you keep a timesheet page open on multiple computers. When you save an entry, it will not automatically refresh on other computers. You will need to reload the page to see the information saved from another computer.
• You may keep the timesheet page open all day on your computer and save regularly, or you may record the information elsewhere (such as the spreadsheet or pdf file) and enter the information into the system later.
• Your timesheet will be more accurate if you record your activities promptly

This is a new way of doing timesheets in 2.009. If you have suggestions, questions, or comments about the system, let us know. You can talk to any course instructor or TA or send email to the 2009timesheet mailing list.