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How to use a timekeeping system (TKS) import in the Cockpit

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If your property uses an external timekeeping system (TKS), that data needs to be connected to PMI. The incoming data from the TKS needs to be assigned to the correct section in PMI, where it can then be seen in the cockpits. The way that the imported hours are handled depends on how the TKS exports the hours. If your property does not have an external system, this function will not be activated for you.

 

How does it work?

Different categories are mapped to the correct sections in PMI. These include productive and non-productive hours and ignored hours, like vacation, time off and other leave that is not paid by the hotel.

Colors can be added to each category to define the breakdown of hours in the bars of the daily graph in the cockpit.

 

Cockpit view

There are 3 main views in the cockpit:

1. Yesterday

Click on the plus sign to expand the day.

    • TKS excluded hours – Depending on settings chosen,  (see below) there may or may not be hours here from the PMI schedule. Departments with outsourced hours that are not part of any imported hours should be recorded here.

For collaborating hotels with shared resources (cluster positions), it can also be used to register negative hours, in case you have a scheduled employee spending time in another hotel.

    • TKS Hours – These are the imported hours from any external system. Click on the row and a popup will show more detailed information.
    • TKS Adjustment – To adjust the TKS hours, untick the TKS Hours box and tick this box instead. Enter the new total number of hours.

2. Within Schedule Horizon

    • TKS excluded hours – These are from the schedule and are the sum of the day, both schedule and unspecified row.
    • TKS Hours – Any future hours from external system (see below settings) will be displayed here in bold red, indicating it is in the future. Click the row to show a popup with more detailed information.
    • TKS Adjustment – This cannot be edited.

3. Beyond Schedule Horizon.

The SMART forecast is populating the day and it cannot be edited.

Tools

You must have administrator user rights to make changes to the settings. Contact the administrator for your property if needed.

 

    • Enable TKS – If the property is using an external system for recording historical hours, this needs to be enabled.
    • Use TKS Future hours – If the property is using an external system for scheduling hours, this needs to be enabled.
    • Ignore scheduled historical hours – If the schedule in PMI is used for scheduling hours but an external system is used for historical hours, this needs to be ticked. Otherwise, you will get the scheduled hours from the schedule in PMI in the cockpit for yesterday as well as the imported hours from TKS.
    • Ignore scheduled historical Unspecified hours – should the hotel use PMI schedule but not on person level and put all hours in Unspecified this needs to be ticked in order to not get these hours into the cockpit for yesterday. Should the property use Unspecified to enter Outsourced hours that you want to be transfered to cockpit for yesterday you need to untick this box.
    • FTE – This enables you to see FTE in the schedule instead of hours.
    • Schedule Horizon – PMI lets you set the number of days you want to schedule for the future. This can be how far out you have an import of external hours or how far out in the future you want to manually schedule in PMI schedule. See screenshots below to see how the schedule horizon is displayed in cockpit and Schedule.

 

    • Between the red line (today) and the green line, is the Schedule Horizon. Beyond the green line there is an option to use schedule hours, but if you do not have schedule that far out, you can let PMI enter the SMART forecast. The horizon is set in the settings in the cockpit and is customizable per cockpit. 
    • Use SMART forecast beyond schedule Horizon – PMI will enter the SMART forecasted hours per day beyond the imported hours or manually entered hours in the PMI Schedule.

You can choose to see how the hours are scheduled beyond the horizon by clicking on ‘Schedule’ at the bottom of the table in the cockpit.

Refresh TKS

This function is dependant on your TKS integration. If you have made changes to your actual hours and schedule and want the changes to be reflected in PMI as well, you can refresh the TKS. 

Refresh TKS is found under Tools. Define the date range you want to refresh and click OK. The range between the dates is pre-programmed but can be manually changed each time a refresh is needed.

This option is available in both the Cockpit and Schedule modules. Any updates only apply to the specific department you are in.

In Time Keeping Mapping Tools you may use the Mapping TKS to change the name of the TKS system.

Here you may also Print the Departments or Categories to excel or PDF.

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Troubleshooting tips

This section provides additional troubleshooting advice for readers experiencing specific issues. While it’s packed with useful insights, you may skip it if you’re not facing any related problems.

Understanding the Scheduled Horizon and Graph Lines

In legacy tables and schedules, the Scheduled Horizon is marked between the vertical red “Today” line and the vertical dashed green “Scheduled Horizon” line. Beyond the green line, users can manually input scheduled hours. If the schedule doesn’t extend that far, PMI can auto-generate a SMART forecast. In the Day-to-Day (labor graph) the Scheduled Horizon is displayed as a vertical dashed green line, while the “Today” date is shown as a vertical dotted black line.

Troubleshoot data in the Import Status view

Accessing the Import Status View:

  1. Navigate to the main menu and select Import Status.
  2. Choose your desired chain, property, status, and interface filters.
  3. The view will display detailed import information for the selected property.

Troubleshooting Missing Data:

  1. If data appears to be missing, use the search (magnifying glass) to drill down into the details.
  2. Compare the data received with what’s displayed in PMI.
  3. Check for potential issues like unmapped accounts or ignored figures.
  4. If discrepancies persist, consider performing a new import.

Scheduled Horizon Misunderstanding

The Scheduled Horizon setting often leads to confusion. Adjusting it does not affect the import of hours from your Timekeeping System (TKS). It only determines how far into the future you can view data. If you’re missing data, the issue likely lies with TKS data or mapping settings, not the Scheduled Horizon. There are visual differences in the appearance of the Today and Scheduled Horizon lines, as described below:

Cockpit View:

  • Day-to-day graph:
    • Black dotted vertical line: represents today’s date (Today Line).
    • Green dashed vertical line: marks the end of the Scheduled Horizon.
  • Cockpit Table:
    • Horizontal red line: indicates today.
    • Horizontal green line: shows the end of the Scheduled Horizon.

Schedule View:

  • Vertical red line: represents today’s date (Today Line).
  • Vertical green dashed line: shows the end of the Scheduled Horizon.

 

Links:

 

Incorrect codes in TKS

Make sure the correct codes have been used in your TKS. If the hours are still not correct after the next import, there may be an error in the mapping – please contact your controller who will make the necessary changes.

Inability to edit data for a specific period

A "frozen" screen issue could be related to period locking. This would result in an inability to make any modifications to schedules, reports, or other entries for a specific period.

  • Check the Period Locking Settings: This issue is often related to the period locking feature in the PMI system. When a period is locked, it prevents any changes from being made for that time frame. Check the period locking settings for the specific month to see if it has been mistakenly set to close.
  • Unlock the Period: If the period for the specific month is locked, you will need to unlock it. This can be done by accessing the period locking settings in the PMI system. Double click on the padlock icon for the specific month to unlock the period. Note that you may need administrative rights to do this.
  • Contact PMI Support: If the issue persists even after unlocking the period, or if you are unable to unlock the period due to lack of permissions, contact the PMI support team for further assistance.

Adjusting decimal precision in the labor cockpit table

If you're having trouble manually entering decimal precision in the cockpit table, please review the settings in the Tools menu:

  1. Open Tools Menu: In the PMI Labor Cockpit, navigate to the Tools menu  1 .
  2. Access Settings: Click on "Settings" within the Tools menu  1 .
  3. Change Decimal Precision: Find the option for setting the number of decimals for hours. Adjust to your preference.
  4. Save Changes: Confirm and save your changes.
  5. Check Changes: Return to the Labor Cockpit to ensure your changes have been applied correctly.

If the issues persist, consider reaching out to PMI support for further assistance.