Time clock or task timer — what's the difference?

Gantway records time in two ways. They answer different questions and feed different reports — but they share the same working day.

The time clock: "I'm here"

The time clock records your attendance: clock in, break, end of day. From these times the working time account is built, with actual hours against target hours and the overtime balance.

The task timer: "I'm working on this order"

The task timer records time on a specific work step. From these times the order times for costing and post-costing are built. They answer what the order really cost.

It only runs on orders in the status "Released" or "In progress"; no time can be booked on drafts.

Counted separately, linked at the break

The two times stay separate: your attendance time never lands on an order, and order time does not count as attendance.

What is linked is the course of the day, so you don't have to think about two clocks at once:

• Starting a break pauses a running task timer with it. After the break it continues on the same task — no need to find the order again.
• Clocking out asks first if a timer is still running, then ends it.
• Starting a timer while a break is running ends the break. If you're working, you're not on a break.

The reason is practical: order time is the basis of your post-costing and often of the invoice to your customer. If the timer runs through lunch, you are billing your customer for a break.

What stays independent

You can be clocked in without a timer running, for example while tidying up the workshop. And you can start a timer without being clocked in — the fitter who starts work on site does not lose those hours. You'll see a note that attendance is missing, and management finds the day in the list "Order time doesn't match attendance" in the working hours overview. Differences under 15 minutes count as rounding.