TimeSheet Professional 6.5

TimeSheet Professional 6.5

Sage has rapidly become a leader in time-keeping software for lawyers through acquisition of popular products such as Timeslips, Carpe Diem and TimeSheet Professional. This latter product combines project management and timekeeping into a single package.

The newest version of TimeSheet, 6.5, offers many enhancements, including a browser module, client/server scalability and remote node entry.

Installing TimeSheet Professional is easy using their sample data. This demo database consists of an Access database that provides a good starting point for most offices.

The version tested here was the client/server edition. TimeSheet Professional can use a variety of database formats, including Informix, Oracle and ODBC-compliant SQL databases. Setting TimeSheet up with these data sources is more involved and will require an experienced database administrator. Still, this offers a high level of scalability that most law firms will only find in more expensive products such as Elite or CMS.

TimeSheet Professional is decidedly project-oriented, offering project management features like timelines. Firms with a small number of clients with several projects or jobs will find this product readily adaptable. For each client, you can have several projects, with activities under each project (research, depositions, etc.). However, if your office represents clients only once with few recurring engagements, TimeSheet Professional will be less useful than a program like Timeslips.

The standard view, TimeSheet, lets you see time entries by employees, across all clients and projects. Features include the ability to create groups, hold time entries until approved, and associate notes and expense entries with any time entry. TimeSheet Professional also has a stopwatch to track time spent on jobs, a browser module for real-time remote collection, and payroll and job costing features.

You export reports out to a variety of formats including Excel, Word and WordPerfect. Data can also be dropped directly into Timeslips Deluxe. The report features in TimeSheet Professional could be stronger and will take some work by firms to adapt to their purposes. Even so, this is a program that many firms will find useful.

Sage Inc.
(800) 477-6763
www.timetracking.com

Windows 95, 98, NT

$1,995.00 (client/server plus eight log-ins)

Reviewed by J. Michael Jimmerson, attorney and author, Arthur Anderson LLP, Chicago, Ill.

Jun/Jul '99 Issue

PROS
Strong project management features.

CONS
Reporting functions need work.

VERDICT
Ideal for firms that need to track both time and projects.