Time Tracking Process
- Enter your time via Harvest to projects on a daily basis, when possible, to keep accuracy.
- Submit your timesheet for approval via Harvest on Friday evening before you leave, or no later than by 9:00am on Monday morning.
- When applicable, track time in Harvest to PTO, UTO, or Out Sick task codes.
- Time tracked for Retainer projects must be submitted with detailed explanations for project progress from each day. For example, “Prepped 3 options for shelf-talkers, and reviewed with project lead”. Short and sweet, but right to the point on how the time was spent.
How to use Calendars
While your time will be outlined in Forecast each week, each team member is responsible for planning out their own week in their shared Google calendar. This includes time to get your Forecasted work done, answer emails, stay on top of Basecamp to dos, and attend internal or client meetings.
Calendar Planning
The rule of thumb is to plan your next week’s calendar before you leave for the weekend. Feel free to plan further ahead than that, but because Forecast is often adjusted on Friday mornings, you should always double-check that your next week’s calendar matches Forecast at the end of the day on Friday.
Calendar Naming Convention
Because our calendars are shared and other team members will reference yours to determine when you are available for a meeting or to collaborate on a project, we use standard naming conventions for all events.
Internal/Non-Client-Facing Event Naming Convention
- [H] or [F] – “Hold” or “Flex”: You will use this naming convention ahead of all internal calendar bookings
- [H] Hold: This is used for when you have something on your schedule that should not be booked over without asking you first. Examples of calendar holds: collaborating with another team member, internal meetings, appointments, lunch plans, etc.
- [F] Flex: This is used for time on your calendar that may be booked over without your prior approval. Examples of calendar flexes: individual production time, flexible team check-ins, lunch breaks that can be shifted, etc.
- Brief Description: After you indicate whether the event is hold or flex, just include a short description of what the event is. That’s all! It’s important that everyone has flex time on their calendars, so that Project Managers can find open times for various meetings.
- Examples:
- [H] Weekly Check-In w/Sarah
- [F] Client Name Wireframing
Client-Facing Event Naming Convention
- [CLIENT NAME]: Include the client name in all caps. Abbreviations are fine as long as the client uses the abbreviation themselves.
- Why all caps? It helps clearly differentiate client meetings from internal meetings on our calendars.
- Project Name: Reference the Forecast project name when in doubt.
- Project Milestone or Meeting Purpose: If this is a design review or simple a check-in, include that after the project name.
- Examples:
- [INFINIUM] Corralejo Web Design Review 3
- [MDW] Petit Petite Timeline Check In
Infinium Shared Calendar
We keep a log of times Infinium has communicated they are not available to meet in the calendar titled “Infinium – M&A Meetings.” When you are scheduling a meeting for any Infinium project, make sure to invite this calendar to your call so the project management team can avoid double booking the Infinium team.
Photo & Video Shared Calendar
We do a lot of photo and videoshoots at M&A! When a shoot is booked, it will be added to the calendar titled “M&A Photo & Video.” This is helpful to reference if you’re booking a team member of the photo & video crew, or if you work in the downstairs office and want to know when shoots are happening.
Forecasting Workflow
The M&A Forecast is an all-powerful beast and a well-oiled machine. It may seem like chaos, and well, sometimes it is, but it’s a controlled kinda chaos managed by some really dialed-in workflows (and smart people). So learn the Forecast. Respect the Forecast. Be the Forecast.
Learn all about our Forecast Workflows here, including how new business moves through our pipeline, how projects are onboarded, our weekly Forecasting routines, and different scenarios you might find yourself in where Forecast will need to be adjusted.