Axess Timecard Project

In early May 2009 Stanford replaced Kronos (used by employees to record hours worked and/or leave taken) with the PeopleSoft Time and Labor application. The new system, referred to as the Axess Timecard, is accessible directly from Stanford's Axess portal.

The project was a collaborative effort between Payroll, Human Resources, and Administrative Systems.

Open Labs Available:

Drop-in hands-on lab sessions for Time & Leave Administrators (TLA's) and Supervisors (TLS's) are offered the 2nd and 4th Friday of each month from 9am - Noon at the Arguello Labs, (427 Arguello Way) . No registration is required.Drop in any time during lab hours to get assistance from a Payroll analyst in using the Axess Timecard system.

 

Other Timecard Resources:



Why did Stanford replace Kronos?

Product support from Kronos for Stanford's Kronos Workforce Central application (Kronos 5.0) expired in August 2008. Rather than upgrade to the latest version of Kronos, Stanford chose instead to implement the PeopleSoft Time and Labor module in order to realize several benefits:

  • PeopleSoft Time and Labor integrates directly with our current PeopleSoft HR/Payroll system, offering significant simplification in administration of employee timecards and savings in maintenance effort.
  • Users are able to access the Timecard directly from the Axess portal, eliminating the additional login step required for Kronos.
  • Switching to the PeopleSoft product provided an opportunity to realize improvements in functionality and usability, most notably eliminating the need for users to download Java to access their timecards.
  • Because Stanford already owns the license for PeopleSoft Time and Labor, switching from Kronos reduced licensing costs.

The project also gave the University the opportunity to replace the current physical timeclocks on campus, which had reached the end of their useful lifecycle.

When did the new Axess Timecard go live?

Axess Timecard went live at Stanford on May 5, 2009.

What is different with the Axess Timecard?

The switch from Kronos to the new Axess Timecard should be straightforward for users, but there are a few changes to be aware of:

Individual self-service users (employees) will appreciate not having to go through a second login to access their timecards. Upon logging in to Axess, their timecards are immediately available via the Employee Information tab, and the interface looks very similar. One significant improvement: cache-clearing problems associated with Kronos no longer exist. As an integrated part of the PeopleSoft system, the new time tracking application is substantially more stable.

Individual self-service users (employees) with more than one job with Stanford see a separate timecard for each of their jobs, making it easier to record hours to the correct job.

Time and Leave Administrators should see a similar interface with the new system. System access for TLAs will be maintained in Authority Manager, replacing the manual authority management process used for Kronos.

Time and Leave Supervisors should also see a very similar interface in the new application, but a significant benefit is the elimination of Kronos' license limitation for Supervisors. Supervisors who in the past could only approve timecards via paper now have the option to enter approvals online if they wish to do so. (Paper approvals may still be used at the discretion of individual departments, but online approvals are encouraged to eliminate the need for paper approval retention in the department's local files.)

Hourly employees who use timeclocks now have modern, easier-to-use equipment from Kaba Benzing. Employees use their University ID cards to login to the timeclocks.

What remains the same?

Policies and practices related to time and leave reporting remain unchanged. The switch to the Axess Timecard is a software (and hardware) change only. The interface used by staff to enter their time and leave appears very similar to the familiar Kronos interface, and should be at least as easy to use.

Browser Requirements

Because the new Timecard is a native PeopleSoft application, its browser requirements are the same as those for the Axess portal. No separate login from Axess will be needed, and no Java installation is required in order to be able to use the new Timecard.

Operating System Certified Browsers
Windows XP Firefox 2.0 or higher; Internet Explorer 6 or 7
Windows Vista Internet Explorer 7
Mac OS X Firefox 3.0; Safari 3.0.4

Users are strongly encouraged to use these recommended browsers, as other browsers may not be fully compatible with Axess/PeopleSoft.

In order for Axess/PeopleSoft to work properly:

  • Pop-up Blockers must be turned off
  • Cookies must be enabled
  • Javascript must be enabled

 

How are users being helped with the transition?

Given the similarity of the user interface, we expect most employee users to transition seamlessly to the new Axess Timecard. Demos, online training, and open labs are being made available to administrators and supervisors.

Online Training and Job Aids
Animated demos and step-by-step job aids are available at the Axess Timecard Learning Center.
If you have difficulty accessing the animated demos, see Tips for Using the Online Learning Player.

Demos for Time & Leave Administrators:
Open Demo sessions of the new Axess Timecard for Time and Leave Administrators (TLA's) were held just prior to Go-Live.

New See the slides from the Demo (.ppt file).

Drop-in Hands-on Labs:
Drop-in hands-on lab sessions for Time and Leave Administrators (TLA's) and Supervisors (TLS's) were offered throughout May 2009. Going forward, TLA's may take advantage of drop-in labs every 2nd and 4th Friday each month from 9:00am to Noon at the Arguello Labs, Room 102 (427 Arguello Way) . TLA's and TLS's may drop in any time during lab hours to get assistance from a Payroll analyst in using the Timecard system.

 

Last modified: Friday, 23-Oct-2009 11:41:22 PDT