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Case study · PaddyField

Client project · AugmentProject period2023 – 2024

Timesheet reminders

Implemented timezone-aware timesheet reminders that identified outstanding submissions and sent notifications every Friday at 6:00 PM in each user's local time zone.

01

Why

People forgot to fill in their time logs. Teams are also in different time zones, and a reminder sent at one server time would reach most of them at the wrong hour.

02

Decision

A scheduled job finds the people with missing logs and sends them a reminder every Friday at 6:00 PM in their own time zone. The message tells them they've missed logs and haven't reached the 40 hours for the week, and asks them to fill them in. If they didn't take leave, they should fill the full 40-hour week.

How it fits

Hover or focus a box for the story behind it.

A weekly job finds the people with missing time logs and reminds each of them at 6 PM on Friday in their own time zone, not at one server time.The weekly reminderOne time for everyone, or each person's ownA scheduled job runs every Friday.Scheduled job Runs on FridaysIt finds the people whose time logs are missing and who haven't reached the 40 hours for the week.Missing logs Under 40 hoursIt works out each person's local time, so the reminder does not depend on where the server is.Local time Each person's zoneThe reminder goes out at 6:00 PM in the person's own time zone. It says they've missed logs and haven't reached the 40 hours for the week, and asks them to fill them in. If they didn't take leave, they should fill the full 40-hour week.Reminder sent At their own 6 PMA single reminder time on the server reaches everyone at the same moment.One server time Same moment for allIn teams across time zones, most people would get the reminder at the wrong hour.Wrong hour For most peopleThe reminder is timed for each person's local time.Each person's 6 PM In their own zoneEveryone is reminded at the same local hour, wherever they are, so the logs get filled in.Right hour Wherever they are

A weekly job finds the people with missing logs and sends each of them a reminder at 6 PM Friday in their own time zone.

03

Alternatives considered

A single reminder at server time.

04

What I built

Implemented an automated reminder system for employees who had not submitted their timesheets.

Configured scheduled processing using cron jobs to identify outstanding timesheets and send reminders every Friday at 6:00 PM according to each user's respective time zone.

The implementation accounted for users operating across different time zones rather than relying on a single server-based reminder time.

05

Outcome

Each person is reminded at the same local hour, wherever they are, so logs get filled in.

Technologies