It's About TimeWise
The Official TimeWise(TM) Software Newsletter
November/December 1997
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You are receiving this newsletter because our records indicate you or your association have asked to be kept informed of news regarding TimeWise. TimeWise software is the professional tool that helps Windows, Mac and DOS users plan a healthy profit into every job. If you have been included in error, or you would prefer to not receive future bulletins, please reply to remove @timewise.net regarding your preferences.
 

IN THIS ISSUE
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- TimeWise for Windows International edition betas now available on Web site
- TimeWise for Macintosh now easier to download and install
- You Asked Us: Planning for profit when hiring outside help
- Technical Tip: Faster timesheet entry
- Share Your TimeWise Tip and win free telephone support!
- How to get personal attention from us
- Back issues of It's About TimeWise now available on our Web site
 

TIMEWISE GOES INTERNATIONAL
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Since we've launched our Web site, we've discovered that people from all over the world are trying out TimeWise. However, if you live outside the United States or Canada, you would have likely been frustrated that TimeWise does not behave well when it comes to issues like local telephone number formats, currency formats, and a host of other issues.
 So we have created English-language international editions of TimeWise for Windows and TimeWise Light for Windows that are now available in beta test versions for you to download.
 The international editions include profiles for many specific countries in the world, as well as a general international setting which will work anywhere. Even users in North America will find it useful, in that it takes into account your personal preferences on date formats and other such issues.
 So far, we have included settings for Australia, Canada (including specific settings for Quebec and for the Atlantic Provinces), France, Ireland, Israel, New Zealand, Panama, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. With your help, we'll add more.
 We've worked hard to have the profiles for each region address local conventions on addressing, phone numbering, tax rules, currency formats, and a host of other regional issues. And we want your feedback on how we can improve upon what we've done to make sure that TimeWise is the perfect fit for your organization, no matter where you are located. So, please tell us if there is anything we can do to improve upon the profile for your region...or if we have not included a profile for your region and you would like us to do so, please contact us: we will be happy to do so at no charge to you.
 To get your beta trial edition of TimeWise for Windows international, go to http://www.davidberman.com/timewise/timewise.htm .
 To get your beta trial edition of TimeWise Light for Windows international, go to http://www.davidberman.com/timewise/light.htm .
                If you have already installed TimeWise Light or TimeWise for Windows, you can instead download a patch to upgrade you to the international edition at http://www.davidberman.com/timewise/patch.htm .
 An international edition of TimeWise for Macintosh is coming soon.

        We are also open to inquiries regarding potential international distributors for TimeWise.
 

TIMEWISE FOR MACINTOSH NOW EASIER TO DOWNLOAD
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We received numerous comments from people who found our trial edition of TimeWise for Macintosh download and installation too cumbersome because it was spread over four files that had to be copied to floppy disk before installation. So we have streamlined the procedure: the product is now available as a single file download, so you only have to get one file, with no need to build floppies... simply download, double-click to extract and install! A few rare problems with the installer have been fixed as well.
 The four-disk version of the download is still available, for those who prefer to break up their download into four steps or wish to end up with a portable set of installer disks. Either way, if you were frustrated the last time you wanted to try out TimeWise for Macintosh, we urge you to give it another go.
 

YOU ASKED US:
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Tom Bellman of Toronto, Ontario, asked us...

Question: I want to hire someone to do a project which I will be overseeing. How much (%) should I add to the rate to cover my
1) risk,
2) time monitoring their work by daily phone conversations and
3) occasionally visiting the client for an hour or two ( once or twice a week)?
I have no idea how to go about factoring this in and it sounds like Timewise does just that.
 
Answer: TimeWise will certainly help you with this. However, you have to walk through some choices, too.
 1) To account for the risk (and administration) you are taking on, consider marking up the person between 20% and 100%, depending on how confident you are of their quality and of their accuracy in estimating their own time on the project. Before adding the percentage, be sure that you have assessed the true cost of hiring the person, including all costs associated with them (equipment, phone bills, taxis, payroll taxes, insurance...). If the person will be on staff, you can add them as a TimeWise employee and put the appropriate figures into their employee profile... then represent their hourly rate in Time Charges. Alternatively, you can choose to set them up as a vendor with a vendor profile, and then charge their service provided as an Item Charge with the appropriate Markup set.
 2) To account for your monitoring time, assume you will spend a minimum of 1/4 hour each day. Thus, multiply the number of days in the contract x your hourly rate x 1/4 hour. In TimeWise, you can set up a new task in Setup:Tasks with the appropriate hourly rate, then use this category in the Time Charge command to calculate the daily 15 minute time event.
 3) Similar to the monitoring time, set up a task category called Client Visits with your hourly rate. For estimating, multiply the number of weeks x 1.5 visits x 1.5 hours x your hourly rate. Don't forget to include  travel time, perhaps at a lower hourly rate.
 Add 1) + 2) + 3) to get your result!

We enjoy the opportunity to help you plan profit into every project.
Continue to send us your questions and we'll keep sending you our answers!
 

TECHNICAL TIP:  FASTER TIMESHEET ENTRY
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Wouldn't it be great if TimeWise could correctly guess the correct department every time you are entering a time charge? Try this... the Department radio button cleverly defaults to the Main Department setting in the employee's employee profile (choose Employees from the Setup menu). So, if you set the Main Department to the department in which the majority of a person's time charges are categorized, you'll reduce a step almost every time you post a time charge.
 

SHARE YOUR TIMEWISE TIP AND WIN FREE SUPPORT
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Do you have a tip to share with other TimeWise users? Send it in...if published, we'll give you three months of free personal telephone support. Or let us know how you think we can improve TimeWise and how you have integrated our system into your organization.

LATEST FREE PATCHES TO TIMEWISE AVAILABLE
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You can get free updates to the latest maintenance release of TimeWise from our Web site. Installing patches will not harm your existing TimeWise information in any way. However, depending on your situation, it may or may not be worth the bother... a summary of the latest tweaks appears on our patch Web page ( http://www.davidberman.com/timewise/patch.htm ) so you can decide whether to patch your TimeWise.

Don't forget that you can register for automatic e-mail notification whenever a new patch is posted by clicking a button on the patch page.
 

HOW TO GET PERSONAL ATTENTION FROM US
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You can send mail to "It's About TimeWise" at editor @timewise.net .

To get more information or to download shareware, free 30-day trials, patches for registered users, or to inquire about redistributing TimeWise shareware or trial editions, visit the TimeWise Web site at http://www.timewise.net or email info@timewise.net .

or write us at:
 David Berman Developments Inc.
 283 Ferndale Avenue
 Ontario Canada  K1Z 6P9
Or fax: +1 613-482-4777
Or phone: Toll-free sales line 1-800-665-1809 (North America)
 (613) 748-1453 (country code 01 if outside North America)
Or email: info@timewise.net

ABOUT "It's About TimeWise"
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"It's About TimeWise" is a free bulletin to help TimeWise users and potential users keep planning success into every job. Copyright 1997 David Berman Developments Inc. This information may be freely distributed, in its complete and original form only. TimeWise and its logos are trademarks of David Berman Developments Inc. All other trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.

You can view back issues of "It's About TimeWise" at http://www.davidberman.com/timewise/literatu.htm .