Standard Operating Procedure

Time Tracking · Punch Clock

How to record clock-in and clock-out entries, maintain the staff list, and review time-worked reports.

1. Purpose & scope

This application is a simple time-tracking punch clock. Staff use it to record when they start (clock in) and end (clock out) work. Each punch is saved to a custom object named punch clock, and a reporting page lets you review entries, filter by staff and date range, and see the total time worked.

It is designed for daily use: a staff member opens the app, selects their name, taps Clock In or Clock Out, and the system handles the rest.

2. Roles
  • Staff member — uses the Punch Clock page to clock in and out.
  • Administrator — maintains the staff list on the Staff Management page and reviews reports on the Time Reports page.
3. Recording a punch
  1. Open the app. The Punch Clock page loads automatically (route: /).
  2. From the Staff member dropdown, select your name. If your name isn't listed, ask an administrator to add it (see section 4).
  3. Tap Clock In or Clock Out to choose the action.
  4. Optionally, type a note in the Notes field (e.g. 'lunch', 'off-site'). Notes are optional.
  5. Press the Clock In / Clock Out button at the bottom to submit.
  6. A confirmation appears showing the reference number and punch time. The form then clears automatically, ready for the next entry.
Punch time and reference number are generated automatically. The reference number is built from the date and time of the punch. You do not enter these values.
4. Managing staff

The staff list is maintained in-app. To add or remove names, open the Staff Management page (gear icon on the Punch Clock page).

  1. Tap the gear icon at the top right of the Punch Clock page.
  2. To add a single name: type it in the 'Add staff member' box and press Add (or Enter).
  3. To remove a name: tap the trash icon beside it.
  4. To replace the entire list at once: tap 'Replace entire list', paste one name per line, and press Save list.
  5. Return to the punch clock with the 'Back to punch clock' link.
The current seeded staff are Alyssa, Molly, Angie, and Alicia. Changes here update the dropdown on the Punch Clock page immediately.
5. Reviewing time reports

Open the Time Reports page (chart icon on the Punch Clock page) to review punches and durations.

  1. Use the Staff dropdown to filter by a person, or leave it on 'All staff'.
  2. Use the Date range dropdown to pick a preset: Today, Yesterday, This week, Last week, This month, Last month, This year, Last year, or Custom.
  3. If you choose Custom, two date fields appear — set a From and To date.
  4. The table shows one row per work session: Staff, Date, Check in time, Check out time, and Duration (the difference between check-out and check-in, formatted as HH:MM:SS).
  5. The Total row at the bottom sums the duration across all visible rows.
  6. Entries are grouped by staff and paired so each check-in is matched with its next check-out to compute the duration.
A check-in without a following check-out shows a dash for check-out and duration. A check-out without a preceding check-in shows a dash for check-in.
6. Custom object fields

Each punch writes to the following fields on the punch clock custom object:

FieldPurpose
record_numberAuto-generated reference built from the date & time
punch_statuscheck_in or check_out (the action selected)
staffThe selected staff member's name
timeThe date & time of the punch
noteOptional notes entered by the staff member
7. Troubleshooting
  • No staff in the dropdown? An administrator needs to add names on the Staff Management page.
  • Punch didn't save? Ensure a staff member is selected and a connection is available. An error message will show if the save fails.
  • Report shows no entries? Widen the date range or set Staff to 'All staff'. Only punches within the selected range appear.
  • Duration shows a dash? A check-in wasn't followed by a check-out (or vice versa) for that staff member on that day.
Go to Punch Clock Go to Time Reports Go to Staff Management