On The Job v2.2.1
reviewed by Mike Hubbartt
Stunt Software Released: July 2006 $24.95 USD Requirements: Mac OS X 10.3.9 or newer. Strengths: Intuitive interface, support for creating and e-mailing PDF invoices, and client name and address information is integrated with the Mac OS Address Book. Weaknesses: Online Help not clear on creating reports, low cost (especially compared to MS Project) maybe prevent some companies from considering it. |
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Keeping track of time on projects is important for employees and Consultants working in IT. Many clients have separate budgets for a multitude of work and workers must adhere to budgetary requirements while completing the required tasks in a timely manner. On The Job is an inexpensive Mac OS application that tracks time for a job, and one or more tasks related to that job.
To test On The Job, I had to write a book review for a magazine, so I added the job and created a list of tasks for the assignment. Simple. I was able to drag-and-drop tasks to rearrange as needed.
Note: This software also supports moving tasks to different jobs. While working on the review, I used the timer to keep a running count of time worked on each task, and appreciated that it was easy to switch the timer to different tasks and I could manually modify individual task times as needed.
After completing my review, I created an invoice with the time for each task, then Emailed the PDF file to the publisher. Supported invoice output formats are PDF, text, XML or CSV files. Not the greatest variety, but enough for many accounting systems.
I use the same process to review software, just as I use the same general procedures when doing web development (depended on the web technology implemented by the client). On The Job supports duplicating existing projects and the affiliated tasks, so I didnŐt need to manually recreate another job and associated tasks for another review assignment. And I could create a basic web development job, which I could copy and modify for different clients. Nice.
Overall, I found the software useful as a time tracking and billing system for jobs at one or more clients. I like the uncluttered and intuitive interface, that the system supported fixed and variable rate tasks, and that invoices can easily be sent by Email - ideal with todayŐs Internet savvy business world.
On The Job Version 2.2.1 is a release that fixed problems with application Help and the width of the date column in the task list. Version 2.2 introduced several new product enhancements: adding tax to PDFs invoices, adding job folders (to group similar projects for different clients - useful) and increasing the width of the cost column. Stunt Software provides a demo download of the product at their website, and I encourage people to download and try this application to see if it fits their needs. A great value for the supported functionality.
