question Re: What is the use of 'Time worked' field? in ITSM forum

What is the use of 'Time worked' field?

Suggy — Fri, 17 Jun 2022 10:11:42 GMT

What is the use of 'Time worked' field? Does it bring any significance? Is it still used or any alternatives are avaialble?

Re: What is the use of 'Time worked' field?

Kalyani Jangam1 — Fri, 17 Jun 2022 10:19:09 GMT

Hi, Please refer below docs

https://docs.servicenow.com/en-US/bundle/sandiego-platform-administration/page/administer/time/reference/r_TimeWorkedFields.html

https://berkeley.service-now.com/kb_view.do?sys_kb_id=a8f634396f41da80e9c7dd1cbb3ee4c4&sysparm_class_name=kb_knowledge#:~:text=Manually%20enter%20the%20time%20you,when%20you%20save%20the%20incident.&text=Click%20the%20Play%20button%20to,until%20you%20save%20the%20incident.

Re: What is the use of 'Time worked' field?

Aman Kumar S — Fri, 17 Jun 2022 10:20:26 GMT

Hey,

refer to below link:

Time worked

Feel free to mark correct, If I answered your query.

Will be helpful for future visitors looking for similar questions 🙂

Re: What is the use of 'Time worked' field?

Chris Shakespea — Fri, 17 Jun 2022 10:36:18 GMT

I think the difficulty with this field is that time worked field does not equate to actively working on that record without a manual input - that leaves it open to inaccuracies and gaming

Its quite an old field from memory dating back to single task record view (no multi-tabbing etc)

I would go back to

- What are you trying to understand from this timer? [how long each individual incident took might be interesting but not informative]

- What actions would you take from collecting this data? [how would your processes, employee coaching... change because of these insights]

- Are there alternatives that address that without manual action e.g. service availability, incident volume?

Re: What is the use of 'Time worked' field?

Aman Kumar S — Fri, 15 Jul 2022 19:27:19 GMT

Hey @Suggy

Didn't hear back on this.

Is your issue resolved? If yes, feel free to mark helpful/correct, so it will be helpful for others looking for similar query.

Re: What is the use of 'Time worked' field?

lokeshsharm — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 08:42:49 GMT

The Time worked field is used to track and record the amount of time spent on specific tasks, incidents, or requests within the platform. Here are some key uses and benefits of the "Time worked" field in ServiceNow:

Let's look at an example of how the "Time worked" field can be used in ServiceNow to manage incidents and tasks effectively.

Scenario: IT Support Team

Suppose you have an IT support team using ServiceNow to manage incidents and requests from employees within an organization.

Example Incident: Printer Issue

Incident Creation
- Incident ID: INC0012345
- Short Description: "Unable to print documents from network printer."
- Priority: Medium
- Assigned to: John Doe (IT Technician)
Logging Time Worked
- John Doe receives the incident and begins troubleshooting.
- He logs the following time in the "Time worked" field as he progresses:
  - 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM: Initial diagnostics and checking network connections.
  - 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM: Installing printer drivers and performing test prints.
  - 12:00 PM - 12:15 PM: Finalizing setup and confirming with the user.
Each time entry is recorded in ServiceNow with details about what was done during that period.
Total Time Worked Calculation
- ServiceNow automatically calculates the total time worked based on the entries:
  - 30 minutes (Initial diagnostics)
  - 30 minutes (Driver installation)
  - 15 minutes (Final setup)
- Total Time Worked: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Benefits and Uses
- Accurate Billing: If this were a client-facing task, the recorded time could be used for billing purposes.
- Performance Evaluation: Managers can review how efficiently the technician resolved the issue compared to similar incidents.
- Resource Planning: The data helps in understanding how much time is typically required for such issues, aiding in future resource planning.
- SLA Tracking: If there’s an SLA that dictates response and resolution times, the logged time can ensure compliance.
Reporting and Analytics
- The support team can generate reports in ServiceNow showing the average time spent on different types of incidents, helping identify areas for process improvement or training needs.
Closing the Incident
- Once resolved, the incident is closed with a note summarizing the actions taken and the total time spent.