Staff and Application Security List

There are three types of user accounts that can be created in Synergy:

1. Staff account with login enabledStaff can login to Synergy and enter timesheets. This is the most common type of user account. Access to functions are controlled by the access level selected on the staff record. Enter the salary remuneration details for use in the cost and profitability calculations.
2. Staff account with login disabledStaff cannot login to Synergy. The staff record exists to allow another user to enter their timesheets, and have their salary remuneration details included towards the cost and profitability reporting.
3. Application access onlyAn account which is used by external consultants, which require access to Synergy but do not enter timesheets. This type of staff account does not allow salary remuneration details to be entered, and hence they are not included towards the company cost and profitability calculations.

Review the steps required to create each type of these user accounts.

Create a staff record with Synergy login enabled

Setup a staff record to allow application login to Synergy and timesheet entry. Staff records have salary remuneration details entered for use with the profitability reporting in Synergy. Complete the following steps to setup the staff account:

1. Click New . 
2. Select Staff .
3. Complete the details on the General tab. Select an access level and password. 
4. Select Remuneration tab and complete these details.  Pay particular attention to Annual extras and Utilisation.
5. Use the Attributes tab to enter any mandatory staff attributes before saving the new staff record.
6. Save .
7. Update the Contact details tab.
8. (Optional) Add extra staff rates under Additional staff rates tab.
9. (Optional) Assign an overtime rate to the staff member.
10. Use the Calendar tab to setup which days of the week are worked, and the number of hours to be worked per day.
    For use with Resource Management - Synergy Enterprise clients only. NEW 4.8
11. (Optional) Assign any staff attributes required for reporting.
12. Save and Close .
13. (Optional) Apply a colour to the staff member in the list. Select the staff member and click the Colour button . in the toolbar. Choose a colour and click OK.
    This is the colour they will be shown as in the Resource Management module - Synergy Enterprise clients only. NEW 4.8

Tips:

• The System Administrator or Administrator access level can access the timesheets for all staff. However if you need a Director or Project Manager access level to enter this users timesheets, they will need to be listed as the 'Report to' manager on the staff record.
• Enable access for a staff member to use Contract Admin or Connect on the General Tab of the Staff record. This step is only required if your Synergy license types has a defined number of users that have access to these modules.
• Add mandatory attributes to the new staff record then use the save in the top toolbar (next to Save and Close). The save buttons within the attributes tab are available once the new staff record has been saved.

Create a staff record with Synergy login disabled

In some cases you may not want the staff member to login into Synergy. However another user will be entering their timesheets, and you want this staff members remuneration to be included in the profitability calculations. In this case you need to create a staff record, and remove the ability to access the application. Complete the following steps to setup this staff account:

1. Click New . 
2. Select Staff .
3. Complete the details in the top section of the General tab.
4. Uncheck the 'Allow Application Access' box on the General tab.

Tip: This will stop this user from being able to login to Synergy. They will still be shown in drop down lists, and other management users can enter their timesheets.

5. Select Remuneration tab and complete these details.  Pay particular attention to Annual extras and Utilisation.
6. Use the Attributes tab to enter any mandatory staff attributes before saving the new staff record.
7. Save .
8. Update the Contact details tab.
9. (Optional) Add extra staff rates under additional staff rates tab.
10. (Optional) Assign an overtime rate to the staff member.
11. Use the Calendar tab to setup which days of the week are worked, and the number of hours to be worked per day .
    For use with Resource Management > Capacity reporting - Synergy Enterprise clients only. NEW 4.8
12. (Optional) Assign any staff attributes required for reporting.
13. Save and Close .
14. (Optional) Apply a colour to the staff member in the list. Select the staff member and click the Colour button . in the toolbar. Choose a colour and click OK.
    This is the colour they will be shown as in the Resource Management module - Synergy Enterprise clients only. NEW 4.8

Tips:

• Remove the application access from a staff record to remove the staff member from the Power or Named user licenses count. This allows you to keep the power or named user licenses for another staff member who will login to Synergy on a regular basis.
• Add mandatory attributes to the new staff record then use the save in the top toolbar (next to Save and Close). The save buttons within the attributes tab are available once the new staff record has been saved.

Create an application access account for external consultants

Application Login accounts allow access to Synergy for external consultants, however they are not able to enter timesheets and are not included in the profitability calculations. This type of account might be used if you have an external bookkeeper, and they need to login and run the Synergy Connect feature only. Complete the following steps to setup this staff account:

1. Click New .
2. Select Application Login .
3. Enter the name of the staff member and their operator ID (username) and password.
4. Select the default office that the user account has access to in Synergy.
5. Select an access level which determines what functions the account has access to use.
6. (Optional) Add extra office locations that the user requires access to on the 'Offices' tab.
7. Use the Attributes tab to enter any mandatory staff attributes before saving the new staff record.
8. Save and Close .

Assign colours to each staff member for use in the Resource & Capacity Planning module (For use by Synergy Enterprise clients only). NEW 4.8 Colours are used on the project work breakdown structure and schedule tabs as a quick visual queue to see which staff member is assigned to complete each task.

*Synergy Enterprise Feature* 

Colours can be applied to records which are staff type . Application access only login accounts used by external contractors cannot have colours applied, as they are not used within the Resource & Capacity Planning module for scheduling purposes.

To assign a colour to a staff member

1. Highlight the staff member in the list.
2. Click the Colour button in the toolbar.
3. Choose a colour from the colour palette shown in the pop-up window.
4. Save and Close .
5. The staff members colour will be shown in the second column in the list.

Click the image above to view an example of Staff List where the same colour has been applied to each access level.

Staff records including general contact details and position can be exported to MS Outlook®.

Complete the following steps

1. Select Practice > Staff & application security.
2. Select the Sync to Outlook button . 
3. Choose one of the following options
   1. All staffAll active and inactive staff records are sent to MS Outlook®.
   2. All staff in my officeAll staff records that are listed as being in the same office as the logged in user are sent to MS Outlook®.
   3. Selected staffThe highlighted staff member in the staff list is sent to MS Outlook®.
   4. Displayed staffAll staff shown in the list are sent to MS Outlook®. Change the list filter to control which staff are shown in the list.
4. Use the Staff Fields tab to include/exclude staff details from the sync. Check the boxes of the details you want to sent to MS Outlook®.
5. Use the General Settings tab to define where to Sync the contacts to:
   1. Default address book is the main contact address group used in MS Outlook®. 
   2. My sync folder allows you to create a custom contact group in MS Outlook® for the Synergy staff contacts. Enter the name for the contact group to be shown in MS Outlook®. 
6. Click the 'Sync now' button at the top of the window.
7. Click OK on the Sync Completed pop-up.
8. The staff records will now be shown as contacts in MS Outlook®.

If the company has a large number of employees, use the search function to quickly locate the person you are looking for within the list.

How to use quick search

1. Place cursor in the search field next to this icon.
2. Type in first or last name of the staff member, and press enter to run the search.
3. The 'Find Results' filter will be applied to the list, only showing staff with the name entered.

How to use the advanced search

1. Click the standard list view filter in the top right corner of the list that shows the word 'Active'.
2. Choose the option 'Search...' from the drop down list.
3. The Staff advanced search window is shown.
4. Enter one (or more) of the following details: Salutation, Given Name, Family Name, Formal Title, Staff Rate, active/inactive status.
5. Click the search button to run the search.
6. The results are shown in the bottom list pane. Double click a row to view the staff record.

Staff & Application Security List defaults to display all 'Active' staff. If you want to locate Inactive staff records, for employees that have left the company you need to change the filter that is applied to the list. The available list filters are shown in the top right corner of the screen. Click the word 'Active' to view the other available list filters.

The available list filters are

1. ActiveStaff that are currently employed by the company are shown using this filter.
2. InactiveTerminated staff that no longer work at the company are shown using this filter.
3. AllBoth Active and Inactive staff are shown using this filter.
4. Search...Search for staff members using the Advanced Search options using this filter.

Mark the staff record to show they have terminated employment with the company to remove the staff member from drop down lists. For example this will remove the staff from the application login list, and the Project Manager list, and reporting filters when using a filter such as Staff = "is employed true or false". 

The system will default to today's date as the termination date. Use the drop down calendar to update this to the date that the staff member left the company.

Complete the following steps

1. Open the staff record.
2. Uncheck the Active box in the top right hand corner of the general tab.
3. A termination date field will appear under the employment date.
4. Select the termination date from the calendar.
5. Save and Close .

The Edit Card ID's button allows the Card ID to be assigned to all staff records which are missing a card ID number. NEW 4.8.5 Use this feature when you are just switching to using the Connect interface to send all your Synergy financial information to your accounting package like Xero or MYOB.

Add the Card ID to all Staff records by:

1. Select the Edit Card ID's button.
2. The filter 'Active and Blank Card ID is applied to the maintenance window. This shows all the contacts that are missing a Card ID number.
3. Click the Auto Assign button .
4. The next available Card ID number will be assigned to all the Staff records.
5. Save.

The card ID number that is assigned will be unique across all contact and staff records in Synergy.

Staff documents including remuneration salary, annual extras, superannuation and general staff details can be created from the Staff List. Before completing the following steps, make sure you have created a document template to generate the Word output. Learn more about how to create Document templates.

Complete the following steps

1. Open a staff record.
2. Select the Documents menu within the staff record.
3. Select Create staff document.
4. Select a template from the list.
5. Create.

Send a new email message to a internal staff using the Synergy Email Wizard. This feature allows you to use the email templates to automatically populate the email subject line and body of the message. The staff type email templates are available for use. Learn more about email templates.

Send a new email message by:

1. Click on the email address (shown as a blue hyperlink) for the staff member you want to create the email for.
2. The Email Wizard opens.
3. Select an email template from the list. If an email template is not chosen, then the new email message will be opened as a blank message not using any template.
4. Select which other internal staff the email will be sent TO. The email address you clicked on in the list automatically checked in the list.
5. Check the To, CC, or BCC boxes to send the email to extra staff.
6. (Optional) Add an extra contacts or personnel to the email by:
   1. Go to the Search Tab.
   2. Type part of a name next the Search symbol.
   3. Press enter to run the search.
   4. Check the To, CC, or BCC boxes to add the people to the email message from the search results.
7. Click Send.
8. The new email message opens addressed to the selected staff. If a email template was chosen, then the subject and body of the email has also been automatically populated.
9. Update the email message, and send to the email recipients.

Add the plugin to your My Synergy dashboard to view a Staff contact list, which displays all Active staff. If multi offices is activated, use the filter to view the staff contact details for each office. To learn more about the staff plugin review the My Synergy Plugins topic.

Staff that are setup as power users when they have Assistant Project Manager access level or higher assigned to their staff record. Power Users are shown with the image in the list. Staff that are setup as a named user when they have been assigned the User access level. Named Users are shown with the image in the list. Power and Named users are both setup on their staff records with the 'Application Access' enabled. Terminated or Inactive staff records are not included in the count for number of power or named users. Only the 'Active' staff records with 'Application Access' enabled are included in the count of the number of power or named users.

The number of power or named users is defined when you purchase or renew your Synergy license. If you have a 'Concurrent' Synergy license type, then power and named users are not defined. This setup is only completed by synergy for the 'Split' licensing type. Contact the Total Synergy Support Team for more information about the license options on 61 2 8197 9000.

Best practices for split licensing

• System Administrator - Setup at least one staff record for your company with 'System Administrator' access level and . 'Allow Application Access' enabled.
• Synergy Admin record - Disable the default staff record 'Synergy admin' by making the staff record 'inactive', and entering a termination date. This will make sure the default Synergy setup account doesn't use up one of your power user licenses.
• Check for the max users warning - Check if the red warning banner is shown at the bottom of 'staff and application security list'. The warning is shown if the max number of power or named users has been exceeded. This warning message states 'There are more users nominated for this database than your Synergy license allows'. Reduce the number or Power or Named Users by removing 'Application Access' or terminating the staff record. Learn more about how to resolve the maximum users warning.

1. Staff TypeDisplays if the record is a staff user account which allows timesheet entry and costs entered on the remuneration tab, or if they have the application login only and cannot enter timesheets (i.e. Used for external IT consultants).
2. ColourDisplays the assigned colour for the staff member, for use in Resource & Capacity Planning module (for use by Synergy Enterprise Clients only). NEW 4.8
3. SalutationThe title of staff member i.e. Mr, Miss or Mrs.
4. Given NameThe first name of the staff member.
5. Family NameThe surname of the staff member.
6. Card IDAdd this from the Optional Columns list, via a right mouse click in the list. The Card ID number used as an optional field in the connect interface to send data to your accounting package.
7. Operator IDThe username shown when the staff member logs into Synergy.
8. Access LevelThe access level given to the staff member, which controls which functions they can use. To learn more about what functions each staff member can open, view the staff security matrix topic.
9. Power or Named User Staff with the power user image shown have Assistant Project Manager access level or above. Staff with the named user image shown have User access level. These user type symbols are only shown for staff records with 'Application Access' allowed. These images are shown if your license type has outlined a number of power or named users allowed to have access to Synergy. The number of power or named users is defined when you purchase or renew your Synergy license. Only 'Active' staff records count towards the number of power or named users. Contact the Total Synergy Support Team for more information about the license options on 61 2 8197 9000.
10. Contact Administration Access The staff shown with this icon have been granted access to use the Contract Administration module. This option is only shown for some Synergy licenses. Access is enabled on the Staff > General tab. Set this up when the contract administration module has been enabled for your Synergy license. Learn more about contract administration.
11. Connect Access The staff shown with this icon have been granted access to use the Connect module. Access is enabled on the Staff > General tab. This option is only shown for some Synergy licenses. Set this up when the contract administration module has been enabled for your Synergy license. Learn more about Connect.
12. Report ByView if the default reporting method displays standard or actual costs. This setting is only applied to Director or System Administrator access levels, as these are the only access levels that can view costs in reports. To learn more about Standard and Actual costs, view the profitability topic.
13. OfficeThe primary office that the staff member works within.
14. Formal TitleThe job title for the staff member.
15. Primary Staff RateThe main staff rate that is to be used as the default within staff timesheets for the user is shown.
16. PhoneThe contact phone number for the staff member entered on the contact details tab.
17. MobileThe mobile number for the staff member entered on the contact details tab.
18. FaxThe fax number for the staff member entered on the contact details tab.
19. EmailThe email address for the staff member. Click the email address to launch the wizard to send an email to this staff member using an email template. Learn more about using the email wizard.