Tracking Staff Time on Research Activities:
A Survey of Practice Among State DOTs
Prepared for Research & Library Unit
Research and Communication Services Section Prepared by
CTC & Associates LLC WisDOT Research & Library Unit
September 26, 2007
Transportation Synthesis Reports are brief summaries of currently available information on topics of interest to WisDOT staff throughout the department. Online and print sources for TSRs include NCHRP and other TRB programs, AASHTO, the research and practices of other transportation agencies, and related academic and industry research. Internet hyperlinks in TSRs are active at the time of publication, but changes on the host server can make them obsolete. To request a TSR, e-mail [email protected] or call (608) 261-8198.
Request for Report
WisDOT’s Research Administrator would like to know whether other state DOTs track the time employees spend on research activities, such as serving on technical oversight committees, reviewing research reports and attending research workshops, as well as actually conducting research. Information about how DOTs track this time, and how supervisors utilize the data, would be especially useful.
Summary
We developed a brief survey for distribution to members of the AASHTO Research Advisory Committee consisting of the following questions:
1. Does your agency have a system for tracking and/or reporting the number of hours spent by individual employees on research activities such as serving on technical oversight committees, reviewing research reports, attending research workshops, etc.?
2. If so, how is the tracking accomplished: through a research ID number on timesheets, regular reporting to supervisors, or other method?
3. Are the aggregate hours spent on research activities by agency employees included in a regular report to management?
4. Who in your agency could we talk to about your system for reporting employee time spent on research activities?
Thirty-five state DOTs and one Canadian agency, Alberta Infrastructure & Transportation, responded to the survey. (See Survey Results.)
• Twenty-eight agencies (80 percent) reported that they do not have a routine system for tracking employee hours spent on research activities. However, several agencies indicated that this data is periodically reviewed as a key component of overall project cost. For a number of agencies, the established accounting and project coding systems are sufficient for retrieving this data on an as-needed basis, eliminating the need for dedicated tracking procedures. Several respondents noted that time tracking can be problematic when research workers are active across different department organizational units using different project billing codes.
• Seven agencies reported having dedicated time tracking procedures. For most, the starting point is a project ID number or charge code:
Kansas typically tracks time spent by Research Unit staff working on research projects and special federal research projects (those that will receive federal reimbursement) using research project numbers.
Employees report their hours on these projects biweekly through timesheets. Outside of the Research Unit, most time spent on research is charged to overhead project numbers. Aggregate hours spent on research activities by agency employees are not included in a regular report to management.
Massachusetts tracks hours only for the two members of the Research Section. Time is entered on weekly timesheets with an account number for Research Program Administration. Aggregate research hours are not regularly reported to management.
New Hampshire designates individual work class codes for general research activities, administration, product testing, participation on committees, training, etc. Staff members are required to use the codes on their timesheets. Aggregate hours are not regularly reported to management.
Oklahoma tracks individual employee time by an item number assigned to each project, and employees report their project work hours weekly. Aggregate hours are not reported.
South Dakota assigns project numbers to each research project. All staff, whether in the Research office or elsewhere in the agency, charge time to these project numbers using the regular electronic timesheet process. The information is occasionally reviewed by management.
Texas captures the hours for all activities specifically related to research program or project management. Employees use a specific research charge number on timesheets; hours and dollar value are then captured in TxDOT’s financial system. Hours are not typically reported or analyzed.
Utah tracks hours for Research Division employees by assigning ID codes for each project and overhead ID codes for nonproject-related activities (e.g., technology transfer, research program management, etc.). Employees charge to these codes on their timesheets. Other DOT employees can use the Research Division charge ID codes, but they do not commonly ask for the codes. Aggregate hours spent are tracked in the timecard system, and the resulting charges (including payroll overhead) are applied to project budgets. Reports of these charges to individual projects are not routinely reported (as on a monthly basis), but are available upon request. Management receives regular reporting of overall budget figures (divisionwide, not project-specific), unless more detail is requested.
• Several agencies reported having the capability to effectively track research hours if the need should arise. Mississippi, for example, set up a project detail code in its State Planning and Research (SPR) Part II work program for “Technology Transfer” that research employees use when serving on committees, reviewing reports for committees, attending conferences, etc. That information is entered into the financial management system when employees submit their timesheets. The data is reviewed on an as-needed basis, for instance, to help address employee performance issues and to prepare for annual reports to the internal Research Advisory Committee.
Survey Results
AlabamaRespondent: Ivy Harris, Assistant Research & Development Engineer, Bureau of Research & Development, (334) 353-6944, [email protected]
ALDOT does not have a system for tracking employee hours spent on research activities, and there is no report of such to management.
Alaska
Respondent: Clint Adler, Chief of Research & Technology Transfer, (907) 451-5321, [email protected] 1. Alaska DOT does not have such a system.
2. Some project advisory members charge time to research projects which have financial coding, and our research project managers track total expenditures.
3. No. 4. Clint Adler.
Alberta
Respondent: Roger Skirrow, Director Geotechnical & Materials Section, Technical Standards Branch, (781) 427-5578, [email protected]
Alberta Infrastructure & Transportation does not track hours spent by individual employees on research activities. Arizona
Respondent: Frank Darmiento, Manager, Arizona Transportation Research Center, (602) 712-3134, [email protected]
The Arizona Department of Transportation does not track the time spent by individuals on research activities. Arkansas
Respondent: Karen McDaniels, Planning and Research, (501) 569-2580, [email protected] Arkansas does not have a tracking system that is reported monthly, annually or on any time schedule. We do have the ability to retrieve this information if necessary. Job numbers are assigned to all research contracts and/or related activities. On our daily timesheets, we report a job number and a related object code indicating payroll. Our monthly billing detail will show job number and object code, allowing us to identify funds expended on each job number but not hours. From our office, we can only tally the timesheets by hand. However, our Computer Division can retrieve this information from the department’s payroll system, if requested.
California
Respondent: Wes Lum, Chief, National Liaison Office, Division of Research and Innovation, (916) 324-2713, [email protected]
We don’t track but want to. Connecticut
Respondent: James Sime, Manager of Research, (860) 258-0309, [email protected]
We do not, at this time, have an activity-tracking process within our research program. We don’t report time spent on projects, just cost.
Delaware
Respondent: Daniel La Combe, Research Coordinator, (302) 760-2161 [email protected] No we don’t, but I’d be interested in your findings.
Florida
Respondent: Richard Long, Director, FDOT Research Center, (850) 414-4617, [email protected] We have such a system through the use of job control numbers on timesheets, but we do not use it since we technically do not work on individual research projects. We all report our time and charge to an overhead number. We use two: one for state funds, the other for federal reimbursement.
Georgia
Respondent: Georgene Geary, State Materials and Research Engineer, (404) 363-7512, [email protected]
We do track training departmentwide but have never thought of tracking research—interesting concept. Hawaii
Respondent: Abe Casey, Engineering Program Manager, Materials Testing and Research Branch, (808) 832-3405, ext. 223, [email protected]
The Hawaii DOT Research Program does not track the time employees spend on research activities. Illinois
Respondent: David Lippert, Engineer of Materials and Physical Research, (217) 782-7200, [email protected]
At one time we tracked this to get FHWA SPR money back into our general road fund. We have not done so for the last two years, and the system we used has been allowed to be mothballed.
Indiana
Respondent: Barry Partridge, Director, Research & Development, (765) 463-1521, ext. 251, [email protected]
In the Indiana DOT, employees’ time is paid for out of a general operating budget, and time spent on research activities is not typically tracked. Neither do we charge in-house staff time against available SPR funds. For externally funded projects, we estimate the time we will spend on a project to develop project costs and to seek reimbursement.
Iowa
Respondent: Sandra Larson, Research and Technology Bureau Director, (515) 239-1205, [email protected]
Iowa does not track this. We don’t use SPR research funds for employee time. Kansas
Respondent: Dick McReynolds, Engineer of Research, (785) 296-2231, [email protected]
1. Yes, but it is not universally used. Only time spent by Research Unit staff working on research projects and special federal research projects (those that will receive federal reimbursement) is typically tracked. Outside of research most time spent on research is charged off to overhead project numbers.
2. RE (Research) jurisdiction project numbers are created to track research projects. Time spent on each project is reported biweekly on timesheets. The same method for tracking project numbers for all kinds of projects is used agencywide.
3. No.
4. Dick McReynolds. Louisiana
Respondent: Harold Paul, Director, Louisiana Transportation Research Center, (225) 767-9101, [email protected]
Other than LTRC employees, no other LA DOTD employees code time against research activities. Maine
Respondent: Dale Peabody, Transportation Research Engineer, (207) 624-3305, [email protected] We do not track this type of activity.
Maryland
Respondent: Allison Hardt, Chief of Research, (410) 545-2916, [email protected]
1. We do not have a system in place for tracking the number of hours spent on research activities. For those projects where the work is completed in-house, we could determine the amount of staff dollars spent on a project based on the expenditures resulting from payroll charges but not number of man-hours. For projects completed by a university or consultant, staff time spent on providing input, attending meetings, reviewing reports, etc., is not tracked or charged to a research project.
2. N/A. 3. No.
4. Allison Hardt. Massachusetts
Respondent: Stephen Pepin, Manager of Research and ITS Planning Programs, Office of Transportation Planning, (617) 973-8051, [email protected]
1. We track the time only for the two members in the Research Section in the Office of Transportation Planning. The time is entered on our weekly timesheets with an account number for Research Program Administration.
2. (Refer to response to question 1.) 3. Not to my knowledge.
Mississippi
Respondent: Randy Battey, State Research Engineer, (601) 359-7650, [email protected] 1. Yes.
2. We set up a project detail code in our SPR Part II work program for “Technology Transfer” that research employees charge their time to when serving on committees, reviewing reports for committees, attending
conferences, etc. If they are reviewing products of a current SPR Part II research project, then they just charge their time to that particular project.
3. No.
4. Randy Battey. Additional comments:
When my employees turn in their timesheets, that information is entered into our financial management system. We can call up that data and look at it, but we really only do that on an as-needed basis. I do look at it if there’s a performance problem with an employee, and I look at it when I’m preparing my annual presentation to my internal Research Advisory Committee.
Missouri
Respondent: Ernest Perry, Organizational Results Division, (573) 526-4317, [email protected] 1. As a consequence of our time coding for payroll, some of our staff members do code to specific projects and research activities.
2. Accomplished via a job number assigned to a project that goes to payroll on our timesheets. But again, we are not using it to track billable hours to specific projects. But our accounting system does complete this for their budget needs.
3. No, aggregate hours spent on RDT activities are not reported to management, though research expenditures are. 4. Ernest Perry.
Montana
Respondent: Susan Sillick, Manager, Research Programs, (406) 444-7693, [email protected]
In Montana, we don’t track this time, other than allowing people who do work for research to charge to a project. We can track this time, but don’t know if it is for reviewing materials, attending meetings, etc. If everyone used this, then it would be a good system, but not everyone does. When they do charge to this project, it is through their timesheet.
Nebraska
Respondent: Amy Starr, Research Engineer, (402) 479-3687, [email protected] 1. No.
2. N/A. 3. No. 4. Amy Starr. New Hampshire
Respondent: Glenn Roberts, Chief of Research, NHDOT Bureau of Materials & Research, (603) 271-3151, [email protected]
1. Yes. All work activities (research or not) are assigned a work class code. We have separate WCCs for general research activities, administration, product testing, participation on committees, training, etc. Note that these WCCs are “non-participating” (not reimbursed by FHWA). In other words, we do not pay salaries out of our SPR funds. In contrast, “participating” WCCs are used to pay consultant/university invoices or to purchase equipment/supplies, etc., on in-house research projects.
2. WCCs are required on timesheets.
3. No. The information is available but we do not report it. 4. Glenn Roberts.
New York
Respondent: Gary Frederick, Director, Transportation Research and Development, (518) 457-4645, [email protected]
1. Yes and no: Employees in the Research Bureau charge their time to a PIN (project identification number) code on their timesheet for all research-related activities. The department has PIN codes for almost everything. Only staff in
my bureau can use the research PINs. Most of the department’s research-related activities are scattered throughout the department so we only track some of the hours.
2. On timesheets—see response to question 1 regarding PIN codes. 3. No.
4. Gary Frederick. Ohio
Respondent: Monique Evans, Administrator, Office of Research & Development, (614) 728-6048, [email protected]
1. Yes, it’s called TMS (Time Management System).
2. The tracking is based on specific codes used by employees when they complete the TMS report for each biweekly pay period.
3. No.
4. Vicky Fout, (614) 644-8135, [email protected]) is the timekeeper for the Office of R&D. She would be the best person to contact even though other employees outside the Office of R&D report time spent on R&D activities.
Additional comments:
In our particular office, because we’re managing the research program, all of the hours are obviously devoted to that. But technical liaisons in other offices who are managing can choose to use our codes to track their time when they’re putting it in TMS, or they can choose to use some other codes, and it’s not necessarily consistent from office-to-office how they’re actually coding their time. So for me, it’s not really useful to go out and query TMS to see how much time everybody is spending on research because it’s not consistent in terms of data entry.
One other thing that is interesting that I noticed your survey didn’t capture is whether there’s any accounting for time spent on research activities outside of your normal working hours. For instance, participation in a lot of the national programs—NCHRP, TRB, AASHTO RAC—if you’re actually on travel time, then maybe portions of that get counted, but I know a lot of us spend a significant amount of our own time working on those and other types of activities, and we don’t really track it.
Oklahoma
Respondent: Ron Curb, Engineering Manager II, Engineering Services Branch, Planning & Research Division, (405) 522-3795, [email protected]
1. Yes.
2. Individual employee time is tracked by an assigned item number for each project.
3. Each item number can be queried for aggregate cost from a database. The hours spent are reported weekly by each employee, but no aggregate hours spent are reported since the salaries vary by employee.
4. Ron Curb. Oregon
Respondent: Barnie Jones, Research Unit Manager, (503) 986-2845, [email protected] 1. No.
2. N/A. 3. N/A. 4. N/A.
Additional comments:
There has been ongoing discussion because agency employees serve on various committees, review draft reports, etc., and that investment is substantial. However, the issue has usually centered on whether the Research Unit will pay for this investment of time by allowing employees to charge a research expenditure account. We believe that would consume a large fraction of available research funds and have resisted it, preferring that this piece of the agency’s research investment remain relatively invisible.
Pennsylvania
Respondent: Michael Bonini, Transportation Planning Manager, Research Division, (717) 772-4664, [email protected]
1. No. 2. N/A. 3. No.
4. If you need additional information, please feel free to contact me as my staff is responsible for project
management in the Research Division and serves as the point of contact to our project champions—whom we call technical advisers.
South Dakota
Respondent: David Huft, Research Program Manager, (605) 773-3358, [email protected] 1. Yes.
2. All research projects have unique project numbers. All staff, whether in the Research office or elsewhere in the department, charge time to these project numbers using the regular electronic timesheet process.
3. This information is reviewed occasionally, not regularly. 4. David Huft.
Texas
Respondent: Charmaine Richardson, TxDOT Research Office, (512) 465-7646, [email protected] 1. Yes, the hours are captured for all activities specifically related to research program or project management. Hours are not typically reported or analyzed, and the process does not guarantee that some hours are not missed. 2. A specific research charge number used on timesheets. Hours and dollar value are then captured in TxDOT’s financial system.
3. No.
4. Charmaine Richardson. Utah
Respondent: Blaine Leonard, Senior Research Manager, (801) 965-4115, [email protected]
1. For Research Division employees, yes. We assign charge ID codes for each project and overhead ID codes for non-project related activities (tech transfer, research program management, etc.). Charges to research projects are tracked along with direct contract costs, etc., and shown in the overall project budget. For non-Research Division employees, yes, but...although other DOT employees can use the charge ID codes we have assigned to the research projects, it is not common for them to ask for those codes, and their time rarely gets charged to these projects. 2. Again, we have research charge ID codes that are used on timesheets.
3. The aggregate hours spent are tracked in our timecard system, and the resulting charges (including payroll overhead) are applied to project budgets. Again, most of these charges are from Research Division employees. Reports of these charges to individual projects are not routinely reported (as on a monthly basis), but are available upon request. Management receives regular reporting of overall budget figures (divisionwide, not project specific), unless more detail is requested.
4. I could provide this information or could direct you to others for specific questions. Vermont
Respondent: Bill Ahearn, Research and Testing Engineer, (802) 828-2561, [email protected]
1. Within the Materials and Research Section, we have specific projects or topic areas that are used for charges, which when coupled with an activity code define the task fairly closely.
2. Timesheet biweekly and weekly summary to supervisor. 3. No.
4. Bill Ahearn. Virginia
Respondent: Mike Perfater, Acting Director of Research Operations, (434) 293-1939, [email protected]
Each project is given a charge number, and staff charges their time to that number on their timesheets, but we don’t actually track these hours. We do closely monitor project expenditures and progress. We’ve worked on having a variety of ways to track what we spend, what our progress is, what our outputs are, what our outcomes are, down to how many dollars we save as a result of the research program here.
West Virginia
Respondent: Robert Watson, Transportation Planning and Research, (304) 558-9623, [email protected] 1. WV does not generally track reporting hours for individual projects. One authorization is established for administration of all research projects.
2. N/A. 3. No.
4. Roger Hamilton, SPR-Accountant, (304) 558-9594. Wyoming
Respondent: Timothy McDowell, State Programming Engineer, (307) 777-4412, [email protected] At WYDOT, we do not track individual employee time spent on research projects. At this point, most of the work is subsidiary to the rest of their work. The Pavement Testing Section has added some cost to some contracts to cover additional expenses and is partially tracked at this point. This only represents a small picture of the overall amount spent. That is, normal budgetary overhead is to cover expenses by our personnel in order to allow the maximum amount of research dollars for research.
