create job jobs Invoice update job change invoice date edit job Jobs: FAQ

Within this article you will have a complete list of Frequently Asked Questions regarding Jobs within LMN!

Select from the list below to jump to its spot within the article!

Templates and Renewal FAQ

• Can I Create New Jobs in LMN by Copying a Job or Template?
• How Can I Setup a Job Template for Snow Contracts?
• How can I Renew A Job for The Next Year?

What Is/ What is the Difference

• What Bulk actions can I complete from the Job List screen?
• What's the Difference Tracking Time Against Work Areas vs. Cost Codes?
• What is the difference between Job Group and Job Type?
• What's the Difference Between Tasks, Services, and Materials?
• What is a Job Planner?

Job Setup FAQ

• How Do I Add Rates for Jobs That Are Billed By The Hour?
• How Can I Copy Tasks From One Job to Another?
• How do I update my jobsite address?

Job FAQ

• Can my foremen/ crew leads add notes after they have completed a job?
• If a Job has already been created, how do I make changes?
• Is there a way to view all jobs that do not have invoices activated?
• How do I Track Drive (Travel) Time, Loading Time or Time Between Jobsites?
• How can I Add Files/Photos To a Job So My Crew Can View Them From the App?
• How do I Link a Job to a CRM Customer?
• My jobs imported from estimates have too many tasks. Can I simplify them for timetracking?
• How do I Setup a Job for Invoicing?
• Creating work orders or tracking equipment usage

 

Can I Create New Jobs in LMN by Copying a Job or Template?

If you are going to be setting up multiple jobs in LMN, we would recommend creating Template jobs.

These jobs can hold all relevant tasks, rates, services and activities/materials.

• To begin, we recommend creating a "Template" customer to hold all templates. 
• Once your job is created in Time, you can use the Copy button to copy the job (including all tasks, rates, services and activities in that job) to a new customer.  The copy button is located on the Job Info tab of your Job.

 

How Can I Setup a Job Template for Snow Contracts?

If you're setting up multiple customers in LMN for the snow season, we recommend setting up Templates, which can then be copied for your customers based on their billing type (ie. Contract, Per inch, Per Visit, etc).  Include all relevant Tasks, Rates, Services and Activities which might apply to that customer type.

Contract

If your customer is on a contract where everything is included, you will want to ensure you have the following:

1. Tasks would not be marked for Hourly Billing:
2. Services would be set up with an Invoice Type of Included:
3. Materials would be set up accordingly (whether they are linked to Services, are included in contract pricing [Not Billable], or not included in the contract pricing [Billed As: Per App or Per Unit]):
4. If you are using LMNPro +Plus Pack, you would also include your payment contract so automatic billing can be generated using Invoicing.

Please note: this is an LMNPro +Plus Pack feature.  You will only be able to move forward with the below if your company is subscribed to LMNPro +Plus Pack.  For more information on LMNPro +Plus Pack, please click HERE. 

Per Inch

If your customer is on a contract where they will be billed by the amount of inches plowed, you will want to ensure you have the following:

1. 1. Tasks would not be marked for Hourly Billing:
   2. Services would be set up with an Invoice Type of Included:
   3. Different Inch thresholds would be set up as Linked Activities for your Plow Service: Note: If you set up per Inch linked materials, it is recommended to mark them as Flag for Review so one of your admin staff can confirm the size of the event prior to invoicing.
   4. If you are using LMNPro +Plus Pack, you would also include a payment contract so automatic billing can be generated using Invoicing.

      Please note: this is an LMNPro +Plus Pack feature.  You will only be able to move forward with the below if your company is subscribed to LMNPro +Plus Pack.  For more information on LMNPro +Plus Pack, please click HERE.

 

Per Push

If your customer is on a contract where they will be billed by the visit, you will want to ensure you have the following:

1. 1. Tasks would not be marked for Hourly Billing:
   2. 
   3. Services would be set with Invoice Type Per Visit:
   4. If you are using LMNPro +Plus Pack, you would also include a payment contract so automatic billing can be generated using Invoicing.

      Please note: this is an LMNPro +Plus Pack feature.  You will only be able to move forward with the below if your company is subscribed to LMNPro +Plus Pack.  For more information on LMNPro +Plus Pack, please click HERE. 

 

How can I Renew A Job for The Next Year?

Many jobs will carry over from one year to the next.  Especially maintenance contracts.  But the answer is probably different depending on the type of job...

For construction-type projects

Typically, a construction job that carried over year to year would be a larger job, but it's still the same job.  Because the original job contained the total estimated hours for the entire project, you'd continue clocking time against this same job/task during the subsequent year.

For maintenance-type contracts

Maintenance type jobs carry over from year to year, but typically the hours in the original estimate are only for one calendar year.

If you tracked all of Year 2's hours against the original job, you'd look like you went way over the estimated hours (assuming you estimated the hours based on 1 season).  So you have 2 options here:

1. You can keep the same job, but manually increase the 'estimated hours' to reflect the new seasons' estimated hours + all previous estimated hours.
2. You can renew the job.  Renewing the job creates a copy of the current job, with all the same estimated hours, tasks, activities etc. as the prior season.  The previous job can be set to inactive at the same time.  See the instructions below.

 

Instructions to renew a job in LMN

1. Open the Jobs > Jobs List menu in LMN
2. Use the checkboxes to the left of each job to select any/all the job(s) you want to renew
3. Click the Renew Jobs button in the bottom task bar 

An Renew Jobs option screen will now appear.  From here you choose options like:

• Automatically adding a suffix to the new job name (like the current year)
• Automatically deactivating the old job (only do this if last year's contract is 'complete')
• Reset your Contract and Monthly Payment dates for your Maintenance seasonal contracts if invoicing using LMN Pro.
• Generate a new JobID (or keep the old one) - this is just an internal ID you can use to keep the same ID
• Move job files over to the new job

 

What Bulk actions can I complete from the Job List screen?

LMN allows you to create the following actions in bulk from the job list screen:

1. Assign multiple jobs to a new Job Type or Job Group.  
2. Mark multiple jobs active/inactive in at one time.  
3. Ability to Renew jobs in bulk. 

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How Do I Assign New Job Types / Job Groups across multiple Jobs?

1. 1. Log into LMN.
   2. Click Jobs > Jobs List
   3. Click the checkboxes next to the Jobs (or Select All on the top left corner).
   4. Click Update Jobs at the top menu
   5. Click Assign to Job Group in the Update Jobs drop down menu
   6. On the next screen, select the appropriate Job Group from the drop-down list.
   7. Press OK.
   8. The selected Jobs have now been assigned.

Note: There is another alternative with assigning Jobs to different Job Groups.

How Do I Mark Multiples Jobs As Active/Inactive?

1.  Log into LMN.
2. Click Jobs > Job List
3. Click the checkboxes next to the Jobs (or Select All on the top left corner).
4. Click Update Jobs button
5. Click Make Inactive (or Active)
6. The selected Jobs have now been marked as Inactive (or active)

Note: Marking a Job as Inactive does not impact any data associated with these Jobs (ie. Timesheets, Notes, etc.). To find these Jobs you can still access them under the INACTIVE JOBS list under the Jobs screen).

 

What's the Difference Tracking Time Against Work Areas vs. Cost Codes?

When adding a Job in LMN, you will see two options to Track Time against either Work areas/Services or by Cost Code*.

Cost Codes are generally simpler, but we recommend Work Areas/Services.  Work Areas/Services can be as simple (or as detailed) as you like, and they give you far more flexibility.  Plus, every Work Area/Service can be assigned a cost code, so they still get tracked accurately in accounting.

NOTE: Once you have selected a job to be tracked against Cost Codes or by Work Areas/Services you CANNOT change it once there are time-sheets associated to the job. 

When adding a new Job manually, you will see that here:

When importing an Estimate, you will see that here:

Tracking by Work Area

Allows the user to customize the Task Names within that Job. Each Task is then linked to a Cost Code for Job Costing purposes. See below for an illustration:

NOTE: if this is an Estimate being created into a Job, your Work Areas/Services are then converted into a Task

Tracking by Cost Code

Does not allow the user to customize the Task Names as the Tasks are now being labelled by their Cost Code by default. See below for an illustration:

NOTE: if this is an Estimate being created into a Job, all of your estimated hours will be lumped into one sum based on the Cost Code

 

What is the difference between Job Group and Job Type?

Job Types are used for a number of different functions. They are used to classify jobs for reporting purposes (i.e.: install jobs). You can also setup your jobs so that they prompt notes for crew members to complete when they go to clock out of a job from the LMN Time Mobile App. This way, you can keep track of what is done on site through task, weather and equipment notes. Job types are also important for payroll. You can link necessary payroll codes to each job type so that employees are paid correctly. This is especially important when exporting information to QuickBooks.

To learn how to set up Job Types, click here.

Job Groups are primarily used as an organizational tool. They allow you to organize your jobs so that it is easier for your crews to find the proper job to clock into when working in the field. Job groups can also be used to optimize your routes so that your crew know the proper order of jobs to be completed. It is also a good tool for reporting when running one of LMN’s many useful job reports.

To learn how to set up Job Groups, click here. 

 

What's the Difference Between Tasks, Services, and Materials?

TASKS

Tasks are what the crews will clock into when they arrive a the site.  Tasks are used to track and organize the crews' time.  For instance, you might have a job, but want to track time separately on the job for the hardscapes vs. the softscapes.  Using that example a job would have 2 tasks:

• Hardscapes     Est Hrs: 120
• Softscapes      Est Hrs:  40

When a crew arrives at the site, they will clock into the job.  They will then be presented with the choice of Hardscapes or Softscapes and their time on each task will be tracked separately.

A job can have as many tasks as you'd like, but you want to keep it simple for the crews to track their time accurately.

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SERVICES

Job tracking and service verification in LMN is done through your jobsite's SERVICES.

You can setup jobsite services so when your crews clock out of a job, the LMN Time Mobile App will ask the user which services were completed during the visit. The act of marking a service off as complete in the field will confirm a service was completed, for inclusive contracts, or can trigger billing. Using an example, a job in LMN will have services to verify completion:

• Mow Complete
• Spring Clean up Complete

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MATERIALS

Materials can be viewed as 'Materials' only. If your question's only possible answer by a crew is "Yes" or "No", then make sure to use Services instead of Materials. Materials are only used to track the quantity of a material in the field. Using an example, a job in LMN will have materials to track the quantity of use:

• Salt (Bagged)
• Mulch (Yards)

 

What is a Job Planner?

A Job Planner is an internal document for your crew members to see. It is a great way to communicate what needs to be done or used for when your crew is onsite.

Any notes that you put within your estimate's “crew notes” work areas, will show up in the Job Planner.The planner may include instructions for your crew, labor hours, equipment and materials used to complete the job. Any internal notes made within your material items will reflect on the Job Planner as well. Crew notes can be used for both Standard and Service Estimates.

To create a Job Planner: 

1) Enter crew notes by work area or service

(NOTE: the "Estimator Notes" section is only used for the estimator to see and not intended for the crew members. Therefore, information from this section will not transfer to the Job Planner.)

2) All crew notes entered within each work areas should show up on the estimate's Job Planner

3) To see this, go to Print Reports → select report as JOB PLANNER (WORK AREA) → Preview

 

How Do I Add Rates for Jobs That Are Billed By The Hour?

This article covers how to setup a job in LMN where the job is billed:

• By-the-hour, with hourly rates
• Time and materials (also referred to as cost-plus)

Once a Job has been created, you can add Rates for Jobs that will be billed at an Hourly Rate or a Flat Fee (above and beyond your estimate/contract). This also includes Time and Materials type jobs.

Before any Rates can be added to the Job, ensure you have created the Rates beforehand. 

SETTING UP YOUR TASKS AS "BILLABLE-BY-THE-HOUR"

Access the Job you wish to track for Hourly Billing, and click on Tasks on the left hand-side.

• Click on the Task you wish to track for Hourly Billing
• Ensure the Track hours and rates for billing-by-the-hour?

ADDING A RATE 

To add a Rate to a Job, access the Job in question and select Hourly Rates on the left-hand menu.

1. Click on the +Rates.                                              *PLEASE NOTE: the Rates entered here are for DEMO purposes only and are not meant to be taken as factual rates to be used in your company
2. On the Add Rates screen, checkmark the Rate(s) you wish to add to this Job.  You'll notice that once you put a checkmark beside the rate, you can customize the dollar value (price) of that rate for this specific job.
3. If you wish to create a new rate, select the +Default Rate button and enter all the necessary values for your new rate.  Adding a new rate will also add this rate to the Settings, so it will be available for future jobs.
4. Press Add Selected

COPYING RATES FROM ANOTHER JOB

If you already have a Job in LMN that has similar Tasks, you can Import them into your new Job instead of creating them from scratch.

1. On the Rates screen, press Import at the top-right of the screen. 
2. Select the Job from the Select a Jobsite drop-down menu that you wish to copy FROM.
3. Checkmark whether you wish to Copy Tasks, Rates and/or Services from the original Job.
4. You also have the option to Copy the exact same values or reset them to 0 by toggling them in the drop-down to the right of each item.
5. Press OK.
6. Now the Tasks, Rates and/or Services have been coped into your new Job.

HOW TO TRACK JOBS USING HOURLY RATE(S)

You will now be able to generate Billing Reports to bill/invoice your client in accordance to the hours logged per the Hourly Rate.

1. Select Import.           
2. Select Billing.
3. There are numerous reports that can be generated here to view your Billing reports based on Jobs or Job Groups, within a set Date Ranges.
4. A good report to try and run would be the Job Billing - Detailed report.

For users of LMN Pro +Plus Pack - the Generate Invoices routine will automatically find and create invoices for any work that was done on hourly rate jobs.

 

How Can I Copy Tasks From One Job to Another?

Once a Job has been created you can add Tasks, which are what your Field Employees will be tracking their time against. Tasks allow you to breakdown a job into more specific areas.

COPYING TASKS FROM ANOTHER JOB

If you already have a Job in LMN that has similar Tasks, you can Import them into your new Job instead of creating them from scratch.

1. On the Tasks tab, click the Action drown down at the top-right of the screen
2. Select the Job from the Select a Jobsite drop-down menu that you wish to copy FROM.
3. Checkmark whether you wish to Copy Tasks, Rates and/or Services from the original Job.
4. You also have the option to Copy the exact same values or reset them to 0 by toggling them in the drop-down to the right of each item.
5. Press OK.
6. Now the Tasks, Rates and/or Services have been coped into your new Job.

 

How do I update my jobsite address?

If you wish to update your customer's current jobsite address (the address that you see in LMN's job) to something else, you will need to go to LMN Estimating >CRM > Contacts > Jobsites >Jobsite info >change the address and then go back to your job in Jobs > Job Lists > find your job > Press on Action button > Update Job Address.

Please follow the visuals below for reference:

1) This is the address that you see in your LMN job but would like to update: 

2) To update that LMN Job's address, you will need to go to the CRM contact's jobsite info address to adjust it CRM > Contacts > Jobsites >Jobsite info >change the address, ensure to click on "Save Changes". 

3) Now go to Jobs > Job Lists > find your job > Press on Action button > Update Job Address > click on Save.

4) After saving the new updated address, a message ("Success: Jobsite address updated.") at the top right corner should confirm this change.

 

Can my foremen/ crew leads add notes after they have completed a job?

Your foremen/ crew leads can add notes when they clock out of the job that they have completed. You will however, need to check the following steps to have this set up properly: 

1. Go to Settings > Jobs > Job types, press into the job types that you wish to prompt notes on.
2. For the Task Notes section, choose "Yes, Prompt", Click Save.
3. Also, you will need to make sure that your Foremen/ Crew Leads is required to leave notes before submitting their time, so you'll need to go to Settings > Timesheets > Timesheet Settings. Under Foreman Permission > "Allow foreman to leave timesheet notes blank" > Choose “No, Task Requires Notes”. Prompting this section will require them to make notes before clocking out of the job.

4. This is what the "note section" would look like when your crew member is clocking out of the job in the LMN Time Mobile App.

   

 

If an estimate has already been created as a Job, how do I make changes?

Once an estimate has created into a Job for time tracking, changes can happen to the original estimate which may need to be changed. For example, your customer may want to add an additional service to the project.

Since that estimate is already in LMN, we cannot re-import the estimate with the extra information as that would overwrite your existing timesheets. You also would not want to import a new job as that would be confusing for your crews.

The best way to handle this is by manually adjusting the job by doing the following:

1. Log into LMN
2. Click on Jobs > Job List
3. Click on the Job you want to edit in your list
4. Click on Tasks in the left menu
5. Click +Task at the top right-hand of the screen
6. Input the new Task information including estimated hours, task name, cost code and note then click OK

This will update your existing job with the new information so that your crews can see the additional changes.

 

Is there a way to view all jobs that do not have invoices activated?

On your jobs list, you can see which jobs have been invoiced or not, so that you do not miss any invoice opportunities.

To see jobs that have not been activated with invoicing: 

Go to Jobs > Job List > under these filters choose > Status: All Jobs, Job Group: All Groups, Invoice Status: "Jobs for no invoicing", By Assignment: All Assignments.

Jobs with no invoicing option will generate a list of jobs that do not currently have invoicing activated, therefore no invoice will generate unless this feature has been set up accordingly.

To activate invoicing for your job, go to Invoice Activation> Setup Job for Invoicing, complete the contract details, click Save.

 

How do I Track Drive (Travel) Time, Loading Time or Time Between Jobsites?

LMN requires crews to be clocked into a job/task for every hour they're on the clock.  The reason?  So you know exactly where your hours are getting spent.  Job costing is great, but unbillable time is a silent killer.  These hours, ignored by many companies, are not only costing you payroll, but they are robbing your company of valuable billable time - where you could be generating revenue on jobs.

To track non-job related time, you setup a SHOP or OVERHEAD job just like any other job by using your TEST customer. You can create any number of tasks if you want to track unbillable time separately, for instance:

• Driving time
• Equipment maintenance time
• Company meetings and safety
• Shop and yard maintenance

Your foremen can then clock into this SHOP or OVERHEAD job when driving to/from and in between jobs, loading/unloading, company meetings, etc.

 

How Can I Add Files/Photos To a Job So My Crew Can View Them From the App?

NOTE: The following feature is only accessible with an LMN Pro +Plus Pack subscription. For more information please review the demo below:

LMN PRO +PLUS PACK OVERVIEW

There is a Job Files area in a job in LMN. As shown below, there will be two options to attach files to a job in LMN. The purpose of these files compared to the estimate or CRM file is that files in a job will show up for the foreman in the LMN Time Mobile App.

1. Login to LMN
2. Click on Jobs > Jobs List on the left-hand menu
3. Click into a JOB
4. On the left side menu, click on JOB FILES

IMPORTANT: We recommend keeping files at a 5mb data size for the purposes of being viewed from the field app. Larger files (up to 50mb) will work, but based on a mobile phones network connection it could take longer than anticipated to open a file. Furthermore, if a foreman is opening larger files consistently, it will use much more data than the LMN Time Mobile App would typically use on a normal day.

By clicking Link from CRM you can view all files that have been uploaded in your CRM and Estimate as it makes the connection to a client/lead CRM file. Keep in mind, any file that is added to a job in LMN will be view-able from the LMN Time Mobile App!

 

How do I Link an LMN Job to a CRM Customer?

If you have old jobs that are not linked to a customer in LMN's CRM, or if you wish to change the customer that an LMN job is linked to, you can perform either of these tasks by following these simple instructions:

 

1. Go to LMN and click on Jobs > Jobs List  Then, click on the customer you wish to update
2. Click on the Action drop down menu in the top right corner as shown below and click on Link Customer/ Jobsite.
3. To change the customer, press on Change in the top right corner on the next screen.                  To search, use the field provided to type in the customer's or business' name. Once you find the correct one, click Select.
4. Select the Contact and Jobsite for the job.  Once correct, click OK.

Keep in mind you can only change the customer that the LMN Job is linked to if you don't have any invoices attached to the job itself.

 

My jobs imported from estimates have too many tasks. Can I simplify them for timetracking?

Yes - and not only can you simplify them, you probably should.  The more complicated the tasks, the more likely your field crews are to get confused, or to be inaccurate.

Sometimes its necessary to break an estimate down by a lot of work areas for the presentation to the customer, but once the job is 'live' for timetracking, you'll likely want to simplify those tasks for tracking.

LMN allows you to Merge Tasks - essentially combining multiple tasks into one task - and adding all the estimated time into one total.  Note: this merge is permanent and cannot be undone, unless you delete the new task and re-create the old ones from scratch.

Here are the simple steps:

1. Open the job you wish to simplify
2. Click the Tasks tab
3. Put checkmarks beside each of the Tasks you wish to combine together
4. Click the Action dropdown at the top right-hand menu, click Merge Selected
5. Complete the Merge Tasks screen - you'll need to give your new 'single' task a name and assign a cost code (Note:  you can only have one cost code per task, so this new task will only be able to be linked to a single cost code)
6. Click OK

All your selected tasks will be combined into one task for timekeeping.

 

How do I Setup an LMN Job for Invoicing?

NOTE: The following feature is only accessible with an LMN Pro +Plus Pack  subscription. For more information please review the demo below:

LMN PRO +PLUS PACK OVERVIEW

If you have jobs in LMN that you want to build contracts for, you can do so by following the steps below.

1. Jump into the job that you wish to update and click on the Invoicing tab.
2. Click Setup Job for Invoicing. 
3. Based on your Invoice Settings, some information will be pre-populated for you.  If you wish to update any of this information, you can update in the fields provided.
4. Since you are creating this contract directly in LMN, you will need to add a Contract Service Total and # of Payments. To do this, click on the Invoice Schedule tab on the left-hand menu.
   Keep in mind, our contract only needs to indicate Billing Type: Per Season pricing.  Any Per Visit or Per Hours/Unit will be considered Extra Billing and will be added into the jobs separately.
5. You will also need to pick the Day of the Month you want to generate the Monthly Invoices.
6. If you click Calculate Payments, LMN will break your payments out as indicated in the settings above.
7. LMN will show you the payment breakdown prior to scheduling the Invoicing.  If any of the payments have already been collected, you can check the Skip Monthly Payments checkbox.  If you are happy with the totals, click OK.
8. You're all set- you can now generate Invoices for this job!

 

Creating work orders or tracking equipment usage

The best way to track what your mechanic does with your equipment in the system (so that they can pull a work order on a machine) and know exactly what was done would be:

1) To create an internal job which is unbillable and name it #Shop. 

2) After the internal job is created, create a TASK in the job called (for example) "Equipment Maint/Repair" and then add a list of SERVICES which includes all the equipment (such as a repair for a mower, landscape trailer, skid steer etc) that your mechanic might work on.

3) By clicking into the service itself, you are then able to link the materials to it, to track how much was used. For example, for the "Equipment Maint/ Repair" service, you can add a linked material called "Flat Tire" and "Engine Maintenance" to it. 

4) Your mechanic would then use the LMN Time Mobile App to clock into the #Shop job, click on the "Repair" task to start. Check off the the service as complete, choose the linked materials accordingly and enter in the quantity.

5) Once the job is complete, your mechanic can also add in the Crew Notes exactly what they did and  choose the machine listed in the Equipment Notes section (you will need to type the equipment's name to have it auto-populate first, then select it).  

How it looks in the LMN Desktop Timesheet section

6) You can also generate a report on these types of internal jobs; run a report on the REPAIR TASK as well as the SERVICE done, so that you know how long it took to complete and what was done for it.

TASKS within a job is what tracks time so it doesn't matter what the task is, if you need to track time on anything, you can repurpose the TASK. This also applies for the SERVICES as well.

Job History Service Data Report #5 (This report shows services and materials for timesheet tasks, organized by date.), to find this report go to Reports > Jobs > #5 Jobs History - Services (Excel Format)

Job Timesheet Equipment #15 Report (This report shows equipment utilization from timesheet equipment notes, organized by equipment names/codes.), to find this report go to Reports > Jobs > #15 Timesheet Equipment by Job (Excel)

 

If you require further assistance, please contact our Support Team via email at support@golmn.com or reach out to us through our Live Chats feature or by Phone: (888) 347-9864!