Time Entry Transformation

We are excited to share the next phase of the Time Entry Transformation (TET) web app pilot. After the successful completion of Round 1 with Stearns County, we are moving forward with Round 2 starting October 1st.

• Pilot Counties: Brown, Freeborn, Meeker, Nicollet, Scott

• Users Added: ~700

• Total Access: 825 workers across 6 agencies

The TET web app allows users to:

• Log in/out securely

• Switch databases (if multiple are available)

• Create and submit new time records

Round 1 Highlights (Stearns County – 125 users)

Enhancements in Progress

Currently in Development

• Activity log view

• Auto-select client in Regarding section when only one exists

• Hours auto-increment to 1 when 60 minutes is reached

In Quality Assurance (QA)

• Activity dropdown organized in alphabetical order

In Design

• Borders for text box fields

• Autosave records

• Draft/incomplete time record or case note option

• “Quick Entry” form with Duration and Date/Time alignment

• View a record directly in the web app

In Analysis

• Improve spellcheck and autocorrect

• Move Note section placement on form

• Placement of Reset Form button (may be replaced by browser refresh)

• Service dropdown with info icons

• Client sort order (children first)

• Regarding section improvements (help text and rules for adult/child selection)

What’s Next

• October 1st: Kickoff of Round 2 with 700 new users across 5 additional counties.

• Ongoing: Monitor feedback, track defects, and release enhancements iteratively.

• Engagement: Counties will continue to play a critical role in shaping design and functionality.

Thank you to Stearns County for leading the way in Round 1. We look forward to partnering with Brown, Freeborn, Meeker, Nicollet, and Scott Counties to continue shaping the TET experience!

After many months of planning, we are piloting the new web-based time entry application with Stearns County starting September 10th!

The pilot will use production data and integrate with the SSIS desktop and backend databases.

Features will include:

• Log-in/Log-out

• Select or change database (for users with multiple database access)

• Create and submit new time records

Testing update:

Our first round of User Acceptance Testing (UAT) included 35 testers from 19 agencies. A few issues were reported:

• Resolved: “Interviewed Alone” question (from ‘Contact With’ section) could not be deselected – reported by 3 agencies, retested by 1.

• Resolved: UAT site not loading – reported and retested by 6 agencies.

• In progress: Microsoft Entra SSO may auto-log in with agency email credentials – reported by 3 agencies, under review.

Below are the reported defects and the noted current status or workaround for the Time Entry Web App

Below are the Enhancement requests and current solution or workaround

Sprint 11 Goal (8/13/25 – 8/26/25):

• Team focus is on completing all open development and testing tasks to prepare for UAT external user testing and kick-off for sprint 12 starting 8/27/25. Process documentation for how to manually update the UAT environment, last items for business rules filtering, and error handling will move forward to Sprint 11 from Sprint 10 to complete.
• Actual Results: All tasks were completed with development and testing for UAT, and we successfully completed the last items for business rules filtering. We have some error handling backend documentation moving to sprint 12. We kicked off UAT today and have some testers already accessing the site to provide feedback!

Sprint 12 Goal (8/27/25 – 9/9/25)

• Validation on the backend for the APIs and Service Calls in all environments. Fine tune session state (log-in, log-out). Auto-populate with respect to the regarding section, activity log, design the draft and discuss where the drafts will be stored. Continue to work through UAT defects and build updates. Plan for Sprint 13 to Pilot in Production with internal county workers first, which is approximately 115 users. Big thanks to Cassie for helping coordinate and to Stearns County for agreeing to be our first pilot agency!
• Actual Results: Fine tune session state (log-in, log-out) completed, dev work started on auto-populating the regarding section, activity log design and dev work underway. UAT had a successful kick-off, we completed a round of testing with external users, worked through defect remediation, and build updates. We prepared for pilot with Stearns County users for sprint 13.

Sprint 13 Goal (9/10/25 – 9/30/25):

•New goal: Complete Activity Log development work and begin QA functional testing. Design draft records and finalize storage approach. Validate backend APIs (adding blocks on the end points), complete API documentation, and consistent error handling for backend. Continue dev work on auto-populating child participants in the Regarding section, and a system maintenance/communications banner. Pilot with 125 Stearns County users with production data and remediate any reported defects.

Here’s what we’re working on right now in Sprint 11, as we get ready for Sprint 12, which starts on August 27^th with the UAT kick-off:

Final MVP1 Items with DEV

• Fixing the last few defects

Final Testing, Security, and Analytics

• QA Functional Testing
• Accessibility Testing
• Performance Testing
• SiteImprove Analytics
• Finalizing OKR (Objectives & Key Results) Baselines and Goals

UAT Prep Work

• Finalizing test instructions and test cases
• Creating email templates to send out access info to testers

Pilot Prep Work

• Thanks to Stearns County - our first pilot agency!
• Communications and confirming list of users with Stearns for our first pilot rollout planned for sprint 13.

Welcome, Summary of Progress, and What’s Next

•Sam Breidenbach – Product Manager - Time Entry Transformation

Sprint 10 Goal (7/30/25 – 8/12/25):

•Team focus on the build (create new time record) with business rules and filtering completed and ready for QA testing. Complete user access to the Training environment, complete the process documentation for how to manually update the UAT environment and create new branches for UAT, Training, and Production.

•Actual: The Create New Time Record build is complete, with business rules and filtering very close as of end of sprint yesterday. New branches were created, and internal state user access was completed for UAT. The Training environment is not needed going forward by the Learning & Development Team and can use UAT for their purposes.

Sprint 9 Goal (7/16/25 – 7/29/25):

•Team focus on the build (create new time record) with business rules and filtering completed and ready for QA testing. Promote Login, Logout screens to UAT environment, and complete the Training environment build.

•Actual: Login, and Logout screens were both promoted to the UAT environment with light testing completed by QA and product manager, the Training environment build was completed.

Sprint 10 Goal (7/30/25 – 8/12/25):

•New goal: Team focus on the build (create new time record) with business rules and filtering completed and ready for QA testing. Complete user access to the Training environment, complete the process documentation for how to manually update the UAT environment and create new branches for UAT, Training, and Production.

Sprint 8 Goal (7/2/25 – 7/15/25):

•Team focus on the build (create new time record) completed and ready for QA testing, remediate issues with the programs and services activity picker.

•Actual: Outstanding items from Sprint 7 were completed to finalize the AC2 code, login and logout screens are developed/functional in multiple environments, and most of the create new time record screen is complete. Development work continues for the programs, services, and activity dropdown filtering.

Sprint 9 Goal (7/16/25 – 7/29/25):

•Team focus on the build (create new time record) with business rules and filtering completed and ready for QA testing. Promote Login, Logout screens to UAT environment, and complete the training environment build.

The Time Entry Transformation team is making progress. Below are a few of the most recent wins and points of celebration. Thank you to everyone who has participated along the way.

•Completed first systems development life cycle flow to completion for Log In by Selecting a Database including functional QA, accessibility, and product manager testing.

•Created training plan with documents started for Access, Log In, Log Out, and Create & Save New Time Record.

•Started UAT process plan mapping with pilot and release management conversations to ramp up to our goal of a full statewide rollout by Fall 2025.

•The UAT environment build is complete and accessible with a test user ID.

•Usability testing plan created and demonstrated scenarios to test in the field with local agency workers using both dev and Figma prototypes.

•Legal language finalized and signed off on for various components (log-in disclaimer, website privacy policy, warning not to enter PHI or PII in case note field, UAT testing instructions).

•Finalized the operational support agreement for the CRM ticketing process with SSIS Help Desk requests for technical support on DCYF Tier 1, MNIT Tier 2 and Tier 3 teams.

•Training Environment build complete and infrastructure in place for the SSIS Learning and Development Team (staff access will be granted next).

•Visited 3 county agencies on-site (Stearns, Hennepin, Olmsted) and in the field to conduct usability testing, baseline measurements through Time-Motion studies, inform case worker personas, and collect feedback for design refinement.

•Presented to the county-led TCM Systems Changes workgroup on survey analysis and database changes for the Service Activities (in the Activity dropdown), and the MVP2 activity log original design to a refined prototype walk-through.

Sprint 7 Goal (6/18/25 - 7/1/25):

•Finalize AC2 code, team focus on the build (login, create new time record, save time record, logout) completed and ready for QA testing. Set up UAT domain and ensure it can be accessed with a test ID.

•Actual: Login with selecting a database and logout are completed and to the QA environment ready for testing. The UAT domain is set up, user IDs still need to be assigned to this environment. AC2 code still pending. Blocker with create new time record on the programs and services activity picker/filtering.

Sprint 8 Goal (7/2/25 – 7/15/25):

•Finalize AC2 code, team focus on the build (create new time record) completed and ready for QA testing, remediate issues with the programs and services activity picker.

• Save a complete time record in the QA environment. Finalize AC2 code and production domain/URL.

• Actual: QA has blockers in this environment, AC2 code is still pending with escalation involved to push completion, production domain/URL has been determined by business leadership and signed off by communications (https://time.ssis.mn.gov)

• Finalize AC2 code, team focus on the build (login, create new time record, save time record, logout) completed and ready for QA testing. Set up UAT domain and ensure it can be accessed with a test ID.

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