When labor is only reviewed after a job closes, you lose the chance to correct overruns while production is still in motion. That affects capacity planning, job costing accuracy, and how quickly your team can validate time for payroll.

The Estimated vs Actual Time report in Cetec ERP is designed to show planned hours versus logged hours, with clear deltas and an efficiency view. It is a practical way to see what is happening on the production floor right now, not at the end of the month.

Where to Find the Estimated vs Actual Time Report

In Cetec ERP, go to the Production tab, open the MGtMT dropdown, and select Est Vs. Act Time. This opens the Estimated vs Actual Time report.

What the Columns Mean and Why They Matter

The report can show estimated hours, actual hours, delta hours, and an efficiency percentage. Use the +/- columns to include the measures you need for the question you are answering.

If you are validating job costing, focus on actual hours and delta hours to see where labor is moving away from plan. If you are reviewing capacity and day-to-day production efficiency, include the efficiency percentage so supervisors can spot problems that need follow-up.

Group by User or Work Location for Better Visibility

You can dynamically group the report by user versus work location. This is useful when you need to separate labor performance by who did the work versus where the work was performed, especially if you run multiple lines, cells, or facilities.

Use Date Filters to Review Logged Time

Use the date range filter to narrow the results. Set the Date Type to entry date when you want the report based on the date and time labor was logged.

As a decision frame, use a tight date range for daily production review and time validation, and use a wider range when you are auditing estimating accuracy across multiple jobs.

Key Takeaways

• Use Estimated vs Actual Time to compare planned labor to logged labor while production is active.
• Turn on estimated, actual, delta, and efficiency fields based on whether you are reviewing job costing or daily performance.
• Group by user or work location to separate who performed work from where it was performed.
• Use the date range and entry date filtering to review time as it is logged for payroll and supervision follow-up.

Conclusion

Estimated vs Actual Time is a straightforward way to keep labor reporting tied to production reality. When your team reviews deltas and efficiency during the work, you can correct issues earlier, keep job costing grounded, and reduce the back-and-forth of validating time later.