An attendance export is a copy of selected records at a particular time. Before using it for a monthly review, reconcile the period, people included and meaning of each column. A spreadsheet that opens successfully is not necessarily ready for payroll, client reporting or a performance discussion.
This checklist is for managers using StafflyTracker’s monthly attendance export. It describes operational checking, not a calculation of anyone’s pay or a guarantee of integration with another system. The organisation must apply its own approved rules in the destination process after reviewing the source record.
Keep the original file unchanged
Save the first export in an access-controlled location with its period and export time. Make a working copy for calculations, filters and comments. If the source records later change, generate a new export and identify it as a revision instead of overwriting the earlier file without explanation.
The filename can identify the department and month without exposing employee details. Inside the working record, note the person who generated the export, the selected filters and the time zone used. Those details make a difference easier to reproduce when another reviewer gets a different total.
Check the population before the totals
Compare the exported employee list with the roster for that period. Look for people who joined, left, changed departments or had an account state change. An absent row and a zero-hour row are not interchangeable. Establish why each expected person is included or missing before treating a department total as complete.
Use an approved employee identifier for matching. Names can be misspelled, duplicated or changed. Do not add identity documents or unnecessary personal information to a general attendance workbook merely to distinguish two employees. Keep any required mapping in the appropriate restricted system.
Create a field-definition sheet
Write down what each exported time category means. StafflyTracker distinguishes recorded working time, activity, idle intervals and unmonitored time in its reporting views. The exact columns available in your export should be demonstrated; do not assume every reporting field appears in every file.
| Check | Question | Action if unclear |
|---|---|---|
| Date range | Are both boundary dates included? | Reproduce with a known test interval |
| Time zone | Which zone defines each day? | Document the setting and convert consistently |
| Breaks | Are they separate or included in a displayed span? | Follow one shift from timeline to export |
| Corrections | Are reviewed amendments reflected? | Compare the correction record with the row |
| Missing coverage | Is it distinguishable from idle time? | Keep an exception note before using totals |
| Units | Are values hours, minutes or clock-formatted durations? | Verify with a simple worked example |
Reconcile a representative sample
Choose an ordinary day, an overnight shift, an approved absence and a corrected entry. Compare each with the source timeline or attendance view. A random sample of four ordinary daytime shifts will not test the boundaries most likely to cause confusion.
For arithmetic checking, use a fictional eight-hour elapsed shift with a separately recorded thirty-minute break. The time excluding that break is seven and a half hours. Confirm how the product represents those values and which field the destination process expects. This arithmetic example does not determine whether a break is payable under any particular arrangement.
Check spreadsheet transformations
A duration imported as text may not behave like a numeric duration. A filter may hide a row without removing it from a formula, or a total may omit the newest records. Verify the meaning of the data before adding formulas. Keep any transformation documented so the next reviewer does not have to reverse-engineer the workbook.
Avoid “fixing” a mismatch by typing over a source value in the only copy. Investigate the source record first. If a correction is needed, use the authorised correction process and retain the explanation. The missing-time worksheet provides a way to organise that review.
Maintain an exception register
List each unresolved issue with its owner and next action. Examples include an unexplained open session, a date-boundary mismatch or an absence whose approval has not been confirmed. Mark whether the issue affects one employee, a department or the entire selected period.
An unresolved issue should not disappear because the reporting deadline arrives. Give the destination-process owner a clear summary of what has been verified and what remains uncertain. Follow the organisation’s established process for handling a disputed or incomplete record rather than improvising a deduction or adjustment in the export.
Sign off the reviewed record
The sign-off should state the selected period, source file reference, completed checks, remaining exceptions and reviewer. It confirms that the defined checks were performed; it is not a statement that software records prove the quality of someone’s work.
If a revised export is issued later, state which earlier version it replaces and why. Avoid distributing the full file to people who only need a limited summary. Keep the reporting audience and purpose clear before sharing employee-level information.
Test the export before rollout
Ask a StafflyTracker demonstration to include the four sample cases above and the format your team needs. See the official reporting details and use the overnight-shift worksheet for cross-midnight teams. Staffly owns the software. The read-only demo uses fictional records and is a suitable starting point for reviewing the interface without disclosing customer information.