Facilities and Campus Operations

Time Blocks Labor Entry

Starting July 1st 2026, Brown Facilities & Campus Operations is transitioning to a more streamlined and simplified labor entry process. This update moves us away from granular "wrench-in/wrench-out" time entry towards a “time blocks” system using the Planon mobile app. This shift is designed to reduce administrative overhead while maintaining data accuracy and supervisory oversight.

The Shift to Time Blocks

  • Starting July 1st 2026, we are moving away from tracking exact start and end times in Planon. Instead, labor hours will be recorded in Time Blocks (e.g., 1 hour, 2.5 hours). This will simplify the time entry process for staff while providing a clear picture of effort spent on various assignments.
  • This adds consistency to the way we track Reactive, Planned Preventive Maintenance (PPM), Sold Service, and Overtime labor across the various trades.

Please refer to the video below for a brief training on how to enter time in the new format. 

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Video demonstrating the time blocks labor entry process in the planon mobile app.

  • Trades Labor Hour Entry

    • For our Trades teams, the focus remains on capturing labor directly against specific work orders to ensure accurate maintenance history.
    • Labor hours logged against all work orders (Reactive, PPM, Sold Service, and Overtime) will now be logged using Time Blocks.
    • Labor spent on overhead tasks (Training, shop meetings etc) can be logged against standing work orders assigned to you by your lead / supervisor.

  • Grounds & Custodial Labor Hour Entry

    • We are changing how daily work is captured to better reflect the nature of routine cleaning & grounds maintenance.
    • Labor hours will no longer need to be entered against individual daily work orders. Since grounds and custodial employees are zone / task driven, only the time charged against reactive work orders needs to be recorded. 
    • While daily work orders are going away for routine tasks, digital versions of Task Sheets will continue to be made available to all Custodians via their mobile devices to guide daily expectations.
    • Reactive orders, PPMs, Sold Services, and Overtime will require labor hour entries using Time Blocks. For non-routine tasks, the process is consistent with how labor hours are captured in other trades.
      • These labor hour entries are used to show when custodians are pulled away from their normal routine cleaning tasks.