System Requirements and Before-You-Install Checklist Print

Complete this checklist before installing Employee Time Logger. It prevents the most common setup, email, scheduling, and licensing problems.

Applies to: Employee Time Logger Lite 1.4.0 and Employee Time Logger Pro 2.10.0.

Software and service requirements

Step 1: Confirm WordPress and PHP versions

1. Sign in to WordPress as an Administrator.
2. Go to Tools > Site Health > Info.
3. Open the WordPress section and note the WordPress version.
4. Open the Server section and note the PHP version.
5. If either version is below the minimum, update it before installing Employee Time Logger.

Expected result: WordPress is 6.4 or newer and PHP is 7.4 or newer. If your host controls PHP upgrades, request the change from the host and test the site after it is applied.

Step 2: Set the site timezone

1. Go to Settings > General.
2. Find Timezone.
3. Choose a named city in the organization's working timezone, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, or London.
4. Select Save Changes.

A named city automatically follows daylight-saving changes. A fixed offset such as UTC-8 does not. Changing the timezone after employees begin recording time can make date-boundary review more difficult, so set it before launch.

Step 3: Prepare user accounts

• Create one individual WordPress account for every employee. Do not let multiple people share one account.
• Use a real employee email address if the employee will receive notifications or password resets.
• Decide which administrators are also employees. Administrators are excluded from employee workflows unless explicitly enabled.
• Identify supervisors and payroll personnel before assigning access.
• Use strong, unique passwords and enable multi-factor authentication when available.

Step 4: Prepare the employee clock page

You can let Guided Setup create the page, or prepare a page in advance:

1. Go to Pages > Add New.
2. Use a customer-facing title such as Employee Time Clock.
3. Add the shortcode [employee_time_logger] in a Shortcode block.
4. Publish the page.
5. Decide whether the page should appear in the public site menu. The plugin requires employees to sign in, but many organizations also hide the page from public navigation.

Step 5: Test email delivery

1. Confirm that the WordPress Administration Email Address under Settings > General is current.
2. Configure an SMTP or transactional email plugin appropriate for the site.
3. Send a test message to an address outside the site's domain.
4. Confirm that it reaches the inbox and does not appear in spam.
5. Keep the provider's delivery log available while testing Employee Time Logger notifications.

Important: Saving a notification rule does not prove that WordPress can deliver mail. Always perform a separate delivery test.

Step 6: Confirm scheduled tasks

WordPress normally runs scheduled tasks when someone visits the site. A low-traffic or heavily cached site may not run them on time.

1. Check whether the site or host disables WordPress cron in wp-config.php.
2. If WordPress cron is disabled, confirm that the host has a real scheduled job calling WordPress cron.
3. After Pro is installed, go to Time Logger > Tools > System Status.
4. Confirm that the period generator, reminder task, workforce monitor, and license check show a scheduled next run when their features are enabled.

Step 7: Create and verify a backup

1. Create a complete backup of the WordPress database.
2. Back up wp-content, including plugins and uploads.
3. Record where the backup is stored and how long it is retained.
4. Confirm that you know how to restore it. A backup that has never been tested should not be the only recovery plan.

Repeat this process before plugin updates and before changing retention or uninstall-erasure settings.

Browser and device requirements

• Use a current release of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari with JavaScript and cookies enabled.
• For a shared kiosk, use a dedicated tablet or computer with a stable network connection, screen lock, and restricted access to browser settings.
• For location verification, employees must grant location permission to the site. Device, browser, building, and GPS conditions affect accuracy.
• Test the actual devices employees will use, including mobile phones and the kiosk device.

Information to collect before configuration

• Workweek start day and payroll period dates.
• Weekly, daily, and double-time thresholds that have been reviewed for the organization.
• Break and lunch rules, including paid-time treatment.
• Employee payroll identifiers and current rates if reports or provider exports will be used.
• Project names, client codes, cost codes, and billable rates.
• Teams, supervisors, regular schedules, and planned days off.
• Leave types, payroll codes, balances, and reviewed policy rules.
• Approved work-location coordinates and radius if geofencing will be used.
• Retention periods and employee privacy notices.

Final readiness check

Proceed with installation only when the requirements above are met. After installation, the authoritative plugin-specific checks are under Time Logger > Tools > System Status. Resolve every item marked Attention before relying on automated payroll or workforce alerts.