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Starting and Stopping the Timer

The built-in timer records exactly how long you spend on a task, issue, or pending action. Start it when you begin, stop it when you are finished, and Varai Sprints logs the duration against that item automatically.

Overview​

The timer lives in two places:

  • A clock icon in the top navigation bar — click it to start a new timer.
  • A floating button in the bottom-right corner — useful on narrow screens.

You can only run one timer at a time. Starting a new one stops the previous one.

Starting a timer​

  1. Click the clock icon in the header (or the floating button in the bottom-right).
  2. The Start Timer modal opens with three tabs:
    • Tasks — tasks assigned to you
    • Issues — issues assigned to you
    • Actions — pending action items requested from you
  3. Use the Search box to narrow the list.
  4. Click an item. The play icon on the right starts the timer for that item and closes the modal.

If you already have a timer running, you will see a warning strip at the top of the modal and the items will be disabled. Stop the current one first.

The active-timer widget​

Once a timer is running, the clock icon in the header is replaced by a compact pill showing:

  • A pulsing green dot
  • The elapsed time (HH:MM:SS)
  • The item name (hidden on small screens)
  • A red Stop button
  • A Pop out button (if your browser supports Picture-in-Picture)

The browser tab title also updates to show the elapsed time, and the PWA app icon gains a badge with the current minute count — so you can see the timer even when the app is in the background.

Stopping the timer​

  1. Click the red stop icon in the header pill (or in the floating bottom-right bar).
  2. The Stop Timer modal opens with:
    • A summary row showing the item type, name, and final elapsed time
    • A Description field for a short note about what you did
    • A Change status dropdown to optionally move the task or issue to a new status (for example, from "In Progress" to "In Review"). When the timer was started from an action, this is replaced by a Resolve action dropdown with Mark as Completed or Dismiss.
  3. Click Stop & Save. The time entry is saved and, if you picked one, the status change or action resolution is applied.

Click Cancel to close the modal without stopping — the timer keeps running.

Picture-in-Picture (pop out)​

If your browser supports Document Picture-in-Picture, the Pop out arrow in the header pill opens a small floating timer window that stays on top of other applications. It shows the elapsed time and a stop button. Click stop in the pop-out window to focus the app and open the Stop Timer modal. When the timer stops or you close the pop-out, the window disappears.

Tips​

  • Start timers directly from action items to track how long ad-hoc requests take.
  • The description field is searchable from time reports, so a short note pays off later.
  • If you forgot to stop a timer overnight, just stop it and correct the duration in the time log entry.