Getting Started with Branimi
Welcome to Branimi — the management system for Elayne and Co. Nail Academy. This guide walks you through logging in for the first time, navigating the app, and understanding what you see on screen.
Logging In
Open your web browser (Chrome recommended) and go to app.branimi.com
You'll see the Clerk sign-in page. Sign in with the Google account that was set up for you.
After signing in, you'll land on the Dashboard — the home screen of Branimi.
Can't log in? Your account must be invited by an administrator first. If you haven't received an invitation or can't sign in, contact your school administrator.
The Sidebar — Your Navigation Menu
The left side of the screen has the sidebar — this is how you get to everything in Branimi. It's organized into sections:
Top Level
Dashboard
Your home screen. Shows all active students grouped by class, with hours progress and contract status at a glance.
Punch Log
See all clock-in/clock-out activity. This is where you go to check who's clocked in today, fix missing punches, and manage time records.
People
Students
Full list of all students. View details, edit info, register fobs, check punch history and audit reports.
Staff
List of all staff members. Similar to Students — view hours, register fobs, manage info.
Classes
All classes (current and completed). Each class has its own detail page with a Time Grid showing daily hours for every student.
Administration
Timesheets
Import time data from NG Teco CSV exports. Shows import history and results.
Payroll
Staff payroll report. Semi-monthly pay periods with hours grids, print, and Excel export.
Bookwork
Upload Canvas LMS gradebook exports to track student coursework completion.
Settings
School configuration — Branding (logo, colors), Kiosk (tablet setup), Policies (contract buffer hours), and Users (invite/manage staff accounts).
Note: The Administration section is only visible to Admin and Owner roles. If you're an Instructor, you won't see Timesheets, Payroll, Bookwork, or Settings.
The Dashboard — Your Daily Overview
The Dashboard is the first thing you see when you log in. It gives you a snapshot of your school at a glance.
Summary Cards (Top of Dashboard)
At the very top, you'll see four summary cards:
Active Students
How many students are currently enrolled
Active Classes
How many classes are running now
Hours This Week
Total hours logged by all students this week
Behind Pace
How many active students are currently behind their expected pace (shown in red when there are any)
Below those, two more cards show:
Unpaired Punches — Students or staff who clocked in but never clocked out. If you see someone here, they likely forgot to scan out. You can fix this in the Punch Log.
Last Import — When the most recent timesheet import ran and how many entries it added.
Students — Hours Progress
Below the summary cards, you'll see a section called Students — Hours Progress. This is the heart of the Dashboard. Each class appears as a group with a header showing the class name, schedule type (Full-Time Day, Part-Time Day, or Night), and target end date. Under each class, you'll see a row for every active student.
A legend in the top-right corner explains the bar colors: green = on pace, orange/amber = behind, and the black vertical line = expected pace marker.
Understanding a Student Row
Each student row on the Dashboard shows:
Name and ID — The student's name (clickable — takes you to their detail page) and their student number (e.g., #11).
Total Hours — The actual number of hours completed so far (e.g., "193.1h").
Contract Status Badge — A colored badge next to the hours:
On Track
Green
The student is keeping up with their expected pace.
At Risk
Amber/Orange
The student is within 14 days of their class end date AND behind pace. They may not finish on time.
Overtime
Red
The class has passed its target end date and the student hasn't completed their hours yet.
✓ Complete
Green with checkmark
The student has completed all required hours.
Hours Progress Bar (gold/amber or green) — Fills from left to right as hours accumulate. Orange/amber means behind pace; green means on pace or complete. A small black vertical line marks where they should be based on the schedule.
Bookwork Progress Bar (teal/green, below the hours bar) — If Canvas bookwork data has been imported, a second thinner bar shows what percentage of coursework assignments they've submitted. This only appears when bookwork data exists.
Percentage — On the far right, a small percentage shows bookwork completion (e.g., "52%").
Understanding Pace
Branimi calculates an "expected hours" number for each student based on how many school days have passed since their class started. This uses the class schedule (which days of the week, how many hours per day) and accounts for school closures.
If a student's actual hours are at or above expected hours, they're on pace.
If actual hours are below expected hours, they're behind pace.
The pace calculation is what drives the contract status badges. You don't need to calculate this manually — Branimi does it automatically every time you view the Dashboard.
Student Detail Page
Click any student's name (from the Dashboard, Students list, or a Class page) to see their full detail page.
What's on the Student Detail Page
Breadcrumb — At the top: "Students / Student Name" — click "Students" to go back to the list.
Header — Shows the student's avatar (initials), full name, class name, and student number (e.g., "#27").
Action Buttons (top right):
View Punches — See all their individual clock-in/clock-out records with date filtering
Audit Report — A printable attendance record showing every day's hours and a running total
Edit Student — Change their name, email, class, or status (highlighted in the school's brand color)
Hours Progress Card — Shows:
Large number with total hours (e.g., "286.4h")
Required hours (e.g., "/ 300h required")
Pace indicator showing how far ahead or behind (e.g., "-13.6h" in a red chip means 13.6 hours behind)
A progress bar with the pace marker
Bookwork Completion Card — Shows (when data exists):
Large percentage of assignments completed (e.g., "86%")
Current grade (e.g., "Grade: 78.4% (A)")
Progress bar for assignment completion
Count of assignments (e.g., "54 / 63 assignments completed")
Date of last bookwork data update
Unit Breakdown — Below the cards, a table shows every unit from the coursework with individual progress bars, completion counts (e.g., "2/2"), and scores. Units with low scores are shown in red.
Key Concepts
Here are terms you'll see throughout Branimi:
Punch — A single clock-in or clock-out event. When a student taps their fob on the kiosk tablet, that creates a punch.
Punch Record — The stored record of a punch, including the time, direction (IN or OUT), and source (Kiosk, Manual, or Imported).
Daily Time Entry — The total hours a student or staff member worked on a specific day. This is calculated automatically by pairing up punch records (IN + OUT = a work session).
Source — Where a time record came from:
Kiosk — Recorded by tapping a fob on the tablet
Imported — Brought in from an NG Teco CSV timesheet export
Manual — Entered by an admin through the Punch Log
Fob — The NFC key fob that students and staff tap on the kiosk tablet to clock in and out. Each fob has a unique ID that's linked to one person.
Contract Buffer Hours — Extra hours added to the certification requirement when calculating a class's target end date. Default is 30 hours. This accounts for absences, snow days, etc. Configured in Settings > Policies.
Target End Date — The date a class is expected to finish, based on start date + scheduled school days needed to reach (required hours + buffer hours). Shown on class headers and detail pages.
Common Tasks — Where to Go
Here's a quick reference for the things you'll do most often:
See who's clocked in today
Punch Log (defaults to today)
Check if a student is on pace
Dashboard (look at their contract badge) or click their name for details
Fix a missing clock-out
Punch Log → find the student → + Add Punch
Add hours for a student who forgot to scan
Punch Log → find the student → + Add Punch (add both IN and OUT)
Edit a wrong clock-in time
Punch Log → find the punch → Edit button
Register a new fob for a student
Students → find the student → Register Fob button
Import a timesheet from NG Teco
Timesheets → upload the CSV file
Upload Canvas bookwork data
Bookwork → upload the CSV export from Canvas
Print a student's full attendance record
Click student name → Audit Report → Print
Run the staff payroll report
Payroll → select pay period → Print or Export Excel
See a class's weekly hours grid
Classes → click the class → Time Grid view
Add a new student
Students → Add Student button
Change a student's class
Click student name → Edit Student → change the Class dropdown
Graduate a student
Click student name → Edit Student → change Status to Completed
Invite a new staff member to the system
Settings → Users → Invite
Change the school logo or colors
Settings → Branding
Set up the kiosk tablet
Settings → Kiosk → Set Up New Device
Roles and Permissions
Branimi has different access levels depending on your role:
Owner
Full access to everything. Can manage users, settings, imports, and edit anyone's punches.
Admin
Same as Owner, except cannot change an Owner's punches or demote an Owner.
Instructor
Can view the Dashboard, Students, Staff, Classes, and Punch Log. Can edit student punches. Cannot access Settings, Timesheets, Bookwork, or Payroll.
The general rule: you can edit punches for anyone at your role level or below, but not above. An Instructor can edit student punches but not staff or admin punches. An Admin can edit student and staff punches but not an Owner's punches.
Getting Help
If you're stuck on a specific task, check the other guides in this help center:
Managing Punches — How to use the Punch Log for daily time management
Using the Time Grid — How to view and manage hours on the class detail page
Registering NFC Fobs — How to set up fobs for students and staff
Importing Timesheets — How to upload NG Teco CSV exports
Importing Bookwork — How to upload Canvas gradebook exports
Kiosk Setup — How to configure the tablet time clock
Payroll Report — How to run and export staff payroll
If something isn't covered in the guides, contact your system administrator.
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