How to Track Project Time Without Making Timesheets Complicated

Project time tracking should answer a few practical questions:

• Who worked?
• What did they work on?
• How long did it take?
• Was the time billable?
• Has a manager reviewed it?
• Can the approved time be used for employee earnings or customer billing?

It should not require employees to understand accounting, project costing, or complicated timesheet rules before they can record their work.

The best approach is to keep time entry simple for employees while giving managers enough information to review labour, project progress, customer billing, and employee earnings.

Why project timesheets become complicated

Project timesheets often become difficult when a business tries to collect too much information from every employee.

An employee may be asked to select a customer, project, job, task, service, rate, billing category, location, cost centre, tax treatment, and several other fields before starting work. Some of this information may be useful to a manager, but it does not all belong in the employee’s time-entry process.

Complexity can also come from unclear rules.

Employees may not know:

• Which project to choose
• Whether a job is required
• Whether travel time is billable
• Whether a break should be included
• Whether they can record project time outside a scheduled shift
• What to do when they forget to stop the timer
• Whether a manager must approve the entry
• Which rate applies to the work

When the process is unclear, employees delay their entries, choose the wrong records, or enter approximate hours at the end of the week.

A simpler system separates employee actions from manager decisions.

Employees record what happened. Managers review the record, correct exceptions, and decide what is approved for earnings and billing.

Who should be allowed to record project time?

Not every employee needs access to every project.

Employees should normally be allowed to record time only for projects or jobs that are relevant to their work. Access may be based on:

• Project assignment
• Job assignment
• Employee role
• Team membership
• Department
• Location
• Manager permission

This keeps the project list manageable and protects customer information.

A technician assigned to three customer jobs should not need to search through every project in the organization. A project manager, on the other hand, may need broader access to review work across several teams.

Some businesses may allow employees to find and select any active project. This can be useful when employees move between projects frequently, but it increases the chance of selecting the wrong one.

A practical default is:

1. Employees see projects and jobs assigned to them.
2. Managers can give broader access when needed.
3. Administrators can correct entries that were recorded against the wrong work.
4. Closed, cancelled, or archived projects cannot receive new time unless reopened or specifically allowed.

Permissions should make time entry easier, not create unnecessary barriers. An employee should not be prevented from recording valid work simply because a manager forgot to update an assignment.

When that happens, the system should provide a clear way to save the information for later review instead of encouraging the employee to choose an unrelated project.

Start the timer when the work begins

A running timer is useful when employees can record their work as it happens.

A simple timer process may look like this:

1. Select the project.
2. Select a job if one applies.
3. Add a short note if required.
4. Start the timer.
5. Pause for an interruption or eligible break.
6. Resume when work continues.
7. Stop when the work is finished.
8. Review and submit the time log.

The employee should not need to complete every optional field before starting. Required information should be limited to what the business needs to identify the work correctly.

For many teams, selecting the project is enough to begin. The employee can add notes, photos, or other details before submitting the final record.

Pausing and resuming project time

Pausing is useful when an employee temporarily stops working on the selected project but expects to return to it.

Examples include:

• Taking a break
• Answering an unrelated customer call
• Waiting while a manager handles an urgent issue
• Moving temporarily to another project
• Stopping because access to the work area is unavailable

A paused timer should not continue increasing the project’s worked duration.

However, businesses should define when employees should pause and when the time still belongs to the project. Waiting for equipment, customer access, or site instructions may still be legitimate project time even when no physical work is happening.

The software can record the time. The business must define the policy.

Stopping and completing the time log

Stopping a timer records the end of the working period. It does not necessarily mean the job or project is complete.

An employee may stop a timer because:

• Their work for the day is finished
• Another employee will continue
• The job is waiting for parts
• The customer must approve additional work
• The employee is moving to another project
• The scheduled work period has ended

After stopping, the employee should be able to review the time log before submitting it.

This review may include:

• Start and end time
• Break duration
• Total worked time
• Project and job
• Billable status, when employees are allowed to choose it
• Notes
• Photos
• GPS information
• Any required completion details

This short review helps catch mistakes while the work is still fresh in the employee’s mind.

Save incomplete time logs as drafts

Employees do not always have all the information needed to submit a complete time log immediately.

They may need to:

• Confirm which job applies
• Add photos after leaving a restricted work area
• Finish a note
• Ask whether travel time is billable
• Correct a forgotten start or stop time
• Wait for a manager to confirm how the work should be classified

A draft allows the employee to save the record without presenting it as complete or ready for approval.

Draft time logs should remain clearly separate from submitted records. Managers should be able to see that a draft exists, but the draft should not automatically be treated as approved labour or billable time.

It is also useful to remind employees about unfinished drafts. A draft that remains incomplete for several days becomes harder to verify.

Choose the project first

The project should be the main connection between the time log and the broader customer work.

Selecting the project allows the business to report:

• Total hours by project
• Hours by employee
• Billable and non-billable time
• Labour cost
• Customer billing value
• Estimated versus actual hours
• Approved versus unapproved time
• Unbilled approved time

When the project belongs to a customer, the customer relationship can be determined from the project. The employee should not need to select the customer separately unless there is a specific operational reason.

This reduces duplicate choices and prevents a time log from being connected to one customer and an unrelated project.

Use a job when the project needs more detail

A job is a defined piece of work within a project.

For example, a property-maintenance project may include separate jobs for:

• Monthly inspection
• Emergency plumbing repair
• Heating-system maintenance
• Parking-lot lighting replacement

The employee selects the project and then chooses the job that matches the work.

The job may be optional when:

• The project has only one piece of work
• The time applies to the project generally
• The employee is performing project administration
• No job has been created yet
• The business does not use jobs for that type of project

The job may be required when:

• Each service visit must be tracked separately
• Jobs use different customer bill rates
• Work happens at different service locations
• Each job has its own invoice or approval process
• Managers need cost and progress reporting by job

Do not require a job if it adds no useful information. An unnecessary choice makes time entry slower and increases the chance that employees select the wrong record.

Shift-required versus independent project time

Some businesses require employees to be clocked into a shift before recording project time. Other businesses allow project time independently.

Both approaches can be appropriate.

Shift-required project time

Shift-required time works well when project activity happens within a scheduled or attended workday.

For example, an employee may:

1. Clock in for the shift.
2. Start project time for the first customer job.
3. Stop or pause that project time.
4. Work on another project.
5. Take a break.
6. Clock out at the end of the shift.

This creates two related views:

• Attendance shows how long the employee was at work.
• Project time shows how the working day was distributed.

Project time should normally fit within the employee’s attendance period when the business requires a shift. If project time appears outside the shift, the system can flag it for review rather than silently changing the recorded times.

Independent project time

Independent project time works well for consultants, contractors, remote workers, and employees who do not follow scheduled shifts.

The employee can start project time without first clocking into attendance.

This approach is useful when the main purpose is to understand:

• Time spent for a customer
• Billable hours
• Project cost
• Work completed
• Employee earnings based on project activity

The business should choose a clear rule for each employee group. Requiring a shift for employees who work independently creates unnecessary steps. Allowing unrestricted independent time in a shift-based workplace can make attendance and payroll review harder.

Record breaks clearly

Breaks should not be hidden by changing the start or end time.

A time log can record:

• Total elapsed time
• Break duration
• Net worked time

For example:

• Start: 9:00 AM
• End: 1:30 PM
• Break: 30 minutes
• Worked time: 4 hours

Businesses may handle paid and unpaid breaks differently. The rules may depend on employment standards, workplace policy, employee type, collective agreements, and local requirements.

The time-tracking system should preserve the factual record and apply the business’s configured rules. It should not require the employee to calculate the final payable amount manually.

Ask for useful notes, not unnecessary reports

Notes provide context that time alone cannot explain.

A useful note might say:

Inspected rooftop units 1–4. Unit 3 requires a replacement belt. Customer contact was informed before departure.

A less useful note might say:

Worked on project.

Notes can help managers understand:

• What was completed
• Why the work took longer than expected
• Why the job could not be completed
• Whether additional work is needed
• Whether the customer was informed
• Whether the time should be billed

Not every entry needs a long explanation. A business may require notes only for manual entries, adjustments, unusually long work, non-billable time, or jobs with exceptions.

Add photos when they support the work record

Photos can provide practical evidence of what happened.

Examples include:

• Before-and-after conditions
• Installed equipment
• Damaged components
• Completed cleaning
• Site-access problems
• Safety concerns
• Meter or equipment readings

Photos should support the time record, not replace a proper description.

A photo of completed work is more useful when it is connected to the correct customer, project, job, employee, and date. This gives managers a clearer record than images stored separately on an employee’s phone.

Businesses should also consider privacy. Employees should capture only information relevant to the work and avoid photographing people, private records, or unrelated areas unless there is a valid reason and appropriate permission.

Use GPS as context, not automatic proof

GPS capture can help confirm where a time entry was started, stopped, or submitted.

It may be useful for:

• Customer-site work
• Field-service visits
• Property inspections
• Mobile cleaning teams
• Maintenance calls
• Delivery or installation work

GPS should be treated as supporting information rather than perfect proof.

Location information can be affected by:

• Indoor signal quality
• Device permissions
• Battery-saving settings
• Network availability
• The employee starting the timer from a nearby location
• Legitimate work completed away from the customer site

A GPS field records the employee’s captured location. An automatic geofence review compares that location with an expected area and may flag a possible difference.

A flag should invite review. It should not automatically accuse an employee of incorrect time reporting.

The business should explain when location is collected, why it is needed, and how it will be used.

Separate billable and non-billable time

Billable time is time the business may charge to a customer.

Examples include:

• Repair work
• Installation
• Consulting
• Inspection
• Customer-approved travel
• On-site training
• Project design

Non-billable time is still working time, but it is not charged to the customer.

Examples may include:

• Internal meetings
• Employee training
• Rework
• Business development
• Administrative work
• Warranty work
• Unapproved travel
• Time exceeding a fixed-price agreement

The billable setting should not determine whether the employee is paid. An employee may still be entitled to earnings for non-billable working time.

This distinction is important:

• Payable time affects employee earnings.
• Billable time affects customer invoicing.

A time log can be payable, billable, both, or subject to manager review according to the business’s policies.

Employee wage rate and customer bill rate are different

The employee wage rate represents the labour cost or earnings rate associated with the employee’s work.

The customer bill rate represents what the business may charge the customer for that work.

For example:

• Employee wage rate: $25 per hour
• Customer bill rate: $65 per hour
• Approved time: 4 hours

The employee’s gross earnings may be based on:

4 hours × $25 = $100

The customer invoice value may be based on:

4 hours × $65 = $260

The difference is not automatically profit. The business may also have payroll costs, benefits, travel, equipment, materials, insurance, administration, and other overhead.

The two rates should remain separate so employees do not need access to confidential customer pricing and customer invoices do not expose employee wage information.

Use project defaults and job-specific rates

A project may have a default customer bill rate. A job can override that rate when the work uses different pricing.

For example:

• Standard project work: $65 per hour
• Emergency job: $95 per hour
• Senior consultant job: $120 per hour
• Non-billable internal project work: no customer bill rate

The rate used for a time log should be clear during manager review.

For historical accuracy, approved records should preserve the rate that applied to the work. Changing an employee’s current wage or a project’s default bill rate should not silently change previously approved earnings or billing records.

Submit time for manager approval

A submitted time log should normally enter a review process before it affects gross earnings or customer billing.

A manager may review:

• Employee
• Project and job
• Start and end time
• Break duration
• Total worked hours
• Shift or attendance relationship
• Notes
• Photos
• GPS information
• Billable status
• Wage rate
• Customer bill rate
• Possible overlaps
• Manual adjustments

The manager may then:

• Approve the time
• Return it to the employee
• Adjust it with a reason
• Mark part of it non-billable
• Reassign it to the correct project or job
• Reject a duplicate or invalid entry

Approval creates a clear point between what the employee submitted and what the business accepted.

Preserve the original employee entry

When a manager changes a time log, the original submission should remain available in the audit history.

The record should show:

• What the employee submitted
• What the manager changed
• Who made the adjustment
• When it was changed
• Why the change was made

This protects both the employee and the business.

For example, if an employee forgot to stop a timer and submitted twelve hours instead of four, the manager can correct the end time and record the reason. The approved result becomes accurate without erasing the original history.

Turn approved time into gross earnings

Approved time can contribute to the employee’s gross-earnings preparation.

A basic hourly calculation may use:

Approved payable hours × employee wage rate

However, the final result may also depend on:

• Overtime rules
• Paid and unpaid breaks
• Different wage rates
• Shift premiums
• Holiday rules
• Employee type
• Local employment requirements
• Other earnings or deductions

Project time should provide a reliable source of approved hours and rates. The business remains responsible for reviewing payroll rules and completing its required payroll process.

NuvoTime can help prepare gross earnings from approved records. It does not remove the need for correct business policies, payroll review, statutory deductions, remittances, or payroll reporting.

Turn approved billable time into invoice lines

Approved billable time can also become the source for customer invoice preparation.

An invoice line may include:

• Description
• Project or job
• Employee or service
• Approved quantity of hours
• Customer bill rate
• Amount
• Tax treatment

For example:

HVAC inspection labour — 4 hours × $65 per hour

Managers should be able to review and edit the invoice line before sending it.

The business may choose to:

• Combine several employee time logs into one service line
• Keep jobs separated
• Change the customer-facing description
• Add products or materials
• Add fixed-price services
• Exclude selected time
• Apply the appropriate sales tax

Approved time provides the source. It does not prevent the manager from preparing a clear, customer-friendly invoice.

The same time should not be billed twice. Once a time log has been included in an invoice, the system should identify it as invoiced or connected to that invoice.

A simple project-time workflow

A practical workflow can be summarized as follows:

1. A manager creates the project and optional jobs.
2. Employees are assigned to the relevant work.
3. The employee selects the project and optional job.
4. The employee starts, pauses, resumes, and stops time as needed.
5. The employee adds required breaks, notes, photos, or GPS information.
6. The employee saves a draft or submits the completed time log.
7. A manager reviews the record.
8. The manager approves or adjusts the time with a reason.
9. Approved payable time contributes to gross-earnings preparation.
10. Approved billable time becomes available for invoice preparation.

Employees only need to focus on recording the work accurately. Managers handle the decisions that require broader business knowledge.

Common project-time mistakes to avoid

Giving employees access to every project

A long project list makes the correct work harder to find.

Show employees the projects and jobs relevant to their assignments.

Requiring too many fields before starting

Employees may delay starting the timer or choose inaccurate values simply to continue.

Require only the information needed to identify the work.

Making jobs mandatory for every project

A job should add useful detail. Do not require one when project-level time is enough.

Confusing attendance with project time

Attendance answers when the employee worked. Project time explains what the employee worked on.

They can be connected without being treated as the same record.

Treating all payable time as billable

Employees may need to be paid for time the business cannot charge to the customer.

Keep payable and billable decisions separate.

Using the same rate for wages and billing

The employee wage rate and customer bill rate serve different purposes and should not be exposed or calculated as though they are interchangeable.

Allowing submitted time to flow directly into payroll or invoices

Mistakes happen. Use manager approval before time affects gross earnings or customer billing.

Editing approved records without history

Adjustments should preserve who changed the record, what changed, and why.

Depending only on GPS

GPS can support a review, but it does not fully explain whether valid work occurred.

Use it together with assignments, notes, photos, forms, and manager judgment.

How NuvoTime keeps project time practical

NuvoTime connects project time with customers, projects, optional jobs, employee assignments, shifts, breaks, notes, photos, GPS information, wage rates, customer bill rates, and manager approval.

Employees can focus on recording what they worked on and how long it took. Managers can review the operational and financial context before accepting the time.

Approved records can then support two different workflows:

• Preparing employee gross earnings
• Preparing customer invoice lines

This connection reduces repeated data entry without treating employee pay and customer billing as the same thing.

The goal is not to build the most complicated timesheet. The goal is to create a reliable record that employees can complete, managers can review, and the business can use.

Read the main guide: Customer and Project Management for Small Service Businesses.

If you are still deciding how to structure the work, read Customer, Project, Job, and Task: What Is the Difference?.

Next: From Project Time to Customer Invoice: A Simple Billing Workflow.