Help > Tracking Time > Timesheets Overview
Benefits of using timesheets
- Timesheets are fully integrated with the LiquidPlanner project management environment
- Allow your team to track actual hours worked against any task
- Generate detailed reports for billing or analysis purposes
- Associate tracked time with activities such as job codes or work types
- Store a detailed note with any logged time
- Easily organize your plan around clients and projects for easy reporting
- Quickly review, reject, and approve timesheets
- Export time tracking data in multiple file formats (CSV, XML, or QuickBooks)
Introduction video
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Activating timesheets
Timesheets are turned on by default for all workspaces created since the introduction of this feature. If you purchased LiquidPlanner before we introduced timesheets, the workspace owner or co-owner must enable the feature via settings > timesheets > activate timesheets. Once timesheets are activated, the workspace owner will be able to configure the list of activities they wish to use for the workspace.
Setting up activities (optional)
When your workspace is set up to use timesheets, your team will log work against tasks and activities.
Workspace owners can define a master list of task activities via Settings > Timesheets. For example, you might create activities like “design, marketing, and operations” as ways to categorize logged time. Typically, activities should match the level of detail you use when invoicing for work or doing project analysis.
The set of activities that a team member may choose from when logging work on a task is determined by which client and project it belongs to. By default, activities are shared. This means they apply to all clients and projects. We recommend you start by using shared activities.
Activities that are not meant to be shared can be turned on or off at the project level. You can fine-tune activities associated with a project by editing the project (blue folder). Double-click the project to launch the detailed edit pane for the project, then locate the tab on the far right called activities. (You will find that clients have an activities tab as well.) Here you can define activities for new projects created under the client.
Timesheet reference codes (optional)
To connect timesheets with your accounting system, use reference fields.
There are reference fields you can set on team members, clients, projects, and tasks. The reference fields will be included in the time log entries of the timesheet export file.
- person_reference – Go to a member profile and enter the ID your accounting system uses for that person in the External ID text box.
- client_reference – Find it on the description tab when you edit a client row
- project_reference – Find it on the description tab when you edit a project row
- task_reference – Find it on the description tab when you edit a task row
In the reference fields, enter any text that would be useful to your accounting system.
Logging Time
Once timesheets are activated, a link to my timesheet will appear on each member’s dashboard. Click the link and a timesheet will appear for the current week along with a list of tasks scheduled to be worked on during or near the current week. Use the arrow buttons in the upper-right corner to move backwards or forwards in time.
Sometimes tasks may not show up on the timesheet because they are not scheduled during or near the current week. To track time on a task that doesn’t show up on your timesheet by default, go to the bottom of the timesheet and click add task and search for it using the search tool that pops up.
You can also add any task to your timesheet by logging time in the detailed edit pane or by using the right-click menu or actions button (look for the Tracking actions sub-menu).
Timesheet review and approval
Only workspace owners and co-owners can review timesheets. To elevate someone to co-owner status, go to the members tab, then to the member list sub-section. Find the status column and click on the status.
To review timesheets, go to the members tab then choose the timesheet review sub-section. Use the filter tools to find the timesheets you want to review and approve. Click the time periods to see the actual timesheets. Use the links in the actions column to manage your timesheets.
A timesheet’s state depends on which stage it’s in: Ready, Not ready, Locked, or Not locked.
Ready state
When a team member is ready for his/her timesheet to be approved, she or he should mark it as “ready”, which will indicate to the manager (space owner or co-owner) that the timesheet is ready for review. The number of timesheets that are ready for review is listed on the main page of the dashboard along with the other alert summaries.
Approved (Locked) state
Once the owner or co-owner approves a timesheet, it will become locked and the team member will no longer be able to edit it. The timesheet can be unlocked by the space owner or co-owner if additional edits need to be made.
Exporting timesheet data
Only workspace owners and co-owners can export timesheets. Go to the members tab then choose the timesheet export sub-section. Use the filter tools to identify the timesheets you want to export. You can choose the export format you prefer (XML, CSV, or Quickbooks.)
If you are using timesheets for invoicing, we recommend that you export only locked timesheets and develop an internal protocol for coordinating your data transfers. Your export file will contain sufficient information to uniquely identify each time log entry.
Best practice
Team members should track their time daily and re-estimate tasks as they go. If you are exporting to a billing or invoicing system, use the date filters to export only the data you need for a given time period and make sure timesheets are locked before exporting.
