Introduction to Timesheets

Timesheets are an essential tool for tracking the time resources spend on work. Whether used for basic time tracking or detailed cost and project analysis, timesheets provide visibility into effort, resource usage, and financial implications.

Organisations use timesheets for various reasons, including:

• Tracking resource time for operational and project work – Providing a structured way for individuals to log the hours they work on tasks, projects, or business-as-usual activities.
• Understanding resource costs – By capturing time entries against projects, organisations can determine actual resource costs and compare them to planned budgets and forecasts.
• Managing project budgets and financials – Ensuring that work is aligned with expected costs, allowing for better cost control and variance analysis.
• Supporting financial processes such as capitalisation – Distinguishing between capital and operational costs to ensure accurate financial reporting.
• Improving resource planning and utilisation – Analysing time data helps identify workload imbalances, underused capacity, and potential bottlenecks.

Fluid’s timesheet functionality integrates with project, resource, and financial management, making it easy to log time, track costs, and ensure data is available for reporting and decision-making.

Configuring Timesheet Access

Timesheets are highly configurable, allowing organisations to tailor settings to their needs. For a full overview of available configuration options, see Timesheet Administration page.

Restricted Project Booking

Organisations can configure timesheets so that resources can only log time against projects they have been allocated to. This ensures that:

• Resources cannot book time to unauthorised projects.

• Timesheets automatically include assigned projects, reducing manual entry.

• Project costs remain accurate, preventing misreported hours.

This approach is useful for organisations that require strict control over resource allocations and cost tracking.

Open Project Booking

Alternatively, timesheets can be configured to allow resources to log time against any available projects. In this setup:

• Timesheets start empty, and users manually add time entries.

• Users can select from their assigned projects or search for any other available project.

• Greater flexibility is provided for resources who work across multiple projects or operational activities.

Choosing between these configurations depends on whether the organisation prioritises control over resource allocation or flexibility in time tracking.

Timesheet Approval Process

By default, timesheets are submitted to the resource manager for approval. This ensures accountability and oversight in resource time tracking. To maintain an effective approval process, it is critical to ensure that all resources have their correct managers assigned.

Additionally, Fluid allows organisations to configure project-based approvals. In this case:

• Project Managers approve time booked against their projects.

• Resource Managers approve non-project time, such as internal work or leave.

This approach ensures that project-related time is validated by those responsible for delivery, while resource managers focus on overall time compliance.

Filling in a Timesheet

Completing a timesheet is straightforward, particularly when restricted project booking is enabled. The process typically involves:

1. Reviewing the pre-filled timesheet, which includes all assigned projects for the reporting period.

2. Selecting the task performed within each project.

3. Entering the number of hours worked per day.

4. Logging time for non-project activities (e.g. leave, training) as configured by the timesheet administrator.

5. Submitting the timesheet for approval.

Once submitted, the resource manager (or project manager if configured) receives an approval request. They can then:

• Approve the timesheet, confirming the logged hours.

• Return it for amendment, requesting adjustments before resubmission.

Using Timesheets for Cost Tracking

Timesheets are not just about tracking time; they are also used to generate resource actuals. Fluid automatically calculates resource costs based on:

• Logged time – The number of hours recorded against projects.

• Resource rate cards – The predefined hourly or daily cost of a resource.

\This functionality allows PMOs and project managers to:

• Understand project costs based on actual resource utilisation.

• Compare forecasted vs. actual resource costs to identify variances.

• Ensure accurate financial reporting, particularly in capitalised projects.

Monitoring Timesheet Compliance

Timesheet administrators play a key role in ensuring timely submission and approval of timesheets. Fluid provides tools to track compliance, such as:

• The Timesheet Compliance Dashboard, which shows the number of timesheets submitted and approved each week compared to expectations.

• The Timesheet Administration Page, which allows administrators to send reminders to resources who have not submitted their timesheets or managers who have not reviewed them.

By actively monitoring compliance, organisations can ensure that timesheets are completed on time, preventing delays in financial reporting and resource analysis.

Conclusion

Timesheets in Fluid provide a structured way to track resource time, control costs, and ensure compliance with financial and project management requirements. Whether an organisation requires strict allocation-based time tracking or more flexible options, Fluid offers configurable settings to meet different needs.

This article provided a high-level overview of how timesheets work in Fluid, but there are additional configurations and features that can be tailored to specific organisational needs. To explore more about timesheet settings, process, resource actuals and advanced functionalities, please refer to the other articles in the timesheet documentation.