How do you register time and expenses in Project Operations?
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Time tracking is the simplest routine in Project Operations—and the one that most often breaks down. Here is the process, along with the few habits that determine whether the figures can be trusted.
- 5 steps
- Total time: 7 min
- Preparation: 2 min
- Result: Approved hours and expenses ready for invoicing
Required tools
- Project Operations in a browser or mobile app — Both work. The mobile phone is the better choice if you're out and about a lot.
Before class
1.Select the correct project and task
Hours are logged against a task in the work plan, not just against the project. This allows the project manager to see which part is going over budget. If everyone logs their hours against a catch-all task, you lose all the management value.
2.Write a sentence about what you actually did
In projects billed by the hour, this text appears on the invoice the customer reads. “Work” is not a description. “Review of the data model with the finance department” is. This single sentence is the cheapest insurance against disputed invoices.
3.Record an expense with a receipt
Expenses are recorded under the same project as the hours, with a photo of the receipt. If the expense is to be invoiced to the client, it must be marked as billable—this is easy to forget, and failing to mark it means your company will have to absorb the cost.
Submission and approval
4.Submit weekly, not monthly
Submitted hours are sent to the project manager for approval and only then form the basis for invoicing. If everyone waits until the end of the month, the project manager will have a hundred lines to review in a single day, and approval will become a formality rather than a control measure.
5.Resolve rejections immediately
If a line is rejected, it usually only needs clarification. Rejected lines that remain unresolved delay invoicing for the entire project—not just your own line.
Discussion
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