Time and effort

A time entry records the team member, project, work date and hours, with an optional task link. The person can also record whether the time is billable and describe the work performed. Those details help the Project Manager interpret effort alongside task estimates and delivery progress.

The time action runs when an entry is Submitted. It checks that the hours are positive and the entry is still eligible, then approves it and records a review decision and operation receipt. A failed guard produces evidence of the failed attempt. The Project Manager follows those results when a submitted entry needs correction or investigation.

• Time capture. Enter the work date, person and project before submitting the hours. Link the task when the time belongs to a particular assignment, and describe the work sufficiently for the manager to understand the entry later.
• Validation outcome. Submission starts the validation action. A valid entry becomes Approved; an entry with non-positive hours or an ineligible state is blocked and the failed attempt is recorded. Inspect the outcome before using the entry in a delivery discussion.
• Effort review. Compare recorded time with the task and project context. Keep Submitted and Approved entries distinguishable, and agree which states the team includes when reviewing hours for a period.

Agree how frequently staff record time and what the work date represents. Decide how the team uses the billable classification in its planning review. Connections to payroll or invoicing are separate setup choices with the systems responsible for those activities.

Explain automatic time validation to the team. The submission action applies its recorded rules; a manager’s broader assessment of scope or delivery remains a separate decision. Agree how to correct an entry that failed and how the manager follows the associated receipt without repeatedly submitting a record that is no longer eligible.

A developer records 6 hours against the reporting project and its extraction task. On submission, the action checks the entry, records Approved and retains the decision and execution evidence. The Project Manager compares the entry with the task’s estimate and current progress before revisiting the remaining work.

Now submit a test entry with zero hours. The guard should block approval and record the failed attempt. Correct the entry under the team’s procedure and inspect the next outcome. Also try the approval action on an entry that is no longer Submitted, and confirm that the result explains the ineligible attempt. During the rehearsal, ask the manager to distinguish a validation success from a human decision to accept the project scope.

• Timesheets Awaiting Approval — Submitted time entries whose validation outcome needs to be checked.
• Recorded time through today — Dated time evidence with person, project, task and state available for comparison.
• Failed operation attempts — Failed action receipts that help the manager investigate a blocked submission.

Rehearse task delivery and recorded time, then use the evidence during delivery review and rebalancing.