Time and expenses

Time entries identify the work date, hours, billable flag, client, engagement and team member. Expenses record their date, category, amount, billable flag, receipt URL and status. These are separate records from a service line, so a manager can inspect logged effort and expense exposure without treating either as a service approval. Submitted time and expense lists bring pending review into view.

Consultants enter their own work and costs. Engagement managers check the engagement and client relationship, the supporting receipt and whether the cost is billable. Practice leads compare logged effort with budget hours when a job approaches its limit.

• Hours with context. Attach time to the right client, engagement and person.
• Expense evidence. Keep the receipt URL on the expense and link files when a review needs them.
• Review queue. Use submitted status to organize manager attention.

Agree when hours should be entered, whether nonbillable work belongs on client engagements, and who checks expense categories. Set a receipt policy for travel, meals, lodging and software. Walk through an expense submitted against the wrong engagement so reviewers know how to correct it before reimbursement.

A consultant logs a half day of client work and a travel expense against the same engagement. The manager opens Time Entries Awaiting Approval and checks the hours, then opens Expenses Awaiting Approval and checks the amount and receipt URL. The expense is marked approved after review. The practice lead compares logged hours with budget hours and checks expense total in the engagement record. These reviews keep the cost picture current while the billing coordinator handles milestones separately.

The manager marks a reviewed time or expense record with the appropriate status after checking it. Those status changes are recorded work by the team; the submitted lists simply help the manager find items awaiting attention. The expense receipt stays with the source record for a later billing question.

For a month-end check, compare each member’s total logged hours with the hours attached to active engagements. If a cost is billable, confirm the expense belongs to the client whose engagement will bear it. Review an overdue submission while the consultant still remembers the work. Use the engagement expense total as a cross-check, then inspect the underlying expense records for any surprising category.

• Time Entries Awaiting Approval — Submitted hours by member, engagement and work date.
• Expenses Awaiting Approval — Submitted costs with amount, billable flag and status.

Follow Time and expense review and check the data model before importing open work.