How Connected Time and Expense Improves Margin

The work is already happening before it reaches finance

Late time and expense records make a project appear cheaper than it is. When those records arrive together at month-end, the apparent margin can change abruptly. Encourage timely capture against the right engagement so delivery leaders can compare actual work with the remaining estimate.

Keep project and approval context attached

A time entry needs a person, project, period and relevant activity. Its approval state matters as much as its number of hours. Expenses need the appropriate evidence and policy checks. Retaining that context reduces the work needed to explain an item later.

• Timeliness of submission and approval.
• Project and activity coding accuracy.
• Billable versus non-billable classification.
• Expense cost versus client-recoverable amount.

Distinguish cost from recoverable charges

An expense can be a project cost without being reimbursable by the client. Similarly, submitted time is not automatically approved or billable. Keep those classifications distinct and governed by the agreement. Otherwise the profitability view may assume recovery that the commercial terms do not support.

Use exceptions to improve the process

Review recurring late submissions, returned entries and coding errors with the teams involved. If people repeatedly select the wrong project, improve the available choices or guidance. The aim is reliable records that support delivery and finance, not simply a higher count of submitted timesheets.