INSIGHT ·
From Pipeline to Capacity: Building a Connected Demand Forecast
Translate likely opportunities into dated skill requirements without treating every possible deal as a confirmed assignment.
Read article →CLOUSYS · CONNECTED PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Time, Leave & Expense
Connect recorded work and employee availability to delivery, utilization and billing.
THE DECISION THIS SUPPORTS
Keep approved work distinct from work still awaiting review.
A consultant submits project time and an expense. Review the project context, approval state and exceptions before those records are used for billing or financial reporting.
Project-linked time
Capture work against the relevant project and activity so it can support delivery and finance decisions.
Agree the reporting period and required level of detail. Time data should explain effort without imposing unnecessary complexity on the people recording it.
PROJECT-LINKED TIME
- 01Project
- 02Activity
- 03Reporting period
Submission discipline
Make the submission cadence and owner clear.
Review missing or late timesheets before they delay approvals and billing. A reminder is useful when it gives the person a clear outstanding action, rather than repeating a generic request to the whole team.
SUBMISSION DISCIPLINE
- 01Submission date
- 02Missing time
- 03Responsible person
Approval context
Give approvers enough project and activity context to assess submitted work.
Separate submission from approval and record the reason when a correction is needed. Finance should be able to distinguish time awaiting review from time approved for the next billing step.
APPROVAL CONTEXT
- 01Approver
- 02Review status
- 03Correction reason
SEE IT IN CONTEXT
Book a focused walkthrough Explore this workflow with your team’s priorities.
Billable classification
Keep billable, internal and other non-billable work distinguishable.
Agree classifications with delivery and finance so utilization reporting does not change depending on which team produces it. Review exceptions against the engagement’s commercial rules.
BILLABLE CLASSIFICATION
- 01Billable work
- 02Internal work
- 03Commercial rules
Leave-aware planning
Connect planned leave to the capacity horizon.
A project allocation should reflect when a team member is actually available. This lets delivery managers adjust work sequencing before leave becomes an unexpected staffing gap.
LEAVE-AWARE PLANNING
- 01Leave dates
- 02Available capacity
- 03Project impact
Expense context
Associate expenses with the appropriate project and approval process.
Clarify which costs are recoverable under the engagement terms and which affect internal delivery economics. Finance needs evidence and classification before using a claim in billing or margin reporting.
EXPENSE CONTEXT
- 01Project association
- 02Approval
- 03Recoverability
Billing handoff
Move approved work into the billing-readiness review with the required commercial context.
Flag missing rates or other exceptions rather than silently treating every approved hour as invoice-ready. Clear states make the remaining work visible to finance.
BILLING HANDOFF
- 01Approved work
- 02Commercial validation
- 03Billing exception
Effort and utilization reviews
Use approved time to compare actual effort against the plan.
Inspect variance by project and reporting period before drawing conclusions. Utilization becomes more meaningful when leaders understand its denominator and the mix of billable and non-billable activity.
EFFORT AND UTILIZATION REVIEWS
- 01Actual effort
- 02Plan variance
- 03Utilization definition
WORKFLOW DESIGN
Keep the next team connected.
Start with one time, leave & expense workflow. Agree the source records, accountable owners and approval rules before expanding the scope.
- Start with the decision. Identify the accountable team and the information it needs.
- Map the handoff. Confirm which systems hold the source records and which steps need approval.
- Test an exception. Walk through missing information or a changed requirement before agreeing the rollout scope.
- Agree the review. Define how the team will measure progress and correct issues.
PRACTICAL QUESTIONS
Questions about time, leave & expense.
What is the difference between submitted and approved time?
Submitted time has been recorded and sent for review. Approved time has passed the required review. Keep corrections and approval status visible so finance can distinguish work awaiting a decision from work ready for the next billing check.
How should leave affect capacity planning?
Approved leave reduces the capacity available for assignments during the relevant period. Compare planned work with the employee’s working calendar before interpreting an apparent resource gap or over-allocation.
Are all recorded hours billable?
No. Classify work using the engagement and activity rules. Internal work, non-billable tasks and billable delivery should remain distinguishable; recorded time alone does not determine what can be invoiced.
