Using Timesheet Approval

With Timesheet Approval, Admins and other custom-permissioned users approve team members' time registrations across billable projects before they are invoiced. Timesheet approval helps audit timesheets, reduces errors and ensures compliance. 

This article covers:

• Who can approve Timesheets in Forecast?

• Setting up Timesheet Approval

• Setting up Internal Time Approval
• Setting up Time-off Approval
• Approving and rejecting submitted timesheets or time-off

Who can approve Timesheets in Forecast?

Timesheet Approval is enabled by an Admin user. Time-off Approval is managed by a separate setting and can be enabled independently from Timesheet Approval. 

By default, Admins have full access to Timesheet Approval. The standard permission profiles, Controller, Manager, and Coordinator can also approve timesheets registered against their assigned projects, as long as they are named as Project Owners.

With custom permission profiles, Manage other person's time registrations and/or Manage other person's time-off must be enabled. Any non-Admin users also need to be Project Owners in order to view submitted timesheets. To learn more about custom permission profiles, check out Creating and Managing Custom Permission Profiles.

Setting up Timesheet Approval

To enable Timesheet Approval

1. Click Admin in the top bar.
2. Select Time Management.
3. Toggle on Timesheet Approval.
   
   
4. Click Confirm in the Enable Timesheet Approval window.
   
5. If you haven't assigned a project owner to all of your projects you will be prompted to do so here.
   1. Use Select persons to assign a project owner for each of the projects listed, then click Confirm.
      

Note: Timesheet Approval is not compatible with JIRA. If your account is configured for the JIRA for Forecast integration and an Admin attempts to enable Timesheet Approval, the following warning will display:

Setting up Internal Time Approval

Once Timesheet Approval is enabled, an additional setting for Internal Time Approval will be available. If enabled, internal time will appear along with project/task time in Timesheet Approval.

To enable Internal Time Approval

1. Follow the steps to enable Timesheet Approval.
2. Once Timesheet Approval is enabled, the additional setting for Internal Time Approval will appear. 
   
3. Toggle on Internal Timesheet Approval. 
4. Review the warning in the Enable Internal Time Approval window.
   
5. Confirm the change.

Setting up Time-off Approval

Time-off Approval can be enabled independently of Timesheet Approval. With Time-off Approval users are required to submit time-off for approval within Timesheets. 

To enable Time-off Approval

1. Click Admin in the top bar. 
2. Select Time Management.
3. Toggle on Time-off Approval.
4. Review the warning in the Enable Time Off Approval window. 
   
5. Confirm the change.

Approving and rejecting submitted timesheets or time-off

As an Admin or permissioned Project Owner, you are able to approve all time registered for an entire week, the total hours registered per project and internal time. You cannot reject time registered to a specific task. Admins or permissioned users can approve submitted time-off separately from timesheets and internal time if Time-off Approval is enabled. 

In Timesheet Approval, submitted timesheets appear on the Submitted tab and non-submitted or rejected timesheets will appear on the Not Submitted tab. Once a timesheet has been approved, it appears on the Approved tab. Team members are automatically notified when their timesheet are rejected. Admins may also notify team members directly by clicking the mail icon.

To approve/reject submitted timesheets

1. Click Resourcing in the top bar.
2. Select Timesheet Approval.
3. There are three sections in Timesheet Approval: Submitted, Not Submitted and Approved.
4. Submitted timesheets can be found in the Submitted section.
5. Use the green check to approve a timesheet. 
   1. To approve an entire timesheet, use the green check in the same row as the team member's name. All billable and internal time within the timesheet will be approved.
   2. To approve select time entries made to a specific project, use the green check in the project row. 
   3. To approve select internal time, use the green check in the internal time row. 
6. Use the red 'X' to reject a timesheet.
   1. Similarly to approving time, you can reject an entire timesheet or select entries.

To approve/reject time-off requests

1. Click Resourcing in the top bar. 
2. Select Timesheet Approval.
3. There are three sections in Timesheet Approval: Submitted, Not Submitted and Approved.
4. Submitted time-off can be found in the Submitted section.
5. Use the green check to approve time-off. 
   1. To approve an entire week of time-off, use the green check in the same row as the team member's name. All time-off within the timesheet will be approved.
   2. To approve select time-off entries, use the green check in the project row.
6. Use the red 'X' to reject time-off.
   1. Similarly to approving time-off, you can reject all time-off for the week or select entries.