Approving Time Entries
The Time approval feature in Productive allows budget owners to review time entries before they are visible to clients or included in internal budget and profitability reports.
Here’s how the process works.
1) Notification and Approval Screen
After a time entry is added, the approver receives a notification.
The time entry will appear on the approver's approval screen, showing entries that are awaiting review.
2) Approval Timeline
Note that time entries for the present day will not be visible on the same day; they will appear the following day.
3) Actions in Approval Inbox
Approve the Entry: Click on the checkmark to the right to approve.
Request Changes: Click on the reload icon to request changes.
Edit the Entry: Accessed through the three-dot menu to the right, allowing for direct edits of the date, service, description, and worked or billable hours.
View Timer Logs: If the timer was used, view logs for accuracy.
Delete the Entry: Remove the time entry entirely if necessary.
4) Additional Details
Only after approval does the logged time become recognized and billable. Only recognized time entries are considered in the budget usage calculations. If a time entry is not approved and remains unrecognized, it will not affect the total budgeted time.
Note that by default, besides the budget owner, admins also have the option to approve other people's time entries, ensuring flexibility in the approval process. This can be modified further with custom permissions (see below).
Permissions for Time Entry Approvals
For more granular control over time approvals, Productive offers customizable time entry approval permissions.
Admins can now configure who can approve time entries based on their specific role and involvement in budgets.
Learn more about setting up custom permissions for time entry approvals to ensure only authorized users have access to this function.