Timesheet problems often look like small administrative delays. An employee forgets a row, a manager finds a duplicate entry, and payroll waits for a correction. Multiply those issues across projects and departments and the spreadsheet becomes a source of cost and compliance risk.
A structured timesheet workflow in Microsoft 365 makes time entry easier to validate and approval easier to follow. It also creates a dependable record that supports billing, utilisation analysis and project planning. Teams comparing time tracking for SharePoint with time tracking for Microsoft 365 need the same trusted approvals and reporting foundation.
Why timesheet approvals need a structured process
Why spreadsheets struggle with timesheet approvals
A spreadsheet can store hours, but it does not naturally know who is allowed to approve them, which project rules apply or whether an employee has exceeded a daily limit. Those rules live in emails, meetings and the memory of administrators.
Common symptoms include:
- Employees submit to different managers depending on the week.
- Managers cannot see which entries changed after approval.
- Billable and non-billable work use inconsistent categories.
- Overtime and time off are tracked in separate files.
- Finance receives late or incomplete information for billing.
What a complete timesheet process should include
1. Configure a template for each team
A template defines the reporting period, entry mode, projects and custom fields. It can allow duration-based entry or start and end times, depending on how the team works.
2. Record time with useful context
Employees record projects, clients, tasks, notes and optional custom fields. Breaks, overtime and time off can appear in the same timesheet. Validation rules catch incomplete or implausible entries before submission.
3. Submit for approval
When the employee submits the period, the workflow routes it to the configured approvers. A team may require the line manager first, followed by a project manager when more than a certain number of hours are booked to a project.
4. Review and resolve exceptions
Approvers should be able to inspect the work log, comments and costs as well as the total. If something is wrong, the request can be rejected with context, corrected and resubmitted.
5. Reuse approved data
Approved timesheets feed dashboards and reports for utilisation, project progress, billable hours and labour costs. Export integrations can connect the data with Power BI or other downstream reporting.
What changes when timesheets are structured
A consultant's monthly timesheet
Before
The consultant copies the previous month's spreadsheet, removes old rows and reconstructs time from calendar entries. The manager checks totals but has little context. Billing asks for corrections after the period closes.
After
The consultant records hours against assigned projects and tasks. Validation catches overbooked days. The manager and project manager receive the correct approval steps. Approved hours and costs are available in reports.
How Timesheet Hub supports time tracking in Microsoft 365
Timesheet Hub works in SharePoint and Microsoft Teams. It supports flexible entry modes, weekly or monthly periods, project and task structure, overtime, billable and non-billable time, multi-level approvals, delegation and detailed reporting.
- Template-level rules: teams can use different cycles, forms and constraints.
- Smart validation: daily limits, required fields, duplicate detection and blackout dates reduce errors.
- Project context: clients, projects, tasks and subtasks make reporting more precise.
- Conditional approvals: sequential and parallel paths route time to the right reviewers.
- Cost visibility: rates by user, task or project support accurate labour costs.
- Microsoft 365 security: role-based access, audit history and tenant-hosted data.
Implementation checklist
- Agree the reporting period for each department or team.
- Define projects, tasks, clients and who can book time to them.
- Choose billable and non-billable rules and the required rates.
- Configure validations such as daily maximums and duplicate detection.
- Set approval responsibilities and delegation procedures.
- Pilot one reporting cycle before replacing the existing process.
Replace spreadsheet approvals with a reliable time tracking process
Timesheet Hub brings the process into SharePoint and Microsoft Teams, where your team already works. Data remains in your Microsoft 365 tenant, and approval responsibilities stay visible.
Frequently asked questions
Can different departments use different timesheet periods?
Yes. Every timesheet template can define its own reporting period, entry mode, fields, rules and workflow.
Can a timesheet require both manager and project manager approval?
Yes. The approval flow can be sequential, parallel or mixed and can include conditions.
Does Timesheet Hub track overtime and time off?
Yes. Timesheets can include breaks, overtime and time off, with automatic overtime calculations and calendar alignment.
Can approved time be used for billing reports?
Yes. Billable hours, costs, clients and projects can be analysed through dashboards and reports, with integration options for further reporting.