PROJECT EFFORT
Record the time spent on a task while its context is clear
Select the available project work in Time, describe what you are doing and run a timer. The resulting entry keeps the task and project references for later review.
Capture effort where the work can still be identified
Reconstructing a busy day from memory makes it easy to confuse two customer engagements. Linking a timer to project work provides a clearer starting point: the task already explains which project and customer context apply. Tsumira connects supported project work references to Time, where the operator can start, stop and review their own time record instead of maintaining a separate informal log.
Choose real project work
The Time selection uses available project and task references supplied by the connected work context. Those references include labels and links, so the entry has an identifiable basis beyond a typed project name. Restricted-project visibility and assignment rules still apply. A task that is no longer available should not be selected merely because someone remembers its old identifier.
- Supported project and task references
- Labels and links on the time context
- Availability and authority checked at selection
Start deliberately and stop with a reviewable entry
Add a work description and choose whether the effort is billable. The current timer workflow allows one active timer per person. Stopping creates the corresponding time entry; discarding is a separate operation when the session should not become work evidence. Review the description and context while the task is fresh rather than assuming that elapsed time alone explains a meaningful service.
- One active personal timer
- Work description and billable treatment
- Stop to create an entry or explicitly discard
Keep effort separate from completion and price
A task estimate describes planned effort; a timer records an actual session. Stopping the timer does not necessarily mean the task is done, and marking a task done is not a timesheet approval. Entries continue through Time’s review and approval workflow. Supported finance pricing and billing are later decisions, so an accurate task reference helps explain the amount without pretending that every measured minute is automatically invoiced.
- Actual session separate from the estimate
- Task completion separate from time approval
- Review before financial use
A concrete workflow
Choose the work context
Select an available project task in the Time workflow before beginning the work session.
Explain the activity
Add a description and billable treatment that reflect the work you are actually about to perform.
Run and stop
Start the timer, then stop it when the session ends to create a time entry.
Review the record
Check the entry and include it in the appropriate submission and approval process.
An illustrative working example
Example: reviewing a customer specification
A consultant selects the specification-review task from the customer project, writes a clear work description and starts the timer. After the review session, they stop it and inspect the resulting entry. The task remains in review because a colleague still needs to check the result. The time can be submitted independently, preserving the difference between effort spent and the final acceptance of the deliverable.
Questions about this topic
Does the timer automatically observe what I do?
No. The operator deliberately starts a session and supplies the work context. Do not present it as automatic employee activity surveillance.
Can I run a timer for every project simultaneously?
The current workflow permits one active timer per person. Stop or discard the current session before starting another.
Does stopping also complete the task?
No. Timer state and task delivery state are separate. Update the task according to the actual outcome.
Is every stopped session immediately billed?
No. The entry follows the Time review and approval process; billable treatment and supported financial pricing are separate requirements.
Explore connections around this workflow.
Ideas for intended connections. Check the actual availability, permissions and supported data for each app before using a scenario.
