Record the hour once. Use it three times.

Use a timer when you are beginning a defined piece of work. Stop it when the work ends or when you switch to something that belongs to another task. Flowboard exposes timing controls in task workflows as well as dedicated time tracking, which reduces the distance between doing the work and recording it.

Add manual entries for client calls, offline workshops, or work completed without a timer. Set the duration, project, and context so the time record reflects the work your team delivered.

• Tie entries to the correct project and task where appropriate.
• Use a description that will make sense when reviewed later.
• Check whether the entry should be billable before using it in an invoice.

Billable and non-billable time answer different questions. A billable entry may contribute to hourly project revenue and be eligible for a time-based invoice. A non-billable entry can still represent real labor cost. Internal review, rework, or an account call does not become free to the agency simply because it is not charged to the client.

Flowboard's project calculations include logged labor when measuring direct costs. This makes consistent internal time tracking particularly useful for fixed-fee work. If the team only records client-chargeable production hours, the apparent margin can look better than the work actually supports. Agree what should be recorded before interpreting the numbers as a complete picture.

Suppose a consultant records 24 billable hours at a snapshotted $180 hourly billable rate and another eight non-billable hours on the same engagement. Hourly revenue represented by the billable entries is $4,320. If all 32 hours carry an $80 labor cost, direct labor cost is $2,560. Before other direct expenses, the difference is $1,760 and the direct margin is about 40.7%.

Against a 40-hour available week, 24 billable hours represent 60% billable utilization. This sample uses the rates and entries above. Review invoices separately to see how much has been billed or collected, and use the remaining capacity when planning the next week.

A small review habit prevents large invoice disputes. Use filters and entry review to find gaps or inconsistencies before the end of the billing period, when the details are harder to reconstruct.

1. Agree the recording standard

   Define when timers should be used, when manual entries are appropriate, and which non-billable activities belong to a client project.

2. Review descriptions and assignment

   Check unusual durations, entries on the wrong project, missing context, and work recorded against a closed or unrelated task.

3. Check commercial treatment

   Confirm billable flags and applicable rates. An internal decision about billability should match the contract before an entry reaches an invoice.

4. Prepare the billing period

   Preview eligible unbilled time, choose the useful grouping, and reconcile the result before generating the invoice.

A timer measures recorded duration. It is not automatic activity surveillance, a measure of creative quality, or proof that a task is complete. Teams should be able to correct errors without treating the first captured value as unquestionable. A long task may reflect a difficult brief, a useful discovery, or avoidable rework; the entry alone cannot determine which.

Financial results depend on rates and project setup as well as hours. A fixed-fee project does not earn additional contractual revenue merely because someone logs more time. Use the profitability workflow to understand that distinction, and keep billing review separate from the decision to recognize revenue in your accounting system.