How to Track Time with the Timer and Manual Entries in CrmLeaf
All editions. Core feature - no add-on required. Manual time entry depends on the project's manual time log setting.
Availability: All editions. Core feature - no add-on required. Manual time entry depends on the project's manual time log setting.
Overview
Time tracking records how long work actually took. Every time log in CrmLeaf is recorded against a project, a task and a user, so tracked hours can be reported by person, by project and by task, and billable hours can reach an invoice.
You can track time with a live timer while you work, or enter it manually afterwards where the project allows manual entries.
How It Works
A time log belongs to a project, a task and the user who logged it. A running timer becomes a time log when it is stopped.
Start timer → Pause or resume → Record breaks → Stop → Manager approves
- The live timer supports start, pause, resume and stop, so an interruption does not have to become guessed time.
- Breaks are recorded within a running log and are excluded from the tracked hours, so a logged shift and billed time do not drift apart.
- Manual entry is gated by the project's manual time log setting. Where it is switched off, time must come from the timer.
- A manager approves time logs. Approved billable time is what later flows into invoicing and milestone billing.
- Long-timer alerts exist to catch a timer that has been left running.
- Billable earnings are computed from an hourly rate applied to the logged time.
Who Can Use This Feature?
User
- Start, pause, resume and stop a timer against a task.
- Record breaks inside a running log.
- Enter time manually where the project allows it.
- Review their own logged time before it is approved.
Access depends on the modules and role assigned by your Administrator.
Prerequisites
- A project you are a member of, and a task within it to log against.
- For manual entries, the project's manual time log setting must be switched on.
- For billable earnings to be calculated, the task must be billable and an hourly rate must be in place.
For Users
Step 1: Open the task you are working on
Open the task. Time is logged against a project, task and user together, so start from the correct task rather than logging generic project time.
Step 2: Start the timer
What to do: Start the timer on the task before you begin work. Start it once, rather than starting several timers on related tasks.
What to verify: Confirm the timer is running and shows the task you intend to bill.
Step 3: Pause, resume and record breaks
Pause the timer when you stop working and resume it when you return. Record a break within the running log for non-working time; break time is excluded from the tracked hours.
Step 4: Stop the timer
What to do: Stop the timer when the work session ends. The running timer becomes a saved time log against the project, task and your user account.
What to verify: Open the project or the task and confirm the log appears with the duration you expect.
Step 5: Enter time manually where allowed
If you worked without the timer, add the entry manually against the project and task. This is available only when the project's manual time log setting is switched on. Complete every mandatory field before saving.
Step 6: Check your logs before approval
Review your logged time for the day or week and correct anything wrong before your manager reviews it. Approved billable time is used for invoicing, so errors are more expensive to fix later.
Field and Option Reference
| Field / Option | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Project | The project the time belongs to. | Yes |
| Task | The task within that project that the time is logged against. | Yes |
| User | The person whose time this is. A log is recorded against a user. | Yes |
| Start and stop | The timer controls that open and close the log. Pause and resume are available while it runs. | Yes |
| Break | Non-working time recorded inside a running log and excluded from tracked hours. | No |
| Manual entry | A time log entered without the timer. Available only when the project's manual time log setting is switched on. | No |
Expected Result
The stopped timer is saved as a time log against the project, task and your user account, with break time excluded from the tracked hours. The log is then available for your manager to approve and, if the task is billable, for billing.
Why This Matters for Service Organisations
Hours are what a service organisation sells, so the record of effort is also the record of revenue. A time log in CrmLeaf is recorded against a project, a task and a user, which means the same entry answers three different questions: what the client was charged for, what the engagement actually cost in effort, and how a consultant's week was spent. Where hours are reconstructed from memory at month end, both the client invoice and every effort figure derived from it become estimates.
How It Supports Professional Services
- The live timer supports start, pause, resume and stop, so a consultant interrupted by a call on another engagement does not have to guess the split afterwards.
- Breaks are recorded inside a running log and excluded from tracked hours, so a long working day does not silently inflate what a client is billed.
- Manual entry is gated per project, so a firm can require timer discipline on time-and-materials work while still allowing retrospective entry for field visits and travel where a timer is not practical.
- Billable earnings are computed from an hourly rate applied to the logged time, which turns hours into an amount without a separate rate spreadsheet.
- A manager approves time logs, and long-timer alerts catch a timer left running overnight before that hour reaches a client.
- The Time Log Report splits billable against non-billable hours by person, project and period. That report is the shipped foundation for effort analysis in CrmLeaf, and many service organisations export it as the basis for their own utilisation and rate-realisation calculations.
Typical Service Workflow
Project → Tasks → Time → Timesheet approval → Billing → Reporting
Time tracking is the measurement stage. CrmLeaf links approved billable time forward into invoicing and milestone invoicing, and derives project budget actuals from timelogs where the Budget module is enabled. Deciding rates, and interpreting the resulting hours as utilisation or margin, remain the organisation's own analysis.
Other Product-Type Use Cases
The same logs record labour on Construction and Solar site work, production effort in Manufacturing accounts, and internal project effort in general business administration, where hours matter for cost and progress even when nothing is billed to a client.
Related PSA Capabilities
- How to Submit and Approve Weekly Timesheets — the discipline that makes logged hours trustworthy.
- How to Bill Tracked Time on an Invoice — turns approved billable hours into client revenue.
- How to Use Resource Utilization Views — reads logged time alongside estimates, shifts, leave and holidays.
- How to Use Time Log and Task Reports — the billable against non-billable split by person, project and period.
- How to Create and Assign Tasks — where billability is decided before the time is logged.
Important Notes
- Menu names and their position can differ between product editions and can be customised for your account, so your sidebar may not match these paths exactly. Use Search or your Quick Access items if you cannot find a screen.
- Manual time entry is controlled per project. Two projects in the same account can behave differently.
- Break time is excluded from tracked hours. Use breaks rather than stopping and restarting a timer if you want one continuous log.
- Time is logged against tasks, not subtasks.
- Only time on a billable task can produce billable earnings, and earnings depend on an hourly rate being in place.
Common Scenarios
Example: a timed working session. A developer starts the timer on a task, pauses it for a meeting, resumes afterwards, records a lunch break, then stops it. One log is saved with the break excluded.
Example: field work entered later. An engineer with no connectivity on site records the hours afterwards as a manual entry, which is possible because the project's manual time log setting is switched on.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Possible Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Time cannot be entered manually on a project | The project's manual time log setting is switched off, so time must be captured with the timer. | Use the timer, or ask the project administrator to switch manual time logs on for that project. |
| Manual entry works on one project but not another | The manual time log setting is per project. | Check the setting on the specific project rather than the account. |
| A timer ran overnight and the log is far too long | The timer was left running and not stopped. | Correct the log with your manager before approval; long-timer alerts help catch this earlier. |
| Tracked hours are lower than the elapsed time | Break time recorded inside the log is excluded from tracked hours. | This is expected. Review the breaks recorded on the log. |
| No billable earnings are shown for logged time | The task is not marked billable, or no hourly rate is in place. | Mark the task billable and confirm the hourly rate with your Administrator. |
| No task is available to log against | You are not a member of the project, or the project has no tasks. | Ask the project administrator to add you as a member and create the task. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I log time without a task?
No. A time log is recorded against a project, a task and a user.
Do breaks reduce my tracked hours?
Yes. Breaks are recorded within the running log and excluded from the tracked hours.
Why can I not add a manual entry?
Manual entry is gated by the project's manual time log setting. If it is switched off, use the timer.
Who approves my time?
A manager approves time logs. Weekly timesheets are submitted for approval as a separate flow.
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