The Approval Workflow

TT Time Tracker includes an optional approval step for time entries. This article explains why it exists and how it works in practice.

Why approval exists

In construction and trades businesses, time entries feed directly into payroll and project cost reporting. An approval step gives the admin or project manager an opportunity to:

• Catch errors before they reach payroll (wrong hours, wrong project)
• Verify that hours claimed match the work actually done
• Create an audit trail showing who reviewed and approved each entry

The lifecycle

1. Worker submits an entry

A worker fills in their hours (start time, end time, project, task, and optionally a note) and saves. The entry is immediately visible to admins with a pending status.

2. Admin reviews

The admin dashboard shows a count of pending entries. The admin can open each entry, read the details, and make a decision.

3. Approve or reject

Approve: The entry is locked. The worker can see that it was approved but can no longer edit it. The entry counts toward payroll exports.

Reject: The entry is returned to the worker with a rejection status. The admin can optionally leave a comment explaining why. The worker sees their entry as rejected, can review any comments, and can submit a corrected entry.

What happens to rejected entries

A rejected entry stays in the worker's list with a clear indicator. The worker is expected to:

1. Review the rejection
2. Create a new, corrected entry
3. Submit it for approval again

The original rejected entry remains in the history for reference.

Disabling the approval workflow

If your team is small and you trust workers to log time accurately, you can disable the approval workflow in Admin → Settings. When disabled, all entries are automatically approved on submission — there is no pending state.

This is a permanent setting change. If you re-enable the workflow later, previously submitted entries are not retroactively put into a pending state.

Who can approve entries

Both admins and responsible users can approve and reject entries. If you have a project manager who should review entries for their own project, give them the responsible role.