Hours Tracking

Blocks reserve capacity with allocated hours, but actual work is tracked separately through time entries. Understanding this relationship helps you plan and monitor work accurately.

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Allocated vs actual hours

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Allocated hours

Hours reserved when creating the block:

• Planning capacity - How much time you expect to need
• Entered in hours - e.g., 20 hours
• Stored as minutes - Converted to 1,200 minutes internally
• Shows in schedule - Team member sees this allocation
• Fixed at creation - Can be updated by editing block

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Actual hours

Hours logged as work happens:

• Time entries - Logged by team members
• Linked to work - Attached to subtasks or help desk tickets
• May reference block - Can optionally link to block
• Aggregates over time - Builds up as work progresses
• Compared to allocated - Shows over/under budget

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How hours are tracked

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Block allocation

When you configure a block:

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Time entry logging

Team members log actual time:

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Relationship to blocks

Time entries connect to blocks through:

• Direct reference - Time entry can link to block ID
• Date overlap - Work done during block dates
• Client match - Time for same client as block
• Work type alignment - Matches block type (design/dev/QA)

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Viewing hours

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On Blocks page

Global blocks view shows:

• Allocated hours for each block
• No actual hours (not tracked at block level)
• Color coding by status
• Scheduled dates

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On Client schedule

Client schedule shows:

• Blocks with allocated hours
• Tasks with quoted hours
• Time entries logged
• Budget vs actual comparisons

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On Team schedule

Individual schedule shows:

• Blocks assigned to them
• Capacity used by blocks
• Total daily capacity
• Available remaining capacity

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In reports

Various reports show:

• Time logged by client
• Time logged by block type
• Time logged by team member
• Budget vs actual variance

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Budget tracking

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How budgets work

For retainer clients:

• Monthly hours purchased (retainer plan)
• Blocks reserve capacity from this budget
• Time entries consume actual budget
• Overage tracked when exceeded

Example:

• Retainer: 40 hours/month
• Blocks allocated: 35 hours (Design 15h, Dev 20h)
• Actual logged: 38 hours
• Status: Under budget by 2 hours ✓

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Monitoring budget health

Healthy pattern:

• Allocated ≈ monthly retainer
• Actual ≤ allocated
• Work completed on time

Warning signs:

• Allocated more than retainer
• Actual much more than allocated
• Frequent overages

Actions to take:

• Review block allocations
• Check if scope is accurate
• Discuss with client if more hours needed
• Adjust future planning

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Capacity planning

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Daily capacity

Each team member has daily capacity:

• Developers: 6.5 hours (390 minutes)
• Others: 7.5 hours (450 minutes)
• Reduced by leave and holidays
• Reduced by other commitments

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How blocks consume capacity

When a block is scheduled:

• Allocated hours spread across date range
• Daily capacity reduced by block’s share
• Shows as “used” capacity in schedule
• Prevents over-allocation

Example:

• Block: 20 hours over 5 days = 4 hours/day
• Developer capacity: 6.5 hours/day
• Remaining: 2.5 hours/day for other work

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Over-allocation warnings

System warns when:

• Daily capacity exceeded
• Too many hours scheduled
• Conflicts with other work
• Unrealistic timelines

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Time entry best practices

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Logging time for blocks

Do:

• Log time daily as you work
• Attach to specific subtasks
• Use accurate durations
• Include helpful notes
• Link to block if relevant

Don’t:

• Wait until end of week
• Round excessively
• Log time to wrong client
• Guess durations from memory
• Forget context in notes

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Billability

Time entries can be:

• Billable - Counts toward client hours
• Non-billable - Internal time, doesn’t count
• Banked - Efficiency gains, credited back

Blocks represent billable capacity, so time logged against block work should typically be billable.

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Activity types

Choose appropriate activity type:

• Task - For subtask work
• Support - For help desk tickets
• Meeting - For client meetings
• Admin - For admin tasks

Activity type helps categorize time entries for reporting.

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Common scenarios

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Scenario 1: Block completed under budget

Situation:

• Allocated: 20 hours
• Actual: 16 hours
• 4 hours under budget

Analysis:

• Efficient execution
• Good estimate
• Client gets more value

Action:

• No action needed
• Use insights for future estimates
• Consider banking hours (if policy allows)

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Scenario 2: Block going over budget

Situation:

• Allocated: 20 hours
• Actual (so far): 18 hours
• Work not complete

Analysis:

• Will exceed allocation
• Scope or estimate issue
• Need more capacity

Actions:

1. Review remaining work
2. Estimate time needed
3. Communicate with PM/CSM
4. Discuss with client if needed
5. Add more capacity or reduce scope

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Scenario 3: Tracking hours without blocks

Situation:

• Ad-hoc work arises
• No block was created
• Need to track time

Solution:

• Log time entries as normal
• Attach to client
• Use appropriate activity type
• Consider creating block retroactively for planning

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Reporting and analysis

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Budget reports

View how actual compares to allocated:

• By client
• By month
• By block type
• By team member

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Variance analysis

Identify patterns:

• Which block types consistently over/under
• Which clients use hours differently
• Which team members are most accurate
• Seasonal trends

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Improving estimates

Use historical data:

• Average actual hours per block type
• Typical variance ranges
• Client-specific patterns
• Complexity factors

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Troubleshooting

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Best practices summary

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Next steps