Why track time
Time tracking in CharleOS serves multiple purposes:Billing
Billable time entries contribute to client invoicing and revenue tracking
Utilization
Track how much of your capacity is spent on billable vs non-billable work
Performance
Monitor efficiency by comparing estimated vs actual time
Planning
Historical time data improves future estimation accuracy
What you can track
Billable work
Track time against client deliverables:- Tasks & subtasks - Work on specific deliverables
- Help desk tickets - Support and maintenance work
- Project tasks - Fixed-scope project work
Time entries are only billable when linked to a task, subtask, or help desk ticket. The system automatically marks entries as billable based on these links.
Non-billable work
Track time that doesn’t bill to clients:- Client calls - Meetings and calls with clients
- Internal meetings - Team standups, planning sessions, 1:1s
- Support - General support work not tied to tickets
- Admin - Timesheets, expenses, administrative tasks
How time tracking works
Log time in three ways
- Log Time Wizard - General-purpose time logging from anywhere
- Context dialogs - Log time directly from tasks, tickets, or projects
- Task completion - Automatically log time when marking work complete
Time entry requirements
Every time entry needs:- Date - When the work was done (cannot be future dates)
- Duration - How long you worked (1-720 minutes / 12 hours max)
- Activity type - What kind of work it was
- Client or Internal - Who the work was for
- Task/subtask - Link to specific deliverable
- Help desk ticket - Link to support ticket
- Notes - Context about the work
Activity types
CharleOS uses activity types to categorize your time:| Activity Type | Billable? | Used For |
|---|---|---|
| Task | Yes (when linked) | Client deliverable work on tasks/subtasks |
| Help Desk | Yes (when linked) | Help desk tickets and support requests |
| Client Call | No | Scheduled or ad-hoc calls with clients |
| Internal Meeting | No | Team meetings, standups, planning sessions |
| Support | No | General support work not tied to tickets |
| Admin | No | Administrative tasks, timesheets, expenses |
See Activity Types for detailed guidance on when to use each type.
Billable vs non-billable
How billability works
Time entries are automatically marked billable when:- Activity type is Task, AND
- Entry is linked to a task, subtask, or help desk ticket
Why it matters
- Billable time contributes to client invoicing and counts toward utilization targets
- Non-billable time is tracked for capacity planning but doesn’t bill clients
- Your utilization percentage is calculated as:
Billable Hours / Available Hours
Where to find time tracking
My Time Tracking
Access your personal time entries:- Navigate to My Time Tracking in the sidebar
- View all your time entries in a searchable table
- Filter by date range, client, or activity type
- Edit or delete your entries
Active Tasks
Quick access to work in progress:- Click the Active Tasks button in the header (Delivery Team only)
- See tasks you’re currently working on
- Complete tasks and log time in one step
Management View
Managers can oversee team time tracking:- Navigate to Management → Time Tracking
- View all team members’ time entries
- Bulk operations for corrections
- Export data for reporting
Time entry rules
Date restrictions
- Cannot log time for future dates
- Can log time for any past date
Duration limits
- Minimum: 1 minute
- Maximum: 720 minutes (12 hours) per entry
Validation
- Help desk tickets require a linked ticket when activity type is “Help Desk”
- Task entries should be linked to tasks/subtasks for billing
- Client must be active and not deleted
Quick start
1
Open the Log Time Wizard
Click the user menu → Log Time, or navigate to My Time Tracking → Log Time
2
Select work type
Choose Internal or Client work, then select a client if applicable
3
Choose activity type
Select what kind of work you did (Task, Client Call, etc.)
4
Add details
Link to a task or ticket if relevant
5
Enter time
Specify the date, duration (in minutes), and any notes
6
Submit
Review and submit your time entry
Next steps
Logging Time
Step-by-step guide to logging time entries
Activity Types
When to use each activity type
Tasks
Learn about task management
Help Desk
Understand help desk workflows
Best practices
Log daily
Log time at the end of each day while the work is fresh in your mind
Be specific
Add notes explaining what you worked on - helps with billing disputes
Link to tasks
Always link Task entries to tasks/subtasks to ensure they’re billable
Check accuracy
Review your weekly time entries to catch any mistakes before billing