Time entries allow your team members to log the time spent working on specific tasks in Scoro. They are the core foundation for tracking project progress, monitoring team utilization, determining billable time, and much more.
This article explains how time entries in Scoro work and the various ways to create and manage past and future time entries on your site.
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1. Understanding time entries
1.1. What is a time entry?
In Scoro, time entries are logs used to record the exact time spent on specific tasks. They provide the data needed to track project progress and feed directly into Scoro's reports and other views, helping you to analyze team performance and profitability.
Time entries can represent different stages of work:
Completed work: Log time for finished work to keep your reports accurate.
Scheduled work: Create entries for future work to plan your workload and estimate timelines. (See Scheduling tasks in Calendar for advanced scheduling).
You can record time in three ways:
- Manual entry: Log work after it's done or schedule it for the future.
- Time tracker: Using a real-time timer as you work.
- Calendar events: Any activity added to the Calendar automatically acts as a time entry.
1.2. Where to manage time entries
While time entry details appear in many reports and dashboards, typically, you manage time entries:
1.3. Key things to remember about time entries
- No limits to time entries on tasks: You can add an unlimited number of time entries under one task with various activity types, descriptions, and assignees.
- Task links: Time entries created manually or via the time tracker are always linked to a specific task and cannot exist without this connection. In contrast, calendar events are more flexible; they can be linked to a task to precisely log the time spent, but they can also exist as standalone entries.
- User links: Time entries added manually or via the time tracker are linked to a single specific user. For calendar events, all participants are included in the time entry; Scoro calculates the total duration by multiplying the event length by the number of participants (e.g., a 2-hour event with 4 users results in 8 hours of logged time).
- Time entry descriptions: Time entries don't have distinct names. A time entry is characterized by the activity type and the description provided when it was added. For more detailed reporting, make sure you add both.
- Time entries and task bundles: Scheduling time entries for tasks only: Time entries cannot be scheduled under planned/not used task bundle tasks; they can only be added to actual tasks in the task list. However, once you use the Task bundle and the tasks are created, you can schedule time entries under them.
- Calculations of billable time and time spent: The duration of the time entry is incorporated in the actual time spent on the task after the time entry is marked as done. The actual billable time (if the time-billing is active on your site) of the task is calculated the same way.
2. How to create time entries
2.1. Add a time entry manually
If you prefer to log work after it is completed or schedule work for later, you can add entries manually:
- Open the task where you want to log the time entry.
- In the Time entries section, click the Add button and select Add time entry.
- Fill out the details of your time entry:
- Set the duration for the time entry (how long it took or will take to finish this part of the task). By default, this field is filled out with the task planned duration (if defined).
- Pick the correct date when the work was completed (past entry) or will be completed (future entry).
- Select the activity type from the dropdown list. If the task already has an activity type, the time entry will inherit that same activity type. You can always change it to a different activity type as needed.
- Tick the Done checkbox if the work is already finished.
- If your permissions allow, you can assign the entry to another user by clicking their avatar.
- Add an optional description for more context.
- Click Save to finish creating the time entry.
2.2. Use the time tracker
The time tracker is best for recording work as it happens. You can open the Time tracker from the top menu or within a specific task view.
For more information on how to use it, see our dedicated article on the Time tracker.
2.3. Add calendar events
Any event added in Scoro's Calendar view acts as a time entry automatically. If you link the event to a task, the time spent will contribute to the project progress logs.
For more information on creating events, see our dedicated article on Adding a new event.
3. Managing time entries in the task detailed view
Sorting and filtering time entries
If you're working on a time-entry-heavy project, use the sorting and filtering options to minimize the need to scroll through a long list. You can sort the order of the time entries either by date, billable time, or duration – simply click on the respective column name to reorder the items. In addition, you can filter out only the done or scheduled time entries to reduce unnecessary noise. Scoro will remember your sorting and filtering preferences across all tasks.
Modifying existing time entries
You can modify time entries to correct mistakes, as long as they have not been confirmed (if you're using activity confirmation) and invoiced yet.
To modify a time entry in the task detailed view:
- In the Time entries section, click on the icon next to the time entry.
- Make the necessary changes and click Save.
Moving a time entry to another task
You can easily move a time entry that hasn’t been invoiced yet to another task from the task detailed view:
- In the Time entries section, click the pencil icon to modify the time entry.
- Select the task you want to move the time entry to from the task dropdown field and click Save.
Once confirmed, the time entry will be moved from the original task’s time log to the task you selected, updating the calculations on both projects accordingly.
Delegating time entries to other users
Like tasks, time entries can also be delegated. Just click on the picture next to the description of the time entry and choose a team member to delegate the time entry to. In this case, a notification is automatically sent to the assignee in Scoro.
4. Managing time entries in the task list
In the task list view, the time entry is displayed with the description or activity type (if there is no description) under the related task (you can recognize it by the stopwatch icon). If you don't see time entries in the list, change the view of the list by clicking View, then View options, and selecting Show time entries.
To add a new time entry to a task, click the stopwatch icon next to the task name and select Add time entry or Start time tracker.
To quickly mark the time entries as done, you can use the task list or the task detailed view. Just click the Mark as done button in either view.
5. Time entry management permissions
Site administrators can use the following permissions to control what time entry-related actions are allowed for users with different permission sets:
-
Add, modify, and delete time entries of other users – controls whether users can manage the time tracker and manual time entries of other users; calendar events are not affected by this permission.
- When disabled, users can manage only their own time entries and cannot mark projects or tasks as done if they contain someone else’s future time entries.
- Confirm time entries and calendar events – controls whether users can confirm time entries and calendar events for other users before they can be billed. For example, you can enable this permission for your supervisors so they can confirm their team members’ activities.
Learn more about permission management on our Permission sets article.
6. Frequently asked questions
Which time entries are included in the detailed work report?
Scheduled and done time entries are included in the detailed work report when filtering out the specific status of time entries. For more information, see the dedicated Work reports article.
Can a task be closed if it includes time entries that aren't marked as done yet?
In the task list, as well as the task detailed view, you'll see a warning if you mark a task as completed, but it contains time entries that have not been completed yet. You'll be able to choose to either continue and close the time entries along with the task (mark all as done with the planned duration) or leave the task as it is.
What happens if I log more time than planned on a subtask?
The planned hours of subtasks roll up to their parent task. If the total logged hours across all subtasks exceed the budget for the parent task, the time breakdown chart on the parent task will reflect this.
Why does Scoro add a time entry with zero hours after marking a task as done?
If a task has no time entries, Scoro will automatically create a time entry with a duration of 0 hours when the task is marked as done. This is normal because tasks require at least one time entry before they can be closed. If a task already has at least one time entry, Scoro will not create such a zero-duration time entry.