ApproveThis manages your Timesheet Integration approvals.

When Time Tracking Meets Approval Precision

Modern businesses live at the intersection of two competing priorities: moving quickly to capitalize on opportunities, and maintaining control through proper oversight. For teams using Timesheet to track billable hours, project timelines, and resource allocation, this tension becomes especially acute when approving new initiatives. Every minute spent chasing signatures or clarifying project details directly impacts profitability and client satisfaction.

ApproveThis bridges this gap by adding intelligent approval automation to Timesheet's time tracking capabilities. Through Zapier integration, these platforms create a closed-loop system where time-sensitive approvals automatically trigger actions in Timesheet, while project updates in Timesheet initiate structured review processes. The result? Marketing agencies reduce client billing disputes by 42% through real-time project approvals. Construction firms accelerate equipment purchase approvals by 68% while maintaining budget compliance. IT teams eliminate 15+ hours monthly in manual approval follow-ups for timesheet corrections.

Core Capabilities: What Each Platform Brings

Timesheet excels at granular time tracking across projects, with features like:

• One-click time entry for employees/contractors
• Project/task hierarchy for complex engagements

ApproveThis adds governance layer with:

• Multi-step approval chains with conditional logic
• Automatic escalation for overdue requests

Together, they enable scenarios like automatically pausing Timesheet project budgets when approval thresholds are exceeded, or requiring client sign-off before logging hours to sensitive tasks.

Four Operational Transformations

1. Project Kickoff Acceleration

When a new project appears in Timesheet, ApproveThis automatically routes approval requests to stakeholders with contextual data:

Use case: A digital agency creates "Client X - Q3 Campaign" in Timesheet. ApproveThis:

- Routes budget approval to CFO
- Sends scope confirmation to client
- Assigns team lead approval to department head
All via email - no external app access needed for clients.

2. Compliance-Driven Task Creation

Approved requests in ApproveThis auto-generate Timesheet tasks with pre-configured:

- Budget caps
- Required skill tags
- Client visibility settings
Example: An approved "Server Upgrade" request spawns a Timesheet task with $175/hr engineer rate lock and hidden from client-facing reports.

3. Audit-Ready Reporting

Finalized approvals automatically generate Timesheet reports with:

- Original request metadata
- Approval timestamps
- Decision-maker comments
Critical for consulting firms tracking billable hours against SOW amendments.

4. Governance for Custom Taxonomies

New Timesheet tags (e.g., "Overtime-Client B") trigger approval workflows verifying:

- Contract compliance
- Departmental chargeback rules
- Union agreement adherence
Prevents misclassified hours in regulated industries like healthcare.

Team-Specific Benefits

Project Managers

Eliminate status update meetings with real-time approval dashboards showing:

- Pending client sign-offs
- Budget consumption vs. approvals
- Resource allocation conflicts

Finance Teams

Enforce pre-approval policies for:

- Overtime hours exceeding 10%
- Vendor rates above contract terms
- Non-billable internal projects

External Collaborators

Clients/contractors approve requests via email without Timesheet licenses:

- Secure PDF attachments
- Mobile-friendly forms
- Legal disclaimer support

Implementation Essentials

Step 1: Create Zapier account (free tier suffices for testing)

Step 2: Connect Timesheet and ApproveThis via OAuth

Step 3: Map critical data points:

- Timesheet Project ID -> ApproveThis custom field
- Approval threshold -> Timesheet budget alert
- Client email -> ApproveThis external reviewer

Pro Tip: Use ApproveThis' calculated fields to auto-flag Timesheet entries needing approval (e.g., "If Task Rate > $150 -> Require VP Signature").

Beyond Basic Automation

While out-of-box Zaps provide immediate value, combining ApproveThis' advanced features with Timesheet data unlocks enterprise-grade controls:

Approval Threshold Escalation

Timesheet's API can pass real-time budget consumption data to ApproveThis, triggering:

- Additional approvers when projects reach 75% of hours
- CFO alerts for cost overruns
- Automatic project freeze at 110%

Multi-Org Governance

ApproveThis supports:

- Different approval rules per Timesheet client workspace
- Regional compliance templates (GDPR, FLSA, etc.)
- Multi-currency validation

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Don't: Use single approval groups for all Timesheet projects - creates bottlenecks
Do: Create dynamic approval groups based on Timesheet tags (e.g., "Client-Sensitive", "High-Risk")

Don't: Approve projects without time estimates
Do: Use ApproveThis' calculated fields to require Timesheet duration data in requests

Getting Started

For teams already using Timesheet, adding ApproveThis typically shows ROI within 30 days through:

- 60% faster project kickoffs
- 45% reduction in billing disputes
- Complete audit trails for compliance

Start with ApproveThis, or schedule a custom demo to see industry-specific workflows.