The operating problem
Start with a professional submitting draft time entries. A successful handoff produces a reviewed narrative and exception queue for billing. Define the accountable owner before connecting systems. The workflow must not invent time, inflate duration, or disguise unbillable work. A source event is a request to evaluate the current state; it is not permission to make an irreversible change.
Use your own working copy
The free workbook for this process opens in a browser and works offline after download. It includes editable checks and notes, a text export, and a print view. It is a planning resource: it does not send messages, read account data, or run actions in business systems. No vendor account is needed to use the workbook.
Map the process
1. Read actual time drafts
Capture source entry ID, professional, matter, actual duration, and the original narrative.
2. Check required structure
Flag missing task context, unclear abbreviations, or client-guideline issues without rewriting facts.
3. Suggest bounded edits
Offer clarity changes that preserve actual work and duration; uncertain substance stays with the author.
4. Request professional review
The timekeeper confirms accuracy, confidentiality, and proper billability.
5. Release the approved version
Bind the narrative approval to the unchanged source activity and retain the edit trail.
Information to check
These reference fields describe the process. Use invented values while planning. Keep real records in an appropriate private system; the public website does not need them.
| Reference field | Working record | Check before progressing |
|---|---|---|
| time_entry_id | time_entry_id | Resolve the stable source reference in the correct client, entity, and engagement. |
| actual_duration | actual_duration | Resolve the stable source reference in the correct client, entity, and engagement. |
| original_narrative_ref | original_narrative_ref | Resolve the stable source reference in the correct client, entity, and engagement. |
| timekeeper_approval | timekeeper_approval | Use the authorized owner or reviewed decision; unknown values stop the handoff. |
Acceptance checks
- A suggested edit cannot add work not performed.
- A duration change requires a fresh review.
- A repeated source event creates only one current review task.
- A changed source version invalidates an earlier approval.
Walk through a successful example, a duplicate, a missing item, an incorrect match, and an interrupted handoff with synthetic records. Record the expected result, observed result, owner, and recovery action. Checklists record your work; checking a box does not establish that an external action happened.
Ownership and review
Name the person responsible for the process and the person who can resolve an exception. Define which decisions require qualified professional review. Use stable references, limit access to private records, and document when work must stop. Educational material does not establish legal, accounting, tax, security, or regulatory compliance.
Run a measured pilot
Choose a small, reversible sample. Measure handling time, waiting time, review, rework, and errors before changing the process. Include the effort of maintaining the new method. Expand only when the observed result meets your acceptance criteria; a longer checklist is not proof of improved performance.
Use the free workflow planner to define your next step, or compare the assumptions in the opportunity calculator.