Write clear time-recording instructions
Give contributors a usable rule for capture, correction and escalation.
Give contributors a short, concrete instruction sheet covering what to record, when to record it, how to correct it and who can help. Test the instructions with a fictional day before rollout.
Write the minimum record in plain language
Name the required date, project or task code, duration format and description standard. Explain why each is needed and who can see it. Avoid “track everything”: it gives no boundary and may encourage unnecessary collection. If automatic tracking is used, separately explain what it collects and how work away from a keyboard is represented. Do not describe collection settings as legal authorization.
Show a completed example and a correction
An original fictional example could read: record W-201, contributor P-07, project PR-04, 45 minutes, “prepare handoff notes,” submitted. If the project should be PR-09, keep the record ID and describe the project reassignment; do not enter another 45-minute record and leave both active. Explain which changes contributors can make directly and which need a reviewer.
Make uncertainty reportable
Provide a route for a forgotten timer, a wrong identity, an unavailable project code or an unexplained gap. Ask for the contributor’s account of what happened, not a guessed duration based only on a calendar booking. A disputed entry should remain visibly unresolved until the designated reviewer decides how to proceed. Do not turn an instruction sheet into an automatic pay or disciplinary rule.
Check whether someone can follow it
Ask a representative contributor to work through a fictional meeting, task switch and late correction using only the sheet. Where they hesitate, improve the wording or the process. Add a version date and an owner so instructions can change with the configuration. A long policy that nobody can apply is a weaker operational control than a concise guide backed by an accessible correction process.
Continue this work-record check
Use the linked guide for the next decision in this workflow. Keep your original records separate from experiments and record any unresolved requirement before changing a live process.
Sources and boundaries
Primary documentation supports the dated product facts. Proposed checks and fictional examples are our editorial method, not observed product results.
- DeskTime — manual · checked September 23, 2026
- Clockify — timesheet · checked September 23, 2026