Cost control4 min read
Timesheets and progress payments: what to watch for when moving from Excel to a single record
When the timesheet lives in one file and the progress payment in another, the same information is entered twice and the two files drift apart over time. Tips for a smooth switch.
In many offices, the timesheet is kept in an Excel file on site and the progress payment in a different file in accounting. Because the same information is entered twice, the two files don’t match at the end of the month, and finding the difference takes hours.
First, decide who owns each record
Who will enter the timesheet, and who will approve the progress payment? This is the most important decision when moving to a single record. Usually the site manager enters the timesheet, the project manager approves the progress payment and accounting makes the payment. Everyone takes their own step on the same record.
Set up the crew and tradesperson list once
Record subcontractor work crews and tradespeople once instead of retyping them in the timesheet every day. If daily wages are kept in the same record, the calculation from timesheet to progress payment follows on its own.
Don’t rush to move old files
Trying to import every old Excel file on day one slows the switch down. It is often quicker to work the new way from the start of the next month and keep the old files for reference when needed.
Keep things separate by site
If progress payments and other payments are linked to a construction site, the cost of each site can be seen every day, not just at the end of the month. Nobody has to search later for which job a payment went to.
In YapiEx, the timesheet is entered on site and linked to the crew and daily wage records in the Crews & Tradespeople module; subcontractor progress payments and other payments stay in the same site’s file.
