Billable Hour Integrity Check (QA)

Billable Hour Integrity Check (QA)

1. 01

   Pull the prior week's timesheet export before running any utilization math

   Lock the period so late edits cannot shift the numbers after the review starts. A locked export gives the agency one defensible version of the week.

2. 02

   Flag every logged entry that carries no project code or client tag

   Untagged hours are the most common source of revenue leakage because they never reach an invoice. Route each flagged entry back to the person who logged it for a same-day fix.

3. 03

   Compare booked hours against actual hours for each person on a retainer account

   A gap wider than 15 percent in either direction usually means the original estimate was wrong or the scope moved without a change order. Both need a written note before the next planning cycle.

4. 04

   Separate internal, admin, and business-development time from client-billable time

   Teams that track time inside their project management tools tend to blur these categories. Keep them distinct so the billable utilization figure reflects work a client will actually pay for.

5. 05

   Reconcile any entry that exceeds a full working day for one person

   Duplicate entries and forgotten timers inflate totals and distort capacity forecasts. Ask the owner to correct the record rather than adjusting it on their behalf.

6. 06

   Send the corrected summary to the account lead before invoicing runs

   The account lead is the last checkpoint between logged time and a client-facing number. Give them a 24-hour window to dispute anything before the invoice is generated.

7. 07

   Log the variance between estimated and actual hours in the project record

   Over three or four cycles these variances become the estimate baseline for similar work. That baseline is what keeps future retainer pricing honest.