Time recording in Clio Operate captures the time users spend on work items. That time is used for billing, for reporting, and for monitoring productivity against targets. Users can record time themselves, or Clio Operate can capture it for them as they work.
Understanding time recording
Understanding Time Recording
Time recording in Clio Operate captures the time users spend on work items. That time is used for billing, for reporting, and for monitoring productivity against targets. Users can record time themselves, or Clio Operate can capture it for them as they work.
Overview
How time recording works
Time is recorded against a work item — such as a task, email, prepared document, or matter. Each time recording is saved as a time entry, which holds the duration, a narrative, a time code, and a classification.
Time can be captured in two ways:
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Passive capture
A stopwatch starts automatically when a user opens a work item. When the user closes, pauses, or moves away, the stopwatch stops and a time entry is created. This happens in the background without the user needing to take action. -
Manual entry
A user creates a time entry directly by selecting New Time Entry from the time list or a time command. They enter the duration, narrative, and other details manually.
Time entry states
A time entry moves through the following states:
- Draft - The entry has been created but not yet submitted. The user can edit it.
- Submitted - The entry has been submitted for approval or billing. Depending on configuration, editing may be restricted.
- Revising - The entry has been sent back to draft after being submitted, so it can be corrected and submitted again.
- Approved - The entry has been reviewed and approved.
Passive time capture (stopwatches)
Billable time gets lost when users have to remember what they did and write it up later. Passive capture removes the remembering. Clio Operate times the work as it happens and creates the time entry, so a user checks an entry that already exists rather than reconstructing one at the end of the day.
Passive capture works through automatic stopwatches. The two terms describe the same thing, the idea and the mechanism.
Passive time Capture, start to finish
The user does two things, Clio Operate does the rest.
Three of the six steps need no action from the user. Brief visits create no entry, because a minimum duration applies.
- A user opens a task.
- A stopwatch starts on its own.
- They do the work, then close the task, pause, or move away.
- The stopwatch stops. A time entry is created in Draft, with its codes already filled in from the defaults on the classification.
- A message confirms the entry was created.
- The user checks it, adds or edits the narrative, and submits.
Why firms use it
- Captures short pieces of work that rarely get written up, such as reading an email or taking a two minute call.
- Durations and narratives are more accurate, because nothing depends on recall hours later.
- Time lands on the right work item automatically, since the stopwatch is tied to what the user opened.
- Entries arrive already coded, so there is less for the user to complete.
Users may not notice a stopwatch running
Manual stopwatches
A user can start a stopwatch themselves from the time aspect on a work item. It runs in the background and can be paused or stopped at any time. When it stops, the elapsed time is saved as a time entry. Same result, different trigger.
When stopwatches start and stop
Automatic stopwatches are triggered by system events: opening a work item, closing it, or the work item moving into a particular phase. Triggers are set per work type, so a firm can run passive capture on tasks and emails but not on fixed fee matters. See Configure time recording for a work type.
Browser close behaviour
If a user closes their browser tab or navigates away while a stopwatch is running, the configured action decides what happens. The stopwatch can pause, stop, or prompt them before the tab closes. Where it is set to stop, the time entry is recorded automatically.
Multiple Stopwatches
More than one stopwatch can run at the same time, for example one for a task and one for a related document. Each one produces its own time entry.
What the user is asked for
How a time entry gets its codes
Three things decide what a user is asked for when they record time, and a configurator sets up all three. Each one decides the next.
From a user's viewpoint:
- They choose the kind of time they are recording, billable or non-billable. That choice is the time category.
- That category decides which fields they are then asked to complete. The group of fields is the time classification.
- Each field offers a list of codes to choose from. Each list is a time code set.
Time Categories
A category carries a name, a system name, an enabled flag, a billable flag, and the classification to use by default. The default configuration pack creates two categories, Billable and Non-Billable. You may have more.
Rule groups on a category can change which classification the user sees, based on the work item or the matter it sits under. For example, a dispute matter might present a different set of fields from an advisory matter. See Configure time categories and rules.
Categories can also be restricted per work type, with one pre-selected as the default. See Configure time recording for a work type.
Time Classifications
A classification is little more than a name and the fields it presents. Each field defines its label, whether it offers codes or free text, which code set it draws from, whether it is mandatory at entry or at submission, and what an automatic stopwatch should use as its default. See Configure time codes and classifications.
Time Codes
A set is a reusable list of codes. It can be a flat list, or a hierarchy of parent and child codes. For example, Attendance as a parent code with In-person and Video call beneath it.
Codes must be unique within their set, and a set does nothing until a field on a classification points at it. See Configure time codes and classifications.
Time Containers
A time container is the work item that time rolls up to, typically the matter. Rules can run against the closest work item that is a time container, rather than the work item time is recorded against. Which work types are time containers is set per work type, and a work type inherits the setting from its parent type when it is not set directly.
Other features
Time targets
Time targets set the expected number of hours a user should record per day. Targets can be set at global level, for a specific team, or for a specific user. Results feed into reporting so managers can track whether targets are being met.
Internal costs
An internal cost is what a time entry costs the firm, based on the recorder's wage rather than the rate charged to the client. Recording both lets a firm report on the profitability of the work it does.
Rates sit on a rate card and are resolved by the user's job role, so a partner's hour costs the firm more than a trainee's. A firm can also set a rate for a specific person where theirs differs from the role. Each internal cost is posted as a transaction in the chart of accounts alongside the time entry.
Internal costs are sensitive, so they display only to users who hold the relevant permission. The feature is optional.
Book for others
When enabled, users with the appropriate permission can record time on behalf of another user. This is useful where fee earners have an administrator who manages their time entries. The setting must be enabled at global level and the permission must be granted at team or user level.
Time periods
Time periods limit how far back and forward users can record time. A past limit prevents users from backdating entries beyond a set number of days. A future limit prevents users from recording time more than a set number of days in the future.
Training resources
On-Demand Learning
A training module is available to help you get to know more about Time Recording in Clio Operate on our learning management system, LearnUpon.
Get to know Time Recording in Clio Operate
If you've not used our LearnUpon system before, see On-Demand Learning for details of how to register and access your account.
Time Recording video
Configuration
Configure Time Recording
Global feature
Time Recording Feature Configuration
The Time Recording global feature controls how time is captured, recorded, and submitted across the system.
Modeller > Global Features > Time Recording.
You can enable or disable time recording at any point by toggling it on or off from the feature list.
Click the settings cog to access the settings. This opens the Time Recording Feature blade.
Work Type Configuration
Click the cog icon to open the work type configuration blade. This lists all the work types.
Click the right arrow next to a work type to enable time recording against it. Toggle the option on/off. When toggled on, the configuration settings display.
| Restrict available time categories | Toggle on to restrict what time categories can be used on this work type. When switched on select the time category to restrict. |
| Default time category | Sets the category that is pre-selected when a user records time against this work type. Typical options include Billable and Non-Billable. |
| Automated narrative | Sets a default narrative that is pre-populated when time is recorded. You can also configure whether a narrative is mandatory or optional. |
| Automated stopwatch triggers |
Controls what happens when an automated stopwatch opens for this work type. Options are: start recording automatically on open; stop recording on close. Blade stack behaviour - A blade stack is when multiple blades are open at the same time. This setting controls how stopwatch recording behaves across stacked blades - for example, whether time records against all open blades or only the parent work item (such as the matter). |
| Phase change triggers | Configures the stopwatch to start or stop automatically when the work item moves into a specific phase. For example, start the stopwatch when a task moves to In Progress, and stop it when it moves to Done. |
| Fixed time recording | Sets a fixed amount of time (in minutes) to be automatically recorded when a work item reaches a specified phase. For example, record 30 minutes whenever a document moves to Done. Users can still record additional time on top of this fixed amount. |
Blade Layout
| Time Recording Blade Layout |
Introduced in release 7.12 to incorporate Extended Narrative. Set how you want the narrative to display on the time recording blade. Two options:
The default value is Standard. This setting can be changed at any time to apply the selected layout across all time recording entries for the firm. Extended Narrative blade behaviourWhen the Extended Narrative layout is selected, the following applies when a user opens a manual time entry via the clock icon ribbon button on a work item:
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Unit of measure
| Unit of measure | Sets whether time is recorded in hours or units. |
| Rounding behaviour | Sets how recorded time is rounded, either up or to the nearest interval. |
| Minimum lapse time | Sets the minimum time interval that rounding is applied to. |
Stopwatch behaviour
| On stop |
Controls how time entries are created when a stopwatch is stopped.
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| On pause | When enabled, records a time entry immediately each time a stopwatch is paused, rather than waiting for it to be stopped. |
| Minimum duration | Sets the shortest recording that will generate a time entry. For example, set to 30 seconds so that briefly opening a task does not create an entry. |
| Maximum duration | Sets the longest duration a stopwatch can run before it is capped. |
| Browser navigate/close action | Controls what happens if a user navigates away from the page or closes a tab while a stopwatch is running. Options include pausing the stopwatch or prompting the user before they leave. |
Automatic stopwatch behaviour
Prevent user overrides. When enabled, users cannot change or override the time codes set by automated stopwatches. This applies where a stopwatch has been configured to default to a specific time code.
Time Entry Creation Behaviour
| Minimum & maximum narrative length |
Maximum narrative length introduced in release 7.12 The Minimum narrative length can be used to make the narrative mandatory if set to greater than 0. The Maximum narrative length sets an optional character limit on the narrative field. Leave it blank to apply no limit. The maximum must be greater than the minimum narrative length. If the minimum is not set, it is treated as 0, so any value greater than 0 is valid. When a maximum value is set:
The message displayed in the narrative field depends on how minimum and maximum lengths are configured.
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| Require time code | When enabled, users must select a time code before a time entry can be saved. |
Stopwatch toast behaviour
| Inform users of stopwatch events via toast | When enabled, a notification appears in the bottom-right of the screen when a time entry is created. This confirms to the user that time has been recorded, which is particularly useful when recording is triggered automatically. |
Time targets
Targets can be set at global organisation level or set the expected number of hours to be recorded per day for a given work type. Results can be reported on to track whether targets are being met or exceeded.
Click the settings cogs to configure.
See Time Recording Targets for full details on how to configure time targets.
Book for others
| Allow booking time for other users | When enabled, users with the appropriate permission can record time on behalf of another user. This is useful where fee earners have an administrator who records time for them. Enabling this setting at global level does not grant the permission to all users automatically. It must also be assigned at team or individual user level. |
Time periods
| Historic Time | Sets how many days in the past a user can record time. For example, a value of 30 prevents users from backdating entries beyond 30 days. |
| Future Time | Sets how many days in the future a user can record time. For example, a value of 30 prevents users from booking time more than 30 days ahead. |
Time code sets
Time Recording: Configuring Time Code Sets
A time code set is a collection of codes that identify the type of work being recorded. Sets can have a flat list of codes or a hierarchical structure with parent and child codes. Time code sets are assigned to Classifications and presented to users when they record time.
Time Code Sets
A time code set represents a unique set of codes that are presented on the time capture screen.
Using the screenshot above as an example, Phase and Task and Activity are both time code sets.
Time Code Sets are maintained under Admin > Time.
- The Time code sets panel can be collapsed and expanded.
- Click a time set to see the time codes for that set
- Click + New Set to create a new time set. This opens the Add new time code set blade. Complete the details, Save and Close.
Add Time Codes to a Time Set
Sets can have a flat list of codes or a hierarchical structure with parent and child codes.
+ New Code opens the Add new time code blade. Complete the details, Save and Close.
Time code sets are grouped together in Time Classifications to form the set of codes that are entered on a time entry. A time code set must be assigned to at least one classification before it is available to users.
Time classifications
Time Recording: Configuring Time Classifications
A classification is a segment (set of fields) that captures additional information about a time entry. For example, a classification called Activity might require the user to select a code from an activity code set. Classifications can be mandatory or optional, and can apply at the point of entry or submission.
Classifications are applied globally. If you need different classifications for different work types or matter types, use Category Rule Sets.
Using the screenshot above as an example, a time classification has been defined containing the Time Code Sets of Phase and Task and Activity.
Time Code Classifications are maintained under Admin > Time and consist of one or more segments.
For a given segment, you can specify the following.
| Name | The name of the segment as it will appear for your time entry users |
| Enabled | Controls whether the field displays on the capture screen. Disable a field to remove it without deleting it. |
| Mandatory for entry | Whether your users must enter this code before saving their time entry or not. |
| Mandatory for submission | Whether your users must enter this code before submitting their time entry or not. |
| Capture Type | Whether the user should enter a Time Code Set or a memo field. |
| Time Code Set | If the time capture type is "Time Code Set", select the Time Code Set. |
| Default Time Code for Stopwatches | When a stopwatch is stopped, you can specify the default time code that is recorded. |
You can only delete time classification segments that haven't been used. Once they have been used, you can only disable them.
Time categories & rule sets
Time Recording: Configuring Time Categories and Rule Sets
Whenever a time entry is created, the user will be asked to enter the top-level time category.
It is this choice that determines the different time codes that need to be entered.
Configure Time Categories
Time Categories are defined within Admin > Time and are defined by:
- A Name and unique System Name.
- A flag to indicate whether they are billable or not.
- And the default time classification (or set of fields) that are shown - see Time Recording: Configuring Time Classifications.
In addition to the default time classification, you can also specify a number of Rule Groups to vary the time classification that is used.
Within a rule group, you can specify that a given time classification is shown based on:
- Matching rules that are evaluated for a time container (the time container is typically the matter but could also be the SoW).
- Matching rules that are evaluated for the work item (typically a task) where time is being recorded against it.
Using matching rules, you can:
- Vary the time capture by different matter types - for example, using the JCode classification for dispute matters and a separate classification for real estate matters.
- Vary the time capture for different clients - for example, your client may wish for you to add additional time codes for their matters.
Rules sets are evaluated in the order in which they are displayed on the Admin screen. You can change this order by dragging and dropping them within this screen.
In the Time Recording Global Feature you can configure time categories for work types.
Time targets
Time Recording Targets
Time targets set the hours a user is expected to record. Clio Operate compares recorded time against the target on a schedule, and raises an event where the target is missed, so a firm can follow up with a notification or a task.
Time Targets are set in Time Recording Global Feature Configuration, but how to configure them and how they are used is explained here.
How targets are scoped and inherited
Targets are held at three levels.
Clio Operate resolves a user's target by taking the most specific record that exists, in this order.
- A record set against the user.
- A record set against the user's primary team.
- A record set against the user's working day calendar.
Resolution takes the whole record, not individual categories. A user level record replaces the team and calendar records outright. Where a category is left at 0 on the user level record, it resolves to 0. It does not fall back to the team or the calendar value.
Team targets match on a user's primary team only. Membership of a secondary team has no effect.
Where the blade opens on a user who has no record of their own, the values displayed are inherited from the team or the calendar, and a warning displays at the top of the blade:
Warning: Values are inherited on work types, saving these values here breaks the inheritance.
Saving from that state creates a new record at the user level. The parent record is left untouched, and the user no longer follows it. The warning displays for the user scope only, because team and calendar records are always held at their own level.
DANGER: Saving over an inheritance warning is a one way change, it cannot be reversed. Only do it where you intend that person's targets to be maintained separately from that point on.
Configure targets
Configure a target
Open the Time Target Settings blade for the calendar, team, or user you want to configure.
| Trigger time targets on total hours |
Set Trigger time targets on total hours to reflect how you want misses evaluated. Controls how a missed target is evaluated. Disabled, a miss event is raised when any single category falls short of its target. Enabled, a miss event is raised only when the total hours recorded across all categories falls short of the combined target, so over-recording against one category offsets a shortfall against another. Either way, the event payload lists each category that fell short, with its target and its actual hours. |
| Monday to Sunday |
Enter the target hours for each category, for each day of the week. Each section lists every active time category with an hours box, accepting a value between 0 and 24. Leave a category at 0 for days where no time is expected. To leave a category untargeted at that scope, enter 0 across all seven days.
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| Total |
Displays the sum of the hours entered for that day. Read-only. Check the Total for each day against the working pattern you are modelling.
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Select Save.
Clearing Targets
There is a Remove button on the toolbar. This sets all the hours boxes on the blade to 0. It does not delete the record. To apply the change you still need to select Save, and the record remains in place afterwards at that scope.
Clearing an hours box to blank has the same effect as entering 0. A blank target is read as 0 when targets are checked, so neither value removes the target. A target of 0 can never be missed.
This matters most at the person level, because inheritance depends on whether a record exists at that scope, not on the values it holds. Once a person level record is saved, it continues to take precedence over the team and calendar records whatever the hours are set to. As mentioned above, saving over an inheritance warning is irreversible. Only do it where you intend that person's targets to be maintained separately from that point on.
Turning User time targets or Team time targets off in the Time Targets Configuration blade does not reverse this. Those settings control whether the pickers display, and have no effect on records that already exist or on how targets are resolved when checks run.
Warning: Removing a person or team level record, so that targets inherit again, is a database operation. Raise it with your implementation contact rather than attempting it from the interface.
How targets are checked
Two scheduled checks compare recorded time against the configured targets.
- The daily check takes the previous day, reads the target for that day of the week, and compares it against time recorded on that date.
- The weekly check sums all seven days per category, and compares the total against time recorded in the previous week. The week is treated as starting on Monday.
Weekly Check Leeway (Days), in the Time Targets Configuration blade, delays the weekly check by the number of days you specify from Monday. This allows time for the previous week's entries to be submitted. Accepted values are 0 to 6.
Only submitted time counts
Missed Targets
Where a target is missed, a daily-time-target-missed or weekly-time-target-missed event is raised for the user.
Nothing consumes these events by default. Configuring a response, such as a notification or a task, is an implementation activity. Until that is done, a missed target is recorded in the logs and produces no visible outcome.
Where targets display
The Time Radar widget compares recorded hours against target hours for the people working on a matter.
Internal costs
Time - Internal Costs
When a time recording entry is created, it is possible to record the internal cost associated with that time. The internal cost represents the time recorder's wage, rather than their charge-out rate. Recording it alongside the charge out value lets a firm report on the profitability of work.
Create the Rate Card
An internal cost rate card will likely already exist on your database.
- Navigate to Modeller > Global Features > Finance.
- Enable Goods & Services, then select the settings cog.
- Create an Internal Cost Rate.
- You must ensure the item type category is set to be an internal cost rate item.
- Save & Close.
Internal cost global feature
The Time - Internal Cost feature, located in Modeller > Global Features > Finance, must be enabled in order for the internal cost to be captured when time recording.
Pre-requisites: Enable the Chart of Accounts global feature first. Time - Internal Costs depends on it and will not validate without it. You also need a Goods and Services rate card whose item type category is set to an internal cost rate item.
- Navigate to Modeller > Global Features > Finance.
- Enable Time - Internal Costs, then select the settings cog.
- Set a default internal hourly rate for every enabled currency.
The default rates are used for any user for which an internal rate has been created. The internal cost rates are configured via a rate card, which internal rate card to use is configured within this area.
- Select the internal cost rate card.
- When time is recorded, the internal cost is recorded as a transaction in the chart of accounts. Set the account the transaction posts to and map each of the four time statuses to a transaction status.
- Save & Close.
Create rates for internal costs
Once an internal rate card has been created, the cost rates for each job role need to be configured.
The internal costs rates are determined by a users job role. For example:
- a partner's internal cost = £250.00 per hour
- a trainee = £50.00 per hour
Optionally, a firm may also choose to create rates for specific people. For example: Wendy is a partner, the default rate for a partner is £250.00 but the rate for Wendy is £285.00 an hour.
For the user specific rates to be valid, they must be configured against the correct job role for the user, i.e. if Wendy's job role was not a partner than the rate record below would not be applied.
- Navigate to Admin > Finance > Internal Costs.
- Select Add Item > Internal Cost Record or click on an internal cost record to edit it.
- Complete the Item Details.
- To add the rates click + in Pricing
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Default Rate  |
Individual Person Rate  |
Rate for different Jurisdictions  |
- All rates then display in pricing:
- Save & Close.
How a rate is chosen
Once rates have been configured, any time recording records the internal cost in the Chart of Accounts.
Rates are resolved by job role first, then narrowed by person and jurisdiction. The default rate is the fallback.
| Order | Match | Used when |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Person and jurisdiction | A rate exists for that person in that jurisdiction. |
| 2 | Person | A rate exists for that person with no jurisdiction. |
| 3 | Jurisdiction | A rate exists for the jurisdiction with no person. |
| 4 | Default rate | No job role rate is matched for the user. |
Job role is resolved at the entry's start time.
Adding a person specific rate for one partner overrides the partner default for that person only.
Who can see internal costs
Internal costs are sensitive. Visibility is controlled by the Time internal costs - Read permission, which applies to time queries, time entry list views and financial transaction list views.
As the internal cost is a sensitive information, whether internal costs are visual to a user is controlled via Time Recording Permissions.
List views & portals
Time Recording: Configuring list views and portals
Five time recording elements can be placed on portals and work item blades. This article covers the time specific configuration.
Time entry list view
Clio Operate includes a dedicated time entry list view provider, core-time-entries. Configure it with the list view widget to display time entries on a portal.
The list view provides specific filtering capabilities for:
| Filter | What it does |
|---|---|
| Timekeeper | Filters by the person who recorded the time. |
| Time state | Filters by state: Draft, Revising, Submitted or Approved. |
| Time period | Combines a unit, day or week, with a relative period, current, previous or next. |
Internal cost columns are permission gated
The list view supports CSV export. The export includes the time entry state and the recorder's job role alongside the visible columns.
Time commands
Add either command to a portal, a blade or a menu.
| Command | System name | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Record a time entry | record-time-entry | Opens the time entry blade to record time against a work item. |
| View time entries | view-time-entries | Opens the time entry list view blade, for time booked against the current work item or the user's own time. |
Time top navigation widget
Time Entry Quick View (Sharedo.Core.Case.Widgets.StopwatchQuickView) sits in the top-menu and displays running stopwatches.
Place and configure it through Menu Configuration.
Time nav bar aspect
The Time Nav aspect displays a summary of time recorded against a work item, and gives quick access to the entries.
Add it to a work item blade through the Blade Editor.
Time radar
The Time Radar widget compares recorded hours against target hours for the people working on a work item, with a cumulative time by person chart and a count of time entries. It sits well above a time entry list view on the same page.
The radar needs targets to be meaningful. Target hours come from the time target configuration. Where no target is set for the people involved, the widget has nothing to compare recorded time against. See Configure time targets.
Add the widget through Introduction to Personas and Portals.
Permissions
Time Recording Permissions
Two things decide what a user can do to a time entry. The time permissions they hold, and their update access to the matter the time is recorded against. Both apply.
What each permission does
Ten permissions sit in the Time group. The description column is the wording shown in the product, which is generic for several of them, so the third column explains what each one actually governs.
| Permission | Description in the product | What it governs |
|---|---|---|
| Time - Read | Restricts access to all time views across the application | Seeing time entries anywhere: list views, the time nav bar and the time entry blade. Without it, a user sees no time at all. |
| Time - Create | Restricts access to time recording | Recording time, by stopwatch or by hand. |
| Time - Update | Restricts access to time recording | Nothing today, despite the name. Editing an entry is governed by the state of the entry and by update access to the matter. Withholding this permission does not stop a user changing their time. |
| Time - Delete | Restricts access to time recording | Deleting an entry while it is in Draft or Revising. A user can delete their own entries. Deleting someone else's also needs Time - Finance Admin. |
| Time - Finance Admin | Can reverse time entries and manage time actions that have financial impact | Returning a submitted entry to Revising so it can be corrected, and editing or deleting time belonging to another user. Owning an entry is not enough to un-submit it, so this is the only route to correcting submitted time. In the default configuration pack it is granted to the System Admin permission set alone. |
| Time - Record for others | Can book time for other users | Recording and editing time on behalf of another user. Has no effect unless Allow booking time for other users is also enabled in the global feature. In the default configuration pack it is granted to the System Admin permission set alone. |
| Time - View Fee Costs | Can view Fee costs for time records | Seeing the fee cost, what the client is charged, on a time record. |
| Time Internal Costs - Read | Restricts access to Time Internal Costs views across the system |
Seeing internal costs, what the work costs the firm, on time entries, in time entry list views and on financial transactions. This is sensitive data - only assign to users who need to see internal costs. |
| Time Targets - View | Can view time targets | Seeing time targets. Also required for the two time target settings to display in the global feature. |
| Time Targets - Update | Can update time targets | Setting and changing time target values. |
Another permission not in the Time Group is Admin Access - Finance. This governs opening the Finance area of the Admin portal, which contains Admin > Time. Without it a user cannot maintain time code sets, classifications or categories, whatever time permissions they hold. Not the same as Time - Finance Admin, which governs what a user can do to a time entry.
Who can edit a time entry
| To do this | A user needs |
|---|---|
| Edit their own entry, in Draft or Revising | Update access to the matter the time is recorded against. No separate time permission gates this today. |
| Edit another user's entry, in Draft or Revising | Time - Finance Admin and Time - Record for others, with Allow booking time for other users enabled, and update access to the matter. |
| Move a Submitted entry back to Revising | Time - Finance Admin. Owning the entry is not enough, so a user cannot un-submit their own time. |
| Edit or reverse an Approved entry | Not possible, for anyone. Approved time is frozen. |
Matter access: A user who holds every time permission still cannot touch time recorded against a matter they cannot update. Anyone correcting time across the firm needs update access to those matters as well.
Default grants
From the default configuration pack. Any environment that has been live for a while may differ, so confirm what a firm's permission sets actually hold.
| Permission set | Time - Finance Admin | Time - Delete |
|---|---|---|
| System Admin | Yes, the only set that has it | Yes |
| Fee Earners | No | Yes |
| Support Staff | No | Yes |
| Team Leaders | No | Yes |
| Case Admin | No | Yes |
| Finance | No | Yes |
| Client Case Handler | No | No |
For how permission sets are created and assigned, see Global Permissions and Role-based Permissions.
Check the environment rather than the defaults. A live environment may have been changed since, so confirm what a firm's permission sets actually hold before advising on them.
What to think about when assigning
- Decide who returns submitted time for correction. Only Time - Finance Admin can do it, so that group is the single route to fixing a submitted entry. One person is a bottleneck, and an absence stops corrections.
- Check where the permission sits today. In the default configuration pack, Time - Finance Admin is granted to System Admin alone, which is usually IT rather than finance.
- Avoid solving it with System Admin. That set carries broad platform permissions well beyond time recording. A dedicated set for the people who own timesheet quality, usually finance or billing, and sometimes team leaders, keeps the reach proportionate.
- Decide whether users keep Time - Delete. Fee earners hold it by default. Deleting your own draft is normal housekeeping, but combined with editing it means a user can reshape their own time freely until they submit it.
- Check Time - Record for others. It is granted to System Admin only by default, so booking time for someone else needs both the permission and the setting.
- Decide who sees costs. Time - View Fee Costs exposes what the client is charged, and Time Internal Costs - Read exposes what the work costs the firm. Treat the second as the more sensitive of the two.
- Separate viewing targets from setting them. Time Targets - View and Time Targets - Update are different permissions, so a team leader can be given sight of targets without the ability to change them.
- Remember the matter side. Permissions decide what a user may do to time in principle. Matter access decides which time they can reach.
Configure Passive Time Capture
Configure passive time capture
Passive time capture times work as it happens. A stopwatch starts when a user opens a work item, stops when they close it, and a time entry is created for them, already coded. This article covers the whole setup in the order it needs doing. See Understanding Time Recording for a full overview.
Some of the detail here also appears in the articles about the global feature, work types and classifications. It is repeated so you can work through the setup without moving between articles.
Before you start
- You need access to Modeller, and the finance admin access permission, to reach Admin > Time.
- The people the capture applies to need Time - Read and Time - Create permissions.
- Decide which work types should capture time passively before you start, because most of the configuration is per work type.
Configuration
Enable time recording
Nothing else works until the feature is on.
- Navigate to Modeller > Global Features.
- Locate Work Item Time Recording in the Case category.
- Toggle the feature on.
- Select the settings cog. The Time Recording Configuration blade displays.
Set how stopwatches behave
Decides when an entry is created, how short a visit is ignored, and what happens when the browser closes. These settings are system wide. They apply to every work type that captures time.
When an entry is created
Select one of three options. They are mutually exclusive, so choosing one replaces the others.
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| On Stop - Record as a single consolidated entry | Creates one entry when the stopwatch stops, however long it ran. |
| On Stop - Record an entry per day | Creates one entry for each day the stopwatch spans. Use this where stopwatches run across more than one day. |
| On Pause - Record a time entry immediately | Creates an entry each time the user pauses, rather than waiting for the stopwatch to stop. |
Duration limits and browser behaviour
| Setting | What to set |
|---|---|
| Minimum Duration for a Stopwatch (Seconds) | Below this, no entry is created. This is what stops a two second visit to a task producing a time entry. Note the unit is seconds. |
| Maximum Duration for a Stopwatch (Minutes) | The longest a stopwatch runs before it is capped. Note the unit is minutes. |
| Browser Navigate / Close Action |
Choose what happens when the user navigates away or closes:
|
| Inform users of stopwatch events via toast | Displays a notification in the bottom right when a stopwatch starts or stops, and when an entry is created. Enabled by default. Leave it on for passive capture, because it is the only signal a user gets. |
Set the work type triggers
Decides what starts and stops a stopwatch.
- In the Time Recording Global Feature, select the cog on Work Type Configuration. A list of work types displays.
- Select the right arrow next to the work type you want to configure. The Time Recording Settings blade displays.
- Set Enable Time Recording to enabled.
- Under Automatic Stopwatches - System Triggers, enable Start on Open, Stop on Close, or both. Start on Open on its own is enough.
- Set Blade stack behaviour to Trigger events for parent only or Trigger events for all blades.
Blade stack behaviour is only enabled once Start on Open or Stop on Close is on, so set the triggers first. Where neither is on, no stopwatch starts by itself and there is no passive capture on that work type. - Under Automatic Stopwatches - Phase Change Triggers, add any phases that should start or stop a stopwatch.
- Save the blade.
Fixed time is a separate mechanism on the same blade. It records a set number of minutes when a work item moves between two phases, rather than timing the work.
Give automatic entries their codes
An automatic stopwatch has nobody to ask which codes to use, so it uses the defaults on the classification. Without them, entries arrive with empty fields and the user has to complete each one, which removes most of the benefit.
- Navigate to Admin > Time > Time Classifications.
- Open the classification used by the categories the work type can record against.
- Open each field in turn.
- Under Automatic recording, set Default time code for fields that capture a time code set.
- Set Default value for fields that capture a memo.
- Check every field, including mandatory ones. A field marked Mandatory for submission with no default leaves the user with an entry they cannot submit until they complete it. Either give it a default, or accept that users complete that field by hand.
- Save.
For how classifications and their fields work, see Time Classifications.
Add the widget to the blade
Triggers control when time is captured. The blade controls whether anyone can see it.
- Navigate to Modeller > Work Types.
- Select the work type, then select Blade Editor.
- Add the time recording widget to the blade.
- Save the blade.
This is the step most often missed. Where the triggers are configured but the widget is not on the blade, time is captured and users have no way to see it on the work item. It is the usual cause of a report that passive time recording is not working.
Decide what users can change
Automatic entries can be locked down more than manual ones. Both settings are in the Time Recording Global Feature under automatic stopwatch behaviour.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Restrict users from overriding automatic stopwatch duration and start/end dates | Prevents users editing the recorded duration or the start and end dates on an entry a stopwatch created. |
| Restrict users from overriding time codes for these stopwatches | Prevents users changing the codes the stopwatch applied. |
| Enable for users with permission | Displays under each restriction. Holders of the selected permission are exempt from it. |
Things that catch people out
- The widget. Triggers without the widget means invisible time.
- Minimum duration set too high. Short pieces of work are exactly what passive capture is meant to catch, so a high minimum defeats the purpose. A high maximum has the opposite risk, capping a genuine long session.
- Missing defaults on mandatory fields. Users end up with entries they cannot submit.
- Toasts turned off. Users then have no signal that time is being recorded for them, which is where complaints about unexpected entries come from.
- Assuming Time - Update controls editing. It does not. Use the override restrictions above to limit what users can change on automatic entries.
Record and submit time
Working with Time Recording: Managing time entries
Subject to configuration, you can create time entries against any work item. You can record time against cases, matters, emails, compliance searches or documents. What you see on the time entry blade depends on how your firm has configured time recording.
Passive time - recorded automatically
Your firm may set Clio Operate to time your work for you. Where it does, a stopwatch starts when you open a work item, and stops when you close it, pause it, or move away. A time entry is created for you in Draft, with its codes already completed.
You do not have to start anything. A notification in the bottom right of the screen confirms when an entry has been created, and any running stopwatches display in the Time menu in the top navigation.
You can also start a stopwatch yourself from the Time nav bar on a work item, then pause or stop it whenever you want. Either way, the result is a draft time entry for you to check, add a narrative to, and submit.
| What you may notice | Why |
|---|---|
| Opening a work item briefly creates no entry | Your firm sets a minimum duration, below which nothing is recorded. |
| More than one stopwatch runs at the same time | You can have one per work item, and each produces its own time entry. |
| Closing the browser behaves differently for different firms | A running stopwatch can pause, stop, or prompt you first, depending on how your firm has set it up. |
| You cannot always change the duration or the codes | Your firm can restrict edits to entries created automatically. Ask an administrator if you need a change. |
For more details, see Understanding time recording.
Manually record time
Where to record time
-
Top Navigation - The Time menu in the global top navigation displays your running stopwatches and your recent entries. Use it to record time that is not tied to the work item you are looking at.
-
Work Item Blade - Open a work item such as a task, then use the Time nav bar. Use this to record time against that work item.
Create a time entry
- Start a stopwatch, or select the option to record a time entry.
- Stop the stopwatch, or open the new entry. The Edit Time Entry blade displays.
- Complete the fields.
|
User to book time for | Yourself, or another person where you have permission to book on their behalf. |
| Work Item | The work item the time is recorded against. | |
| Classification | The codes required for this type of work. The fields you see depend on the time category you select. | |
| Time Details | The start date, and the duration or number of units. | |
| Narrative | The billing narrative. Your firm may set a minimum or maximum length, or generate the narrative for you. |
- Save the entry. It is saved in Draft until you submit it.
Time Entry States
Across your time entries, you will see a number of different icons and colours to indicate their state.
 |
Draft - time entry is in a draft state and will not be recognised for billing purposes. |
 |
Revising - time entry has been moved back to draft from a submitted state and requires attention. |
 |
Submitted - time entry has been submitted and can no longer be changed. |
Revise a time entry
What you can do to an entry depends on the state it is in.
| State | Edit | Submit | Revise | Delete |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draft | Yes | Yes | Not needed | Yes |
| Revising | Yes | Yes | Not needed | Yes |
| Submitted | No | No | Time administrator only | No |
| Approved | No | No | No | No |
While an entry is in Draft or Revising it is yours to change. You can edit it, and delete it where your firm has given you that permission.
Once you submit it, you cannot edit or delete it yourself. A time administrator has to revise it back first, which returns it to Revising so it can be corrected and submitted again. Ask an administrator if you spot a mistake in submitted time.
Approved time is frozen: An approved entry cannot be edited, revised or deleted, by anyone. Check an entry before submitting it, because approval is the point of no return.
What you can change
On an editable entry you can change the start and end date and time, the duration, the narrative, the job role, the time category, the fee structure section, and the time codes.
Two things cannot be changed by editing: the person the time belongs to, and the work item it is recorded against. To move time to a different matter or a different person, delete the entry and record it again.
Where an entry was created by an automatic stopwatch, your firm can prevent you changing the duration or the time codes. See Understanding Time Recording.
Permissions
See Time Recording Permissions for details of all permissions.
Submit a time entry
Submitting a time entry
When a time entry is first created, it will typically be in a draft state. When you are satisfied that it is complete, you will need to submit it.
This can be done by:
- Clicking the submit button
- Bulk selecting time entries in a list view and clicking the "submit action"
