Harvest
Time Tracking
Sign up free

Timesheet Software for Engineering Firms

Engineering firms face unique challenges in project billing and compliance. Harvest offers specialized timesheet software that integrates time tracking with project financials, ensuring accurate billing and regulatory adherence.

Try Harvest Free

Will this project be profitable?

Estimate your project cost, set the right price, and know exactly how many hours your team can spend before margin disappears.

Total hours across all team members
$
Average rate across all roles on the project
15%
Scope creep is real. Most projects need 10-25% buffer to stay profitable.
Recommended project price $0
Base cost (before buffer) $0
Hours per person per week 0h
Weekly burn rate $0
Max hours before loss 0h

Track project hours with Harvest

Walk through the entire flow below. Start a timer, check your reports, and create a real invoice — all in three clicks.

Go ahead — start tracking!

One click and you're timing. Try it right here: start a timer, add an entry, edit the details. This is exactly how it feels in Harvest.

  • One-click timer from browser, desktop & mobile
  • Works inside Jira, Asana, Trello, GitHub & 50+ tools
  • Duration or start/end — your call
  • Day, week & calendar views to stay on top of it all
  • Friendly reminders so no hour gets left behind
Acme Corp
Website Redesign
Homepage layout revisions
1:24:09
Content Strategy
Blog calendar planning
1:30:00
SEO Audit
Technical audit report
0:45:00
Brand Guidelines
Color system documentation
2:15:00
Logo Concepts
Initial sketches round 1
1:00:00
Today's total 6:54:09

The Strategic Imperative: Why Engineering Firms Need Specialized Timesheet Software

Engineering firms require specialized timesheet software to manage project-based work, ensure accurate billing, and maintain regulatory compliance. Unlike generic solutions, these tools integrate time logging with project financials, cost rates, and profitability calculations in real-time. This integration is crucial for preventing budget overruns and enhancing financial visibility. For instance, engineering firms using integrated time billing software have reported up to 66% time savings on administrative tasks and experienced 2x faster billing cycles, with a 44% reduction in budget overruns.

Traditional time tracking systems often fall short in addressing the complex needs of engineering workflows. By linking hours to project financials, firms can improve revenue recognition and utilization rates. This capability is essential for maintaining profitability in an industry where every hour represents a billable cost. As such, specialized timesheet software is not just a tool but a strategic imperative for engineering firms aiming to optimize their operations.

Essential Features for Engineering Timesheet Software

For engineering firms, timesheet software must offer features that go beyond basic time logging. A key requirement is granular time tracking that includes project, phase, task, and billable vs. non-billable classification. This level of detail is crucial for accurate billing and cost tracking. Additionally, software should support dynamic cost and billing rates, automatically applying the correct rates based on roles, projects, or tasks. For example, a senior engineer might have a billing rate of 900 DKK/hour compared to 400 DKK/hour for a graduate engineer.

Real-time financial visibility is another critical feature, allowing instant updates to budgets, estimates at completion (EAC), and project margins. Comprehensive expense management, including tracking and receipt capture for reimbursable expenses, ensures costs are accurately billed to clients. Harvest, for example, offers these capabilities while also providing robust reporting and integration with project management, accounting, and payroll systems, making it a comprehensive solution for engineering firms.

Navigating Compliance: Legal and Industry-Specific Requirements

Compliance with legal and industry-specific requirements is crucial for engineering firms when selecting timesheet software. In the U.S., the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) mandates accurate time and pay record-keeping for all non-exempt employees. This includes tracking total hours worked daily and weekly, as well as maintaining payroll records for at least three years. Compliant software must provide audit trails showing entries, approvals, and timestamps.

Beyond general labor laws, engineering projects, especially those involving government contracts, may require adherence to standards like DCAA or FAR. These regulations necessitate detailed and auditable timekeeping. Harvest supports these compliance needs by providing role-specific billing rates and real-time budget tracking, ensuring accurate project oversight and adherence to regulatory standards.

Implementing for Success: Best Practices and Overcoming Challenges

Successful implementation of timesheet software in engineering firms involves several best practices. Clear guidelines on recording working hours and defining overtime are essential. Regular employee training helps emphasize the importance of accurate time recording for compliance and project success. Choosing a system that aligns with team workflows, such as web entry for office staff and mobile apps for field teams, ensures ease of use and accuracy.

It's also important to establish effective approval workflows with financial context, allowing managers to confirm total hours and review overtime. Leveraging mobile access and offline capabilities is crucial for field teams, ensuring that time tracking is both convenient and reliable. By implementing these strategies, engineering firms can overcome challenges like resistance to time tracking and ensure successful adoption of timesheet software.

Harvest Timesheet Software

See how Harvest's timesheet software offers engineering firms real-time budget tracking and role-specific billing rates.

Screenshot of Harvest timesheet software for engineering firms.

Timesheet Software for Engineering Firms FAQs

  • Essential features for engineering timesheet software include granular time tracking with project, phase, task, and billable vs. non-billable classification. It should also offer dynamic cost and billing rates and real-time financial visibility. Comprehensive expense management and robust reporting are crucial for accurate billing and project oversight.

  • Timesheet software improves project management by providing visibility into productivity, resource allocation, and billing. This ensures accurate invoicing and stronger project performance by tracking progress at every stage and identifying budget pressures. Harvest, for example, integrates time tracking with project financials for better oversight.

  • Yes, specialized timesheet software supports various billing structures, such as flat-fee, hourly, and project-based rates. It allows tracking of reimbursable expenses, including mileage, with receipt uploads and categorization. Harvest offers these capabilities, ensuring accurate expense management and billing.

  • Engineering firms must comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which requires accurate time and pay records. Timesheet software should maintain audit trails and adhere to standards like DCAA or FAR for government projects. Harvest supports these needs with comprehensive tracking and reporting features.

  • Engineers may resist timesheet software if it's seen as administrative overhead. Resistance often occurs if the system is difficult to use or if there's a lack of understanding of how timesheets affect project profitability and staffing. Effective training and user-friendly systems like Harvest can mitigate these challenges.

  • Important integrations for engineering project management tools include seamless connections with project management, accounting, and payroll systems. These integrations reduce manual data entry and errors, enhancing overall efficiency. Harvest offers integrations with popular platforms like Asana, QuickBooks, and more.

  • Harvest helps avoid project budget overruns by offering real-time budget tracking with alerts when approaching limits. This ensures that projects stay within budget and provides instant updates to financial metrics, aiding in proactive management and decision-making.

  • Yes, Harvest can track reimbursable expenses specific to engineering projects. It allows for receipt capture and categorization, ensuring accurate reimbursement and billing to clients. This feature streamlines expense management and improves financial accuracy.