---
id: UJ-014
title: Track, review, approve, lock, and report time
actors: [MEMBER, OWNER, ADMIN, manager/approver]
surface: app.zync.is/time and app.zync.is/reports/time
goal: Turn work time into an approved, reportable, and optionally billable record.
trigger: Staff user starts a timer or enters time manually.
preconditions:
  - Active tenant session; project/task exists when required; approval/rounding rules are configured.
success_state: Time entry has a durable duration, approval/lock state, report inclusion, and optional invoice linkage.
source_specs:
  - docs/specs/2026-05-30-time-management.md
  - docs/specs/2026-05-31-time-approval-workflow.md
  - docs/specs/2026-05-31-time-entry-locking.md
  - docs/specs/2026-05-31-time-reports.md
  - docs/specs/2026-05-31-time-to-invoice.md
  - docs/specs/2026-05-31-team-time-overview.md
---

## Happy path

1. User chooses project/task, enters a task name if needed, and starts the timer → Zync creates one running entry and shows the live counter.
2. User stops the timer → Zync records `stopped_at`, computes duration, and returns the widget to idle; a user may instead submit a manual entry.
3. If approval is required, entry becomes pending; an approver reviews, approves, or rejects with a reason.
4. Approved entry becomes eligible for reports and billing; after the lock boundary it cannot be edited.
5. User opens time reports/team overview → filters by period/project/user/status and exports or sends eligible time to invoice creation.

## Alternate and failure paths

- Starting another timer warns and stops/reconciles the existing running entry according to the one-active-timer rule.
- Rejected entry returns for correction or remains excluded from billing.
- Locked period/entry → edits and deletion are blocked; correction follows the correction workflow.
- Invalid project, overlap, missing duration, or tier limit → show validation and keep source data unchanged.

## Permissions and boundaries

- User sees own time; approver sees entries in assigned approval scope; CONTRACTOR uses the contractor journey.
- Time approval and locking are separate from invoice approval.

## Source specs

- `docs/specs/2026-05-30-time-management.md`
- `docs/specs/2026-05-31-time-approval-workflow.md`
- `docs/specs/2026-05-31-time-entry-locking.md`
- `docs/specs/2026-05-31-time-reports.md`
- `docs/specs/2026-05-31-time-to-invoice.md`
- `docs/specs/2026-05-31-team-time-overview.md`