The following timesheet workflow approvals come pre-delivered in iBE:

1. Timesheet with Approval - splits the timesheet into rows (project, task, department) when submitted and flows each project/task or "row" of a timesheet to their respective project, task or department head (whoever is found first). Once approved, billable timesheet rows are routed to "ready for billing" and non-billable (including fixed price) timesheet rows are marked as closed. Billing automatically updates the timesheet "row" status to partially or fully billed
2. Timesheet with Single Approval - this workflow does not split the timesheet by row, rather it directs the entire timesheet as a single approval message to the employee's line manager. Once approved the timesheet is split up by project / task or row with billable rows becoming ready for billing (as above) and non-billable rows becoming closed. Use this workflow for approvals going through a central function or department (e.g. finance)
3. Timesheet with No Approval - this workflow skips the approval step completely. As soon as a timesheet is submitted the billable rows become ready for billing and non-billable rows are marked as closed
4. Timesheet with Approval for Billable Items - this workflow splits the timesheet by row, routing billable rows to their respective project, task or department manager for approval and closing out non-billable rows on submission without approval. It is not recommended to use this workflow (no-one else uses it).

There are thousands of ways in which clients can customize their workflows in iBE, however some of the most common customizations are as follows:

• iBE clients often route Timesheet with Single Approval to a centralized individual or a team of people such as finance department. You can enter multiple recipients to work in parallel (i.e. the first one in the team approves the timesheet for everyone) or in series (route to one person, then the next and so on) or in parallel where everyone has to do their approval
• Clients also implement two step approvals for example approval first by the project manager and then by finance team. Or they might set up two work-schedules (for example employees vs. contractors) with two timesheet types incurring two different workflows, one going to the project manager and one (for contractors with hourly pay) going to the project manager and to finance
• Some clients create custom roles on the project such as project director or program manager using custom fields. They then route timesheet approvals to the project director instead of the project manager or leader. It is possible to route workflow approvals for any object in iBE to a custom role or custom field on the object, provided the custom field is of type "resource". Refer to custom fields help for more information
• Clients with a large contingent of hourly paid contractors often add an extra "reimbursement" step after the timesheet has been approved, to keep track of the contractor payments. iBE also supports the generation of contractor invoices from timesheets, however adding a reimbursement step is a quick and easy way to keep track. Be aware that billable timesheets are also using row status to keep track of what has been billed - it may not be acceptable to put billing and reimbursement sequentially because you can't be sure which is carried out first - billing or reimbursement. For that reason we recommend you always contact iBE before using timesheet status for tracking contract labor reimbursement.

These are just some examples of how timesheet workflows are customized. You can customize workflows in iBE to do pretty much anything, including conditional approvals, multiple/team recipients and customized workflow messages. Contact your iBE support or implementation consultant for guidance.