Overview
Ekso tracks the time people spend on work items and on non-billable activities. Time data flows into billing, profitability analysis, and resource planning. Billable time entries are tied to items within a cycle, while non-billable entries are logged independently against predefined categories.
The Timesheet is the primary interface for recording and reviewing time. It gives each user a weekly view that combines billable and non-billable time in one place.
Timesheet
The Timesheet is a per-user weekly view for logging and reviewing time. Navigate between weeks using the date picker and arrow controls in the top-right corner.
Weekly grid
The top section displays a grid of items with time logged during the selected week. Each row is an item and each column is a day (Monday through Sunday). Time entries appear at the intersection — for example, “1h 22m” in the Wednesday column for a given item. A running total at the top shows the combined hours for the week.
Assigned items
Below the grid, the Assigned panel lists all items currently assigned to you. Each item shows its process icon, status, item key, and name. Click the + button next to an item to log time against it.
Items appear here based on your assignments across boards and cycles. Items in any status — from Unassigned and In Backlog through to Closed — can have time logged against them, as long as their cycle is still open.
Non-billable categories
The Non-Billable panel lists the available non-billable time categories. Click the + button next to a category to log non-billable time for the selected day. Common categories include:
| Category | Description |
|---|
| Conference | Events and conference attendance |
| Entertainment | Customer, supplier, and partner entertainment activities |
| HR | Conducting job interviews, appraisals, and recruitment-related activities |
| Meetings | Time spent in meetings not related to billable work |
| Offsite | Company-related offsite activities |
| Sickness | Health-related time off |
| Training | Training, self-learning, and mentoring |
| Unpaid | Unpaid time off |
| Vacation | Time off for vacation |
Creating a time entry
When you click the + button on an assigned item or non-billable category, the time entry form opens. Each entry captures:
| Field | Description |
|---|
| Status | The approval state — starts as Pending and is controlled through the board cycle |
| Time entry | Duration in hours and minutes, formatted as 5h 16m |
| Time type | The work type — for example, Development, QA, Internal, or Consulting |
| Comment | Optional notes describing the work performed |
The status field is read-only on the time entry form. Time entry status is controlled through the board cycle approval process, not by the person logging time.
Time entries
A time entry records work done by a specific user on a specific date. Ekso tracks two kinds of time entries:
- Billable — time logged against an item, contributing to cost and revenue calculations
- Non-billable — time logged against a category, tracking non-chargeable activities
By default, a new time entry is Pending. Time can only be logged during an open cycle window — once a cycle is closed, no further time can be logged against its items.
Billable time
Billable time entries represent work you charge to a client or project. Each billable entry is logged against an item and assigned a time type.
Time types
Time types categorize the kind of work performed. Each type can be marked as billable or non-billable and may have an associated rate for revenue calculations. For example, “Development” might have a rate of 150/hourwhile"Consulting"is200/hour.
Billable time types map to SKUs in the finance configuration.
Non-billable time
Non-billable time entries categorize work that is not chargeable. Each non-billable entry uses a non-billable code that explains the reason — for example, meetings, training, or vacation.
Tracking non-billable time lets you understand where non-chargeable hours go and identify opportunities to improve billable utilization.
Time approval
Time entries for billable work follow a three-status approval workflow:
| Status | Description |
|---|
| Pending | Initial state when time is logged — awaiting review |
| Approved | Reviewed and accepted by a board manager |
| Rejected | Returned for correction |
Closing a cycle auto-approves all time entries — including rejected ones. Review and resolve rejected entries before closing if you do not want them approved. Once a cycle is closed, this cannot be undone.
- Fix them — correct the hours, date, or time type
- Remove them — delete the entry so it is not included in the cycle’s approved totals
Work estimates
Items can carry a work estimate in hours. As time is logged, Ekso tracks the gap between estimated and actual time. Risk reports identify items where logged time exceeds the estimate, helping you catch overruns early.
Reporting
Time data feeds into the Insights reporting module, which provides profitability analysis, per-user summaries, item-level financials, and risk reports. Insights calculates cost and revenue using job role hourly rates applied to billable time entries.
For detailed finance configuration (job roles, cost centers, SKUs, non-billable codes, and budget reason codes), see Finance.
