# Build-or-buy billing decision sheet

First-party project companion.

Separate what was worked, what was approved and what was billed before choosing the software.

## How to use this sheet

Replace the example rules with your own. Keep each acceptance decision linked to its owner and evidence. Use the blank CSV to record your actual process; the example CSV contains teaching material.

| Rule to test | Example to bring | Acceptance question |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Rollover | Unused hours and a rollover cap | Does the next period start with the agreed allowance? |
| Overage | An agreement that carries extra hours | Is overage carried or billed, without doing both? |
| Approval | A submitted hour awaiting review | Can it affect the budget without entering the invoice? |
| Correction | Time allocated to an already closed month | Who can reopen the period and reconcile the effect? |
| Portal | Internal notes beside a client summary | Does the client see only the intended information? |

## Workflow

1. **Capture time** (Team member): Task, client, duration and allocation date.
2. **Review time** (Authorized reviewer): Staff approval determines invoice eligibility.
3. **Calculate period** (Retainer calculation): Allowance, rollover and bill-or-carry overage.
4. **Prepare billing** (Billing operator): Approved time and approved overage feed the billing view.

Exception: A missing overage rate is surfaced as a warning. Corrected time or a reopened period needs a deliberate billing review; the diagram does not imply automatic invoice dispatch.

## Measurement

To substantiate an efficiency result, record billing-preparation minutes per comparable period before and after adoption, including correction and review time. Report volume, period dates and exceptions. Hours released would be capacity, not cash savings.

## Limitations

- The feature review covers the accessible working tree, not an immutable production release.
- No client data, financial records or authenticated screenshots were used.
- Deployment status, time saved and subscription retirement need separate operating evidence.

Source page: https://www.opsautomators.com/work/billable-time-tracking-app
Prepared September 7, 2026.