Overview
Time Tracking in GUIDEcx helps teams understand where time is being spent and, if desired, how that time should be billed to customers.
There are two primary components that work together:
Time Categories classify the type of work being performed.
Billing Profiles define how that work is billed.
Think of it this way:
Categories answer: "What kind of work was performed?"
Billing Profiles answer: "How should that work be charged?"
While organizations can use Time Tracking simply for reporting and resource management, Billing Profiles provide the flexibility needed for customer invoicing and services engagements.
Time Categories
Time Categories allow users to classify every time entry they create.
Examples include:
Implementation
Project Management
Training
Consulting
Troubleshooting
Travel
Internal Meeting
Each category can include:
A name
An optional description
A billable or non-billable designation
An hourly rate (when applicable)
When should I use Categories?
Use Categories whenever you want to understand how your team spends their time.
For example:
Category | Purpose |
Training | Customer onboarding sessions |
Troubleshooting | Issue resolution |
Project Management | Planning and coordination |
Internal Meeting | Non-customer work |
Travel | Time spent traveling to customer sites |
Categories improve reporting by allowing you to answer questions such as:
How much time do we spend onboarding customers?
How many hours were spent troubleshooting this quarter?
What percentage of our work is billable versus non-billable?
How to Configure Time Categories
Navigate to Time Tracking in GUIDE 2.0
Select Categories
Click +Add Time Categories
Fill out the fields (Name, Description, Billable vs. Non-billable, Rate)
Click Save
Only Admin + Manager licensed users can create, update, and delete Time Categories
Billing Profiles
Billing Profiles determine how time is billed for a project.
Rather than assigning rates to individual users or tasks, you create reusable billing models that can be applied across projects.
A Billing Profile can include:
Profile name
Description
Billing type
Included (allotted) hours
Overage billing rules
Depending on your business model, you can configure profiles for:
1. Flat Fee
Charge a fixed amount that includes a specific number of hours.
Example:
$5,000 implementation
Includes 40 hours
Additional hours billed separately (optional)
2. Hourly - Single Rate
Every billable hour uses the same hourly rate.
Example:
$175/hour
All work billed at the same rate
3. Hourly - Categorized Rate
Each Time Category has its own hourly rate.
Example:
Category | Hourly Rate |
Consulting | $250/hr |
Training | $150/hr |
Troubleshooting | $200/hr |
This provides the greatest flexibility when different types of work have different values.
How to Configure Billing Profiles
Navigate to Time Tracking in GUIDE 2.0
Select Billing Profiles
Click +Add Billing Profile
Fill out the fields (Name, Description, Billable vs. Non-billable, Rate)
Click Save
Only Admin + Manager licensed users can create, update, and delete Time Categories
Categories vs. Billing Profiles
Although they work together, they serve different purposes.
Time Categories | Billing Profiles |
Classify work | Determine pricing |
Used on every time entry | Applied to a project |
Improve reporting | Support customer billing |
Can be billable or non-billable | Defines billing model |
Examples: Training, Travel, Consulting | Examples: Fixed Fee, Hourly, Retainer |
A helpful way to think about it is:
Categories describe the work. Billing Profiles describe the contract.
Example
Suppose your organization offers customer onboarding services.
You create these Time Categories:
Project Management
Implementation
Training
Consulting
Then you create a Billing Profile:
Flat Fee
$8,000
Includes 60 hours
Consulting overages billed at categorized hourly rates
As your team logs time, each entry is assigned a category. The Billing Profile determines whether those hours count toward the included amount or generate additional billable work.
Best Practices
Create a small number of well-defined Time Categories that everyone understands.
Avoid creating duplicate categories for similar work.
Keep category names consistent across your organization.
Create Billing Profiles based on your standard service offerings.
Reuse Billing Profiles across projects instead of creating new ones for every customer.
Review billable and non-billable categories regularly to ensure accurate reporting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need Billing Profiles to use Time Tracking?
No. You can use Time Tracking solely for reporting and resource management without configuring Billing Profiles.
Can a category be non-billable?
Yes. Categories can be designated as either billable or non-billable depending on the type of work being performed.
Can multiple projects use the same Billing Profile?
Yes. Billing Profiles are designed to be reusable across multiple projects.
Should every project have the same Billing Profile?
Not necessarily. Different service offerings or customer contracts may require different billing models.
What's the difference between a Category rate and a Billing Profile?
A Category rate defines the hourly value of a specific type of work, while a Billing Profile determines the overall billing structure for a project, such as Flat Fee or Hourly.
Can I mix flat-fee projects with hourly overages?
Yes. Billing Profiles support flat-fee engagements with configurable overage billing options.
Which should I configure first?
Most organizations start by creating their Time Categories, then build Billing Profiles that reference those categories as needed.