Submissions of timesheets

This allows users to clean up their notes and reconfirm data before submitting it for approval at the end of the day or week.  It is more relevant if you are using this data for billing and customers have access to the comments.  However, we realize that there is a strong use case for removing both the approval process (which you can do today in settings) and the submission process (possible today only with a customization). By the end of the year, there will be a new system setting to easily accommodate your user case of not having to submit at all. Users will just enter time and have that be immediately reflected in reports.

OK, I can see the use case if customers have access to comments in some billing report.

I think we want to try to use the approval process but the submission process just seems like an unnecessary step for us.

Regarding your last comment: So time will be auto-submitted and be included in actual effort from timesheets before approval - or will approval still be needed? It's a bit unclear. Ideally, I'd like the option for this to happen, i.e. submissions will be reflected immediately (but still need approval for time submissions to be "locked").

Anyway if this is scheduled for the end of the year, I will not bother with a custom action.

I'm not sure is there will be an option to take away the submit functionality (which will even hide the buttons by the way) but still allow for approvals.  For sure there will be a no submit, no approval option.  I will escalate this to our R&D team.

I actually thought what you describe was already there in the option Enable Approvals (10.7). I thought this would auto-submit and auto-approve (and make hours available for progress from timesheets, reports, etc.).

I would like auto-submission but still approval (with the option to have auto-submitted hours be included in reports immediately: if there is any problem this will be found by the manager at least once a week :-) )

BTW - and this might be a completely separate post: is it on the roadmap to be able to put a "category" on time submissions (submission of N hours on Task X with comment Y and a drop down from which overall type of work is selected: Code, testing, communication, administration, etc). This would be beneficial to give an overall view of time usage in an organisation.

Sorry, for the last one, should I add this an "idea"?

As for the new request, you can add this as a custom field on the time entry object and have users report this when along with their standard time entry... but the caveat is that in order to do reporting on this extra field you will need to use the Excel Addin (for now).

"For now" - this is on the roadmap for the UI as well? If yes, do you have any timeframe? I'd like all our users to use this in the UI.

BTW, I'd like to say I am very impressed with the quick replies from Clarizen employees in this forum.

This is indeed on the roadmap for the UI, but it will be in 2014 along with a complete overhaul of the entire reporting system (best guess is Q2).