Stop chasing timecards: run one controlled pay period
The first BLDR Time rollout should prove that field hours can become payroll-ready information without being rebuilt by the office.
At a glance
| Best for | Contractors tracking crews across projects, cost codes, overtime rules, prevailing-wage work, or certified payroll |
| Initial setup | Approximately 60–120 minutes after worker, project, cost-code, and payroll-rule data are ready |
| Pilot size | One foreman, 3–10 workers, one project, one short test period |
| Roles | Time administrator, foreman/supervisor, workers, payroll reviewer |
| Success looks like | Workers submit accurate time, the supervisor approves it, and payroll reconciles the export to expected totals |
Use this solution when
- employees submit paper, text-message, or spreadsheet timecards;
- supervisors approve hours late;
- project and cost-code allocation is inconsistent;
- overtime is recalculated manually;
- payroll repeatedly calls the field for corrections;
- location verification or kiosk entry is needed;
- certified payroll preparation requires duplicate entry.
The first outcome
One crew records a complete test period, signs/submits its time, receives supervisor approval, and produces totals that payroll independently verifies.
Do not begin with every worker, project, union, wage determination, or special rule.
Before you begin
Prepare:
- pay-period dates and workweek definition;
- pilot workers and stable employee identifiers;
- supervisor/approver;
- one active project and address;
- approved cost codes;
- normal shift and meal/break policy;
- applicable straight-time, overtime, and double-time rules;
- wage/classification information when relevant;
- payroll export destination and required fields;
- correction, rejection, reopening, and lock policy;
- GPS/geofence/kiosk policy and employee notice, if used.
Payroll and prevailing-wage rules require qualified review. Do not infer configuration solely from the name of a preset.
Step 1: Configure one pilot crew
- Add or verify the foreman.
- Add 3–10 pilot workers.
- Confirm names and identifiers match payroll records.
- Assign the correct roles and approval relationships.
- Confirm workers see only the actions and information intended for them.
- Confirm the supervisor can review the entire pilot crew.
Acceptance test: every pilot worker can reach the correct time-entry or clock screen, and the foreman can see the pilot crew.
Step 2: Configure the pilot project and cost codes
- Create or select one real project.
- Verify project name, number, address, and status.
- Add only the cost codes needed by the pilot crew.
- Assign the crew to the project.
- Configure the geofence only after confirming the project coordinates.
- Test whether workers can switch projects/cost codes when company policy allows it.
Avoid giving workers hundreds of unused cost codes. A short, relevant list improves accuracy.
Step 3: Configure and independently verify pay rules
Document the intended result before configuring the system. Use test scenarios that include:
- normal day;
- overtime threshold;
- double-time threshold if applicable;
- weekend or seventh-day condition if applicable;
- shift crossing midnight;
- meal/break condition;
- project or employee with a different rule;
- corrected time entry;
- holiday condition when applicable.
For each scenario, calculate the expected ST/OT/DT result independently. Configure BLDR Time and compare its result to the approved answer.
Do not launch when a preset's result is merely plausible. Payroll or qualified counsel should approve the rule interpretation.
Step 4: Run a clock and entry test
Test every method the pilot will use:
- individual clock-in/out;
- project and cost-code selection;
- meal/break action;
- crew entry or supervisor entry;
- kiosk PIN, if used;
- GPS/geofence behavior, if used;
- manual correction;
- offline or poor-connectivity behavior;
- worker signature/submission.
Verify timestamps, project, cost code, location behavior, totals, and synchronization.
Step 5: Test the approval chain
The intended state flow should be explicit:
Draft → Submitted → Supervisor Review → Payroll Review → Approved/Locked
Test:
- Worker submits correct time.
- Worker submits time with a deliberate error.
- Supervisor returns/rejects the incorrect entry with a reason.
- Worker corrects and resubmits.
- Supervisor approves.
- Payroll reviewer identifies one exception.
- Authorized user reopens/corrects according to policy.
- Period is approved and locked.
Confirm the audit record identifies who changed what and when.
Step 6: Reconcile the payroll output
Before using the export for payroll:
- Export the pilot period.
- Compare every worker's total hours.
- Compare ST/OT/DT distribution.
- Compare project and cost-code allocation.
- Compare classifications/rates when included.
- Check missing, duplicate, rejected, and unapproved entries.
- Confirm a repeat export does not create unintended duplicates in the destination process.
- Document who signs off before payroll submission.
For covered federal or federally assisted work, review current U.S. Department of Labor requirements. The DOL explains that WH-347 is an optional form, while covered contractors must submit required certified payroll information weekly and include an appropriate Statement of Compliance. See official WH-347 instructions.
Software-generated output does not replace the contractor's responsibility to verify classifications, wages, fringe benefits, deductions, completeness, and the certification.
First live pay-period rollout
Before the period
- Freeze the pilot worker/project configuration.
- Provide a five-minute worker demonstration.
- Give the foreman a one-page correction and approval guide.
- Identify the support contact and fallback method.
- Tell payroll that this is a controlled parallel run.
During the period
- Review missing clock-outs daily.
- Review wrong project/cost-code entries daily.
- Resolve sync and access issues before the next shift.
- Do not wait until payroll day to inspect exceptions.
At period close
- Workers review and sign.
- Foreman reviews exceptions and approves.
- Payroll reconciles totals.
- Compare BLDR output against the prior/fallback method.
- Approve production use only after differences are explained.
Role-based routine
Worker
- Select correct project and cost code
- Clock in/out and record breaks according to policy
- Review daily totals
- Correct errors promptly
- Sign and submit by deadline
Foreman
- Confirm crew/project assignments
- Review missing and unusual entries daily
- Return incorrect entries with a reason
- Approve only after review
Time administrator
- Maintain projects, workers, roles, and policies
- Monitor sync/access issues
- Control reopening and corrections
- Maintain audit and retention procedures
Payroll
- Review approval readiness
- Reconcile totals and classifications
- Validate exports
- Retain required records and certifications
Definition of done
- Pilot workers and supervisor match payroll identities.
- Project and cost codes are correct and limited to relevant choices.
- Every applicable pay-rule scenario matches an independently approved result.
- Clock, manual entry, crew, kiosk, GPS, and offline paths used by the pilot have been tested.
- Rejection, correction, approval, reopening, and locking work as intended.
- Export totals reconcile by worker, project, cost code, and pay type.
- Payroll approves the result.
- Workers and supervisors can repeat their tasks without administrator help.
- A fallback and recovery process exists.
Common mistakes
Launching all workers at once
Start with a representative crew and one real project.
Treating an overtime preset as legal approval
Verify outcomes against current contracts, law, policy, and qualified advice.
Waiting until payroll day to find missing time
Make daily exception review part of the supervisor routine.
Ignoring correction and re-export behavior
Payroll systems need a controlled method for reopening, correcting, and preventing duplicate imports.
Using GPS without a clear policy
Tell workers what is collected, when, why, who can access it, and how long it is retained. Verify applicable privacy and labor requirements.
Measure success
- workers submitting by deadline;
- entries approved without rework;
- missing clock-outs per 100 shifts;
- incorrect project/cost-code entries;
- payroll corrections after approval;
- minutes spent preparing payroll;
- percentage of time reconciled without spreadsheets;
- support contacts per active worker;
- supervisors completing daily review.
What to add next
If time is accurate but project/customer information is still duplicated, activate CRM.Construction as the source for companies and projects. If crews need T&M tickets, daily reports, or special approvals, add a focused BLDR Pro app linked to the same project and workers.
For the paper process behind this guide, see the timesheet procedure and official WH-347 instructions.
Important: This guide is operational guidance, not payroll, wage-and-hour, tax, labor, or legal advice. Requirements vary by jurisdiction, collective bargaining agreement, project, funding source, classification, and employer policy.