Specialty Electrical Contractor
A specialty electrical contractor employed 20+ union electricians across multiple job sites. Each week, timesheets had to be:
This process took 15–20 hours every two weeks and required deep institutional knowledge about union rules, site assignments, and payroll logic.
Timesheet software exists (ADP, Guidepoint, etc.), but none of it handles the complexity here: multiple unions with different rules, job-site specific classifications, complex overtime calculations, and field collection methods. The contractor had tried three commercial solutions before reaching out to us. Each one required so much manual workaround that they went back to spreadsheets.
We built a custom system that:
The key innovation: We didn't build a template system. We built a rules engine that codified every union's specific logic. We consulted with the owner to document all the edge cases and exceptions. Then we built a system that handles 95% of cases automatically — and flags the remaining 5% for human review.
Timesheet automation is harder than it sounds. We spent 3 days in diagnosis: understanding union rules, learning how the contractor assigns jobs, documenting edge cases. We found 12+ scenarios that a template solution would have missed.
Build took 5 days. Testing and validation took another 3 (payroll errors are expensive, so we had to be thorough).
A system that:
The system runs automatically every Friday evening. Staff reviews the report (now 30 minutes instead of 15–20 hours). The contractor verifies the numbers and submits to payroll. No manual data entry.
When union rules change or new staff joins, we update the system. The contractor never has to re-learn the manual process.
Before: One person was responsible for timesheets. If they were sick, they had to work from home. The process was bottleneck risk.
After: Timesheets run automatically. The contractor spot-checks them. No single-person dependency. The knowledge is documented in the system.
Additionally: The historical data now gives the contractor insight into cost per job, labor efficiency trends, and overtime patterns. That intelligence is valuable for bidding and resource planning.
Complexity: High. This involved understanding union labor law, integrating with multiple payroll systems, and handling many edge cases.
Timeline: Diagnosis (3 days) → Build (5 days) → Testing & Deployment (3 days).
Tools: Custom rules engine in Python. Integrations with ADP Payroll, QuickBooks, and field collection systems.
Cost basis: Complex automation like this typically runs $30–50K depending on the number of jurisdictions and integrations required.
Why it succeeded: The contractor was deeply involved in the process. They knew their business and could explain the rules. We listened, documented, and built exactly what they needed — not what we thought they should do.
If you manage timesheets, invoicing, or any other complex, multi-rule process that requires deep knowledge of your operations, you might be a good fit for custom automation.
Off-the-shelf tools are built for the average case. Your business isn't average — your rules are specific. Custom automation that fits your exact logic is often cheaper and faster than trying to squeeze into a template.
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