Case Study: Digitising Timesheets for a Growing Construction Business

When a business grows, its systems need to keep up.

This long-established construction company has been operating successfully for more than 30 years, building a strong reputation across the North West. Over the past decade, continued growth, expanding teams, and new regional operations meant that once-effective manual processes began to hold them back.

One of the biggest challenges was timesheets. Each week, over 200 field operatives completed paper forms that were handed in, checked for accuracy, and re-entered manually by office staff. The process took several days each week and required constant cross-checking against site and vehicle data. It was time-consuming, error-prone, and stressful, especially as payday approached.

Having already built the company’s main operational platform, Fabric extended it to include a fully digital timesheet system. The new tool sits at the heart of their workflow, replacing paper entirely and integrating directly with other systems through a flexible API.

To ensure it worked in the real world, where field teams often work long, unsociable hours, we focused on simplicity. Instead of typing into endless text boxes, operatives now record their hours with a simple touch-based interface, drawing their shifts directly on screen. It’s fast, intuitive, and built for the way they actually work.

Each submission is automatically paired with job data and checked for consistency, with any anomalies clearly flagged for review. The result is a huge reduction in manual duplication and a faster, more reliable process from start to finish.

What once took days can now be completed in less than one, often within hours. Office staff have immediate visibility, operatives know exactly what they’ll be paid, and management can see accurate labour data live in their dashboards.

Beyond saving time, the system provides a foundation for better decision-making. With all time data in one place, the company can track productivity, plan future work, and simplify year-end reporting.

At Fabric, we believe strong systems power strong businesses. This project shows how the right tools can give teams the time and clarity to focus on what they do best.

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Highlights

• Established construction business with 30+ years’ experience and rapid growth over the last decade

• 200+ field operatives transitioned from paper to digital timesheets

• Processing time reduced from several days to less than one

• Touch-based interface designed for real-world field conditions

• Integrated, accurate, and scalable foundation for future growth