How to Build an Automated Time Tracking Workflow with make.com

Automating time tracking with make.com lets you connect your favorite apps, remove manual data entry, and build a flexible system tailored to your projects and clients.

This how-to article is based on the ideas and examples from the original time tracking apps guide on make.com, and turns them into a practical setup tutorial.

Why automate time tracking with make.com

Most teams juggle multiple tools for tasks, communication, and billing. Switching between these tools to track time becomes inefficient and error-prone.

Using make.com, you can:

• Capture time from tools you already use (task managers, chat apps, calendars).
• Send all time data to a single tracker or spreadsheet.
• Trigger alerts when limits or budgets are reached.
• Generate reports without copying and pasting.

The goal is to replace scattered manual tracking with one reliable, automated workflow.

Plan your make.com time tracking workflow

Before building anything in make.com, map out how you want information to flow. This avoids rework and keeps your scenario simple.

1. Define what you want to measure

Clarify the core metrics you need. For example:

• Billable vs. non-billable hours.
• Time per project or client.
• Time per task, ticket, or feature.
• Time per team member or department.

Write these down; they guide which apps and fields you will use in make.com.

2. Choose your system of record

Decide where final time data should live. Common options include:

• A dedicated time tracking app.
• A project management platform.
• A spreadsheet in Google Sheets or Excel.
• A database or reporting tool.

In make.com, this destination becomes the final module in your scenario, receiving processed time records.

3. Identify your time tracking triggers

Next, decide how time will be captured. Common patterns from the make.com time tracking article include:

• Timers: Start and stop directly in a time tracker or task app.
• Manual entries: Log hours using forms, chat commands, or simple buttons.
• Automatic entries: Use calendar events, status changes, or commits to estimate time.

Each of these triggers will become the first module in your make.com scenario.

Set up your first make.com scenario

With a plan in place, you can start building your first automated time tracking scenario in make.com.

Step 1: Create a new scenario in make.com

1. Log in to your make.com account.
2. Click Create a new scenario.
3. You will see an empty canvas where you can add modules.

The canvas is where you connect apps, define triggers, and map data between modules.

Step 2: Add your trigger app

Select the app or service that will initiate time tracking. Examples inspired by the make.com source page include:

• Task managers: Create a time entry when a task status changes to “In progress” or “Done”.
• Chat apps: Create a time record when a user sends a specific slash command.
• Calendars: Use events to record hours spent in meetings or focus blocks.

In the scenario editor:

1. Click the big + icon.
2. Search for your trigger app.
3. Choose a trigger event, such as “Watch events” or “New record”.
4. Connect your account and grant permissions.
5. Configure filters (for example, only watch events tagged as billable).

Step 3: Normalize your time data

Time data can arrive in different formats. In make.com, use utility modules to standardize it before sending it to your destination.

Typical normalization steps include:

• Convert timestamps to a single time zone.
• Calculate duration from start and end times.
• Map project names to consistent IDs or codes.
• Determine billable vs. non-billable from tags or labels.

To do this in make.com:

1. Add Tools modules, such as date and text functions.
2. Use mapping to reference fields from the trigger module.
3. Test with sample data to ensure durations and labels are correct.

Send time data to your destination with make.com

Once time entries are normalized, you can store them wherever you want. This is where make.com becomes the bridge between your work tools and your reporting or billing system.

Step 4: Choose the output module

Based on your earlier choice of system of record, add one of the following as a final module:

• Time tracking app: Create or update time entries.
• Spreadsheet: Add a row for each time record.
• Database or reporting tool: Insert records with all relevant fields.

Configure the module to include:

• Start time and end time or duration.
• User or assignee.
• Project, client, or task identifier.
• Billable flag and hourly rate if available.

Step 5: Add error handling and notifications

To keep your automation reliable, build safeguards directly in make.com. This reduces the risk of missing or duplicated time entries.

Consider adding:

• Error handling routes: Capture failed operations and log them to a spreadsheet.
• Notifications: Send a message when a time entry cannot be created.
• Filters: Prevent duplicate entries based on unique task IDs or timestamps.

In make.com, you can also schedule your scenario to run at regular intervals or trigger instantly with webhooks, depending on how time data enters the system.

Enhance your time tracking automation with make.com

After your first scenario is stable, you can extend it with more advanced capabilities drawn from the approaches in the original time tracking guide.

Use make.com to combine multiple sources

You might capture time from several tools at once. For instance:

• Use calendar events for meetings.
• Use task status for development and design work.
• Use manual forms for ad-hoc activities.

In make.com, you can create separate scenarios for each source, all writing to the same destination. This keeps each workflow simple while still building a unified time tracking system.

Automate client reporting and invoicing

With consistent data flowing through make.com, building reports becomes much easier.

Examples of automated outputs include:

• Weekly summaries of hours per client sent by email.
• Dashboards built from spreadsheet or database entries.
• Triggers that create draft invoices when project time passes a threshold.

These automations reduce administrative work and make your time tracking system more transparent for stakeholders.

Best practices for sustainable make.com workflows

To keep your time tracking automation maintainable over time, follow these principles:

• Name modules clearly: Use descriptive names for each step so others can understand the scenario quickly.
• Document assumptions: Note which tags, labels, or fields your scenario depends on.
• Test edge cases: Try unusual scenarios, such as overlapping events or missing fields.
• Review regularly: As your tools or processes change, adjust the make.com scenario to stay aligned.

If you want expert help designing more complex automations, you can also consult partners who specialize in workflows and integrations, such as Consultevo.

Next steps with make.com

By connecting your existing work tools and automating time capture, make.com can turn time tracking from a tedious chore into a background process that reliably feeds your reports and invoices.

Start with a single, simple scenario, validate the data, and then build out additional flows as your needs grow. Over time, your automated system will give you clearer insight into how your team spends time, which projects are most demanding, and where to improve efficiency.

To explore more ideas and app combinations, review the original time tracking apps overview on make.com and adapt those concepts to your own automated workflows.

Need Help With Make.com?

If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your Make scenarios, work with ConsultEvo — certified workflow and automation specialists.

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