When
Time entries are unassigned to any job or shift.
Then
The Forge holds the entry at pending-approval and surfaces it to the manager rather than sending an unclassified hour to payroll.
Integration workflow
Schedule to Payroll
Schedules, time entries, approvals, and job context live in separate systems, so payroll runs without the operational picture behind the hours.
Trigger
Pay-period boundary reached, or a schedule change is approved.
Participating systems
Scheduling system · Timekeeping system · The Forge · Payroll provider
Steps
What happens at each handoff
- 1
Scheduling system
Publishes scheduled shifts with job, location, and department context.
- 2
Employees
Record time entries against jobs or shifts on the mobile app.
- 3
The Forge
Assembles hours by employee, connects them to the completed jobs and locations that produced them, and routes for manager approval.
- 4
Manager
Approves hours with operational context (job, location, overtime signal) visible.
- 5
The Forge → Payroll provider
Sends approved hours and — where the provider supports it — a wage summary broken down by department, location, and entity.
- 6
Payroll provider
Processes payroll; The Forge stores the pay-run reference against the operational record.
Exceptions
When things go wrong
When
The payroll provider's API rejects the batch (tax code missing, employee inactive).
Then
The specific rejection is surfaced to the workforce admin with the affected entries listed; the good entries are not partially sent.
When
A retro-active edit is made in the payroll provider after send.
Then
The Forge stores the edit reference, marks the operational entry as adjusted, and preserves the audit trail.
Source of truth
Which system stays authoritative
Data domain
Payroll runs and tax filings
Authoritative system
Payroll provider
Read source
Payroll API
Write destination
Payroll API (time entries / wage summaries)
Conflict policy
The payroll provider is authoritative for processed payroll and tax reporting.
Data domain
Approved operational hours
Authoritative system
The Forge
Read source
Time-entry submission
Write destination
Payroll provider
Conflict policy
The Forge holds the approved operational hours record for reporting and dispute review.
Metrics unlocked
- Hours approved with full job / location context
- Overtime concentration by department or crew
- Scheduled vs. actual hours
- Rejected time-entry rate by reason
Roles
- Workforce, HR, or payroll administrator
- Operations manager
- Finance and accounting
Industries
- Home services
- Contractors
- Professional services
- Multi-location retail and service
Other workflows
Lead to Appointment
A lead arrives from an ad, form, or referral and sits unattended while someone remembers to book them.
Job to Invoice
Completed work sits for days before it is billing-ready. Field notes, photos, change orders, and hours live in different places, and the office assembles the invoice by hand.
Marketing Campaign to Revenue
Ad platforms report clicks and forms. The CRM reports opportunities. Scheduling reports appointments. Operations reports completed work. Accounting reports revenue. No system connects the full path.