How to Set Up Approver Allocation in JTMS — Employee-wise & Project-wise
Timesheet approvals are the backbone of any accountability system. JTMS gives you complete flexibility — assign approvers per employee or per project, and even assign multiple approvers to the same employee so that any one of them can approve. This guide walks you through the full setup in under 5 minutes.
What is Approver Allocation in JTMS?
Approver Allocation is the process of deciding who can approve a timesheet before it is marked as final. In JTMS, approvers are staff members who have been assigned the Approver role in the Employee Master. Once assigned as an approver, they gain access to a dedicated Approver Dashboard where they can review, approve or reject timesheet entries submitted by their allocated employees.
JTMS supports two allocation methods — Employee-wise and Project-wise — giving you the flexibility to match your organisation's reporting structure exactly.
The Two Allocation Methods
JTMS gives you two ways to assign a timesheet approver. Choosing the right method depends on how your organisation is structured.
Employee-wise
- Approver is linked to a specific employee
- Applies across all projects that employee works on
- Best for organisations with fixed reporting lines
- Multiple approvers can be assigned to one employee
- Any one approver can approve the timesheet
Project-wise
- Approver is linked to a specific project
- Covers all employees allocated to that project
- Best for project-based organisations
- Project Manager can approve all team timesheets
- Different projects can have different approvers
Setting Up Employee-wise Approver Allocation
Use Employee-wise allocation when you want a specific person to be responsible for approving a particular employee's timesheets — regardless of which project those hours are logged against.
Navigate to Approver Allocation
Log in as Admin → Go to Configuration → Click Approver Allocation.
Select the Role and Approver
Set Role to Approver. Then select the approver's name from the Approver dropdown — for example, "Anita Sharma".
Set Allocate to "Employee-wise"
Under Allocate, select the Employee-wise radio button. A list of all employees will appear below.
Select the Employees
Tick the checkboxes next to the employees you want to assign to this approver. You can use the filter box to search by name or department.
Click Assign
Click the Assign button. The selected employees are now linked to this approver. Repeat for other approvers if needed.
Setting Up Project-wise Approver Allocation
Use Project-wise allocation when a Project Manager should be responsible for approving timesheets logged specifically against their project — regardless of which employee submitted them. This is ideal for engineering firms, consulting companies and construction organisations.
Go to Approver Allocation
Log in as Admin → Configuration → Approver Allocation.
Select Role and Approver
Set Role to Approver and pick the approver from the dropdown.
Set Allocate to "Project-wise"
Under Allocate, select the Project-wise radio button. A list of all active projects will appear.
Select the Projects
Tick the projects you want this approver to manage. Every employee who logs time against these projects will need approval from this person.
Click Assign
Click Assign. The approver will now see all timesheets submitted against their allocated projects in their Approver Dashboard.
Assigning Multiple Approvers to One Employee
One of JTMS's most powerful features is the ability to assign multiple approvers to a single employee. This is especially useful when a team member works across departments or reports to more than one manager.
To add a second approver to the same employee, simply repeat the Employee-wise allocation process with a different approver name selected. JTMS will add them to the same employee without removing the first approver.
Quick Reference — Which Method to Use?
| Scenario | Recommended Method |
|---|---|
| Employee has one fixed manager for all work | Employee-wise |
| Employee works under multiple managers | Employee-wise × Multiple Approvers |
| Project Manager approves all team hours on their project | Project-wise |
| Different projects have different approvers for same employee | Project-wise |
| Recruitment agency — client approves contractor hours | Project-wise |
| Large enterprise with department heads as approvers | Employee-wise |
Tips for Managing Approvers Efficiently
Here are a few best practices to keep your approval setup clean and scalable as your team grows:
Use the Approver-wise View to Audit
Switch to the Approver Wise tab to see a full list of all employees assigned to a particular approver — great for auditing when someone leaves the company.
Export to Excel for Bulk Checking
Click Export to XL on the Approver Allocation screen to download the full allocation list — useful before performance reviews or org restructuring.
Re-allocate Immediately When Someone Leaves
If an approver leaves the organisation, go to Approver Allocation, select their name, and reassign all their employees to a new approver before deactivating their account.
Combine Both Methods for Complex Structures
JTMS allows you to use both Employee-wise and Project-wise allocations simultaneously. For example, an employee may have an Employee-wise approver for leave and expenses but a Project-wise approver for timesheet hours.