Activities such as meetings, drafting letters, responding to emails, travel time, client assistance, internal administration, and unexpected client requests still consume valuable time and often need to be billed.
The Firm & Adhoc Tasks table provides a structured way to track these activities using a consistent task list that links directly to your firm's billing rates.
The goal is simple: create consistency, improve time tracking, and ensure valuable work is billed accurately.
Why Use Firm & Adhoc Tasks?
A common problem in firms is that staff create their own descriptions for similar work.
For example:
Client Meeting
Meeting with Client
Discussion
Zoom Call
Review Meeting
Although they may all represent the same activity, inconsistent naming makes reporting and billing more difficult.
DataGrows solves this by providing a controlled dropdown list of commonly performed firm activities.
Benefits include:
✅ Consistent task descriptions
✅ Cleaner timesheets
✅ Easier reporting
✅ Faster invoicing
✅ Direct rate integration
✅ Improved profitability tracking
Types of Tasks Often Tracked
Examples include:
Meetings
Emails
Drafting Letters
Travel Time
Internal Administration
Power Failures
Client Assistance
Staff Meetings
The list has been designed around common accounting firm requirements. DataGrows has more than 60 adhoc tasks to track and choose from, and we will gladly add to the list. Submit your request to [email protected]
Creating a Firm & Adhoc Task
Creating a Firm & Adhoc Task
Navigate to:
Adhoc Tasks → Firm & Adhoc Tasks
Click:
Add Record
Complete:
Task Type
Client (if applicable)
Accountant, (and if needed - Manager, Partner & Clerk + Who has the ball to indicate who starts)
Due Date (optional)
Save the record.
Assigning a Due Date
Assigning a Due Date
A due date is not required, but it is highly recommended where follow-up work is needed.
When a due date is entered:
✅ A reminder appears in All Tasks Due
✅ Accountability improves
✅ Tasks do not get forgotten
Working on the Task
Working on the Task
While completing the work:
Run your timer
Add notes
Update progress
Save regularly
All time recorded against the task can be included in your billing process later.
Billing Integration
Billing Integration
Every Firm & Adhoc Task links directly to a Rate.
This means DataGrows already knows:
What type of work was performed
Which rate to apply
How to calculate recovery
This makes invoicing considerably faster than manually categorising time entries later.
Best Practices
Best Practices
Use the Drop-Down List
Avoid creating similar descriptions elsewhere.
Time Everything
Even non-billable activities provide valuable management information.
Save Useful Filters
Examples:
Assigned to Me
Due This Week
Awaiting Review
Use Notes
Capture sufficient detail to support billing and client communication.
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
✅ Firm & Adhoc Tasks are designed for common firm activities.
✅ Tasks use standardised descriptions.
✅ Tasks link directly to billing rates.
✅ Due dates create reminders in All Tasks Due.
✅ Time, notes, and progress can be tracked.
✅ Consistent task names improve reporting and profitability analysis.