Introducing a Direct Manager Role for Better Team Oversight

Managing time and expenses efficiently is a key challenge for any organization. That's why we're excited to introduce the Direct Manager role in Lucen Track! 🚀

This new feature—exclusively available in our Premium Plan—gives organizations better control over time approvals and expense management, for better team oversight for managers.

What is the Direct Manager Role?

The Direct Manager is a specialized role that is linked to our Time and Expense approvals feature. It allows designated managers to approve, edit, and oversee timesheets and expenses for specific users assigned to them. Unlike other roles like Owners, Admins, Project Managers (PMs), or Group Managers (GMs), the Direct Manager focuses on specific uses, regardless of their project or group affiliations.

How Direct Managers Compare to Other Roles

To help you determine if the Direct Manager role is right for your organization, here’s how it differs from other roles:

• Project Managers (PMs): Focus on managing projects and overseeing time and expenses within their projects.
• Group Managers (GMs): Manage groups and oversee time and expenses within their assigned groups.
• Direct Managers: Manage specific users, regardless of which project or group they belong to, with a core responsibility of approving time and expenses.

How to Assign a Direct Manager

Assigning a Direct Manager in Lucen Track is easy (this feature requires a Premium plan though):

1. Go to the Team section;
2. Select the user you want to assign a manager to;
3. Assign a Direct Manager to that user.

When the timesheet approval feature is enabled, you can also select the Direct Manager in the Approvals settings as an authorized approver for time and expenses.

The Direct Manager, along with the time and expense approval features, is exclusively available in our Premium Plans. If you're currently on one of our Starter plans or a legacy plan, make sure to upgrade so you can take full advantage of this powerful functionality!