finish line implementation: turn on and customize finish line

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Walkthrough: Enabling Finish Line Status
• Enable Finish Line
• Choosing How Finish Line Status is Monitored
• Select the Timesheet Positions to Monitor
• Define Finish Line Thresholds (Ahead, On Track, Behind, and Really Behind)
• To 'Buffer' or Not To 'Buffer'
• Save Your Finish Line Settings

Need to create a Timesheet Template from scratch? Checkout this article.

Walkthrough: Enabling Finish Line Status

Enable Finish Line

Let’s get started:

1. On the left, in your Mission Control, click Timesheets.
   
   
2. On the right, select Create & manage timesheet templates.
   
   
3. At the bottom of the page, under Manage & Clone Existing Templates, click the template you'd like to edit.
   
   
4. Click Finish Line Status & Time Off Calendars.
   
   
5. Update Use Finish Line Status? to On.
   
   

Choosing How Finish Line Status is Monitored

Next, decide whether you'd like to use Submitted Time or Approved Time to monitor Finish Line Status. Under Monitor Finish Line Status using: select either:

1. Submitted Time (Approved + Pending) - Finish Line Status updates automatically when a reporter submits a timesheet, providing reporters with the most current view of their status and daily/weekly goals.
   
   
2. Approved Time - Finish Line Status updates only after a reporter's timesheet is fully approved, which may delay the information shown reporters about their status and daily/weekly goals. 
   

We recommend using Submitted Time (Approved & Pending). With this method, Finish Line updates automatically each time a reporter submits a timesheet, giving them the most current view of their progress.

Alternatively, you can use Approved Time, but this approach has limitations. Because Finish Line updates only after timesheets are fully approved, reporters may see delays in their status updates if Supervisors or Directors don’t review timesheets promptly.

Choosing the right monitoring option is critical for ensuring reporters receive timely, accurate feedback on their progress.

Select the Timesheet Positions to Monitor

The next step is to decide which Timesheet Positions will use the Finish Line feature.

Finish Line is designed to track reporters’ progress toward a defined Goal Hours requirement. For this reason, it will not be useful for Positions with 0 Goal Hours (for example, AmeriCorps VISTA Members).

When selecting Positions to monitor, choose only those that have Goal Hours tied to term completion. This ensures that Finish Line provides meaningful, accurate progress updates for your reporters.

Define Finish Line Thresholds (Ahead, On Track, Behind, and Really Behind)

Once you’ve selected the Timesheet Positions to monitor, you can customize when reporters will see the Ahead or Really Behind status. A higher percentage means there's more flexibility — a larger gap is allowed between their Target Hours and Daily Goal before the status changes.

• Ahead: A reporter is considered Ahead when their total service is a set percentage above their Daily Target Hours. For example, if the threshold is set to 5%, a reporter will see an Ahead status once they are consistently serving 5% more than the daily target required to finish on time.
  
  

• On Track: A reporter is On Track when they are serving at a pace that keeps them aligned with their Daily Target Hours. In other words, they are neither Ahead nor Behind but progressing at the expected rate to complete their Goal Hours by their Personal End Date.
  
  

• Behind: A reporter is considered Behind once they have fallen below their Daily Target Hours but have not yet reached the threshold for Really Behind.
  
  

• Really Behind: A reporter is considered Really Behind when their total service falls a set percentage below their Daily Target Hours. For example, if the threshold is set to 5%, a reporter will be flagged as Really Behind once they are 5% or more under their required pace.

Tip: If you’re not sure where to start, begin with the default thresholds (Ahead = 5%, Really Behind = 5%) and adjust later based on your program’s needs.

To 'Buffer' or Not To 'Buffer'

You can also add a buffer percentage to the Daily Goal displayed in the reporter’s Timesheet Dashboard.

Adding a buffer encourages reporters to serve a small amount of additional time each day. This extra cushion helps offset unplanned absences (sickness, vacation, or personal days) and increases the likelihood of successfully completing Goal Hours.  

A higher percentage means a more ambitious buffer — reporters will be encouraged to serve more hours per day. 

Important: The buffer does not increase the total Goal Hours requirement. It simply adjusts the daily target upward slightly, giving reporters a better chance to meet their overall Goal Hours.

Save Your Finish Line Settings

Once you've completed all of the steps above, you're ready to save your Finish Line Settings.

Simply, click the Save button. 

Next, you're ready to create your Time Off Calendars. Get started here.