📖 Building a Web-Based Timesheet Management System in ASP.NET Core

Introduction

Timesheets are essential for tracking employee work hours, project allocation, and payroll. Yet, many organizations still rely on manual spreadsheets, which are error-prone and inefficient. In this article, we’ll build a Web-Based Timesheet Management System using ASP.NET Core MVC and SQL Server.

We’ll start with the basics — employee timesheet entry and project allocation — and then move into advanced features like approval workflows, authentication, reporting, and deployment. By the end, you’ll have a portfolio-ready application that demonstrates enterprise-grade skills in ASP.NET Core.

Step 1: Project Setup

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/brajeshkr18/WebTimeSheetManagement.git
cd WebTimeSheetManagement

Configure SQL Server in appsettings.json

"ConnectionStrings": {
  "DefaultConnection": "Server=.;Database=TimeSheetDB;Trusted_Connection=True;"
}

Run EF Core Migrations

dotnet ef database update

Launch the Application

dotnet run

Step 2: Architecture Overview

The project follows a layered MVC structure:

Layer	Purpose	Example
Controllers	Handle requests	TimesheetController, ProjectController
Models	Define entities	Timesheet, Employee, Project
Views	UI with Razor Pages	Timesheet/Index.cshtml
Data	EF Core DbContext	ApplicationDbContext
Services	Business logic	TimesheetService

Step 3: Timesheet Entry

Employees can log daily/weekly hours against projects.

public class Timesheet
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public int EmployeeId { get; set; }
    public int ProjectId { get; set; }
    public DateTime Date { get; set; }
    public decimal HoursWorked { get; set; }
}

Razor views allow employees to add/edit timesheets.
Validation ensures hours are within limits (e.g., max 24 per day).

Step 4: Project Allocation

Managers assign employees to projects.

Project model links employees to tasks.
Controllers handle CRUD for projects.
Views show project details and assigned employees.

Step 5: Approval Workflow

Managers approve or reject submitted timesheets.

public class TimesheetApproval
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public int TimesheetId { get; set; }
    public string Status { get; set; } // Pending, Approved, Rejected
    public DateTime ActionDate { get; set; }
}

Pending timesheets appear in manager dashboards.
Approval updates status and locks entries.
Rejected entries can be resubmitted by employees.

🔐 Step 6: Authentication & Roles

Secure the system with ASP.NET Core Identity.

Roles

Admin → Manage projects, employees, approvals.
Manager → Approve timesheets, assign projects.
Employee → Submit timesheets.

[Authorize(Roles = "Manager")]
public IActionResult ApproveTimesheet(int id)
{
    ...
}

This ensures only authorized users can perform sensitive actions.

📊 Step 7: Reporting

Generate reports for payroll and productivity.

Reports

Weekly/Monthly Hours Report per employee.
Project Utilization Report for managers.

Example LINQ Query

var weeklyReport = _context.Timesheets
    .Where(t => t.Date >= startDate && t.Date <= endDate)
    .GroupBy(t => t.EmployeeId)
    .Select(g => new
    {
        EmployeeId = g.Key,
        TotalHours = g.Sum(t => t.HoursWorked)
    })
    .ToList();

Export Options

Excel → ClosedXML
PDF → iTextSharp

🌐 Step 8: Deployment

Configure production DB in appsettings.json.
Deploy to Azure App Service or IIS.
Run migrations before launch:

dotnet ef database update

🎯 Conclusion

With all steps complete, you now have a full-featured Web-Based Timesheet Management System:

Employee timesheet entry
Project allocation
Approval workflows
Authentication & Role-based security
Reporting & Deployment