Rebuilding Time Charging at a Major Utility Provider
A leading utility company saw a steady rise in employee hours charged to non-reimbursable “Clearing” accounts, resulting in missed cost targets month after month. Greencastle was engaged to address the issue and reduce these unproductive charges. By combining program management and data analytics expertise, the team introduced new KPIs, clarified time charging guidelines, and aligned leadership across departments. Within the first three months, the company saw a $1.15 million reduction in Clearing costs, with performance trending toward annual targets for the first time in years.
THE SOLUTION
The Greencastle team developed a comprehensive approach to address governance and regulations, corporate policies, KPI refinement, and sustainable change management.
Benefits
- Improved Audit Readiness
By aligning time charging practices with published federal guidelines, the new procedures mitigated compliance risk and reinforced audit defensibility across departments. - Cost Savings
We uncovered opportunities to shift labor charges from non-reimbursable accounts to capital projects, unlocking long-term cost recovery through inclusion in multi-year rate cases. - Standardized Practices
Greencastle documented department-specific guidance that aligned timekeeping with regulatory expectations, ensuring consistency across work centers.
APPROACH
Targeted Change Management
Greencastle designed a phased outreach plan, beginning with departments showing the highest levels of Clearing charges. Over 40 manager-level groups were engaged through structured working sessions. The team used a custom-built assessment tool to identify mischarging risks and uncover immediate remediation opportunities. Alongside these diagnostics, consultants provided education on proper time charging aligned with federal regulations, ensuring understanding and ownership at the ground level.
Policy-Backed Governance
The team researched applicable government regulations and developed a company-wide time charging policy grounded in compliance. This guidance provided clear, task-level direction for every department and work center, offering a scalable framework that not only meets audit requirements but also simplifies decision-making for time entry moving forward.
Data-Driven Decision Support
A dynamic KPI dashboard was developed to visualize time charging behavior across the organization. The tool featured executive summaries for leadership and granular, employee-level views for frontline managers. Used in parallel with department meetings, the KPI offered real-time insights that drove informed conversations, and now serves as a permanent performance tracker and audit support artifact.
CONCLUSION
Greencastle’s efforts reduced Clearing charges by $1.15 million within just three months and cut mischarges nearly in half. The team equipped the organization with a scalable KPI dashboard for continuous monitoring and built a regulatory-compliant time charging policy that leaves no ambiguity at the task level. Through direct engagement with manager-level work centers, leaders now understand the budgetary and audit implications of time entry decisions. Beyond the immediate gains, the company is now positioned for long-term improvement through consistent governance, data-driven oversight, and a shared understanding of regulatory accountability.
