Introduction
This case highlights how Salesforce and Certinia PSA administration capabilities were used to improve operational efficiency, financial governance, and reporting accuracy in complex enterprise environments. The focus is on time tracking, resource management, compliance alignment, and scalable administrative practices.
Context
The Salesforce landscape supported professional services operations with integrated time tracking, billing, resource planning, and financial reporting. Certinia PSA functioned as a core system for managing project delivery and utilization, while Salesforce provided the security model, automation framework, and reporting layer. The environment required close alignment between operational teams, finance stakeholders, and compliance functions, particularly in audit-sensitive contexts.
Challenge
The primary challenge involved improving the reliability and timeliness of timesheet submissions while maintaining strict access control and audit readiness. Delays in approvals affected billing cycles and forecasting accuracy, while inconsistent data quality reduced confidence in utilization and margin reporting. At the same time, the platform needed to meet internal control and regulatory expectations, including traceability of changes, segregation of duties, and secure handling of sensitive data.
Approach
The approach emphasized declarative automation, governance-first security design, and continuous data quality monitoring. Salesforce and Certinia configurations were reviewed holistically to identify friction points in timesheet workflows and approval hierarchies. Automated reminders and escalation logic were introduced to reduce manual follow-ups and enforce accountability. Validation rules and periodic audits were used to improve the accuracy of resource and project data. Reporting and dashboards were designed to surface real-time operational and financial insights, enabling faster decision-making without manual data manipulation.
Solution
Timesheet workflows within Certinia PSA were enhanced with automated alerts, escalation protocols, and clearly defined approval paths aligned to project and departmental structures. User access was administered through carefully managed roles, permission sets, and sharing rules to ensure both data security and appropriate visibility. Salesforce audit features such as field history tracking and audit trails were enabled and monitored to support compliance requirements. Dashboards and reports were developed to provide visibility into utilization, billing health, margin performance, and approval bottlenecks. Administrative operations were supported through structured incident management, controlled deployments, and disciplined data operations to maintain platform stability.
Outcome
The improved system reduced approval delays, increased confidence in project and financial reporting, and strengthened compliance posture. Operational teams benefited from clearer workflows and timely reminders, while finance and leadership gained access to accurate, real-time insights. From an administrative perspective, the platform became easier to govern, audit, and scale as business needs evolved.
Technology Stack
The solution leveraged Salesforce Sales Cloud capabilities alongside Certinia PSA, Salesforce automation tools, Lightning Experience configuration, security and access controls, reporting and dashboard features, data loading utilities, deployment tooling, and integration with enterprise incident and change management systems.