---
title: "Tracking R&D time: why Excel puts your funding at risk"
description: "Tracking time spent using Excel poses a risk to your funding. Find out why it lacks reliability and how to secure and better manage your scientific projects."
canonical_url: "https://laby.io/blog/tracking-rd-time-why-excel-puts-your-funding-at-risk"
last_updated: "2026-07-07T19:46:51.458Z"
---

## Introduction

In **research and development** laboratories, tracking the time spent on scientific projects is often viewed as a secondary administrative task.

Yet it plays a strategic role.

Whether for managing projects, justifying public funding, or promoting scientific activity, **tracking R&D work hours** is becoming a major challenge.

And yet, in many laboratories, this tracking relies on a simple… **Excel** spreadsheet.

A simplistic choice that can quickly become a **risk for project and funding management**.

## 01 | Why time tracking is strategic in R&D

In a laboratory, scientists devote their time to a wide range of activities:

- experiments
- analyzing results
- writing reports
- scientific meetings
- developing new methods

All of these activities form the **core of research work**.

But they also represent **research costs** that must be properly allocated to projects.

Reliable time tracking makes it possible to:

- measure the **progress of scientific projects**
- identify the **resources** used
- improve **R&D project management**
- justify the use of **public funding**

This becomes particularly critical when the company benefits, for example, from measures such as the **Research Tax Credit (CIR)**.

⚠️ In the event of an audit, the authorities expect **clear and structured traceability of the time spent on research activities**.

## 02 | The limitations of Excel for lab time tracking

Excel is often the first tool used for tracking time in R&D.

Easy to set up and accessible to everyone, it seems sufficient at first.

But as soon as the business grows, its limitations quickly become apparent.

### Time-consuming and insecure data entry

With Excel, time tracking relies entirely on manual data entry.

A single Excel file shared among multiple employees multiplies the risks:

- ❌ accidental deletions,
- ❌ formula errors,
- ❌ inconsistencies with the activities actually performed in the lab,
- ❌ untracked changes or version conflicts.

But the risk doesn't stop there.

Unlike a specialized tool, Excel does not issue any alerts in case of anomalies:

- ❌ inconsistent hours,
- ❌ exceeding working hours,
- ❌ entries on weekends or holidays, ...

And all too often, these issues only come to light at the worst possible moment: during an audit or when asked to provide justification.

![Donald editing his timesheet, illustrating the risk of errors for a lab that tracks time using Excel.](/images/blog/6/donald-time-tracking-fraud.gif)

### Traceability that's hard to demonstrate

In R&D, it's not enough to simply state the number of hours spent on a project. You must be able to link that time to actual, dated, and justifiable work.

During an **audit**, it is therefore necessary to demonstrate precisely:

- **Who** worked on which project
- **What** activities were carried out and what the results were
- **When** and how long it took

With Excel, data is often editable and difficult to verify.

The credibility of the tracking can then be called into question.

### A limited view of projects

An Excel spreadsheet allows you to tally hours, but it provides only a partial view of scientific activity.

Excel does not allow for easy linking of **time spent** to the operations carried out in the lab:

- the **experiments conducted**
- the **results obtained**
- the **resources used**

Time tracking then becomes **disconnected from actual scientific activity**.

## 03 | Streamlining time tracking in the lab

### View time spent by project

To improve project success, time tracking must be integrated into a **comprehensive project management system**.

The goal is not simply to count hours. It is about linking that time to operational activities.

This allows scientific managers to:

- track the actual progress of projects
- identify the most time-consuming activities
- adjust resource allocation

The data generated by the teams then becomes a true **strategic asset**.

### Securing funding

The **traceability of research activities** becomes much more robust.

Information is linked to projects and easily exportable.

In the event of an audit, the laboratory has evidence in the form of **reliable and consistent documentation**.

## 04 | Laby's approach

With **laboratory management software** like **Laby**:

- ✅ Each employee has a personalized space to log their hours
- ✅ Time limits can be set based on user profiles
- ✅ Logged times are linked to projects and procedures performed in the lab
- ✅ Time calculations are automated by: person, team, project, or activity
- ✅ A time period can be locked to prevent subsequent changes
- ✅ Timesheets can be exported to Excel with a single click

Time tracking becomes **data linked to scientific activities** to ensure the consistency and traceability of the information entered.

## Conclusion

Time tracking in **research and development** should not be viewed as an administrative burden.

When properly structured, it becomes a valuable **tool for scientific and financial management**.

Switching from Excel to a tailored system allows you to:

- secure **R&D funding**
- improve **scientific project management**
- enhance **the traceability of research activities**

In other words, it creates an environment where teams can focus on what matters most:

**advancing research and innovation.**