A billing process only becomes steerable once you measure it. This article belongs to layer 3 of the billing guide – “measurable data” – and describes the metrics you use to run billing: what each says, why it matters, and honestly: whether you reach it with teamspace and via which analysis.
Prerequisite for “complete”: No metric replaces seamless, prompt capture. Only what is booked as a project time, expense or material can be turned into revenue – and measured.
Three levers, three questions
The metrics of billing sort into three levers – each answers a different question:
- Completeness: Do we turn all billable work into revenue – or does something get lost?
- Speed: How quickly does work become a paid invoice?
- Forecast: What revenue is coming – and what money is still outstanding?
Completeness – does everything become revenue?
| Metric | What it says | With teamspace? |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue (actual) | Sum of all issued invoices per period – the realised result. | ✅ Direct – the Invoicing analysis and Invoice line items of the financial reports show income per customer, project and month. |
| Realisation rate | Billable ÷ worked hours – how much of the work turns into revenue. | ⚠️ With analysis – teamspace captures worked and (via the billing methods) billable times; you derive the rate from the time/invoicing analysis, a ready-made “realisation rate” column is not guaranteed. |
Speed – how quickly to the money?
| Metric | What it says | With teamspace? |
|---|---|---|
| Invoice lead time | Time between delivering the work and issuing the invoice. | ⚠️ With analysis – the service date (time booking) and document date are captured; the difference is derivable, but there is no ready-made lead-time metric. |
| Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) | Average days between invoice and incoming payment. | ⚠️ With analysis – teamspace knows the invoice and payment date (Record incoming payments); the average is derivable, a ready-made DSO figure is not guaranteed. |
| Share of ZUGFeRD / XRechnung | Share of invoices sent electronically – speed and compliance. | ⚠️ With analysis – sending as an e-invoice is directly possible; you determine the share via a document filter. |
Forecast – what’s coming, what’s outstanding?
| Metric | What it says | With teamspace? |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue forecast | Expected revenue based on open orders and pipeline. | ✅ Direct – the Future revenue report computes it from order confirmations, open order items, the payment schedule and billing rules. |
| Outstanding receivables | Open items by due date – how much money is still outstanding. | ✅ Direct – the receivables status on the invoice and Reminders & credit control show overdue items by stage. |
Common problems
Why is billable work missing from revenue? Only what is booked as project time, an expense or material can be turned into revenue – and measured. Anything not captured is missing from every analysis; completeness stands or falls with seamless, prompt capture.
Why can’t I find a ready-made DSO or lead-time figure? teamspace knows the invoice, payment and service dates, but a ready-made DSO or lead-time metric is not guaranteed. You derive it from the existing dates – DSO from the invoice and payment date, the lead time from the service and document date.
How do I see the share of e-invoices? Sending as an e-invoice is possible directly; you work out the share of ZUGFeRD / XRechnung via a document filter, not a ready-made metric.
In short: what teamspace delivers – and what you contribute
- Straight from the system: revenue (actual), revenue forecast (
Future revenue) and outstanding receivables (receivables status & reminders). These figures arise automatically once invoices and payments are maintained. - With a little analysis: realisation rate, invoice lead time, DSO and the e-invoice share – each derivable from existing data, but without a ready-made metric.
- With context from you: the target lead time, the target DSO and every target value – teamspace delivers the actual, you bring the target.
The common thread stays the same: “fully turned into revenue” can only be measured if capture is seamless and billing is prompt. As maturity rises, single figures turn into a day-current process with an automatic reminder run – see the maturity levels in the guide.
Related topics
- The billing process in teamspace Billing process Introduction
- Financial reports Controlling How-to
- Reminders & credit control Invoicing How-to
- Invoicing software on teamspace.de