Talisman Timesheet & Payroll: Automating Contractor Workflows and Payment Processing
- Automated contractor workflows - from time logging to payroll in one unified system
- Scalable & compliant architecture - multi-client, audit-ready, GDPR & HMRC aligned
- Faster, cleaner operations - reduced errors, quicker approvals, and optimized performance
Tehnologii
React, Redux, Perl Dancer2, MySQL, wkhtmltopdf, Memcached, Ansible, AWS, Docker, Webpack, Jest, Node toolchain, SendGrid, Twilio, Zapier
About the Client
Talisman is a UK-based recruitment and contractor management company that supports agencies handling high volumes of placements, timesheets, and payments.
Their goal was to simplify how contractors log hours and expenses, how managers approve them, and how finance teams process payroll, all within a single, compliant platform.
Client’s Needs
The client wanted to eliminate fragmented, manual workflows that relied on spreadsheets and emails for timesheet and payroll management.
Their requirements included:
- A secure digital system for capturing and approving timesheets and expenses;
- Automatic payroll calculations and reporting with minimal human intervention;
- Real-time validation to reduce errors and rework;
- Scalable architecture able to support multiple clients and complex business rules;
- Reliable audit trail and compliance with HMRC and GDPR standards.
Our Solution
Roweb took over the existing Timesheet and Payroll modules of the Talisman platform, ensuring continuous maintenance, optimization, and functional improvements.
The collaboration focused on enhancing performance, stability, and scalability while modernizing legacy components and preparing the system for future growth.
These modules replaced manual data handling with a secure, automated workflow that connects contractors, approvers, and finance teams through real-time validation, document automation, and performance-optimized infrastructure.
Timesheet Module - From Manual Input to Digital Precision
The Timesheet (Timeline) app enables contractors to log hours, project codes, and expenses from any device, while approvers and finance staff review and approve them through role-based dashboards.
Key capabilities:- Web-based, mobile-friendly self-service interface for time and expense entry;
- Automatic validation of rates, project codes, and currency precision;
- Instant PDF generation with receipts, PO references, and timestamps;
- Paginated, indexed lookups for large data sets and faster response times;
- Session caching (Memcached) and optimized SQL queries for high performance.
- Multi-expense claims per booking and per-customer project-code rules;
- Automatic cleanup of outdated PDFs and duplicate records;
- Instant PDF generation with receipts, PO references, and timestamps;
- Updated PDF templates and image handling for better clarity.
Contractors complete timesheets faster, managers approve with fewer errors, and finance teams receive cleaner data, reducing support tickets and boosting operational speed.
Payroll Module - Reliable, Scalable Pay Processing
The Payroll module automates the entire pay run, from validation to payment and reporting, ensuring precision and full auditability.
Main features:- Pre-payroll checks: detect anomalies (high pay, pension errors, court orders).
- Payroll calculation: computes pay, deductions, pensions, and taxes.
- Payslip generation: bulk creation of branded payslips for print or email.
- BACS export: automatic generation of payment listings for bank processing.
- HMRC integration: RTI submissions directly from the system.
- Full reporting suite: summaries, deductions, year-to-date analysis, and time reports.
- Multi-worker parallel processing with row-level locking for scalability;
- Scheduled task execution and safe error handling with detailed logs;
- Modular message queue supporting email, SMS, Zapier, and other integrations;
- Configurable retention policies and real-time monitoring;
- "Talimate” orchestration: automated chaining of multi-step workflows.
Payroll runs now complete faster and more reliably, even under heavy load.
Queued messages (emails, notifications, exports) are processed on time and logged for full traceability. The platform scales easily as new clients and workflows are added.
Team & Collaboration
The project was handled by a dedicated Roweb team including a solution architect, UI and backend developers, full-stack engineers, QA, DevOps, and business management.
No Scrum Master or external PM was required. Development followed a continuous improvement model using direct communication with the client.
Results
seamless transition from timesheet submission to payroll processing.
faster approvals, fewer manual corrections, and quicker pay runs.
multi-client support, HMRC-ready reporting, GDPR-compliant data handling.
Technologies
Outcome Summary
Through the Timesheet and Payroll modules, Talisman transformed its contractor management process into a secure, automated, and scalable system.
By combining accurate data capture, automated calculations, and audit-ready reporting, the platform enables agencies to manage thousands of contractors efficiently — saving time, reducing errors, and supporting continuous business growth.
