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Agency & Client Ops

Retainer Scope Tracker

Tracks hours used against every retainer so scope creep shows up before it bites.

Saves about ~1 hr per week

What it does

  • Logs every retainer's hours and spend
  • Flags clients approaching their cap
  • Summarizes scope usage weekly
  • Surfaces the client you'll need a renewal chat with

How it works

  1. Hours logged against retainers
  2. Usage computed vs. allowance
  3. Over-threshold clients flagged
  4. Weekly scope report posted

What's included

  • Retainer sheet
  • Time wiring
  • Near-cap alerts

Set it up yourself

Follow these 4 steps in order. You will need accounts for: Sheets.

Step 1: Build the retainer sheet

  1. Create a 'Retainers' sheet: Client, Hours/Month, Hours Used, Usage %, Billing Date, Notes.
  2. Add a 'Hours Log' tab where every hour is logged: Date, Client, Hours, Task.
  3. Connect the hours log so the sheet totals per client.
  4. Test the sum.
  5. Keep it as the single scope record.

Watch out: One log feeding one summary beats a tally in your head — the whole value is the running total you can query.

Step 2: Wire your time tool

  1. Export from your time tracker (Toggl/Clockify) weekly or use their API.
  2. In the workflow, pull hours by client and write to the Hours Log.
  3. Compute Hours Used per retainer and Usage %.
  4. Test the extraction maps clients correctly.
  5. Set the update schedule.

Watch out: Client-name consistency between the timer and the sheet is the mapping pain — align names once so the API writes cleanly.

Step 3: Set the threshold

  1. Flag rule: Usage ≥ 80% this month → 'approaching cap'.
  2. ≥ 100% → 'over scope — needs conversation'.
  3. Add a 3-month rolling average so a one-off heavy month doesn't trigger automatically.
  4. Test the flags.
  5. Review thresholds quarterly.

Watch out: The 3-month rolling average prevents panic from a single heavy month while still surfacing the real creep trend.

Step 4: Schedule the report

  1. Weekly (Friday) report to you: retainers, usage, flags.
  2. Post flags to your ops channel or email.
  3. For 'over scope' clients, draft a note template for the conversation.
  4. Log the conversation in the client row.
  5. Review monthly which retainers are chronically over.

Watch out: The weekly flag is only as good as the conversation it triggers — when a client crosses 100%, the automation's job is to remind you to have the scope chat, not to fight it alone.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Retainer Scope Tracker automation do?

Tracks hours used against every retainer so scope creep shows up before it bites. Logs every retainer's hours and spend

How much time does Retainer Scope Tracker save?

It is estimated to save ~1 hr per week. Actual savings depend on your volume.

Which tools does Retainer Scope Tracker use?

It works with Sheets.

What does Retainer Scope Tracker include?

Retainer sheet, Time wiring, Near-cap alerts.

Can I set up Retainer Scope Tracker myself?

Yes. The do-it-yourself guide on this page walks through 4 steps, from getting access to testing the finished automation.