Documents
- Python
- python-docx
- ReportLab
- openpyxl
Creates the Word and PDF timesheets from simple schedule settings.
Monthly timesheets,made automatically.
A small care business stopped rebuilding its timesheets by hand every month, without changing the paper process its staff already know.
The business is kept anonymous.
- Who
- A small care business.
- Challenge
- Every month, staff names, schedules, dates and pay-period dividers were rewritten by hand.
- What we built
- A generator that creates editable Word timesheets and matching PDFs, then emails them on schedule.
- Result
- Timesheets generated and emailed on schedule each month since August, in the same familiar format.
The challenge
Each month, someone rebuilt the staff timesheets from scratch: names, recurring schedules, calendar dates and the lines that mark each pay period. It was repetitive, easy to get wrong, and it had to happen every single month.
The goal was to take that preparation away, while keeping the paper process everyone already knew, and still allowing last-minute edits.
What we built
- Same paper, less workEditable Word documents and print-ready PDFs that match the timesheets staff already use.
- A fresh calendar every monthDates, weekdays and pay-period dividers are built automatically, including short months and leap years.
- Easy to updateStaff names and schedules live in simple settings, so changes don't mean rebuilding the document.
- Delivered on timeScheduled email delivery and reminders, with catch-up if the computer was off at sending time.
How AI helped
ChatGPT helped shape the plan, and Claude built and refined the workflow. We mapped the existing process, insisted on editable documents, directed the layout and tested each month. When a scheduled send was missed and a page spilled over, those reports drove the fixes.
The result
Timesheets for each month since August have been generated with the right dates and pay periods, and sent by email on schedule. The paper workflow stayed exactly as staff knew it.
Under the hood
The technology, in plain words.
Scheduling & delivery
- macOS launchd
- Gmail SMTP
Runs on its own each month and emails the finished files.
What do these words mean?
- python-docx
- A tool for creating Word documents with code.
- ReportLab
- A tool for creating PDF files with code.
- openpyxl
- Reads and writes Excel spreadsheets, used here for the schedule settings.
- launchd
- The Mac's built-in scheduler, which runs tasks at set times.
- SMTP
- The standard way computers send email.
What this means for you
Automation doesn't have to change how your team works. Sometimes the best fix keeps the paper exactly the same and just takes the repetitive part away. If you have a task you redo every week or month, we can help you automate it.
Something similar on your mind?
Tell us what you're building or what you're worried about. A short note is plenty.
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