United Kingdom · Internal Consulting · Entry Level (0-2 years)

Associate Business Solutions Coordinator

Here is the whole job, in plain words. What it is, a real day, what you decide, how you're judged, how people get here and where they go next. Then the part no course gives you: twelve AI tutors who learn your work.

  • Experience bandEntry Level (0-2 years)
  • Direct reportsNo direct reports
  • Reports toBusiness Solutions Coordinator (L2) or Senior Business Solutions Coordinator (L3)
  • UK framework levelUsually someone starting out, or keeping a process running

Also advertised as Junior Process Analyst · Business Support Coordinator · Entry-Level Business Analyst · Process Improvement Assistant

Built on an analysis of 43,079 real UK job descriptions · grounded in qualifications employers recognise

Start with a free Future Fluency check, tuned to Associate Business Solutions Coordinator

Ten quick questions, one per Future Fluency, asked against this role rather than a generic one. About five minutes, and no card.

Start the check, free

1What this role really is

This isn't just an admin job; it's your first step into understanding how a business actually works. You'll be the person helping the team keep projects on track, making sure everyone's got the right information, and learning the ropes of process improvement. Think of it as an apprenticeship in making things run smoother. You'll be right there, learning from experienced folks, seeing how we tackle real business problems, and getting your hands dirty with the details.

2What you'd actually use

The tools this job runs on, and how well you'd need to know each one.

Microsoft ExcelIntermediate

Creating and managing simple spreadsheets, using basic formulas (SUM, AVERAGE), sorting/filtering data, and creating simple charts. You'll use it for tracking actions, managing small data sets, and basic reporting.

Asana / Monday.comBasic

Updating tasks, marking progress, adding comments, and attaching documents within existing project boards. You'll be keeping our projects organised and on track.

MiroBasic

Contributing to existing whiteboarding sessions, adding sticky notes, moving elements, and creating simple process flows using standard shapes under guidance.

Microsoft PowerPointIntermediate

Creating and editing presentations using existing templates, inserting charts/images, and ensuring slides are well-formatted for internal updates.

Microsoft VisioBasic

Creating basic flowcharts and organisational charts from clear instructions, using standard shapes and connectors to document simple processes.

3What you get to decide, and how that grows

Power in a job isn't your title. It's what you're allowed to decide. Here's how it grows as you move up.

The choiceComing inWhere you are nowThe step above
Project Task PrioritisationFollows manager's prioritisation. Escalates conflicts or capacity issues.Prioritises own tasks within project scope. Consults manager on significant shifts.Defines task prioritisation for workstream. Consults on cross-project impacts.
Process Documentation ApproachUses existing templates and follows established guidelines. Asks for clarification.Chooses appropriate documentation tools/templates for routine processes. Proposes minor improvements.Designs new documentation standards or templates. Makes recommendations for best practices.
Stakeholder Communication (Routine)Drafts communications for review. Forwards approved messages.Communicates routine project updates to specific stakeholders independently.Manages communication plans for complex projects. Handles sensitive stakeholder conversations.
Escalation of IssuesEscalates all non-routine issues, conflicts, or risks to direct manager immediately.Attempts to resolve routine issues within defined parameters before escalating. Identifies and flags potential risks.Resolves most technical/process issues. Escalates strategic risks or major conflicts to project leadership.

4How you'll be judged

The scoreboard, honestly: the hard targets, how often each one is actually looked at, and the quiet human signals that never make it onto a dashboard.

Documentation Accuracy
How accurately you capture meeting notes, action items, and basic project information.
Target · >95% accuracy on all documentation reviewed

If you take notes for a discovery session, we'll check that all key decisions and assigned actions are correctly recorded and attributed, without any critical omissions.

Task Completion Rate
The percentage of assigned administrative and project support tasks completed on time.
Target · 100% of assigned tasks completed by agreed deadlines

If you're asked to update a project plan in Asana by Friday, we expect it to be done and accurate by Friday. No excuses.

Status Reporting Timeliness
Ensuring project status updates (e.g., in Asana or Jira) are entered promptly.
Target · All assigned status updates completed within 24 hours of request

When a project manager asks for an update on a specific task, you'll have it ready and entered into our system within a day, not a week.

Learning & Development Progress
Your proactive engagement with learning our methodologies and tools.
Target · Completion of 3 internal training modules or certifications within first 6 months

You'll complete the 'Introduction to Business Process Mapping' course and get certified in Asana within your first half-year, showing you're serious about growing.

Team Support & Reliability
How effectively you support the project team and how much they can rely on you for accurate, timely assistance.
  • Senior team members consistently say you're a big help. They'll proactively ask you for assistance because they trust your work. You'll be seen as someone who makes their life easier, not harder.
Proactive Information Gathering
Your initiative in seeking out information or clarifying details rather than waiting to be told.
  • You'll ask clarifying questions in meetings ('Who owns that action?') or follow up on missing information without being prompted. You'll spot a gap and try to fill it, rather than just waiting for instructions.
Adaptability & Problem Solving (Entry-Level)
Your ability to handle minor unexpected issues and adapt to changing priorities with a positive attitude.
  • When a meeting time changes last minute, you'll quickly reschedule and inform attendees without getting flustered. You'll try to find a solution to a small tech issue before escalating it.
Communication Clarity
The conciseness and clarity of your written and verbal communications.
  • Your emails are easy to understand, get straight to the point, and don't require follow-up questions for clarification. Your meeting notes are well-structured and logical.

5Would you like it

The honest version. What people enjoy, and what grinds them down.

What people enjoy
Learning & Development

You'll be excited to sit in on new types of meetings, ask questions about why we do things a certain way, and actively seek out opportunities to learn new software or methodologies.

You'll volunteer to take notes for a complex process mapping session just to see how it's done, then spend time afterwards asking the Senior Coordinator about their approach.

Making a Tangible Impact (even small ones)

You'll get satisfaction from seeing a project plan you've helped organise stay on track, or knowing your accurate meeting notes prevented a misunderstanding. You like seeing your efforts directly contribute to team success.

You'll feel a sense of accomplishment when a project manager thanks you for catching a scheduling conflict that would have derailed a key workshop.

Being Part of a Team

You enjoy collaborating, supporting others, and contributing to a shared goal. You're happy to pitch in where needed and enjoy the camaraderie of working towards project success together.

You'll proactively offer to help a colleague with a looming deadline, even if it's not strictly 'your' task, because you see the team's success as your success.

What frustrates people
  • Chasing people for information or approvals, often multiple times.
  • Dealing with vague requests from stakeholders that need a lot of clarification.
  • Spending time on tasks that feel a bit repetitive or purely administrative.
  • Seeing project priorities shift unexpectedly, meaning some of your work might be put on hold.
  • Not always understanding the 'why' behind every task immediately, requiring you to ask lots of questions.
What this role does not give you
  • Immediate leadership or strategic decision-making authority.
  • Full autonomy over project direction or methodology.
  • A quiet, predictable, 'head-down' work environment (it's collaborative and often reactive).
  • Direct client-facing responsibilities (you'll mostly interact with internal teams).

6Who you work with

Your work ensures that our internal consulting projects have solid administrative foundations. This means less time wasted by senior team members on basic tasks, clearer communication across projects, and ultimately, a smoother path to delivering solutions that help our business units operate more effectively. You're essentially the oil in the machine, keeping things running.

Inside the business
  • Project Managers and Business Solutions Coordinators (your direct team)
  • Internal business unit contacts (e.g., Finance, HR, Operations teams)
  • IT Support (for any tech issues)
  • Other project team members (e.g., Developers, Data Analysts)
Outside the business
  • None directly, this role is purely internal-facing.

7What you need before you start

Not a wish list. The things you would be expected to already have.

  • A genuine interest in how businesses operate and a desire to improve processes.
  • Solid organisational skills and a methodical approach to tasks.
  • The ability to communicate clearly, both in writing and verbally.
  • A proactive attitude – you're someone who asks 'what can I help with?' rather than waiting to be told.
  • Comfortable with basic Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) for daily tasks.
  • A willingness to learn new software and methodologies quickly.

8What to practise next

Where the job is going, and what to do about it starting this week.

Advanced Excel Modelling

While we use dedicated BI tools, Excel remains a critical tool for quick analysis, prototyping, and detailed financial/operational modelling. Moving beyond basic formulas to more complex data manipulation and light modelling will significantly increase your value.

Power Query Basics · Advanced Formulas · Data Validation & Conditional Formatting · Scenario Analysis

  • This week: Watch a few YouTube tutorials on Power Query for Excel.
  • This month: Try to rebuild a simple report you currently use, incorporating Power Query for data cleaning.
  • Month 2: Practice building a small 'what-if' model for a personal budget or a simple business case.
  • Month 3: Seek out opportunities to help senior team members with their Excel models, even if it's just formatting.

Quick win: Start using Power Query to clean any messy data you encounter in your daily tasks – it's a huge time-saver and makes your work more reliable.

Business Intelligence (BI) Tool Proficiency (e.g., Power BI/Tableau)

Data-driven decision-making is at the heart of what we do. As you progress, you'll need to not just consume reports, but build them. Getting a basic grasp of how these tools work now will set you up for success.

Connecting to Data Sources · Basic Data Visualisation · Filtering & Slicing Data · Dashboard Navigation

  • This week: Explore existing Power BI/Tableau dashboards used by the team. Click everything!
  • This month: Complete a free online 'Introduction to Power BI' course (Microsoft offers great ones).
  • Month 2: Try to replicate a simple chart from an existing report using sample data in Power BI Desktop.
  • Month 3: Ask a senior team member to walk you through how they built a specific dashboard.

Quick win: Familiarise yourself with all the dashboards we currently use. Understand what each visual is trying to tell you. It's the first step to building your own.

9Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up
  • Completing internal training modules on our core methodologies (e.g., Business Process Mapping, Agile basics).
  • Attending industry webinars or online courses related to business analysis or process improvement.
  • Shadowing senior team members in various project phases to understand the full lifecycle.
  • Seeking out feedback regularly from your manager and peers to identify areas for growth.

10How the AI economy is changing work like this

Before we ask anything of you, here's what we can already say about AI and work of this kind:

The new skill this role is being asked for: AI Prompt Engineering (Basic)

AI tools are becoming incredibly powerful for drafting documents, summarising information, and even generating basic process flows. Knowing how to 'talk' to these tools effectively will massively boost your productivity and the quality of your output.

We'll only ever tell you what we can actually back up. No hype, no scare tactics.

Your PlanIllustration

Built for Associate Business Solutions Coordinator

4 units that map to this job, from the qualifications that cover it.

  1. Prepare the business case for the project 5Cambridge OCR · covers 2 of 10 standardsLevel 2
  2. Business IT ProjectPearson Education Ltd · covers 2 of 10 standardsLevel 3
  3. Project managementHighfield Qualifications · covers 1 of 10 standardsLevel 3
  4. Supporting Business ActivitiesPearson Education Ltd · covers 1 of 10 standardsLevel 3
These are the real units behind this job, in the order they rank for it. Nothing here is marked done, because this plan has not been started by anyone yet. Yours would fill in as you go.

The rising capability

Zavmo analysis

What's rising in its place

This is where the work is heading, and the higher pay with it. Get fluent here and the shift stops being a threat and starts being your edge.

AI Prompt Engineering (Basic)

AI tools are becoming incredibly powerful for drafting documents, summarising information, and even generating basic process flows. Knowing how to 'talk' to these tools effectively will massively boost your productivity and the quality of your output.

  • Clear Instruction Giving
  • Context Provision
  • Iterative Prompting
  • Output Validation

Digital Collaboration Facilitation (Entry-Level)

More of our workshops and meetings happen online, often with people spread across different locations. Being able to effectively support and contribute to these digital sessions is no longer a 'nice-to-have' but a core skill.

  • Virtual Whiteboarding Tools
  • Virtual Meeting Etiquette
  • Digital Note-Taking
  • Pre- and Post-Session Prep

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

  • Business Process Mapping (BPMN)
  • Requirements Gathering & Elicitation
  • Stakeholder Analysis & Mapping
  • Agile Methodologies (Scrum/Kanban)
  • Root Cause Analysis (RCA)

The pathway

How you actually get there, here

How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.

  1. 1

    Administrative Assistant / Office Coordinator

    1-2 years

    Skills to master

    • Organisation, scheduling, basic communication, attention to detail, managing multiple small tasks.

    You're ready to move on when

    • You're the person everyone relies on to keep things running smoothly.
    • You've shown initiative in improving office processes or managing projects.
    • You're keen to move beyond purely administrative tasks and understand the 'why' behind them.
  2. 2

    Recent Graduate (Business/Economics/IT)

    0-1 year (post-graduation)

    Skills to master

    • Applying theoretical knowledge to practical business problems, professional communication, teamwork, learning new software quickly.

    You're ready to move on when

    • You've excelled in project-based coursework or internships.
    • You're eager to start a career where you can directly impact business efficiency.
    • You have a strong academic record and a demonstrable interest in business operations.
  3. 3

    Customer Service / Operations Support

    1-3 years

    Skills to master

    • Problem-solving, understanding customer pain points, process adherence, communication under pressure, data entry and accuracy.

    You're ready to move on when

    • You've consistently identified ways to improve customer experience or internal processes.
    • You're good at troubleshooting and finding solutions to recurring issues.
    • You want to move from reacting to problems to proactively solving them at a systemic level.

11Where this role leads

The long view:This Associate role is more than just a job; it's a launchpad for a really interesting career. You'll gain skills that are in demand across every industry, learn how businesses truly function, and be part of a team that genuinely makes things better. If you're organised, curious, and ready to learn, we'd love to hear from you.

Pay & demand

Pay and demand for this role will appear here, each figure traced to a named authoritative source (e.g. the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, under the Open Government Licence). We don’t show numbers we can’t attribute.

The ten Future Fluencies

Zavmo analysis

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

A qualification proves you can do the job as it's defined today. These ten are what decide whether you're still the obvious person for it in five years. They're the capabilities employers are now writing into senior roles faster than people are learning them. Zavmo weaves them through whatever you study, so you come out with both: the credential and the fluency.

The highlighted ones are the Fluencies your role leans on hardest, from how Associate Business Solutions Coordinator is actually changing. In about two minutes, the free confidence check asks where you stand on each of the ten. That's the whole check, and it's what makes the plan yours rather than generic.

12The team that's yours

No two people are taught the same way. This is one-to-one, not one-to-many.

Zavmo is a hyper-personalised AI learning platform. Twelve virtual tutors, each with a different way of teaching, and one orchestration agent that picks the right one for the moment. So every single lesson is shaped around you, your role, and the way you learn. Not a course everyone sits through. A conversation built for you, and no one else.

…and nine more, matched to you after your first chat. Meet all twelve

13What it feels like

A conversation, not a course

Because your tutor knows your role, your projects and your last session, learning sounds like this. And it's different for every single person:

Prepare the business case for the project 5Level 2

Applied to your work in Associate Business Solutions Coordinator

This unit aims to equip learners with the skills to define project objectives, analyse costs and benefits, and identify stakeholders. The objective of this unit is to enable learners to develop a comprehensive business case that justifies a project and present it persuasively to stakeholders, aligning with organisational goals.

How the thinking builds
  1. Remember
  2. Understand
  3. Apply
  4. Analyse
  5. Evaluate
  6. Create
An illustration of a Zavmo lesson, built from this role’s own route. The unit, its objective and every criterion above are the awarding body’s own words, not an example.

One to one, not one to many

No two people run this the same way

A course is written once and handed to everyone. This is assembled around you, and keeps changing as it learns you. Five things it reads, and what each one changes.

  1. Your actual work Every lesson is taught against a live piece of your own work, not a worked example from a textbook.
  2. What you already know The first conversation finds your starting point, so you skip what you can already do and spend the time on what you cannot.
  3. The conditions you learn under Not a learning-styles quiz. The evidence does not support those. The dimensions the research does back, read once and used to shape the plan.
  4. How far you got last time It picks up mid-thought. The tutor knows what you said, what you struggled with, and what it asked you to try.
  5. Which tutor suits the moment Twelve of them, each for a different kind of thinking. The one who walks you through a first idea is not the one who stress-tests it.

See how you learn, free. Eight questions, no sign-up. A directional taster; the diagnostic inside Zavmo goes deeper and keeps adapting.

DemonstrateIllustration

Evidenced on your work in Associate Business Solutions Coordinator

You do not finish by watching something. You finish by showing it on the work you already do, against the measures this job is judged on.

  • Documentation AccuracyHow accurately you capture meeting notes, action items, and basic project information.If you take notes for a discovery session, we'll check that all key decisions and assigned actions are correctly recorded and attributed, without any critical omissions.>95% accuracy on all documentation reviewed
  • Task Completion RateThe percentage of assigned administrative and project support tasks completed on time.If you're asked to update a project plan in Asana by Friday, we expect it to be done and accurate by Friday. No excuses.100% of assigned tasks completed by agreed deadlines
  • Status Reporting TimelinessEnsuring project status updates (e.g., in Asana or Jira) are entered promptly.When a project manager asks for an update on a specific task, you'll have it ready and entered into our system within a day, not a week.All assigned status updates completed within 24 hours of request
  • Learning & Development ProgressYour proactive engagement with learning our methodologies and tools.You'll complete the 'Introduction to Business Process Mapping' course and get certified in Asana within your first half-year, showing you're serious about growing.Completion of 3 internal training modules or certifications within first 6 months
These are this job's own measures, with its own targets. Nothing is marked evidenced, because nobody has started this yet. Yours would fill in from the work you bring.

Your passport

This isn't a certificate you file away. It's a passport to the life you're designing.

Every credit you earn and every fluency you build adds up: evidence where it counts, carried with you. Zavmo keeps the map: where you are, where you're heading, and the next step, at your pace, around your life. From Associate Business Solutions Coordinator to Business Solutions Coordinator (L2), and whatever you decide comes after.

Level 2 · in progressAI Fluency→ Business Solutions Coordinator (L2)→ your design
Where this takes you

This Associate role is more than just a job; it's a launchpad for a really interesting career. You'll gain skills that are in demand across every industry, learn how businesses truly function, and be part of a team that genuinely makes things better. If you're organised, curious, and ready to learn, we'd love to hear from you.

See Your Progress GrowIllustration
Associate Business Solutions Coordinator
  • Business Process Mapping (BPMN)
  • Requirements Gathering & Elicitation
  • Stakeholder Analysis & Mapping
  • Agile Methodologies (Scrum/Kanban)
  • Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
This is your Mind Palace on learn.zavmo.ai. Every skill above comes from this role's own record, not an example borrowed from another job. A node lights up when you evidence it, and what you build stays yours between jobs. That is the part a course cannot do.

14The detail, folded away

Everything else the record holds

The career branches in full, how AI is already showing up in the day-to-day, and the questions people ask about this job. Here when you want them, out of the way while you decide.

Where it leads next, rung by rung

Where it leads

The career path, and where it branches

Associate Business Solutions Coordinator is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

  1. Business Solutions Coordinator (L2)

    2-3 years (from Associate level)

    You'll move from supporting projects to owning smaller projects or significant workstreams independently. You'll facilitate requirements sessions and start to design 'to-be' processes.

    • End-to-end Process Mapping: You'll be able to map complex 'as-is' and 'to-be' processes using BPMN.
    • Solution Design: You'll propose and document practical solutions to identified business problems.
    • Data Analysis (Intermediate): You'll use Excel and potentially Power BI to analyse process data and identify bottlenecks.
Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

We're big believers in working smarter, not just harder. That's why we actively encourage our team to use AI tools to take the grunt work out of their day. As an Associate Business Solutions Coordinator, you'll find AI can be a real game-changer for those repetitive, time-consuming tasks, freeing you up to learn and contribute more meaningfully.

Imagine spending less time typing up meeting notes or drafting routine emails, and more time understanding the nuances of a business process or getting hands-on with a new project management tool. AI isn't here to replace you; it's here to be your ultimate assistant, helping you get through the admin faster and with greater accuracy. Here's a glimpse of how you'll be using it day-to-day:

Automated Meeting Scribe

Use AI tools like Otter.ai or Fathom to transcribe stakeholder interviews and workshops. It'll automatically generate summaries, pull out action items, and highlight key decisions, saving you hours of manual note-taking. You'll then just need to review and refine.

Communication Co-Pilot

Leverage AI to draft initial versions of routine emails, project update summaries, or even basic sections of requirements documents. This means you can focus on making sure the content is spot-on and strategically aligned, rather than staring at a blank page.

Rapid Research Assistant

Need to quickly understand a new industry term or get a high-level overview of a business concept? Use AI to instantly summarise information, helping you get up to speed faster on project contexts without wading through endless articles.

Checklist & Template Creator

Feed AI your project task lists or process steps and ask it to generate comprehensive checklists or even draft basic templates for recurring tasks. It's a great way to standardise your work and make sure nothing is missed.

Common questions

Common questions

How do you become an Associate Business Solutions Coordinator?

Common routes in include Administrative Assistant / Office Coordinator (1-2 years), Recent Graduate (Business/Economics/IT) (0-1 year (post-graduation)) and Customer Service / Operations Support (1-3 years). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can an Associate Business Solutions Coordinator progress to?

This role can lead on to Business Solutions Coordinator (L2) (2-3 years (from Associate level)), depending on the skills you build.

What level is an Associate Business Solutions Coordinator in the UK?

This role aligns to RQF Level 2 on the UK framework, a guide to the depth of qualification it maps to, not a hard entry bar.

What new skills matter most for an Associate Business Solutions Coordinator?

Increasingly, AI Prompt Engineering (Basic) and Digital Collaboration Facilitation (Entry-Level). These are the areas where the higher-paid, future-proof work is heading.

The honest bit

You’ve started things before

Most of them were built for a room full of people who aren’t you. A cohort moves on whether or not your week allowed it, and by the third week the thing you’re behind on becomes the reason you stop opening it.

There’s no cohort here, and no timetable to fall behind. Before anything starts, Zavmo asks when you’re sharpest and how long you can realistically sit down for, then builds the sessions around those answers. A bad fortnight changes your pace. It doesn’t put you behind.

And you only pay once you start learning. Searching and planning are free, and you can cancel any time — so the cost of finding out is an afternoon, not a year.

What it costs

Less than one coaching session. Every month.

A single career-coaching hour costs more than a month of this, and it ends when the hour does. Zavmo doesn't. It's £70 a month, about £2.30 a day, for a companion that knows an Associate Business Solutions Coordinator, works on the job you actually do, and keeps going at your pace rather than a timetable's.

  • Searching and planning stay free. You only pay when you start learning.
  • Your credits are yours. Regulated, and they don't vanish when a subscription ends.
  • Cancel any time and billing stops. No notice period, no minimum term.

Your path, personalised

You have the map. Walking it is the part we do together.

This route runs to 10 national skill standards. That is a real journey.

Zavmo shapes a learning experience as unique as you are. It fits how you learn, your pace and the work you already do. Every step stays benchmarked to recognised national standards. That’s the plan for becoming an Associate Business Solutions Coordinator: personal to you, and it still counts. The first steps are free.

Independent research finds well-designed intelligent tutoring performs nearly as well as one-to-one human tutoring: VanLehn (2011), Educational Psychologist.

A private tutor in the UK averages £35–40 an hour . Zavmo is £70/month.

A real plan on learn.zavmo.ai: Ofqual-regulated units, credits, and a three-month run at your own pace.
Start free No commitment. See your first steps free.

15Where to go from here

Other roles at Level 2

Same depth of qualification, different job. Useful if the work appeals but this particular role does not.

Other roles in Internal Consulting

Stay in the field you know and move sideways rather than up.

If you leave this industry

The skills you'll gain here are highly transferable. You could move into external consulting, project management roles in any industry, business analysis in technology companies, or operations management. The ability to understand, map, and improve processes is valuable everywhere.

Not sure this is the right direction?

Work out what you actually want from work first, then come back and see which roles fit it. Takes about ten minutes.

This role profile is © 2026Growth Engineering Technologies Ltd. Built from UK occupational standards and regulated qualification data, and written for Zavmo.

You're not behind. You're right on time. The shift is only just beginning. Your role won't look the same in two years. Be the one who leads the change, not the one it happens to. Build my plan, free Here's the first ten minutes: a 2-minute confidence check → your personalised roadmap → meet the tutors matched to you. No card, cancel any time. No card. Build your plan, see your roadmap and meet the twelve tutors matched to you. All free. When you're ready to start learning, it's £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.