1. The UW-Madison Effort Project: What It Means For You
Linda Johnson
Assistant Dean for Pre-Award Research Services
College of Letters and Science

2. Overview
Personnel Activity Reports (PARs) – the old Effort Certification System
Effort Certification and Reporting Technology (ECRT) – the new Effort Certification System

3. PARs
Personnel Activity Report – automatically generated for UW faculty and staff who are paid or cost-shared on FEDERAL funds.

4. PARs – continued Important because: Confusing because:
Fulfill a FEDERAL reporting requirement
Means for tracking shared costs on awards which require cost-sharing
Confusing because:
A PAR only showed a person’s effort on their federal money, not the “whole picture.”

5. New System: ECRT No more paper PARs! New System – web-based
Easy to Use
Allows for a view of the “whole picture” on a person’s UW effort

6. ECRT: sample 25 X X 15 60 X
100
DONE !

7. ECRT – Major Changes WHO:
PIs will be required to certify their own effort
PIs will be required to certify the effort of grad students on their projects
Academic Staff will be required to certify their own effort
The role of departmental Effort Coordinator will be more involved and complex than the current PAR Coordinator.

8. ECRT – Major Changes WHEN:
The effort certification periods are CHANGING:
Faculty and Academic Staff: 2 times per year (Jan-Jun and July-Dec)
Classified Staff: 4 times per year (4 quarters)
We are ALREADY IN the first new 6-month certification period

9. ECRT – Major Changes WHERE: The system will be web-based (online)
UW staff will have access to the system from anywhere they have internet access with their NetID login
Important information and updates about the system will be at

10. ECRT – Major Changes HOW:
Training will be provided SOON by RSP to both departmental effort coordinators and project certifiers (PIs and staff)
The system will be populated by existing sponsored projects payroll and cost sharing data
In the future (2008) the system will also be updated with commitments of effort pledged in proposal budgets and narratives as they are given award account numbers

11. ECRT – Major Changes WHY:
The federal government has made effort reporting a top target for audits.
NSF’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is making the rounds of research universities.
The Department of Justice is involved, filing charges under the False Claims Act.
Many universities have had to pay millions of dollars in fines.

12. A Short Primer on Effort vs Payroll

13. It’s a piece of Pie!
1.0 FTE

14. It’s a piece of Pie!
0.5 FTE

15. With 2 different funds paying a half-time person:
0.25 FTE
0.25 FTE
0.5 FTE
0.5 FTE
TOTAL

16. EFFORT:
All the pie you have is 100% Effort
0.5 FTE
100% Effort

17. So, for 2 different funds paying a half-time person:
0.25 FTE
Project 1 work
50% Effort
50% Effort
Project 2 work
0.25 FTE
0.5 FTE
0.5 FTE
Total Payroll
100% Total Effort

18. What if you work more than 40:
Unless you are “full time plus” . . .
What if you work more than 40:

19. Your effort is ALL your effort!

20. Your effort is ALL your effort!
9/13/2018
Your effort is ALL your effort!

21. Certifying effort is not the same as certifying payroll!
? = ?

22. SO…. Please attend a training
Please work within your departments and units to identify who will be your Effort Coordinator
Linda will contact units soon to get the name of the Effort Coordinator

23. Thank You! Linda Johnson L&S Research Services