Effort Automation Release Notice

In order to improve the effort-reporting system, and to remove the need to circulate, print and scan .pdf documents, a new electronic effort reporting system came into use on September 1, 2020.  All employees who worked on a sponsored project in which salary was directly charged or contributed during the Effort Reporting period will have effort reports in the system.  These reports will be automatically routed for review and certification through the GWeb info system (https://it.gwu.edu/gweb, same location as copies of paychecks).

Step One - Pre-Review

Before the employee whose effort will be charged to the grant views the effort report, it will be pre-reviewed by people designated by your school or POD to check for accuracy.  The individuals assigned are generally your POD post award specialists and the PIs.  Additional information may be received from the POD leaders or managers.

Step Two - Certification

The person designated to certify the report, typically the person who performed the work which is being charged to the sponsored project, will be notified via email and will review and certify the report, or request changes if they are needed.  In some cases, an additional “alternate certifier” may be designated, for example where a person who performed the work has left the institution.  That person must have sufficient knowledge of the work performed to accurately certify in place of the employee who performed the work.  Once the report is certified, the effort report is completed.

It should be noted that effort reports form the basis of evidence for the invoices we issue to sponsors for the work performed.  If you have any questions about your effort report, please do not hesitate to reach out to the staff in your POD for assistance and clarification as it is essential to ensure that effort reports are accurate prior to certifying them.

Please find the link to the User Guides and demos which guides you on how to use the new system:  https://controller.gwu.edu/labor-effort.

If you are in need of assistance or training, please contact your POD Manager or the GCAS Effort Reporting team at [email protected].