FAQ
1. During the Effort Review Period, what actions should be taken?
The Effort review period is intended to ensure that the effort report accurately reflects the time spent on various activities, particularly sponsored activities. If
any variances are identified, departments should process a Payroll Accounting Adjustment (PAA) to redistribute effort among the appropriate activities so the
report reflects actual work performed.
2. If Effort Certification has started and variances are identified, how should corrections be made?
A Payroll Accounting Adjustment (PAA) can be initiated using one of the following
approaches:
- If the Effort Report is not yet certified:
Use the Certify and Change Effort Certification task to update the Effort Report. This action will trigger the related PAA.
Job aid: https://support.umd.edu/esc?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0017400
- If the Effort Report is already certified:
Initiate a standalone Payroll Accounting Adjustment (PAA) in Workday to correct the payroll distribution.
3. Why can’t I process a PAA during the one- week PPA freeze period?
Pending PAAs processed during the freeze period may create errors during the Effort Certification task run, to prevent this and ensure all eligible effort reports
are captured, we encourage you to process PAAs either during the review period or after the Effort Certification has started.
4. How does retro pay impact Effort Reporting?
Retro pay is reflected on Effort Reports based on the pay periods in which the retroactive pay is processed. If retro pay is subsequently adjusted through PAAs,
the change may not appear in the same Effort Reporting Cycle due to system configuration. If you encounter this situation, please submit a ServiceNow Ticket
for assistance.
5. How is Effort Reporting handled for terminated Employees?
The Effort reports are generally routed to the employee’s immediate supervisor and the Principal Investigator (PI) . However, depending on the timing of the
termination, the Effort Report may still route to the terminated employee for certification. If this occurs, please submit a ServiceNow Ticket for assistance.
6. Are cost sharing and Salary of the Cap reflected in effort reporting?
Yes. Both cost sharing and salary over the cap are included in Effort Reports on the appropriate non-sponsored funding sources and must be reviewed and
certified as part of total effort.
7. Why do I receive effort reporting review tasks in my inbox even though my unit doesn’t manage the sponsored projects?
The routing of the Effort Reports are based on the employee’s primary appointment, and not the unit who manages the sponsored project. In these
cases, please submit the review task so it can move forward to the final approver for certification. We encourage collaboration across units to complete this review,
particularly when an employee has a joint appointment of has changed appointments.
If you believe the Effort Review task is completely outside your responsibilities,
please submit a ServiceNow ticket to the ERP technical team to request removal
of the Effort Certification Reviewer role.