Overview
Because our current effort reporting systems do not integrate with Workday Finance, a new effort reporting solution—Employee Compensation Compliance (ECC) provided by Huron Consulting—is being implemented. The ECC/Workday Finance combination has been implemented at several peer institutions, such as the University of Miami and the Kansas University Medical Center. Go-live is July 2023, with initial certifications occurring soon after to align with the reporting period.
Comparing Current State Solutions to ECC
Design and process decisions are being made in consultation with Huron, the Project Team, and our ECC Champions (see below) to configure ECC for UW. Any changes that impact users will be shared via future communications and/or training. In the meantime, here are some key highlights:
- System - ECC will replace effort reporting for eFECS, Grant and Contract Certification Reports (GCCRs), Harborview Medical Center (HMC), and Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). This supports consistency, process automation, electronic records for all forms of effort reporting, and standardized workflows, where applicable.
- Faculty Effort Certification (FEC) Reports - In ECC, FECs will be referred to as Effort Statements. Faculty and Principal Investigators (PIs) will self-certify these statements.
- Grant and Contract Certification Reports (GCCRs) – In ECC, GCCRs will be referred to as Project Statements and managed electronically. Currently, GCCRs follow a manual paper process. PIs (faculty or non-faculty) will certify the effort of project contributors on these statements.
- Record Retention – Currently for retention, responsibility falls to units for GCCRs, and Management Accounting and Analysis (MAA) for FECs in eFECS. In ECC, both Project and Effort Statements will be stored electronically, and retention will be managed by MAA in conjunction with the Records Retention Team. Note: In the future state, units will still be responsible for retaining GCCRs that were created before ECC go-live. The full retention period for these records is 12 years.
- Visibility into Statements - Currently, FECs and GCCRs cannot be viewed until they are created for the reporting period. In ECC, Effort and Project Statements will be visible in “Building” status. This real-time visibility allows corrections to be made sooner (in Workday), to avoid unnecessary recertifications.
Supporting Users Through this Change and Beyond
There will be a lot of transitional and ongoing support for ECC:
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Documentation and Training – Resources will be provided to cover ECC and the changes from current to future state to help users transition to the new system.
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Communications – Project communications will increase beginning in Spring 2023 and will continue through Go Live and the first reporting cycles. Additionally, regular Pulse Check Surveys will be sent to users to guide change management efforts.
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Initial Certification Support – Because the first project certifications will be in October 2023 and the first effort certifications will be in January 2024, training will be delivered from August – December 2023; closer to when users will use the system. In addition to training, there will be a period of more intensive support in the weeks surrounding initial certifications.
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Department-Level Presentations – Would you like the Project Team to share this information with your department? If so, please let us know via email to ECCHelp@uw.edu! The Project Team would be happy to present to your group, listen to concerns, and answer questions.
We Need Your Help!
We’re building a network of ECC Champions who will give effort reporting users a voice in a way that works for them. We follow an opt-in model for participation, so Champions only engage when it works for them. These are some of the areas where we need support:
- Feedback on current state effort reporting.
- Design discussions, focus groups, and/or surveys.
- User Acceptance Testing (UAT).
We want to make sure all roles are represented and we’re still looking for Faculty, PI, FEC Coordinator, and Report Generator volunteers. If you would like to learn more, please email us at ECCHelp@uw.edu.