Awards Improvement and Development Effort (AIDE)
Transforming grant management at the University of Washington
Finance, Planning & Budgeting, the Office of Research, and UW Information Technology are working with campus leaders to make award setup faster, improve reporting, and boost efficiency to better support research.
Stay up to date with the awards improvement process through our weekly status report, goals tracker, monthly newsletter highlights, and timeline tracker.
Weekly Status Report
We want to keep you informed. Review our status report, updated weekly with project highlights and award backlog metrics (UW NetID required).
Goals Tracker
The AIDE team has mapped several high-impact recommendations onto the initiative’s broader goals by drawing on insights from Huron Consulting Group, Workday experts, UW central units, and campus stakeholders. Click the arrows in this section to review those recommendations and view our progress.
AIDE Workstreams
Simplify and standardize workflows to reduce manual workarounds and speed up award setup. This includes optimizing SAGE-to-Workday integrations for improved efficiency.
| Work Effort | Short Description | State | RID |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAGE-to-Workday Award Modification Integration | Create a new integration from SAGE to Workday for Award Modification (MOD) requests to eliminate duplicate data entry and expedite the process. | Implementing | 14 |
| Streamline Award Setup and Returns to Campus Processes | Update Award Setup (ASR) process to reduce turnaround time and reliance on Campus, and streamline processes for Grants Contract & Accounting and Office of Sponsor Programs (OSP). | Implementing | 1 |
| Review/Revise Campus Returns Process | Improve the follow up for ASRs returned to Campus for timely completion. | Implementing | 2 |
| Define Communication & Escalation Pathways | Define communication expectations and formalize escalation pathways for award returns. | Implementing | 6 |
| Streamline Award Review Process | Determine ways to streamline or remove the review process—for example, use summary reports for manager review or exception reports for post-setup checks. | Implementing | 10 |
| SAGE Budget Link to MOD Requests | Link SAGE Budget to MOD requests to enable SAGE-to-Workday MOD integration | Implementing | 23 |
| SAGE Budget & Workday Award Plan |
Refine SAGE Budget and Workday Award Plan to the level of granularity required by sponsors.
|
Business Reqs Complete; Pending UW Input | 4 |
| SAGE Advance Integration |
Develop integrations for Award Setups with Advances and Advances in SAGE.
|
Business Reqs Complete; Pending UW Input | 15 |
| SAGE link eCG1 to ASR form | Link eGC1 form to pre-fill data in the ASR form for improved efficiency. | Business Reqs Complete; Pending UW Input | 16 |
| SAGE ASR Validations | Implement system alerts in the SAGE ASR form to validate data and expedite gathering necessary compliance documents. | Business Reqs Complete; Pending UW Input | 17 |
| SAGE Search Capabilities | Improve SAGE search functionality to showcase complete and accurate data. | Business Reqs Complete; Pending UW Input | 18 |
| SAGE Default Budget Title Validation | Set the default Budget Title and Primary Worksheet Title to match the eGC1 “Short Title” to minimize manual entry and improve consistency. | Business Reqs Complete; Pending UW Input | 21 |
| SAGE Budget Rounding | Correct budget rounding in SAGE Budget Worksheet to match rounding on NIH Notice of Award or amendments. | Business Reqs Complete; Pending UW Input | 22 |
| SAGE GCA Returns to OSP | Build functionality for GCA to return items to OSP via SAGE to expedite award setup efficiency. | Business Reqs Complete; Pending UW Input | 25 |
| SAGE Award Activity View | Implement a new view within SAGE to allow Campus, OSP, and GCA to view awards and SAGE item history improving transparency and reduce communications. | Business Reqs Complete; Pending UW Input | 27 |
| SAGE Add View Roles for Research Administration Leaders | Deliver View roles in SAGE to research administration leaders at additional levels, to allow for further transparency and oversight. | Business Reqs Complete; Pending UW Input | 28 |
| SAGE Campus Dashboard ASR & MOD Purpose | Enhance the Campus dashboard to include ASR & MOD Purpose to improve transparency. | Business Reqs Complete; Pending UW Input | 29 |
| SAGE ASR & Budget Form Validation | Implement validations or alerts in SAGE ASR form and Budget Worksheet to validate data expediting the award setup process. | Complete | 19 |
| Process Update Re-Budget Between Fixed Billed Award Lines | When a re-budget between fixed award lines (with billed amounts) creates a new award line and an out-of-balance billing schedule on the original award line, update the process so the Sponsored Invoicing team cancels and recreates the converted billing installments, customer invoices, and invoice adjustments in proportion to the re-budgeted amount. | Adopted/Ongoing | 12 |
Optimize processes within Workday to clearly define ownership, minimize manual interventions, and improve the accuracy and timeliness of subaward management.
| Work Effort | Short Description | State | RID |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subaward Standards Sample Package | Develop a standard subaward package example and training materials on UW’s website to guide subrecipients on UW’s complete subaward requirements. | Implementing | 45 |
| Subaward Request Form | Update the SAGE Subaward Request Form to steamline processesing, ensuring OSP has all required information and limiting unnecessary follow-ups. | Business Reqs Complete; Pending UW Input | 39 |
| Subaward Request Process | Update the Subaward Request Process so Campus, OSP, and GCA can complete their work concurrently, increasing process efficiency. | Planning/Design | 36 |
| Subaward Streamline Supplier Contract Setup | Setup only supplier contracts, without a PO, for subawards in Workday to reduce redundancy | Business Reqs Complete; Pending UW Input | 44 |
| Subrecipient & Supplier Core Data | Create a core data solution in FECDM to unify sponsor and funding entity management, enabling a single report combining SAGE subrecipients, Workday suppliers, and Workday subrecipients. | Business Reqs Complete; Pending UW Input | 137 |
| Subrecipient & Supplier SAGE Validation | Develop Workday supplier and subrecipient verification into the SAGE subaward request form. | Business Reqs Complete; Pending UW Input | 138 |
| Subrecipient & Supplier Reconciliation | Reconcile SAGE and Workday subrecipient records | Business Reqs Complete; Pending UW Input | 139 |
| SAGE Integrate Purchase Order & Supplier Contract | Develop a SAGE enhancement to analyze subaward request forms and auto-populate initial PO and Supplier Contract requirements. | Business Reqs Complete; Pending UW Input | 140 |
| Subaward Supplier Review | Shift the step of confirming subrecipient or supplier existence in Workday to occur after subaward request submission and in parallel with OSP drafting the subaward agreement | Planning/Design | 37 |
| Subaward Prioritization Procedure | Create standardized subaward prioritization procedure categorized by urgency. | Planning/Design | 42 |
Provide accurate and comprehensive reporting solutions for principal investigators (PIs), departments, schools, and colleges. Address missing or incorrect data issues and close gaps in institution-level reporting capabilities.
| Work Effort | Short Description | State | RID |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matrix of Research Reports | Develop a comprehensive matrix of available research reports and their functions to improve consistency of report usage and reduce frustration. | Implementing | 49 |
| Workday Dashboard for GCA | Optimize Workday automation and develop a dashboard for GCA to inform daily operations. | Implementing | 52 |
| Workday Dashboard Executive Summary | Develop an Executive Workday dashboard to provide research or school leadership a high-level summary of sponsored program activity to improve reporting, strategic planning, and evidence-based decision making. | Implementing | 57 |
| Workday Dashboards for Campus |
Develop Campus-level and Executive Workday dashboards to improve information accessibility, transparency, and data-based decision-making.
|
Business Reqs in Draft | 46 |
| Cost Center Differences | Cost Centers vary from Award Lines to Grant Defaults | Business Reqs in Draft | 133 |
| Workday Report to View Grant Budget & Expenditures | Develop a Workday report to view Grant Budget and Expenditures with a date selection filter. | Planning/Design | 51 |
| Workday Report R1234 vs. Cost Reimbursable Spend Lines | Create a report that compares R1234 to cost reimbursable spend lines to identify and escalate issues. | Planning/Design | 56 |
| Report Facilities & Administration (F&A) Rate Encumbrance | Resolve F&A Encumbrance overstatement reporting issues. | Planning/Design | 131 |
| Dashboard Sponsored Programs Award Workflow |
Develop dashboard for the Sponsored Programs Lifecycle showing workload volume and turn around times for award processing to improve visibility.
|
Complete | 98 |
| Report Enhancement Earned Period End Date (EDW Version) |
Create the R1269.1 report with Earned Period End Date outside of Workday to allow transparency into retro pay end dates.
|
Complete | 47 |
| Access to Post Award Fiscal Compliance (PAFC) Dashboard | Provide access to PAFC, GCA, and Campus to expedite compliance reviews and promote timely cost transfers. | Complete | 53 |
| Escalation Procedure for Grant Accounting | Escalate issues with Fiscal Compliance and Reporting that are impeding grant close outs. | Adopted/Ongoing | 55 |
| Report Devlopment Guidelines | Establish report development guidelines defining the reporting tool and responsible office. Maintain an inventory of research administration reports, including intended audience and owners. | Adopted/Ongoing | 116 |
Implement advanced Workday features to increase visibility of interdependent issues, speed up reporting, leverage Workday to increase efficiency across units, and support greater transparency and accountability.
| Work Effort | Short Description | State | RID |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eligible Investigator Feature | Use the new Workday Eligible Investigator feature to keep the PI assigned to the grant for the entire award period, regardless of position changes. | Implementing | 66 |
| Workday Custom Validations | Evaluate and update Workday custom validations for optimization of system controls to improve Campus’ ability to post expenses. | Implementing | 67 |
| Grant Hierarchy Strategy | Utilize Grant Hierarchies to include common report groupings allowing for consolidated award reporting. | Business Reqs Complete; Pending UW Input | 59 |
| Spend Restrictions for Unallowable Costs | Create spend restrictions for known unallowable costs per award, sponsor or institutional policy. | Business Reqs Complete; Pending UW Input | 68 |
| Object Class Mapping | Cleanup of Object Class Mappings based on Huron’s recommendation after Workday Functional Reviews. | Business Reqs Complete; Pending UW Input | 69 |
| Bill Outside Award Line Dates | Enable “Bill Outside Award Line Dates” to allow for sponsor invoice processing for valid spend activity occurring after grant has ended. | Business Reqs Complete; Pending UW Input | 77 |
| Enable Grant Costing Options | Enable “Grants – Alternative Costing for Grant Begin/End Dates” and “Position Restriction Costing Overrides” to prevent unallowable payroll costs. | Business Reqs Complete; Pending UW Input | 91 |
| Allowed Worktags | Leverage allowed Worktags to increase flexibility of custom validations, enabling central intervention and conversion adjustments. | Planning/Design | 62 |
| Workday Invoicing Capabilities | Retire PRISM (3rd party system) and transition to Workday invoicing capabilities to expedite processing. | Planning/Design | 71 |
| Invoice Type Consolidation | Consolidate quantity of Invoice Types to expedite invoicing process and reduce ongoing maintenance. | Planning/Design | 72 |
| Incorrect Converted Invoices Resolution | Continue working with Workday to resolve incorrectly converted invoices so invoices and adjustments no longer show to be unpaid. | Planning/Design | 89 |
| Fund 209 Separation | Separate Fund 209 to create isolated funds managed by GCA to support ease of reporting. | Complete | 60 |
| Cost Share | Evaluate scenarios for granular classification of funding sources for cost share Grant. Assess if the use of Projects is sufficient for complex cost share scenarios. Revise addendum and job aid to improve transparency in the cost share setup. | Complete | 80 |
| Payor Worktags | Create and implement a report for Payor Worktags for Campus to eliminate reliance on GCA and improve efficiency. | Complete | 84 |
| Surplus & Deficit Report |
Develop a Surplus & Deficit report to monitor service and charge centers and reinstate quarterly compliance reviews.
|
Complete | 94 |
| Equipment Capitalization/Fabrication |
Address accounting issues in Workday related to equipment capitalization and fabrication budgets. Document process and best practices for utilizing Workday Report.
|
Complete | 130 |
Resolve critical backlogs in award and subaward set up, closing, and reporting through expedited processing.
| Work Effort | Short Description | State | RID |
|---|---|---|---|
| Award Closeout Team Structure & Staffing | Evaluate and staff the Award Closeout Team, setting the team’s priorities to eliminate additional backlogs. | Implementing | 102 |
| Award Processing Backlog Reduction | Implement backlog reduction strategies to address critical backlogs and mitigate the risk of future backlogs. | Adopted/Ongoing | 96 |
Develop and maintain enterprise-level training guides that consolidate all research administration training into a centralized, user-friendly resource. These step-by-step guides will enable research administrators and PIs to easily search for and access relevant training and learning materials.
| Work Effort | Short Description | State | RID |
|---|---|---|---|
| Job Aids from Legacy Financial Systems to WD Terminology | Update job aids to remove references to legacy financial system and include Workday terminology to ensure accuracy and relevance. | Implementing | 104 |
| Job Aids for GCA Invoicing and Billing | Document detailed job aids for billing processes to assist GCA staff in invoice development. | Implementing | 76 |
| Grant Lifecycle Roles and Responsibilities | Develop and publish a roles and responsibilities matrix across all grant areas. | Implementing | 106 |
| Points of Contact for Non-Research Related Offices | Create formalized points of contact for GCA, OSP, and Campus within non-research related offices. (e.g. Payroll, Procurement, etc.) | Implementing | 107 |
| Training Material Document Management | Inventory and organize research training, documentation, and job aids, and review to determine where additional context and research administration can be provided. | Implementing | 108 |
| Job Aids for GCA Award Setup & Modification | Review and consolidate ASR and MOD job aids for GCA with embedded definitions to enable onboarding. | Planning/Design | 3 |
| Report Tools & Reporting Training Materials | Streamline and promote training materials, reporting tools, and communication forums to improve clarity and decision-making by helping stakeholders interpret and use reports effectively. | Planning/Design | 58 |
| Job Aids Content Review | Review job aids to identify where additional context and research administration education can be added. | Planning/Design | 109 |
| Job Aids for GCA Setup & Journals Teams | Consolidate GCA job aides for setup and journals to reduce redundant training materials and improve standardization. | Complete | 86 |
Newsletter Highlights
September 2025
AIDE is moving into a new phase at UW, building on work with Huron Consulting Group to create sustainable improvements in research administration. This next stage focuses on broad campus participation, with research administrators guiding user-centered changes in award setup, subawards, and reporting.
Newsletter Archives
Sign up for our monthly AIDE updates.
Timeline Details
With the fast-track phase complete and key pain points addressed, AIDE is now entering a new chapter: transitioning from a time-bound initiative to an ongoing, operational effort.
- Main Track (Launched Feb 2025, extended beyond initial 20-week plan): Focuses on optimizing Workday processes, aligning stakeholders, and enhancing technology and integrations.
- Operationalizing Fast Track: Continuing cross-unit collaboration and backlog management by OSP and GCA.
The success of the AIDE initiative is dependent on, and will build upon, the excellent work already undertaken by the Sponsored Programs Finance, Grant & Contract Accounting, and Office of Sponsored Programs teams, as well as the dedicated efforts of campus leaders in the grants and awards space. Learn more about the Post-Award Grant Backlog progress here.
Executive Sponsor
Andreas Bohman | Vice President, UW Information Technology, Chief Information Officer
Provides leadership and strategic oversight for the initiative, fostering collaboration between FPB, OR, and UW-IT. Ensures alignment with institutional priorities and resolves high-level challenges.
Co-Sponsors
Mari Ostendorf | Vice Provost, Office of Research
Focuses on streamlining award and subaward workflows, meeting sponsor compliance standards, and addressing reporting needs for PIs and institutional stakeholders.
Jason Campbell | Vice President, Finance & Budget Strategy, Finance, Planning & Budgeting, Deputy Chief Financial Officer
Leads efforts to improve post-award processes, aligning them with financial policies and leveraging efficient tools to optimize resource utilization and ensure compliance.