Effort pertains to the certification of effort, activity, or work expended on federal funded projects.  Faculty who serve as PIs (Principal Investigators) on federally funded awards are required to certify their own effort as well as the effort of their staff.  Harvard’s effort certification is processed by two forms: monthly salary certification (for staff), and annual certification for faculty.  Salary charges and adjustments are to be reviewed and certified to verify that each individual’s salary paid on the award reasonably reflects the work performed on the project for the period of time.  Monthly Salary Certification is a report that can be obtained from Harvard’s Financial Application, CREW (Common Reporting Environment for the Warehouse).  Annual Faculty Effort reports are generated by Harvard’s Central units and distributed to departments.  PIs may designate or delegate the certification task to a responsible official who has suitable means of verification that the work was performed.