Institutional workflow patterns

This page outlines practical ways departments and central offices are using XML upload to scale CPOS compliance.

  1. Admin maintains a structured CPOS inventory (spreadsheet, database, …)
  2. Admin exports/upload-prep XML for each PI (one file per individual)
  3. PI uploads XML into SciENcv CPOS document
  4. PI reviews, completes missing fields, and certifies
  5. Admin collects the SciENcv-generated certified PDF for submission packaging

Pattern B: Hybrid drafting (admin seeds, PI edits)

  • Admin uploads baseline XML (projects, dates, sources)
  • PI adds narrative fields (objectives, overlap) and final effort estimates

Pattern C: System integration

Some institutions generate SciENcv-ready CPOS XML directly from internal research administration systems (e.g., effort reporting, award management, disclosure tooling). If you do this:

  • Treat awardnumber as the primary identifier for de-duplication and updates.
  • Generate person-month rows deterministically (inclusive year range).
  • Build a validation step (see validator script in this repo) before handing files to PIs.

Governance tips

  • Maintain a clear cutoff date for when updates are accepted before submission.
  • Use an intake form for items that are hard to infer (consulting, in-kind, foreign appointments).
  • Keep a copy of the exact XML uploaded, and the final certified PDF that was submitted.