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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/CCAFS/MARLO/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

MARLO organizes agricultural research work into annual phases: POWB (Plan of Work and Budget), UpKeep (mid-year monitoring), and Annual Report. Each time you log in, the platform shows you the active phase for your program and which sections still need your attention. This page walks you through accessing MARLO, understanding the phase you are in, finding your cluster, and completing your first planning task.
MARLO is a browser-based application. You do not need to install anything. Access requires network connectivity — either a direct CGIAR network connection or the appropriate VPN for your environment (GlobalProtect for production, FortiClient for the test environment).

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Before you begin

Confirm the following before logging in for the first time:
  • You have a CGIAR Active Directory account or an internal MARLO account issued by your program’s admin.
  • You know which program (CRP, Platform, or Center) you belong to — for example, AICCRA or CCAFS.
  • You have been assigned a role in that program. If you are unsure, contact your PMU or send a request to Marlosupport@cgiar.org.

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Walkthrough

1

Open MARLO in your browser

Navigate to the MARLO URL for your program. Ask your PMU or admin for the exact URL — it is specific to your deployment (for example, https://aiccra.marlo.cgiar.org).
Bookmark the URL once you are in. MARLO is desktop-first; use a laptop or desktop browser for the best experience with data-entry forms.
2

Log in

On the login screen, enter your CGIAR Active Directory credentials (the same username and password you use for CGIAR email and other CGIAR tools).If your program uses internal MARLO accounts instead of CGIAR AD, use the username and password provided by your admin.
If login fails, verify that you are connected to the required network or VPN. Production environments require GlobalProtect VPN when connecting from outside the CGIAR network. The test environment requires FortiClient VPN.
3

Identify the active phase

After logging in you land on the Home Dashboard. Look for the phase chip in the page header — it displays the current phase and year, for example POWB 2026 or AR 2025.The phase chip tells you:
  • POWB — you are in annual planning. Fill in cluster activities, deliverables, and budgets for the coming year.
  • UpKeep — you are in mid-year monitoring. Update progress against what was planned.
  • Annual Report (AR) — you are in end-of-year reporting. Confirm deliverables, attach evidence, and complete narrative sections.
Past phases are read-only. You can view prior years for reference, but any edits you make apply only to the current and future phases. Changes never modify historical records.
The dashboard also shows a list of incomplete sections for your cluster. This is your to-do list for the active phase.
4

Navigate to your program and cluster

  1. In the main menu, confirm the program name shown in the header. If you have access to more than one program, use the Global Unit selector in the header to switch.
  2. In the left or top navigation, click Projects (also labeled “Clusters” in some deployments).
  3. Find your cluster in the list and click its name to open the cluster workspace.
Each cluster has its own set of sections: Description, Partners, Locations, Activities, Deliverables, Innovations, OICRs, Studies, and more. The left submenu lists all sections for your cluster.
If you do not see your cluster in the list, your role may not be linked to it yet. Ask your program admin to assign you to the cluster in User Management.
5

Complete your first planning task

The most common first task during POWB is adding a deliverable — a knowledge product, tool, or service your cluster plans to produce in the year. Here is how:
  1. In the cluster submenu, click Deliverables.
  2. Click Add deliverable (the button label may vary by program configuration).
  3. Fill in the required fields:
    • Title — a clear, descriptive name for the deliverable.
    • Type — select the deliverable type from the dropdown (for example, Journal Article, Dataset, Training Material).
    • Year — the expected delivery year.
    • Open Access intent — whether the output will be published openly (required for FAIR compliance tracking).
  4. Click Save.
MARLO saves the deliverable to the active phase. It automatically replicates to future phases, so you do not need to re-enter it when the UpKeep or AR phase opens.
Some fields are required for QA submission. Incomplete sections are flagged on the dashboard. You can save a partial record and return to complete it before submitting for review.
6

Submit for QA review

When all sections for your cluster are complete, submit your cluster plan so QA reviewers can provide structured feedback.
  1. Return to the Home Dashboard and check that all incomplete-section warnings are resolved.
  2. Click Submit (or the equivalent action shown in your program’s configuration).
  3. Your cluster status moves to Awaiting QA. QA reviewers will receive your items in their review queue.
You will receive a notification when a reviewer marks a section as validated or requests a revision.

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What happens to your data between phases

MARLO uses forward-only phase replication: everything you enter in POWB carries over to UpKeep and then to Annual Report. When the AR phase opens, you see your planned deliverables pre-populated, ready for you to confirm or update them with actual outcomes and evidence. You never start from scratch.
If you need to correct something in a past phase (for example, a planning record from last year’s POWB), contact your program admin or PMU. Past phases are immutable by design to preserve the audit trail.

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Next steps

Annual planning workflow

A detailed walkthrough of all cluster sections during the POWB phase

Annual reporting workflow

How to confirm deliverables, attach evidence, and complete AR sections

Quality assurance

How QA reviewers evaluate submissions and how you respond to feedback

Platform architecture

Understand the phase model, multi-tenant structure, and data flow

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