12 things I wish I’d known before my first Workday implementation

Over several years I’ve been involved in implementing Workday in many different environments and had to rescue a few poorly executed programmes too. I’ve learned a lot over that time.

Here are ten things, blindingly obvious now as a Workday consultant, that I wish I’d been aware of when I started in Workday implementations.

1) Don’t try to eat an elephant

Workday offer a huge amount of functionality across their suite of Finance and HR tools. You need to know what’s essential to start with, and which additional functionality would add real value to the business. If necessary, you can plan further phases of work to add new functionality to the business.

And in every phase keep your processes lean and focused to ensure you deliver a great experience to your users.

2)  You can’t start data cleansing and migration into Workday early enough

Data migration is often the most neglected part of a Workday implementation. For some, it’s an administrative task and a necessary evil. But get it wrong or leave it too late and it will scupper an otherwise meticulously planned implementation plan. The process of migration can be made much easier when data is thoroughly cleansed to ensure it is consistent, complete and accurate.

3)  You do not need to be Workday experts

Workday is a tool designed to be intuitive and user-friendly. Your internal team need good Finance and HR knowledge, common sense, and a willingness to learn, work hard, and deliver to plan. Any specialised Workday knowledge can be provided by your systems integrator, and use your programme to upskill your internal team.

4)  Resource the Workday implementation adequately

You will almost certainly need more people, money and time than you think; much better to plan for it now and run the risk of over resourcing than find yourself scrabbling around for more people or budget when you realise you are falling behind plan and have to apologise to the CFO for messing up budgets and business plans.

No one ever got sacked for delivering before the deadline or under budget with fewer people than expected.

5)  Pay attention to the details

Small details can get lost in big programmes. Don’t let this happen. Consider the data, the processes, and other systems with which Workday needs to interface, and how they work together.

6) Choose the right methodology

You can deliver Workday with fast delivery methods, such as Launch, which compromise on the amount of functionality you Go Live with, or longer term approaches that result in a richer experience in the live solution.

You need to know what is right for your business. Don’t get distracted by the lower cost, fast approach if it’s going to result in a solution that needs more work immediately after Go Live and cost just as much in the medium term.

7) Don’t compromise on user experience

Way too many companies shy away from turning on functionality that allow users and managers to self-serve, resulting in Finance and HR having to administer processes.

Workday is designed to eliminate or accelerate processes, so turn on the solutions that allow employees and managers to self-serve

8)  Workday adoption doesn’t just happen

Workday is intuitive, but that does not mean it will be enthusiastically embraced by all staff. Well-designed processes help, but leadership support and carefully crafted communications that describe the benefits of Workday are essential.

The best time to drive adoption is when the system is first launched and when new features are added. Give people a good reason to keep visiting the system.

9)  Have a post Go Live plan

You need to support Workday after going live and be ready to take on two annual releases. Plan for support and release management.

You likely won’t have rolled out all you wanted in your Phase 1 and may want to add new Workday functionality later. Plan for it with a roadmap. Things will change in your business and Workday will need to be updated to reflect those new ways of working. Plan for change with contingency capacity built into your support model.

10)  Celebrate success

Delivering a Workday programme is hard work and can take a long time, but there are many opportunities to celebrate success along the way. Make time to recognise collective and individual achievements; it creates more cohesive teams, builds resilience and makes the process much more fun!

UPDATE

New developments in Workday Implementation 

Since I first wrote this ‘10 things I wish I had known before my first Workday implementation’ blog a lot has changed, both in the offerings from Workday and how customers can choose to implement their solution. And I’ve been involved in even more Workday Implementations! 

So I’d like to update my original list with two more ideas, neither of which would have been possible in my first Workday Implementation, though I very much wish they had.

11) Beyond the Hype: Understanding AI

Let’s first cover what everyone is talking about; Artificial Intelligence

I see a lot of customers going to market specifying they need to ‘buy AI’.

Buying AI should not be an objective.

Instead, customers should be asking HRIS vendors how they currently use AI in their suite and how it fits in their product roadmap.

Workday has been using AI within its technology suite for years and no doubt will continue to find more applications.

For example, Workday’s Skills Cloud uses AI and Machine Learning to help customers understand the skills they have in the organisation right now, and those they will need in the future. They can help customers determine whether they build or buy those skills.

That’s a powerful insight, and the customer should be focused on that utility, rather than buying the AI that underpins it.

Caveat emptor

AI will become more and more pervasive in all the leading vendors’ solutions. They will be careful in how they package it with their wider proposition. So I would advise prospective customers to check carefully whether the package they have been offered includes the underpinning AI or whether they will need to buy additional services.

12) Lightspeed Workday Implementation

The other topic to cover is how much implementation approaches have changed.

Workday has been using a rapid implementation approach, known as Launch, for several years. In the last two years, they have started to offer an even faster approach to get customers to go-live. Initially only available to customers in the US, it has now been launched in the UK, in collaboration with Kainos, and is branded Spark&Grow.

This is a very clever solution which can get a customer to live in about four weeks. The offer is especially good for small to medium-sized enterprises and is well worth considering.

The reason I really like it is that it helps customers get value from Workday very quickly. The problem with Launch, and its predecessor, Your Way, was that the customer pays a subscription from the point at which they sign a contract with Workday but must wait sevral weeks or months until they begin to see tangible benefits.

But there are watch outs.

The customer just has to commit to an ongoing roll out of new functionality over an agreed period. Because implementation is incremental, expectations need to be managed carefully in the business, clear change and communication strategies have to be put in place to drive adoption byt employees and managers, and there has to be fast decision-making on what gets implemented, how and when.

Changing scope will cause a Spark&Grow implementation to go off course very quickly, so the approach may feel directive. Be prepared to be ‘done to’ rather than ‘done with’, for the greater good!

Before agreeing to a contract like this, you need to be very clear on what functionality you are buying and when it will be available. The end point for implementation also needs to be clear. Any confusion or disagreement could result in scope changes which add time and cost.

The longer-term contract is also important to consider. Customers typically pay a subscription fee for a fast-launch project, which includes fees for both the software and implementation. It’s imperative to be clear about how these fees break down so that when it is time to renew the software subscription – and the implementation fee is no longer needed – you have full transparency of any price increases.

See also this blog from our sister company, Preos, The dangers of implementing Workday at speed. 

In summary, focus on AI’s practical benefits, such as Workday’s Skills Cloud, rather than just the technology. With the introduction of expedited approaches like Spark&Grow, be aware of the need for ongoing development and a clear grasp of contract specifics.

Staying informed and proactive is crucial for a successful and efficient Workday implementation, whether you’re experienced or new to the platform.

Good luck with your Workday implementation. If you think we can help get in touch at info@changeassociates.com.