For a large northeast healthcare organization, an outdated on-premise Infor ERP system had become a significant roadblock, leading to critical inefficiencies and integration challenges. Recognizing the need for a cloud-based solution, the organization made the strategic decision to transition to a modernized Workday landscape.
However, such a large-scale migration required expert guidance to ensure a seamless transition with minimal disruption to existing business processes. With the support of our senior-level consultants, the healthcare client successfully navigated the complexities of data migration, system integration, and change management, ultimately achieving a more efficient enterprise system.
This case study explores the challenges faced, the migration process, and the transformative impact of Workday on the client’s critical operations.
The Need for Change
The large northeast healthcare client had been operating within a legacy Infor S3 (formerly Lawson S3) landscape for over 15 years. After navigating through multiple acquisitions and outdated legacy operations, the client realized a need to modernize and reinforce system standardizations.
In their careful consideration of modernized enterprise platforms, the client assessed each platform’s ability to consolidate data across multiple business systems, streamline core business processes, and support sustainable growth. After considering other platforms like Oracle and Infor CloudSuite, they ultimately selected Workday and began early conversations with both the system implementer and external support resources to establish an approach to implementation, data conversion, management, and migration across their critical systems.
Challenges with Outdated Legacy Software
Outdated functionality
The client’s outdated Infor S3 infrastructure lacked the robustness and scalability required to keep up with the growing needs of the healthcare industry. Outdated legacy technology and limited functionality hindered the client’s ability to manage clinical and operational data, streamline operations, and improve overall productivity.
Less-than-optimal integrations
Outdated legacy software within the client’s enterprise landscape resulted in operational bottlenecks, limited productivity, and data silos between integral data sources. The client required consolidated data sources and streamlined integrations to sync information from both on-premise Infor and external systems and improve overall technical performance.
Issues with User Experience
With limited functionality in the client’s existing on-premise Infor system and complex data requirements from recent acquisitions, employees were challenged with usability issues, limited accessibility, and disparate data sources. They needed a modernized system that connected data from multiple systems in one interface and streamlined the user experience across both the legacy and modern technical environment.
Supplementing an Existing Resource Plan
The client’s system implementer outlined a comprehensive resource plan for both internal and external roles, ensuring each phase of the project had adequate knowledge, experience, and support from critical resources.
The defined resource plan identified all the roles the client required during each phase of the project. For any roles they didn’t have readily available internal resources or required additional support to combat a lack of experience or bandwidth, the client outlined responsibilities for external support resources.
Here are a few key roles the client utilized custom SMEs to augment their internal team:
- Project Manager
- Project Coordinator
- Learning and Development
- Data Conversion
- Integration
- Workday Absence Management
- Workday Benefits
- Workday Finance
- Workday Report Developer
- Infor HR Benefits
Navigating Complex Data Conversion Requirements
This client’s data conversion project required the internal and external teams to convert all data from their existing Infor S3 system to support each specific business unit after the initial Workday implementation. Before implementing their new Workday system, the client also needed to complete all data standardization and correction requirements within the Infor S3 system to ensure consistency and compliance with critical data standards.
To meet these standardization and implementation requirements, the client outlined four specific conversion and testing cycles to be completed before the final Workday implementation. Each of the first three conversion cycles required a three-month development and testing period to ensure the data extraction and conversion process aligned with the client’s critical business needs. This plan also allowed the client to add additional conversion testing cycles depending on the success and efficiency of the initial conversion phases.
- Conversion Cycle 1: Skeleton conversion process to verify all aspects of the conversion project that have been accounted for by each business unit. Exceeded the conversion threshold of 50%.
- Conversion Cycle 2: Initial conversion cycle including data from Human Capital Management, Supply Chain, and Finance areas. Achieved data conversion accuracy of 97.8% for Financials and 95.1% for SCM.
- Conversion Cycle 3: Subliminal conversion cycle including data from Human Capital Management, Supply Chain, and Finance areas. Achieved data conversion accuracy of 99.7% for Financials and 100% for SCM
- Conversion Cycle 4: Final conversion cycle including data from Human Capital Management, Supply Chain, and Finance areas. Achieved data conversion accuracy of 100% for final Gold Tenant migration.
Outlining a Comprehensive Data Conversion Methodology
To outline a comprehensive data conversion methodology that addressed the client’s critical data conversion, standardization, and integration initiatives, they required effective collaboration between internal and external resources, including the system implementer and existing staff. Our experienced Project Manager was brought on to oversee the data conversion process to the new Workday system and monitor performance throughout each phase of the project.
The client’s implementation partner outlined workbooks for each functional area of the conversion and implementation project and created a comprehensive schedule to review each of the Workday File workbooks during each phase of the project. Each workbook contained specific requirements for 1 to 20 file extracts, enabling project teams to track data and processes at the File, Activity, Task, and Workbook levels within their existing WBS.
All workbook and file types for the client’s data conversion practices involved the standard record layouts supplied to their implementation partner directly by Workday. The client’s file types for this conversion process include:
- Data Gathering Workbook (DGW): This includes only files that were run through the implementation partner’s transformation utility.
- Enterprise Interface Builder (EIB): This includes a direct load template directly from Workday, similar to the Add-Ins upload in the existing Infor system. Files are not run through the implementation partner’s transformation process here.
- iLoad: This includes a mass load utility for critical Workday files. Files are not run through the implementation partner’s transformation process.
Identifying Gaps in the Enterprise Landscape
Absence Management
“The automation of accruals in Workday is extremely complex and limited to begin with. It’s something that should be taken into consideration very early in the process to ensure success.” – Senior Workday Absence Consultant
The client lacked internal expertise for the implementation of absence management work streams. They needed additional consulting resources to facilitate advisement during initial design stages, custom unit testing scenarios, end-to-end testing, parallels testing, and post-Go-Live stabilization.
Our senior-level Workday consultants served as the lead in-house expert for each phase of the project, including leading initial design discussions with internal teams, conducting remote and onsite advisement for custom unit testing, and completing complex absence builds across multiple business units. By providing comprehensive knowledge and extensive experience in Workday Absence configurations, our team led core configuration, customization, and stabilization efforts to ensure the client’s internal team could effectively use and audit the Workday Absence module over time.
Benefits Management
“Workday is a business process flow-oriented system and not a Benefits platform, so some of the bells and whistles that come with a Benefits-only platform are non-existent with Workday. This is where people like me come in to bridge the gap.” – Senior Workday Benefits consultant
The client required additional consulting resources to support their Workday Benefits landscape, including monitoring eligibility for all benefits plans, facilitating efficient integrations between systems, ensuring accurate deduction calculations, and configuring benefits event processing rules.
Our Workday consultants were closely involved with the client’s internal teams, providing hands-on support for benefits management across critical project phases. Here’s a closer look at their involvement and responsibilities in each phase:
Planning
- Provide product demonstrations to explain functionality for core Workday products
- Identify potential functionality gaps and discussion topics with other functional areas
- Document open items within the Workday landscape to facilitate accurate decision-making
Architect & Design
- Provide subject matter expertise for the Workday Benefits product to help the client drive more informed decisions
- Review system requirements and complete configuration design workbooks to ensure client needs are met
- Interface with the client’s implementation partner to establish key design topics
- Help the internal team understand the cross-functional impacts of efficient Workday Benefits operations (i.e., HCM, Compensation, Payroll, Absence, Integrations)
Testing
- Act as the Benefits Test Lead for the client’s internal team
- Configure and track test scenarios for functionality and integration testing
- Augment the internal team in conducting smoke testing and managing test scenarios
- Help the client’s internal Benefits team and implementation partner identify, troubleshoot, and test issues and defects
Deployment
- Assist the client’s internal team in Benefits data conversion and validation tasks
Post-Production
- Assist with system configuration updates not addressed during initial implementation
- Conduct smoke testing before requesting that the client confirm accurate functionality
- Troubleshoot transactional issues across the client’s Workday Benefits landscape
Finance
“Implementations can be chaotic. You can be thrown into areas that you might not be competent in, and you just have to roll with the punches.” – Senior-level Workday Financials consultant
The client’s internal Finance team required additional support from Workday Finance experts to help with the core Foundational Data Model (FDM) and General Ledger design, assist with critical testing initiatives, and provide client advocacy support in interactions with the implementation partner. Here’s a closer look at the key product areas the client required support from our expert consultants:
- Reporting: Create reports that have the same look and feel as the reports in previous systems, requiring a detailed review of how the data is loaded, mapped, and entered in the new Workday system.
- Data Loading: Conduct multiple data load processes throughout the migration process to ensure accuracy and availability upon their Go-Live date.
- AP/AR Management: Ensure all data for suppliers, customers, and other key stakeholders is in the system to maintain effective Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable operations.
Our senior-level Workday Financials consultant worked closely with the client’s internal Project Manager, ensuring proper coordination across teams and providing a voice of reason to alleviate the pressures of a complex implementation process. With the support from our team, the client was able to build comprehensive data sets, import them into their new Workday system, and facilitate continuous monitoring once the system went live.
“Everyone on the client side is getting immense amounts of pressure from a lot of different powers, so as long as you are helping alleviate the pressure and working on the side of the individual, you can ensure a good experience for internal and external parties.” – Workday FDM consultant
Payroll
The client required additional support from senior-level consultants to advocate for their internal teams and ensure critical payroll processes were managed effectively. Our senior-level consultants were brought on to augment the internal payroll team, offering support for critical need areas, like tax management, consolidation, and integration with timekeeping platforms.
Our team of consultants helped the client navigate multiple municipal township income taxes, ensuring they captured locations and local taxes properly and delivering accurate employee pay. After the client consolidated their timekeeping systems to one platform, our expert consultants assisted in the migration of critical payroll data to and from each system and streamlined other payroll tasks to ensure accurate time data and timely payments.
IT Boundary Applications
“The Workday system can be very nuanced and technical, so it can be difficult to understand the system from end to end. I wish more clients understood that it takes time and practice to understand the system and fully utilize its core capabilities to complete in-house tasks.” – Senior Workday Project Manager
As the client’s inventory of external applications that integrated with their Workday system grew, they required an experienced Project Manager to oversee, track, and optimize core integrations.
The client had approximately 300 existing instances of other systems that either needed data that came from their legacy Infor S3 system or that used data that was changing as it moved into the new Workday System, requiring key integrations to streamline data management, migration, and conversion across systems. They leveraged hosted applications that required basic support from analysts to open and monitor a change ticket; however, the internal team also needed a senior-level PM consultant who could monitor and maintain that all application connections were connected.
Our team helped the client analyze core system integrations, ensure adequate support for data management and connectivity, and manage critical reporting responsibilities across business units.
Hands-on Reporting
As the client’s inventory for reporting grew throughout their Workday implementation project, they required additional support to manage hands-on reporting initiatives and facilitate effective data management across the organization.
Our senior-level Workday Reporting consultant provided hands-on support for report development, management, and optimization, ensuring internal and external teams had access to critical information whenever and wherever needed.
Training and Development
After being introduced to the client’s Director of Organizational Development who was tasked with developing a comprehensive training plan across the organization, our team provided internal team leads for HCM, Finance, and SCM to support the implementation partner in designing, testing, and delivering the organizational training plan.
Our training and development team helped the client establish comprehensive training plans, create supplemental training videos and job aids, and help internal team members understand how to navigate specific tasks in their new Workday system, such as viewing paystubs.
Key Takeaways from the Project Team
- Engage key stakeholders early in the implementation process to ensure adequate user adoption and efficient decision-making.
- Define clear project objectives, goals, and timelines to align business initiatives with key project tasks.
- Map existing Infor data to Workday FDM structures to facilitate accurate and efficient data management, conversion, and migration processes across systems.
- Establish effective communication routes and standards to improve coordination between internal teams, system implementers, and external consulting resources.
- Focus on cross-functional collaboration across internal teams and external project resources to promote efficient communication and project management.
Get Started with Workday Experts
Our senior-level consultants bring extensive knowledge and years of experience in seamless Infor to Workday migration efforts, ensuring a smooth and efficient implementation tailored to your critical project objectives.
From data mapping and validation to system configuration, user training, and consistent optimization, our consultants are here to guide you through every phase of the Workday migration process. With our proven track record of success in helping healthcare organizations modernize their enterprise software, Surety Systems helps you minimize risks, improve efficiency, and fully maximize the potential of your Workday investment.
We also offer extensive experience in other ERP platforms, such as legacy Lawson S3/M3, Infor CloudSuite, Oracle Fusion Cloud, UKG, and Epic, ensuring our expertise matches your critical organizational needs.
Contact Us
For more information about our Workday consulting services or to get started on a project with our team of expert consultants, contact us today.
