Workday is the top provider of enterprise cloud solutions for finance, human resources (HR), and workforce management, recognized as a scalable, diverse, and easy-to-use solution for companies across industries.
Because of the complexity of the Workday platform and its vital role in promoting organizational efficiency, companies require specialized knowledge and expert support to ensure a successful implementation. This is where a Workday Functional Consultant can help.
Read on to learn more about Workday Functional Consultants and how our Workday consultants can help your organization.
What is a Workday Functional Consultant?
A Workday Functional Consultant is a specialist with a robust understanding of the Workday platform and other associated business processes and requirements.
A team of Workday functional consultants can help manage and oversee various business areas, including payroll, talent and performance management, workforce planning, benefits administration, and more. They have strong project management skills and are typically responsible for establishing and adjusting a client’s Workday system to meet their needs and requirements over time.
Why are Workday Functional Consultants Important?
A functional consultant for Workday exists to ensure a company’s Workday installation plan is realistic and reaches its full potential, regardless of whether they’re just adding a new module to an existing Workday landscape or implementing the full suite of Workday applications. These consultants understand the entire Workday platform, enabling them to tailor it to unique business requirements and boost output, effectiveness, and performance over time.
Their capacity for problem-solving greatly influences the significance of a functional consultant for Workday. They ensure a smooth transition to the Workday platform by identifying potential roadblocks, understanding intricate business procedures, and providing customized solutions. Their technical expertise is essential for the setup, upkeep, troubleshooting, and continuous system improvement.
A functional consultant is also necessary for improving user acceptance and adoption. By offering comprehensive training and support, they ensure users understand and can utilize the system efficiently. Over time, this yields a higher return on investment and better user satisfaction.
Responsibilities of a Workday Functional Consultant
Implementing and optimizing a Workday system across business units are imperative tasks for a functional consultant for Workday. They can decide how to best pair Workday’s functions with the operational requirements of their client’s organization by delivering a fusion of technological business insights and Workday proficiency.
Here are a few of the main responsibilities of a Workday Functional Consultant:
Analyzing Requirements
One of the first tasks a functional consultant for Workday tackles is gathering and analyzing business and project requirements. To determine stakeholders’ needs and expectations for the Workday system usually means hosting seminars or interviewing them to gain better insights.
By analyzing critical business requirements, a functional consultant can locate gaps in the current system, discover new opportunities, and investigate the probability of successfully converting these processes into Workday setups.
Data Management
A Workday Functional Consultant play a critical role in overseeing and monitoring the data sources that make up the Workday solution. With the help of functional consultants, companies can ensure accurate and compliant data transfer from the legacy platform to the new Workday solution.
A functional consultant troubleshoot migration-related issues, maintain data integrity throughout the transfer process, and validate and verify data after it has been imported into the new Workday solution.
Education and User Support
It’s no secret that the success of implementing Workday depends on end-user adoption and understanding of the critical components and activities in their new Workday solution.
A Workday Functional Consultant actively teaches users how to operate systems effectively, providing workshop materials, training sessions, and other practical instruction modules to ensure users understand the ins and outs of their systems.
Functional consultants also typically offer ongoing support for the system after the initial Go-Live date to answer any user inquiries, resolve technical issues, or assist with more difficult tasks.
Pairing Workday Functionality with Business Needs
A Workday Functional Consultant often leverages their understanding of the in-built requirements of the Workday solution and the client’s unique requirements to modify implementation or integration plans.
Experts use their Workday modules, workflows, and business processes knowledge to build a plan that meets client needs, including creating new features, outlining dashboards, establishing unique workflow regulations, or altering user interfaces.
Lifecycle Management and System Updates
Workday provides new features and platform updates regularly. A functional consultant keeps an eye on these advancements, evaluates how each could benefit your business, and supports the implementation or integration of each new product or tool.
They test new features, oversee system changes, and incorporate them into existing configurations. They also supervise regular system evaluations and preventive maintenance activities to ensure the system runs as efficiently as possible.
Skills Required to be a Workday Functional Consultant
Here’s a look at a few of the main requirements for a Workday Functional Consultant:
1. Credentials and Training
Workday Functional Consultants are typically identified by the specific Workday certificates they hold. Several certifications are available from Workday across its product range, including the Workday Financial Management Certification, Workday Student Certification, and Workday HCM Certification. These are well-recognized in the industry and demonstrate a professional’s familiarity with and aptitude for utilizing specific areas of Workday technology.
2. Interpersonal Abilities
A Workday Functional Consultant must have excellent interpersonal, technical, and functional skills. To effectively communicate complex technical subjects to stakeholders and lead training sessions, a consultant must be well-written, well-spoken, and able to collaborate with others to resolve critical issues.
3. Functional Skills
Functional consultants must comprehensively understand the whole Workday product line, comprising its essential elements, capabilities, and integrations with other enterprise management solutions. This also includes familiarity with payroll, benefits, financial management, human capital management (HCM), and other functional areas of the business landscape for companies across industries.
The Surety Systems Difference
While there are many Workday Functional Consultants to choose from, our team at Surety Systems offers personalized support to help clients enhance system operations on their terms.
Here’s a look at how our Workday consultants set themselves apart:
1. Personalized Consultants
Our team of WD consultants is hand-picked for your project and unique needs. They also uphold a high standard of work that enables them to understand your system quickly and take the appropriate steps to solve issues efficiently.
2. Timely Support
Our WD consultants are available to you when you need them. With our team of expert consultants, you can efficiently resolve problems, maintain optimal operational efficiency, and ensure critical project needs are met on time.
3. U.S. Based Consultants
At Surety Systems, our consultants are U.S. citizens, and their work is based in the United States. This makes it easier to align schedules and cultivates smooth communication between consultants and clients to meet needs and resolve issues without waiting for offshore support teams.
How We Can Help
Whether you’re looking for a consultant with functional experience in a specific Workday module or just need a hand getting started with Workday, Surety Systems can help!
Our senior-level Workday consultants have the skills and experience to help you get exactly what you need from your Workday investment.
Contact Us
Interested in learning how our blended workforce and unbiased consulting model can help your team achieve critical Workday implementation or integration objectives? Ready to get started on a project with our Workday Functional Consultants?
Contact us today!
