One of the most important factors for a successful Workday human capital management (HCM) deployment is putting together the right implementation team.
But, too often, we’ve seen organizations struggle because they didn’t have enough resources to support the implementation. One of the biggest Workday implementation challenges we’ve seen is staffing.
What tends to happen is that most organizations rely on their staff members to manage the implementation on top of their full-time jobs. This can lead to delays, employee burnout, and chip away at the budget.
Avoiding Workday implementation challenges
During a successful implementation of Workday, each team member must focus their time and energy to their specific role. Often, this requires additional resources to help with project management, integrations, or day-to-day administration and process. You should also aim to start and finish the project with the same team, so nothing falls through the cracks.
If you think this sounds good in theory, but easier said than done. We’re here to tell you it’s possible. Surety Systems has a strong team of Workday experts who can supplement your implementation team in many ways. Here’s how we can fill the gaps in your next Workday deployment.
Workday Project Management
The project manager (PM) role is one of the most vital roles during the Workday implementation process. You could compare it to a quarterback on a football team. They have to manage the clock to keep the schedule, budget, and target on track. And know when to take timeouts if needed. They must also be able to anticipate the hits to avoid loss or setbacks during the project.
When looking for a PM, they should have impeccable communication, organization, and time management skills. Determination, creativity, and motivational abilities are other skills that make a first-class PM.
Replacing a PM mid project
Having to replace a PM in the middle of a project can create significant delays in the implementation cycle and even impact the bottom line. But if it does happen, our team can step in. One of our Workday PMs had to assist mid-way through an implementation with a non-profit company. You can read more about how they brought the project back on track and what you can expect if you find yourself in one of these Workday implementation challenges.
Project Manager Roles
Depending on the size of your organization, industry, and the project’s scope, you may want to consider various PM roles. If you implement Workday modules for financial management, human capital management, higher education, or any other Workday solution, a module-specific PM can provide more in-depth knowledge of finance and human resources (HR) to make the implementation seamless. Many organizations, from large to medium-sized businesses, can benefit from having the right partner on board.
You can learn more about each of these different roles in a previous article, Project Manager Roles You Need for a Successful Workday Implementation.
Workday Integration
The Workday integration consultant supports the PM but focuses on—you can probably guess—integrations. What makes Workday so transformative is that you can integrate it with other third-party systems, so all of your data and information are under one roof. However, integrations can be one of the most complex parts of a Workday implementation.
What to look for
Your consultant should be a Workday expert with experience in multiple deployments. They should be highly technical, but someone who can break it down for everyone on the team to understand. Your business leaders will quickly tune out if you try to speak to them in code, so a great integration consultant knows how to communicate business outcomes. Our integration consultants know how to speak both languages—technical and business.
Workday Data Conversion
Another essential resource is a Workday data conversion consultant. You could have all your integrations configured just right, but if you don’t have clean data conversion, it could derail your entire Workday implementation.
Data migration can be one of the most challenging (and often neglected) parts of a software deployment. It requires planning, executing, and following a diligent process. The data conversion resource needs to be programmatic, security-minded, and understand the entire Workday ecosystem.
Tips for data conversion in Workday
One of our consultants is super passionate about data conversion and has also spent a decade of his career at Workday. Here are his top tips:
- Keep security top of mind
- Start the planning stage early in the process
- Execute to a checklist
- Conduct multi-tiered testing
Catch up on our series
We shared even more tips and tricks for data conversion in Workday in a recent blog series. You can catch up on part 1 and part 2 of the series here.
Workday Consulting
A client-side consultant can help you maximize your Workday investment. They act as a solution architect and guide you in setting up your system so it works to your organization’s requirements.
What to look for
Your Workday consultant should have experience implementing Workday software for other companies in various industries. They should be confident, strong problem solvers who can make decisions quickly.
A steller consultant doesn’t settle for subpar and pushes back when a partner technical lead might default to what they’ve done before in a Workday setup. This individual can also provide services in the testing phase and training during implementation.
Non-functional Roles During Workday Implementation
A Workday software implementation impacts the entire company. Securing team members, whether third-party or in house, with expertise in security, data migration, change management, benefits, payroll, finance, and legal can lower risks and support user adoption and ongoing maintenance of your Workday application.
Don’t forget the documentation
As with any new software or digital transformation project, you want to have all of your processes documented, so information doesn’t stay in silos. When you’re implementing Workday, consider who will be responsible for creating the documentation. These will be valuable resources when onboarding new employees, training and development, and if you require a new software implementation in the future.
Getting Started With a Workday Partner
Bringing on client-side resources provides expertise in methodology, integration, testing, and configuration. And they’re always in your corner. Another advantage you may not be thinking about at the beginning of an implementation is the post-go-live period. Having extra resources to help with any problem that arises after the implementation can set you up for long-term success.
Bottom line: Partner Up With Surety Systems
Workday implementations can be long and stressful. Our senior-level Workday consultants can help ease the burden of an implementation and drive the project to success. Contact us today to learn about all our Workday services and how we can maximize your Workday investments.
