Six factors driving success for your Workday® implementation

A Workday® implementation can enable path-breaking business transformation for your organization. An implementation done right will bring in results in the form of new, improved reporting capabilities, superior decision-making support, and new efficiencies across the organization.

However, a Workday implementation is a complex affair that needs to handled well from beginning to go-live and beyond. Every implementation is unique to a particular organization, in terms of business process nuances, leadership vision, and prevailing culture.

Here are six factors that drive success for Workday® implementations

Statement of Purpose and Outcome Goals 

The generic Workday® training and implementation guide, which is a good document by itself, cannot mirror the specific implementation universe of your organization. Creating your unique 'Standard Operating Procedure' (SOP) document specifying goals, scenarios, and guidelines is a crucial task in itself. A clear SOP proactively factors in 'what-to-expect-scenarios' such as expected organizational changes, mileposts, integration priorities, and even Workday® updates during the implementation. Most importantly, the SOP has to focus on what the new system would accomplish rather than on the nuts and bolts pertaining to what it would look like. It is easy to begin execution focusing on specs and architecture. However, any organization putting in place a Workday® HCM or Financial system can reap the real benefits of transformation, only when strategic objectives define implementation priorities at all times.

Early involvement of external consultants

All successful Workday® implementations have on thing in common. It is a collaboration among the right people, at the right time, and with the right expertise. The right time to select vendors for your Workday® implementation is at the planning stage itself. Mature, experienced outside consultants can drive speed for integrations, utilize their expertise to translate complex concepts into simpler terms and prepare the internal team for the right what-if scenarios. It is essential to involve your third party vendor along with your functional experts and relevant IT personnel for important planning discussions such as integration design meetings, data quality enhancement, and the testing program.

Organization ownership, IT execution 

One of the biggest pitfalls of a Workday® implementation comes about when the entire exercise is perceived as an IT initiative. Smart organizations do not allow that to happen with effective collaboration and communication at all times between management layers. It is crucial that senior management involves mod-level and most importantly, end-users and move ahead with their buy-in. There are serious business implications of insufficient communication during the implementation phase. Imagine the chaos that would reign if your internal audit department suddenly remembers a regulatory requirement aspect for which a new has to be added to the system mid-way during the implementation. It is indeed a possibility that communication gaps can lead to project failure.

Workday® Integrations, Clean Data and Testing Rigor

Your Workday®® implementation process typically follows the 5 step methodology: Planning, Architecture and Build, Configuration & Prototype (Re-configuration, if applicable), Testing, and Final Deployment. Each step outlined herewith has its own corollary planning, mileposts, and timelines. Three themes, however, stand out in terms of the supreme bearing they have on the success of your implementation. 

Workday® Integration

With a multitude of software, systems, and platforms at play within your organization and other entities in your business ecosystem, the importance of third-party integrations with your Workday® system cannot be emphasized more. You will need to arrive at an optimum integration plan that can guarantee business continuity and end-to-end business process automation in a uniform manner.

Clean Data 

Your Workday® implementation can be a boon for de-cluttering and cleaning up your organizational data as you prepare to bring in business transformation. While you can launch into a new orbit on the back of your new Workday® implementation, it is important to put in quality documents or files that can bring your decision-support information back to life.

Testing Rigor

In the typical 5-step implementation methodology outlined above, the testing phase is a complex and long one requiring a comprehensive deployment plan. There would be a need for multiple testing scenarios run by professionals with strong technical skills, understanding of use-cases, and more. To begin with, a thorough testing strategy is crucial. Going forward, there will be a need to meticulously document the scenarios applicable to your business, consider integrations, record the results, and conduct negative and positive testing. 

How Can Assist Now Help?

An independent outside Workday®® consultant can add tremendous value almost at any stage of the implementation process. 

The key to successful Workday® implementation lies in planning well and putting in place a Workday® team full of adequate experience. This is where Assist Now will be of the utmost help to you. Starting with project planning and right up to post-implementation support for the long-term, Assist Now consultants can help design, develop, deploy, and maintain highly complex Workday®® HCM and Financial Management systems.

Assist Now can offer advice and help you with 

•  Managed Services
•  Pay-As-You-Go
•  Evolution
•  Integrations
•  Reports and Analytics
•  Financial Management & HCM

Most importantly, we will provide you the most affordable solutions that you can possibly imagine. Call us today or schedule a consultation with Assist Now to know more.

But anyone can say they offer the best price or service, right? At AssistNow, we don't just say it. We live it every day with our customers. We give them peace of mind and satisfaction with world-class service and support by harnessing emerging tools and technologies. We guarantee it.