Workday Phase 2 Update: Project Remains on Track for July 1 Launch
The team undertaking the second phase of the Workday project has been hard at work – from home – to deliver improved business processes for managing finances at Saint Louis University. Thanks to their efforts and support from colleagues, Workday Financials is expected to go live as scheduled on July 1.
The team has been busy designing and building various modules – or functionality areas – that will comprise the new enterprise system. These include accounting, budgeting, business assets, customer accounts, procurement and project tracking.
End-to-end user testing continued remotely through April 3. This type of testing is important because it ensures that day-to-day activities and tasks are performing as expected across a variety of business processes, including reporting and security.
“I want to thank everyone who has given their time over the last few weeks to continue testing and refining processes despite the challenges of remote working,” said Fred Winkler, assistant vice president and controller.
Winkler, who is the project lead for Phase 2 added: “I know everyone has had a lot going on with work and family responsibilities. Both David Heimburger (SLU’s vice president and CFO) and I appreciate their assistance in continuing to make Workday Financials a success.”
Additionally, the Organizational Change and Training (OC&T) team is finalizing a Phase 2 training plan after conducting a needs assessment to determine the best methods of delivering training for each business process.
Many business processes will only require step-by-step instructions called “job aids,” while others may need how-to videos and virtual instructor-led training. In response to Phase 1 feedback, training for Phase 2 will be provided before the launch. A training schedule will be published in the coming weeks.
In early May, members of the SLU community will participate in user testing, running through a variety of real-world scenarios. They will also review the training materials, and the OC&T team will revise them as needed before the launch. This testing can be also done remotely if necessary.
Workday Phase 2 Open Forums
On Wednesday, April 15, there will be two open forums on Zoom for SLU community members to learn more about Workday Phase 2.
Members of the project team, as well as representatives from Business and Finance and Information Technology Services (ITS), will discuss what to expect at go-live and to answer questions. Times are as follows:
To learn more about SLU’s journey to Workday, visit Workday@SLU.