No one tells you the truth about Workday® implementations and HRIS implementations.
Let me fix that.
Here's a decades-in-the-making reality check for all managers, analysts, CPOs, and Dir HRIS:
You WILL have a Phase II.
It's not a maybe.
It's not a possibility.
It's as certain as death, taxes, and someone asking "can't we just..." in every requirements meeting.
There's a Grand Canyon-sized gap between:
• What Workday CAN do
• What you think you bought
• What's actually in your contract
(plus there’s Workday’s always-desirable 2 bi-annual releases)
That amazing feature they showed you in the demo?
Yeah... check your contract.
I'll wait.
Here’s the thing:
1. The selling/contracting process is designed to get your signature.
2. "Yes" answers in sales calls mean "Yes, Workday can do that"... not "Yes, it's included".
3. You won't discover what's missing until UAT.
Introducing: “Chris’s Crucial Survival Guide”
• You don't need all senior experts - you need implementers who know when they don't know a feature
• Your relationship is important to the partner... but Workday's is mission critical
• Escalate to Workday if your partner isn't responsive or gives you low-quality resources
• Interview your implementation resources if your contract allows
• Document EVERYTHING
The delivery gotchas:
• Success isn't just only about the quality of the partner - your team must be responsive and decisive
• Filling out workbooks is dull, but vital.
• The Questionaires are MORE vital.
• Don't overload by centralizing decisions to 1-2 people
• But DO avoid the "death by committee" culture
• Decision fatigue is real - save energy for the big structural choices
• Do your homework BEFORE implementation (time-off policies, offer letters, job catalogs)
• Have an advice resource for when your partner says “do you want A, or B?” (but doesn’t explain the impact)
BONUS TIP: Bring in a neutral third party who knows Workday
- regardless of your implementation partner
Today's DA review is mostly automated and misses crucial context.
You can pass part of a DA review in recruiting with basic notification settings, but never know there's a better way to handle branding that most implementers skip.
I’ve seen companies skip steps and end up with a "Phase II list" that looks like a toddler's letter to Santa.
Never forget:
• Your implementation partner wants you live ASAP (they get paid)
• Workday wants you live ASAP (recurring revenue starts)
• Your team doesn't know what they don't know
• Get a third-party audit at least twice during implementation
It's not intentional deception.
Plausible deniability is rife between Workday, implementation partners, sales teams and contracting. The old adage “too many cooks spoil the soup”.
So yes, you "get what you get and you don't get upset"
- but with a competent neutral partner, you can avoid the huge mistakes
(and get a vastly better initial implementation)
Proper planning prevents poor performance... mostly 😉
