Drake’s implementation of Workday continues to move forward on schedule. We have just reached a significant milestone in the project – completion of the design and configuration stage of Drake’s Workday system. From both a schedule and configuration perspective, we are exactly where we expected to be at this point in the work. Importantly, testing to date has exceeded expectations, giving us confidence as we move into the more complex end‑to‑end and payroll parallel testing phases ahead.

Where We Are on the Timeline

The current focus is on completing the Platform phase of the project, which includes Workday Human Resources, Payroll, and Financials. This phase runs through 2026, with time entry beginning September 21, and go‑live scheduled for October 1. Planning and early preparedness work for Workday Student is beginning now, with detailed student planning activities ramping up over the coming months.

What Workday Will Improve for Campus

Our project teams are configuring Workday to bring significant value to campus through:

• Greater self‑service and transparency, with tasks, approvals, and status visible in one system
• Earlier approvals and validations, reducing errors, payroll issues, and budget overruns before they occur
• Modern financial and HR business processes, replacing inefficient, manual processes and paper forms with automated, digital workflows
• Real‑time reporting and insight into people, budgets, and operations with integrated data
• Mobile access for common actions like time entry, absence requests, and expense documentation

What’s Coming Next

Over the next several months, the project will move through end‑to‑end testing, payroll parallel testing, and end‑user training. Training will begin in late August/early September, and non-exempt employees will begin using Workday on September 21 for timesheet entry. The full Platform system will go live on October 1.

As go‑live approaches, we will be providing more information, with more detail, on how Workday will impact the campus and what you need to know to be prepared. Stay tuned!

— Chris Gill, ITS