What does a 45-pound Labrador have to teach us about campus modernization? More than you'd expect. The parallels between bringing home a new puppy and going live with a new system are hard to ignore.

At one university, every department owned a piece of the incoming student process. Everyone did their part well. And yet, the process kept breaking down. What changed wasn’t the system. It was visibility. Here’s how mapping one end-to-end process reduced troubleshooting, increased trust in the data, and created real momentum toward ROI.

Most institutions invest millions in enterprise systems but miss critical ROI. The gap isn't the technology, it's what happens after go-live. Discover six truths every senior leader must understand to protect their investment.

Many teams think release readiness starts and ends with major Workday releases. In reality, meaningful changes arrive weekly, and some will affect your system whether you plan for them or not.

Resistance rarely means people are against change. More often, it signals discomfort, uncertainty, or unanswered questions. Understanding that distinction can reshape how campuses lead modernization.

Many ERP and SIS projects stumble after go live, not because the system failed, but because the institution was never fully operationally ready. The gap between implementation and reality is where the real work lives.

Many Workday teams assume data quality is covered by data validation, until transcript rules, GPA, or credits do not calculate correctly. Data quality is a cross functional effort, and it deserves its own workstream.

If you’ve ever stared at your screen wondering how time just disappeared, you’re in good company.

Starting early and focusing on who owns change management can make a huge difference.

Technology doesn’t inspire people. The future it enables does. Learn why the most effective Workday Student project stories focus less on the system and more on institutional identity, purpose, and people.

Campus teams didn’t just want answers in 2025. They wanted understanding. These were the topics schools were most eager to explore as they navigated complex systems, compliance, and big decisions.

AI can turn “the expert who knows everything” into documentation everyone can use—without adding hours to their workload. Using a simple Capture-Create-Check method, teams can build accurate, user-friendly job aids in a fraction of the time. And yes, you already have the tools to get started.

Modernizing your ERP or Student Information System (SIS) is one of the biggest investments your institution will ever make. But the real return doesn’t happen when you flip the switch. It happens in the months (and years) that follow, when your institution stabilizes, adopts, and truly owns the system.

The term "go-live" in a Workday implementation can be misleading, often signaling the end for implementation partners, but just the beginning for the institution. 

I have to admit, I'm a fan of checklists. There’s something satisfying about crossing off completed tasks. However, when it comes to implementation projects—especially Workday Student—I’ve learned to shift my mindset. Go-live is not the finish line. It’s a significant milestone, yes, but the adventure is just beginning.

Implementing a new technology system means walking a fine line: you need to trust your vendor or implementation partner and trust yourself.

I can't tell you how many times I see calculated fields that are unnecessary. I think this is because reporting training often focuses on HOW to build a report and not UNDERSTANDING the data model.

In higher education, documentation is often overlooked or under-resourced—both in terms of time and budget. But here’s the irony: by investing in documentation, institutions can actually save time and money. Read to learn how.

Making well-informed decisions hinges on accurate reporting. Yet, within Workday Student, mistakes can easily arise during report creation.

Why organize EIBs? Save time, avoid chaos, and reduce errors by keeping things clean and easy to find—like labeling a closet. Learn how!