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.

Higher education systems were once built around a single core platform. Today’s ecosystem is distributed, but many institutions still operate with a centralized mindset. That disconnect creates friction, silos, and missed opportunities for better design.

When a new system forces you to let go of familiar workflows, the frustration feels personal. But that discomfort often means the change is working, not failing.

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.

After go live, many institutions use Workday Community only to submit tickets or download guides. That is a missed opportunity. When used intentionally, Community becomes a powerful daily resource for operational clarity and smarter support decisions.

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.

Higher education technology has moved from locked basement server rooms to cloud platforms, but the real transformation is not just about where data lives. It is about what becomes possible when systems are designed to serve people.

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.