If you’ve ever felt like your days in Workday are spent putting out fires instead of driving progress, you’re not alone. Between data errors, confusing interfaces, and processes that only make sense to the people who built them, it can feel like Workday is running you instead of the other way around.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are three proven strategies to get ahead of the chaos and make Workday work for you.
1️⃣ Proactively Monitor Data Issues in Workday
Workday’s entire design revolves around clean, accurate data. When something breaks that model, you’ll feel it fast. But that doesn’t mean you need to wait for trouble.
Set up reports and alerts that proactively flag data issues before they snowball. Everyone makes mistakes; the key is catching them early. Even finding and fixing an error within 24 hours can save hours of cleanup and confusion down the road.
2️⃣ Create Custom Hubs and Dashboards Organized by Operations
Here’s a secret: Workday’s native layout is built around its product lines, not your operations. But you can flip that.
Design custom hubs and dashboards that reflect how your team actually works. For example, a Registration Dashboard for higher education might include:
A checklist of all setup steps, linked directly to their related tasks
High-level documentation linked to detailed guides
Embedded short videos for seasonal processes you only do once or twice a year
When your system mirrors your operations, users feel confident, documentation stays visible, and issues stay out of your inbox.
3️⃣ Visually Map Out Your Processes
Documentation is helpful, but visualization is powerful. Drawing your process as a workflow map lets everyone, from IT to advisors, see the big picture. It brings alignment and often exposes steps, dependencies, or gaps that written instructions miss.
Pro Tip: Record a quick 60-second video where you walk through your process map and embed it in a Bulletin Worklet on your custom dashboard. It’s an instant clarity boost for anyone stepping into the process.
Build Systems That Prevent Problems
At Legato Strategic Consulting, we help institutions transform Workday from a source of constant troubleshooting into a strategic advantage, resolving issues and training teams to do the same. From proactive monitoring to intuitive design, our approach focuses on empowering your team to maintain clarity, consistency, and confidence long after go-live.
If your team spends more time fixing issues than planning ahead, it’s time to rethink your setup, not your system.
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