Campus Spotlight: Madison Area Technical College

Institutional Moment

Preparing for Modernization

Institution Snapshot

Institution: Madison Area Technical College

Institution Type: Public Technical and Community College

Location: Madison, Wisconsin

Technology Initiative: Workday Student

Engagement Style: Pre-Implementation Readiness and Advisory Support

Engagement Length: Pre-Implementation Planning and Readiness Engagement

Understanding the Work Before the Work Begins

As Madison Area Technical College prepared for its Workday Student implementation, leadership faced a challenge familiar to many institutions entering modernization.

The college knew implementation was coming. What wasn't yet clear was how its current reporting, data, terminology, and operational practices would translate into a future Workday environment.

Like many institutions at this stage, Madison wanted to make informed decisions before project timelines accelerated and key decisions became more difficult to revisit. The goal wasn't simply to prepare for implementation. It was to understand what implementation would actually require.

You Might Be Here If...

• Implementation is on the horizon, but you're still trying to understand the work ahead.

• Teams are using different definitions, reports, or data sources.

• Questions about data conversion and validation remain unanswered.

• Stakeholders understand the project differently across departments.

• Leadership wants to reduce avoidable rework before implementation begins.

• Internal teams need a clearer understanding of Workday concepts, timelines, and expectations.

The Challenge

Preparing for Workday Student required Madison to look beyond the future system and take a closer look at its current environment.

The institution needed clarity around reporting strategy, active student definitions, data validation planning, and future-state reporting structures. Leaders also wanted a realistic understanding of what to expect from the operational shifts that would need to occur alongside system implementation.

At the same time, the college needed to continue serving students and operating within its existing systems.

The challenge wasn't simply gathering information.

It was organizing that information into a practical roadmap that would help the institution make better decisions before implementation activity intensified.

The Turning Point

One realization shaped the work.

Successful implementations do not begin when configuration starts. They begin when institutions understand their data, reporting needs, operational realities, and readiness gaps before implementation begins.

Developing an understanding early would help reduce uncertainty, improve decision-making, and create a stronger foundation for the work ahead.

The Partnership

Legato partnered with Madison to help the institution build that foundation.

Working alongside cross-functional stakeholders, the engagement focused on helping teams understand how current-state practices would translate into a future Workday Student environment.

Together, the teams clarified student status terminology, explored active student definitions, and developed an enterprise reporting strategy aligned to Workday's structure. Planning efforts also focused on data conversion readiness, including validation approaches, reconciliation workflows, reporting inventories, and glossary crosswalks.

Just as importantly, the work helped create a shared understanding across the institution.

Through discovery sessions, planning conversations, educational resources, and reusable learning materials, stakeholders gained greater visibility into implementation realities, project timelines, and the work required to support a successful transition.

The Outcome

Madison gained a stronger understanding of both the work ahead and the structures needed to support it.

The institution developed a clearer reporting strategy, stronger data validation planning, and earlier visibility into potential risks. High-priority areas that could have created downstream challenges were identified before implementation pressures increased.

Internal teams also gained access to reusable resources, documentation, videos, and planning materials that supported ongoing learning and readiness.

Perhaps most importantly, stakeholders developed a more informed and shared understanding of how Workday Student would affect operations across the institution.

Rather than entering implementation with unanswered questions, Madison moved forward with greater confidence and a stronger foundation for future decisions.

Why This Story Matters

Many institutions assume implementation readiness begins when project plans are finalized and system work begins. In reality, some of the most valuable preparation happens much earlier.

Understanding the operational impacts and building a shared understanding of future-state campus realities can significantly reduce confusion and rework later in the project.

Madison Area Technical College demonstrates the value of investing in readiness before implementation pressure increases. By taking time to understand the work before the work began, the institution created a clearer path into modernization and a stronger foundation for long-term success.