Summary of Kristina Kelpe's Interview on Workday Gold Podcast

2 min read

In a recent episode of the Workday Gold podcast, Kristina Kelpe, CEO and founder of Legato Strategic Consulting, sat down to share insights from 15 years of experience in higher education technology, focusing specifically on Workday Student.

Continue reading to get a summary of her thoughts on what makes this platform unique and get practical advice for successful implementations.

"What makes Workday Student special?"

Workday Student is a purpose-built solution, not a generic system retrofitted for higher education. This means it's designed to be the central nervous system for vital student operations like registration, financial aid, and student billing. While its cloud-native architecture represents a major advancement over the legacy on-premise systems of the past, its unique value extends well beyond that.

"What is the implementation like?"

The implementation of Workday Student follows a distinct timeline, typically spanning 18 to 24 months, intricately linked to the academic calendar. Unlike standard ERP rollouts, student-focused projects often necessitate two separate production deployments, strategically aligned with key academic milestones. This precision is essential, as the entire system revolves around the academic cycle, from course planning to student enrollment.

Consequently, these kinds of projects are intrinsically more complex due to the rigid timelines.

"What is a techno-functional user and their role in Workday?"

The 'techno-functional' nature of Workday Student means that the system requires users with a blended skillset. Successful implementations demand both functional, technical, and data expertise. This integrated approach marks a significant departure from traditional systems, which often relied on strictly separated roles.

"What are some best practices?"

Think “System of Systems”: Workday Student won’t replace all campus systems, and that’s okay. Focus on core functionality first and maintain other specialized systems where they make sense.
Embrace Minimum Viable Product: Start small and expand over time.
Plan Long-Term: Follow the example of institutions like Wellesley College by developing 1-year, 2-year, and 5-year plans for system evolution.
Understand the Data Model: Success requires a deep understanding of how data flows through the system and how different modules interact.