October/November 2018 | Workday Project Newsletter
Go-live's a go! Workday coming February 2019
By Joyce Martinez, Project Manager, Workday Project
The Workday Project team is excited to announce the new go-live for Workday, an industry-leading human resources information system (HRIS) that will bring the enterprise's HR data management capabilities into the 21st century! Every Oregon state government employee and job applicant will have access to Workday in February 2019. On November 26, the project team emailed an update to state employees detailing go-live preparations. We invite you to read the announcement below.
Greetings from the Workday Project team!
Over a year has passed since we sent you our last enterprise-wide announcement about state government’s transition from Position and Personnel Data Base (PPDB), our current human resources information system (HRIS), to Workday, a modern HRIS.
 A screenshot of PPDB compared to screenshots of Workday on a tablet, laptop, Anrdoid smartphone, and Apple smartphone.
Need a Workday Project introduction or refresher? Visit our website or watch this video. Then, catch up on our journey this year:
Clearing hurdles
Workday and payroll work well as individual systems. However, payroll is a much older system than Workday, which means making sure they properly communicate has been a long and complex process.
Good news: After much payroll and Workday interface testing, the project’s steering committee decided to go live in February 2019!
Preparing for go-live
Workday is very easy to use, which is a big reason why it is one of the leaders in the HRIS industry. More good news: If you use apps on your smartphone or bank online, you can quickly learn how to use Workday.
Training will be delivered using the just-in-time method. Most employees will only need to reference online, on-demand materials available through Workday to prepare themselves for the new system. Specialized roles will receive additional resources and types of training. Many training materials are available now under the “Workday training” section on the project website. We encourage you to visit the website frequently for new training materials. You can contact your Agency Readiness Contact or Change Leader to learn about opportunities to preview Workday at your agency.
You will soon receive a brief survey to help the project team determine how prepared we all are for Workday. The project team will send the survey (called the “Agency Readiness Assessment”) between mid-December and early January.
Staying informed
Follow us on Twitter, bookmark our blog and subscribe to our newsletter for the latest project news. Feel free to send your questions and feedback to chro.workday@oregon.gov. We are working to make sure your introduction to Workday is as effortless and seamless as possible.
The project team appreciates your time and patience. We look forward to hearing from you through the survey and providing further updates, including the precise go-live date, soon!
Sincerely,
The Workday Project team
503-934-0995 | chro.workday@oregon.gov
Visit our webpage for more project information: workday.oregon.gov
 Training isn't coming – it's here!
By Emily Martin, Business Transition Trainer & Workday Help Desk Administrator, Workday Project
The state’s Workday trainers are using a "just-in-time" schedule that includes written training guides, video tutorials and computer lab time. Employees will receive different types and amounts of training depending upon their roles. Workday trainers have already created many job aids (example on the left) and quick reference guides, which they regularly post online. Access the training materials from the "Workday training" section on the project homepage to get a sneak peek at how the Workday system will look and work for you!
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 Recap: Parallel testing for payroll
By Ryan Englund, Business Conversion Analyst, Workday Project
Do you like being paid accurately and on time? Here at the Workday Project, we share that appreciation. With this in mind, we are completing an important phase of the project known as "Parallel Testing."
During this testing, we determined how well Workday communicates with the current statewide payroll system. We replicated a large number of personnel actions (PAs) in Workday that had been run through the current HR system for the month of August. We then sent those transactions to central payroll where they compared the Workday test PAs to the actual PAs to ensure accuracy. Based on central payroll's analysis and feedback, the testing proved Workday and payroll are now communicating well with each other.
This testing has been a great step toward integrating these systems. We are continuing testing because it is critical to ensure every employee's pay is accurate.
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Think numbers are boring? Wait until you see reporting in Workday...
By Tracy Posey, Reporting & Data Modeling / Diversity & Inclusion Business Consultant, Workday Project
Now that Workday is coming soon, we are hearing a buzz! Folks are getting more excited about seeing the system and learning about how to access and report their data. Where, in the past, access to HR data was limited and reporting was cumbersome, reporting in Workday is inherent to the system and only limited by each individual’s specific Workday access.
Depending on permissions, employees will have access to reports, specific to their role within the agency. Workday provides the ability to search for and select specific reports, select criteria for report-specific prompts, and generate results. Many reports include charts, as well as detailed output results. Once results are generated, reports can be exported and presented in various formats. Designated agency staff will have access to all available standard and centrally-developed custom reports for their agency.
The project team has worked hard to develop a suite of critical reports. We are confident these reports will meet the majority of agencies’ reporting requirements. After go-live, the Workday support team will be available to accommodate any continuing reporting needs.
 A redacted sample budget report pulled from Workday.
Workday: There's an app for that
By Cecil Owens, Organizational Change Management Lead, Workday Project
Workday offers a mobile app, and while every desktop function can't be completed in the app, we are making it available to our users. To help us assess the value of the app, two Agency Readiness Contacts took some time to experience how they would use it within their agencies.* Here are their reviews.
"It was very easy to download the app and connect to Workday from the iPhone 10s. Face ID makes it quite easy to log back in without having to retype the password... The platform appears to be very intuitive, user friendly, and similar to the desktop version... I was able to easily add an individual test goal under Talent and Performance... The org chart appears to function very similar to the desktop version and was easy to navigate, including drilling in for details such as the PPDB position number of vacant positions."
- Amanda Mckenzie, Human Resources Records Manager, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
"This was a good exercise to get us ready for launch, as now our IT department should be ready to push the app out to users after go-live... I was able to complete most [employee] actions, view personal information, and navigate the org structure... I 'applied' for a job (this was super easy – very nice!)... The People app was interesting and useful. There were many filter options, and I could personally see [myself] using this frequently... Overall, I found it looks great and is organized well... The org chart is set up to be very easy to navigate on mobile..."
- Garrett Klever, Learning and Organizational Development Specialist, Oregon Department of Education
Even though these reviews glowed overall, Amanda and Garrett both cited specific functionality that is not currently available in the app. However, full functionality will be available in the browser version on a mobile device.
*Both Workday app reviews are based off of the iOS system on Apple smartphones
 Original photography by Anna King, Communications Coordinator, Workday Project
Hyperlinks
- Workday website: https://www.workday.com/en-us/homepage.html
- Workday Project website: https://www.oregon.gov/das/HR/pages/workday.aspx
- Workday introductory video: https://youtu.be/cQjPWgmP6Oc
- Newsletter discussing just-in-time training: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/ORDAS/bulletins/1e60cb8
- Agency Readiness Contact roster: https://www.oregon.gov/das/HR/Documents/Workday - Agency readiness contacts.pdf
- Change Leader roster: https://www.oregon.gov/das/HR/Documents/Workday%20Project%20-%20contacts%20by%20program%20area.pdf
- Workday Project Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/workdayoregon
- Workday Project blog: https://workdayoregon.blog/
- Workday Project newsletter: https://www.oregon.gov/das/HR/Pages/wd-newsletter.aspx
- Terminology crosswalk: https://www.oregon.gov/das/HR/Documents/Workday%20-%20Terminology%20crosswalk.pdf
- Job aide example: https://www.oregon.gov/das/HR/Documents/GenNav_Absence-ManagingTimeOff_Job%20Aid_V%201.1.pdf
- Report example: https://www.oregon.gov/das/HR/PublishingImages/Workday_report_example.jpg
For more information about the project, please visit our website. Stay informed by following our Twitter feed and blog!
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