Implementing Workday Financials is a significant milestone, but the real test comes once finance teams begin using the platform day to day. For one large public university in the United States, post-go-live challenges around grants and funding accounting were limiting confidence in the system and creating unnecessary complexity.
Rather than embarking on another large-scale transformation project, the university wanted experienced Workday Financials expertise to identify practical improvements that could deliver measurable value within its existing environment.
Project Highlights
- Supported a large US public university following its Workday Financials implementation
- Delivered targeted post-go-live Workday Financials optimization
- Addressed complex grants and funding accounting challenges
- Embedded a Senior Workday Financials Pod Lead to work alongside internal teams
- Improved financial processes without requiring a full re-implementation
The Challenge
Following implementation by a large systems integrator, the university experienced several issues that affected the effectiveness of its Workday Financials environment.
Complex grants management processes, inconsistent financial reporting and manual workarounds were reducing efficiency and limiting confidence in financial data. Internal teams were already stretched, making it difficult to resolve these issues while continuing to support day-to-day operations.
Although the platform required further optimization, the university had no appetite for another major implementation program. Instead, it needed a focused engagement that would address the highest-priority issues while making better use of the Workday Financials functionality already in place.
Our Approach
Focus Cloud deployed a Senior Workday Financials Pod Lead to work directly with stakeholders across the university, carrying out an on-site diagnostic to understand the underlying causes of the challenges.
Rather than recommending wholesale system changes, we focused on practical improvements that could be implemented within the existing Workday Financials environment. The engagement prioritized areas that would have the greatest operational impact, including grants management, financial processes and reporting.
The work included:
- Reviewing and optimizing grants and funding accounting
- Aligning finance processes more closely with Workday Financials best practices
- Improving banking processes through targeted automation
- Delivering immediate reporting improvements to increase confidence in financial data
The Outcome
The engagement provided the university with a clear path to improving its Workday Financials environment without the disruption, cost or risk of a full re-implementation.
The engagement delivered:
- Practical solutions to complex grants and funding accounting challenges
- Improved confidence in financial reporting and data integrity
- More efficient financial processes through targeted optimization
- Greater alignment between finance operations and Workday Financials functionality
- A sustainable approach to continuous improvement following go-live
By combining specialist Workday Financials expertise with a pragmatic optimization approach, Focus Cloud helped the university resolve critical post-go-live challenges, strengthen financial processes and maximize the long-term value of its Workday Financials investment.
