Leveraging a cloud-based system throughout US, Japan and Germany

University of Maryland University College adopts financial, HR, recruiting and payroll solutions from Workday

When University of Maryland University College needed a new management solution for business operations, administrators decided to purchase a system using cloud technology rather than upgrade the school’s current software.

“At UMUC, innovation is in our DNA. Executive leadership championed a move to cloud technology because it was a proven innovation,” says Robin Whitfield, associate vice president for student information, human capital and finance systems.

After viewing Workday product demonstrations, UMUC chose Workday’s cloud-oriented Human Capital Management (HCM), Financial Management, Recruiting and Global Payroll cloud systems for its over 7,000 global employees. “We wanted a configurable, flexible and real-time product like Workday that eliminated the burden of maintaining numerous customizations in a server- based system,” says Whitfield.

Participating in high-level demonstrations

In 2014, Workday officials visited the Maryland campus to provide demonstrations for senior managers in HR, finance and payroll. They demonstrated critical functionality—such as timekeeping and financial statements—which were followed by deep-dive sessions.

“The representatives instilled confidence and trust,” says Whitfield. “They were very upfront about how long implementation would take, what functionality was available, and what internal resources we would need.”

Receiving change management assistance

In 2015, UMUC began implementation with a focus on change management. Whitfield formalized a program and established a group of departmental champions that participated in user experience activities and spread awareness. Workday also provided delivery assurance partners as part of the implementation.

“They objectively weighed in on any concerns or questions we had to make sure we were utilizing the system properly and optimally,” says Whitfield.

Accomplishing strategic initiatives

UMUC—headquartered in Adelphi, Maryland—has administrative offices in Germany and Japan, as well as staff in other global locations. The HCM, payroll and recruiting systems went live universitywide in 2016, followed by the financial system in 2017.

This implementation was aligned with UMUC’s strategic goal to adopt a single global operational model. Since implementation, the university has further reduced manual processes and enhanced departmental interactions, achieving another mission tenet—improving operability while maintaining and managing infrastructure.

For example, Workday’s automated process prevents bottlenecks in expense reporting and time-off approvals by allowing visibility of each process.

“If you are open to change and willing to reevaluate your business policies and practices, then you will be able to leverage the functionality available to you from Workday,” says Whitfield. Now, staff can focus on serving students—satisfying UMUC’s mission to improve the student and administrative experience—and on becoming an “employer of choice.”

For more information, go to UBmag.me/Workday

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