Look around! Important steps to assess the impact on the broader technology ecosystem before implementing Workday in government.
Deploying a cloud ERP solution can bring many much-needed benefits to government agencies, from risk mitigation to operational efficiency to modern self-service capabilities. But like ripples in a pond, the impact of the adoption of modern cloud platforms like Workday will be felt across the broader technology ecosystem. In the rush to get new cloud-based solutions up and running, organizations often overlook the impact on other systems. This can delay implementation timelines, increase risk, and jeopardize benefit realization.
Advance planning is essential to account for these effects. Here are the steps you can take to prepare:
- Develop vision, guiding principles, governance, and leadership alignment. The project leader should be able to answer: What do we use to guide our decisions? How does this impact our people, processes and other technologies within the broader ecosystem? , do you agree on where you're going and how you're going to get there? This is a “soft” thing, but it's very important. Project leaders often underestimate the breadth and depth of the journey in front of them from a technical perspective (i.e., thinking it will get easier), with peripheral impacts on people, processes, and other technologies. is not recognized. As a result, the project can quickly lose momentum.
- Create an inventory of your existing technology ecosystem. This is often more difficult than it seems, as this inventory spans not only the systems directly affected by the implementation, such as finance and HCM, but also systems that integrate with those systems two or three times. is. Additionally, government agencies, departments, or divisions may be using software that is not immediately apparent to those driving the cloud ERP transformation (i.e., their central IT organization or specific business functions). There may be. For example, a system may have been in place for so long and its use was so limited that it has been forgotten except for the few people who still use it. When taking stock, it's important to consider the key features of your new cloud-based solution. Is it integrated with the legacy technology being replaced? If so, what kind of data is being integrated, how much, and how often? Other initial considerations include who owns the solution from a business and technology perspective, and whether they think this system can be replaced with a new cloud ERP solution immediately or later. Includes whether or not. Additionally, the technology ecosystem is constantly evolving, so agencies and departments need to have processes in place to communicate changes.
- Decide what to repair, retire, or keep. Some systems will be completely replaced with new Workday solutions. Others will be replaced in the short term, but not immediately. Still others are retained as part of a long-term technology strategy. Deciding which is which and how to address the impact on legacy technology often begins with the question, “Why do we still need this system?” In our experience, organizations often claim that the system is still needed without clarifying why. If users cannot clearly articulate the value and purpose of a system, the system is likely to be retired or replaced.
- Look where it's going. Technology roadmaps are always considered. In some cases, there is a system that is already slated for decommissioning, so the organization doesn't necessarily want to invest the funds to completely remediate it. Nevertheless, it should be considered in the implementation ecosystem. In this case, the organization may decide to retain that system, devising a way to support some of the functionality that needs to work for the remainder of its lifecycle. In other situations, you may need to redesign your chart of accounts (COA) during a cloud-based finance implementation. In this case, generally he has three repair options. 1) Deploy the Foundation Data Model (FDM) translator. 2) Remediate legacy systems to accommodate the redesigned COA. or 3) combine both using FDM translator as a stopgap measure until all systems can be repaired. These examples illustrate the potential range of impact on legacy technologies. This depends on the size of the product suite being implemented.
- Don't forget to raise funds. Government funding takes a lot of time and can be the biggest constraint. Funding can influence decisions about what to decommission, maintain, and repair, and can create barriers between agencies, departments, and divisions about who should pay for what. there is. Addressing funding challenges early and knowing who will provide the resources for remediation efforts is often key to success.
- Learn by doing. Government agencies often believe that all decisions need to be final and that they need to understand all impacts to the technology ecosystem before they begin. This goes against the hybrid agile implementation approach used in many cloud implementations. Instead of waiting until all the answers are available, agencies can adopt a mindset of “starting with the information available.” As information becomes available, decisions are made continuously and iteratively throughout the project lifecycle. In a cloud-based world, everyone learns by doing, not by waiting.
Many government agencies are looking to reap significant benefits from cloud transformation programs, but a narrow focus that reduces solution implementation to a mere technical challenge can hinder progress. It's easy to fall into the trap of focusing on the ERP solution itself without considering the impact on the broader technology environment. Slowing down and charting a course through this potentially very complex landscape within government is critical to getting to your desired destination quickly, safely, and with fewer detours.
