A large and diverse team of WVU employees has begun in-depth planning on the Workday Business Modernization project, a collaborative, multi-year initiative to fundamentally redesign and streamline the way WVU does business.
Over the next several years, hundreds of key stakeholders from all campuses will be working with partners at Huron Consulting Group to transform day-to-day operational processes.
Workday, a unified human resources, financial and student information platform, will create an efficient and modern experience for employees and students.
The first phase — running through summer 2027 — focuses on the implementation of Human Capital Management and financial business processes, with Workday modules that will replace MAP, Applaud and other duplicative systems.
After those components have stabilized, teams will begin work on the second phase of the project, which will focus on student processes and the Workday student information system, which will replace Banner and other related systems.
WVU leaders have long recognized that existing financial, HR and student information systems are inefficient and complex, as are the business processes that these systems support.
Stand-alone technologies have evolved or been customized over decades, making systems inflexible and difficult to maintain. The Workday project aims to eliminate these challenges and create a unified, integrated ecosystem that will let WVU adapt to changing needs well into the future.
Anyone who uses the University’s current financial, student information and HR management tools will ultimately benefit from Workday.
Benefits include the following:
The platform will provide a single source of truth for financial, employee and student data so faculty, staff and administrators have confidence the information they need is easily accessible, current and accurate.
Business processes that are undocumented, opaque or confusing will be simplified and standardized.
Routine tasks will be managed within the Workday platform, and automated process steps will prompt employees when they need to act in the system. This will free up employees to focus on more mission-focused work such as student engagement.
Employees will have easier access to their information in a mobile-friendly platform where they can easily see and execute routine business tasks.
Mario Barge, associate vice president for Talent and Culture and co-chair of the Workday Steering Committee, said the Workday project will create more efficient and value-driven results for WVU.
“A critical component of our advancement is the work of our teams,” he said. “They are empowered to move us forward, creating a legacy that transforms how we operate as an institution.”
The teams will collaborate, not make decisions in silos, to ensure that future business processes are simplified, consistent and standardized, said Senior Associate Vice President Barbara Weiss, co-chair of the Workday Steering Committee. However, this project will require everyone across the institution to adopt a “blue sky” mindset, she said, reimagining the way we work without being inhibited by past practices.
The Modernization Program team will take an inclusive approach to these transformational changes, which will position WVU as the land-grant institution of the future.
Advisory and governance committees have been formed, and the project team will be reaching out to subject-matter experts across the institution as work progresses. The Workday team is committed to ensuring people get the information they need to know, when they need it.
Review frequently asked questions to learn more.
If you would like to be involved or have questions, email ModernizationProgram@mail.wvu.edu.