{"id":448,"date":"2025-12-31T13:28:53","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T18:28:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/workday\/?page_id=448"},"modified":"2026-01-13T11:32:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T16:32:20","slug":"what-we-heard","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/workday\/what-we-heard\/","title":{"rendered":"What We Heard"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Key insights from campus partners shaping the Workday project<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why we listened<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As the University of Rhode Island prepares for the transition to Workday, we spent time listening to the people who manage many of the University\u2019s day-to-day business processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through focus groups and a written survey, Chief Business Officers, Business Managers, and Executive Assistants from across campus shared candid feedback about current systems, workflows, and pain points. Nearly 30 participants contributed insights that are helping guide how Workday is designed and implemented at URI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key Insights from Campus<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Too many systems<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Staff regularly work across multiple platforms to complete a single task, often keeping several systems open at once.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Manual work is the norm<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Spreadsheets and email are widely used to track work and manage approvals, often becoming the source of truth.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Limited visibility<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Real-time financial insight is hard to access, especially when managing state, foundation, and grant funding.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Training gaps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

New hires rely heavily on colleagues and personal notes due to limited centralized training and documentation.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Multiple Systems and Shadow Tools<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many administrative processes rely on PeopleSoft for human resources and finance work. However, system limitations have led departments to depend on external tools such as Excel, Google Sheets, and email to manage daily tasks. In several areas, these shadow systems have become the primary way work is tracked and understood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Workflow and Approval Challenges<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Participants described reporting and approval workflows as slow, manual, and fragile. Generating a complete financial picture often requires combining multiple reports, while small errors in approval processes can force users to restart work entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

User Experience and Navigation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Navigation challenges, unclear icons, and overwhelming notifications make systems harder to use \u2014 especially for new or infrequent users. Delegation is inconsistent, and required actions are not always visible to the people responsible for completing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Integration and Visibility<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Limited integration across systems makes it difficult to manage funds or plan ahead. Departments often reconcile data manually and rely on delayed reports, particularly for foundation and grant activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Training, Communication, and Change Management<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Training and communication were common concerns. Participants shared that updates are often distributed informally, and there is no single place to find current guidance, policies, or role-based resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How this feedback is shaping Workday<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The feedback we heard is helping guide key decisions, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n