Workday Planning (WP): Budget and Planning System Upgrade, FY23

• Intuitive user interface: Makes planning processes more efficient and with less training required. Workflow and process tracking can be enabled in the tool to easily follow each step of the process. Excel-like data entry sheets offers familiar ways to view and edit.
• Fits your working style: No VPN connection is required for remote work, and the platform is compatible with both PC and Mac.
• Workflow tools: Users can create process and task lists (which can be set at multiple levels of the organization) and include notes and attachments, as well as email links to reports, provide status updates and collaborate and communicate with colleagues.
• Improved signoffs: Review and signoff processes are more straightforward and can be set at different levels of the organization.
  • For example, signoff for one department can be completed before the entire CSD is complete.
• Built-in how-tos: The platform comes with effective, contextual help built in that shows screenshots and uses simple language to explain features and functions.
• Better browser support: Available to access with most internet browser options (supported options include Edge, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Internet Explorer).

• Improved admin tools: Makes configuration and administration much simpler. This will allow IT to focus on innovative ideas and strategic initiatives instead of “keeping the lights on.”
  • This simplicty means there are some limitations to what a developer/administrator can do compared to the previous system. For example, developers cannot develop a script to activate pop up messages on the right click of a mouse.
• External server maintenance: Because WP is a cloud product (hosted on Amazon Web Services), internal resources no longer need to dedicate time to server maintenance. Similarly, improvements and/or performance issues are handled by the vendor.
• Same-day updates: Overnight processing is not required for position budget changes to feed financial view of data. This will save time overall as users do not have to wait until the next business day to see updates.
• Data dashboards: Dashboards give non-financial staff quick insight into data, with streamlined views for further analysis and decision making.
• Custom attributes: A variety of custom attributes can be assigned to core dimensions, providing more flexibility with modeling and report layouts.
• Timely data aggregation: A data storage mechanism means no more waiting on data aggregation.

• Better timing: Most changes to budgeted numbers will update reports immediately, though there are some larger processes that will require integrations to run every 15-30 minutes.
• Self-service options: Reports have a better look and feel overall and since report development tools are simpler to use, too, more users will be able to use self-service report generation (within boundaries and templates established by the university's system administrators).
• Multiple report types: Web-based reports can be generated for quick viewing, with the option to download to Excel or PDF easily. Interactive dashboards are included as part of default reporting.
  • An Excel add-in option for Office Connect (similar to SmartView) is available for reporting and data download to refresh report books.
• Unique configurations: Users will be able to share premade reports as favorites in their own personal folders, allowing for personal configurations. Some types of users can create reports where data joins and connections are already completed.
• Automatic changelog: Included audit trail provides transparency of changes made during budget finalization process.
• Export to Excel: Downloading data to Excel allows a self-service option for ad hoc data analysis.

There are a few challenges for continuing use of the university's current platform, Hyperion:

• Functionality behind the curve: As Oracle shifts focus to their cloud applications, the vendor has released fewer updates to Hyperion in the past few years.
  • This results in fewer application issues resolved and no new functionality rolled out to keep in line with modern business practices.
  • The application has not kept up with modern browser requirements making the usage of various browsers challenging for users.  
• Aging Architecture: Hyperion has become more difficult to maintain and secure as both physical hardware and operating systems require extended support.
  • Only critical security and other vulnerabilities are addressed during this time period. 
  • Hyperion requires physical servers (as opposed to most applications allowing for virtual servers), making the infrastructure expensive, bulky, and unable to use some automated processes available to virtual machine; resulting in requiring more time and effort for standard maintenance. 
• Expiring Contract: The contract for Hyperion functionality ends in September 2022 and servers currently in use are on extended support. 
  • The goal is to decommission these servers by June 2022. 
  • The Linux Operating System is on extended support through Spring 2022. 
  • Additional measures will be taken to lock down access to Hyperion once OS support expires to mitigate any security vulnerabilities in the system.   

No, the FY22 Original Budget and FY22 Current Budget will be imported into WP. FY23 data entry will begin in WP.

Eventually, yes, but not in this initial phase of the project. After WP is in place to replace current Hyperion functionality, then the project team will begin to look at grants potential budgeting and reporting.

MU Health Care (MUHC) will continue to do detail budget and long-range planning process in a different software platform.

High-level data from this platform will be imported into WP to allow for enterprise reporting and approval by the Board of Curators. A small project team will coordinate these efforts.

Most MU Health Care employees will not be users of WP, aside from a small group of key users who may have reporting access.

Yes. WP has read-only user options where the user will have the ability to run reports and view information.

Security set up is still under evaluation. The method for security requests will be provided once it is available. The project team is exploring means to incorporate current Hyperion users into WP without completing individual security requests.

The primary goal for phase 1 is to replace the budgeting functionality currently covered by Hyperion with equivalent functionality through Workday (WP), as well as establish a long-range budget planning process for business units.

WP will be leveraged to address as many budget and planning needs as possible. Some features being considered for phase 2 include a review of grant budget and reporting, as well as aiding various allocation models that currently exist in Excel today.

Beginning February 2022, budget to actual reporting will be available in WP. The project team is still evaluating additional reporting options and will share information as details become available.

The latest project information will be available on this webpage, and shared with pertinent groups depending on the project timeline. For example, staff assisting with focus groups and user-acceptance testing will be notified and provided materials during that phase of the project. Project team members will also meet with stakeholder groups to discuss the new platform.