Cutover

Right now we use more than 30 different systems (and countless processes) to manage administrative and financial business functions at WSU. In the last year, the Modernization Team has inventoried these systems and carefully considered how data and processes will be moved into Workday. Unfortunately we can’t just flip a switch to turn off our old systems and turn on Workday all at once. Instead, we’ll transition from old systems into Workday in careful steps. This is called “cutover.”

Each system will have a “soft freeze” date, after which time we slow down the transactions entered into old systems as much as possible to reduce the amount of information that will need to be entered into both the old system and Workday. Each system will also have a “hard freeze” date, after which no more transactions may be entered into that legacy system, and all future transactions will be entered directly into Workday. These freeze dates vary by area, but will occur between November and December 2020. In general for both HR and Finance, the soft freeze date will be November 20, 2020, and the hard freeze date will be December 4, 2020. Note: The soft freezes are not intended as catch-up periods for central units.

Critical HR transactions include: separations, VP or Dean supported hires prior to December 16, or unusual circumstances vetted through HRS.A critical transaction for Purchasing Services or Accounts Payable would include:

• A purchase and/or payment that is necessary for the protection of life or public safety, the protection of property, or the protection of other university assets.
• A purchase and/or payment that would halt critical university business or academic operations if not processed before the go-live date for Workday.
• A purchase and/or payment that that would result in loss of funding or not meeting obligations as set forth by the state or other regulatory bodies if not processed before the go-live date for Workday.

A lot of data will be moved from old systems into Workday (this is called “conversion”). Due to planning and logistics, we will be unable to process “future-dated” transactions during the freeze periods. Transactions with an effective date during these freeze periods must be completed in Workday once the freeze is over.

It will be handled the same way you submit LWOP now. Record it on your paper time card and send to HRS for review. On December 16, you will begin tracking LWOP in Workday.

It will be handled the same way you submit OT now. Record it on your paper time card and send to Payroll. The week of December 16 will be the first week to track OT in Workday.

A lot of data validation and conversion happens as part of the cutover process before we launch Workday for WSU. Here are some of the major milestones:

• November 2 – 20: Modernization Team builds the final version of Workday for WSU (sometimes called the “Gold tenant”).
• November 20 – December 4: Soft freeze across the board for HR and payroll (limited critical transactions will be processed in legacy systems). Critical transactions with an effective date between Nov. 20 and Dec. 4 will be entered by HR and Payroll central departments on Nov. 20.
• November 20 – December 23: Soft freeze for legacy financial systems. Critical transactions with an effective date between Nov. 20 and Dec. 4 will be entered by Finance central departments on Dec. 22.
• November 21: Modernization Team takes a “snapshot” of all the data in current systems. You may hear these called “extracts.”
• November 22 – 24: Modernization Team reviews and validates that all the data extracted from legacy systems is correct.
• November 24 – December 5: Modernization Team loads data into Workday from legacy systems.
• December 5 – December 15: Hard freeze for HR and payroll (no transactions will be processed in legacy systems).
  • December 7 – 9: Modernization Team validates the data in Workday and loads any HR or payroll data from the soft freeze.
  • December 10 – 15: Modernization Team manually enters critical HR and payroll transactions from the hard freeze.
• December 16: WSU begins using Workday to handle payroll processing and human resources activities.
• December 23: Modernization Team takes a snapshot of financial data.
• December 24 – 31: Hard freeze for legacy financial systems (no transactions will be processed in legacy systems).
• December 24: The last paycheck from legacy systems is issued.
• December 28 – 31: Modernization Team validates and loads the financial data from the snapshot taken on Dec. 23.
• January 1, 2021: All of Workday is available for use University-wide.
• January 11: First paycheck issued from Workday.