Workday Core Concepts
With the implementation of Workday, the way we think about and complete our work will shift. By understanding the core key concepts around which Workday is built, we can more easily learn new ways of working.
Please take a moment to review information about each Workday concept, the processes that may be involved, how the user experience may look and feel, and capabilities of the system below.
This table will be kept up to date as information about new Workday concepts becomes available. As system functionality is finalized, some of the concepts below may change slightly.
| Workday Concept | Concept Overview |
|---|---|
| Delegation | Delegation is the temporary assignment of an employee's tasks to another in Workday, to ensure operational efficiency. Learn more in these slides. |
| Employee Self-Service (ESS) | Employee Self-Service (ESS) allows employees to manage their worker status in Workday. Employees can view and change personal information such as home address, tax deductions, and time-off accruals. Learn more in this 1-minute video. |
| Manager Self-Service (MSS) | Manager Self-Service (MSS) in Workday provides supervisors with information for their direct reports including job descriptions, positions, and pay. Supervisors can access built-in reports to make better informed decisions. MSS will allow managers to see in-depth analytics and data about the teams they manage. Supervisors can also review employee time off requests, filled and vacant positions, and compensation levels. Learn more in this 1-minute video. |
| Role-to-Position Mapping | Role-to-position mapping involves assigning Workday security roles to each position to ensure the person serving in the position has the information and system access they need to do their job. Learn more on this web page or in this 1-minute video. |
| Security Roles | Security roles are Workday designations that determine access to the initiation and approval of business processes as well as to data in Workday. Positions can be assigned multiple security roles. Learn more on this web page or in these slides. |
| Supervisory Organizations | Supervisory Organizations illustrate the University's supervisor and subordinate reporting relationships. The HR business process workflow is driven by the supervisory organization structure. Supervisory Organizations join with cost centers to connect HR and Financial data. Learn more in these slides. |
| Foundation Data Model (FDM) | The Foundation Data Model (FDM) is a multi-dimensional data structure that serves as the backbone for transaction processing and reporting done within Workday. Visit the Foundation Data Model page or watch this video to learn more. |