UA is modernizing its foundational technological capabilities in Human Resources (HR) and Finance (FIN) to enhance the day-to-day experience of faculty and staff, enable data-informed decisions, implement security safeguards, create efficiencies, and better position the university to serve its mission and thrive in the years to come. 

The Program is currently in progress, with critical pre-implementation activities underway that will continue to create a foundation for success. These activities include: 

• Initiating change management efforts 
• Developing technical strategy documents for security, data conversion, integrations, and reporting 
• Creating a future state reporting inventory 
• Familiarizing the program team with the selected software solution 
• Adapting the system-agnostic chart of accounts into a prototype and developing education materials on core concepts and capabilities

The Program is currently in the pre-implementation planning period and has operationalized the following workstreams to prepare for the Workday Implementation, which is set to begin in December 2025.  

• Governance and Team Setup 
• Project Management Support 
• Committee Support 
• Communications Support 
• Application and Integrations Inventory 
• Change Management 
• Technical Strategy Development 
• Preliminary Report Inventory 
• Software Familiarization 
• Chart of Accounts Refinement 
• Strategic SKU Refinement 

Many constituents from across the university have been engaged throughout the assessment and pre-implementation work thus far. While many of these individuals will continue to be engaged throughout the Program, the Program will seek increasingly broader representation as it progresses.

Extensive representation and collaboration are imperative to the success of the Program. Key Program stakeholders have been engaged through several mediums, including focus groups, surveys, and interviews. Additional information-gathering sessions are forthcoming.

Banner HR and Finance are 20+ years old and lack the flexibility, scalability, and modern capabilities required to support today’s academic, administrative, and compliance needs. 

To compensate, UA has built and maintained a patchwork of third-party tools and customizations. This approach is costly, difficult to maintain, and introduces risk (e.g., when vendors discontinue support or when customizations break during upgrades).  

Without a centralized data warehouse, UA lacks a unified source of truth for decision-making. Data is siloed across departments, making it difficult to generate timely, accurate insights. 

The ERP modernization will enhance the impact of recent foundational projects such as security management, while supporting risk mitigation and improved operations. 

Anticipated Program outcomes include: 

• Improved Data Quality – Centralized data ensures consistency, while enhanced reporting drives informed decisions​ 
• Process Clarity & Transparency – Clear roles streamline workflow, improving progress tracking and process visibility​. 
• Increased Efficiency – Automation reduces manual delays and provides data for continuous improvement​ 
• Enhanced Support Opportunities – Modern ERP solutions provide automatic updates and maintenance, enabling strategic internal focus

While a definitive list of systems that will remain following the transition to Workday has not yet been determined, a formal process for rationalizing which systems should be replaced or maintained as part of the Program is underway.  

This effort is part of the Application Rationalization that has commenced, during which UA will review relevant FIN and HR applications in use across the organization and strategically assess the need to replace, retire, update, or consolidate.  

The Application Rationalization process will include a review of the current system inventory, application functionality, and the challenges and strengths of each system. This process aims to build buy-in by engaging key stakeholders to account for diverse perspectives and create a strategic vision by UA leadership for the future state.  

The decision was made collaboratively by university leadership, including finance, HR, IT, and academic stakeholders, based on extensive evaluation and strategic planning to meet future needs. 

To facilitate the Program, a governance framework has been established that includes broad representation from leaders across the institution. 

The pre-implementation phase is in progress, with a formal implementation start date in January 2026, following BOT approval. Go-live is planned for February 2028.

Your job may change in positive ways—less manual entry and more time for analysis and decision-making. We’re redesigning processes to align with best practices and system capabilities, not just replicate legacy workflows. 

We are asking for your support as leaders on campus to collaborate with your team members and engage in meaningful discussions. We ask that you provide Program leadership with feedback and participate in training initiatives as we approach implementation. 

We’re working to ensure critical data is migrated or accessible through the new system or other reporting tool. If you have specific data needs, we want to hear from you to make sure nothing essential is missed. 

While Workday will be permanently replacing some systems, including Banner FIN and HR, the needs of UA will continue to be evaluated as the institution grows and changes. 

We are still determining the timing of the dispositions of each impacted system. For some, there will be a transition period where legacy systems remain accessible for reference. We’ll communicate timelines and access plans well in advance. 

Implementation team staffing has begun and will continue throughout the Program. This will require full-time support from selected individuals and may require backfill support to maintain ongoing operations in your respective division. 

There will also be opportunities for engagement outside the core project teams, with many stakeholders being engaged to provide input on design and testing within their areas of expertise. 

Workday is a state-of-the-art, cloud-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform. Workday manages Financials, HR and Payroll activities, and data. The platform provides information in an intuitive, web-based interface allowing for an improved user experience and faster, better access to data. 

Training will be provided in multiple formats including live sessions, office hours, reference guides, and embedded system guided learning. We’re committed to making sure everyone feels confident using the new tools. 

At this time, UA has no plans to replace Banner Student. However, we have taken deliberate steps to consider the impact of the Workday implementation on the student experience and will continue to factor this into future decisions. 

Yes, Workday allows users to change their display language. UA faculty and staff will be able to choose from over 40 different languages in employee self-service.