Workday Recruiting: July implementation update
The following message was shared with UW leaders and the HR Community of Practice on July 1, 2025.
Thanks to the extraordinary effort of our cross-functional project team – including UWHR, UW-IT, and our partners at Workday – we remain on track to launch Workday Recruiting on August 18.
At the 60-day go/no-go checkpoint, we reminded ourselves that this implementation is different from those of Workday HCM and Workday Finance. Instead of a traditional “waterfall” model-where all functionality is delivered at once after a long build, we are using the Implement-Adapt-Evolve model: launching core functionality and immediately beginning a rapid Adapt phase to address known issues, add improvements, and release deferred features.
This phased approach is necessary given our timeline. We began implementation just 11 months ago – a short runway for a project of this scope. We made a strategic decision to move quickly and iteratively, rather than delay in pursuit of perfection.
For example, here are two known limitations that we will seek to improve upon during the Adapt phase of the project:
For hiring managers: Navigating routine tasks will be clunky at first, and it may take more clicks than expected to find assigned tasks. We will use Workday-delivered features and refine dashboards based on real-time feedback during the Adapt phase.
For applicants: Workday’s job search experience doesn’t currently rank results by relevance. A search for “program coordinator” will return any job posting that includes “program” or “coordinator” in the job description, regardless of context. This is native to Workday and not configurable. We’ll pursue enhancements during the Adapt phase, but we will launch with strong applicant support and clear messaging to help candidates understand what to expect.
While we anticipate these growing pains, and likely others, we’re also seeing real progress toward the goals we set from the start. Workday Recruiting brings our hiring process into the same modern system as our other HR work – ultimately helping us improve data accuracy, strengthen security, and provide a more consistent experience for applicants and hiring managers alike. It also lays the foundation for better insights and reporting so we can continually refine how we attract and hire great people.
Here’s what’s happening now to help us deliver on these goals:
- End-to-end testing
- Hiring manager and recruiter training
- Finalizing applicant guidance and support materials
- Cutover planning and post-launch support preparation
We know “less than perfect” is hard to swallow for those who will rely on this module – applicants, hiring managers, and UWHR’s recruiting teams. But we’ve all used Workday long enough to know that adapting to the tool is part of realizing its value.
By launching now and continuing to iterate, we preserve momentum, deliver critical improvements faster, and stay aligned with our implementation goals.
August 18 is just the beginning. Thank you for your continued partnership as we prepare for go-live.