Faculty, staff and students will be hearing a lot about "change impacts" during WorkCyte Phase II, the multiyear project to implement Workday Student and Receivables software.
The WorkCyte Phase II project will replace systems such as ADIN and AccessPlus with more modern software products in a series of deployments from summer 2023 to late 2024, a transition that also involves reviewing and improving business processes. Significant adjustments to procedures and processes will be highlighted as a change impact.
Change impacts are being identified and catalogued on the WorkCyte website, each including an analysis of the difference between current and future operations, timing, who will be affected and potential implications. The collection can be filtered by impacted audience. Other methods of filtering may be added as the number of change impacts grows, said Shannon Grundmeier, a change specialist for information technology services.
Change impact analysis focuses on identifying how unique audiences will be affected by changes in functionality and workflow with the new software. Understanding the scope of change impacts informs what communication and training may be needed on campus, helping to ensure a successful adoption of Workday Student and Receivables, she said.
"In response to feedback received after the deployment of Workday Human Capital Management and Finance, our team hopes to provide increased awareness and knowledge of anticipated changes and impacts associated with the WorkCyte Phase II project. By utilizing a structured change management approach, which includes proactive communication and campus engagement strategies, we hope to support a smooth transition for members of the ISU community," she said.
Grundmeier said that begins by increasing awareness and transparency about what is changing and why, describing how these changes will impact employees and students in work and education settings, and delivering training opportunities.
"The goal is to provide the necessary information, knowledge and skills to effectively use our new tools and processes in Workday and ease the psychological burden that often accompanies change," she said.
Three change impacts are already identified: automated prerequisite checking, controlled enrollment and reserved seating, and expanding course numbers to four digits. Each of the impacts -- all go into effect in March 2024, for fall registration -- includes a description of what's changing and a breakdown of benefits and challenges. See the change impacts webpage for more details.
Faculty and staff with questions or feedback about change impacts can contact their change liaison or email comments to the project team.
