Transforming How We Work Together: Seven Steps for Implementing Change
Sherry Steinaway, Director, Organizational Excellence and HRP Modernization Program
As responsible stewards of the State of Washington's resources, we need to consistently review the way we work to ensure we are doing the most good with what we have available to us. That includes ensuring that our processes and our technology work in tandem, avoiding redundancies and added work, so that UW’s efforts can be directed toward the preservation, advancement, and dissemination of knowledge.
Since 2011, the University has been working toward the replacement of the existing Payroll system, HEPPs, under the HR/Payroll Modernization initiative. This fall, the HR/P efforts previously operating as separate projects have been combined under one program, the HR/Payroll Modernization program, which now uses a scalable and repeatable integrated change management process.
The HR/P Modernization program combines the people readiness phases with technology phases under one governance structure. This means the official status of the HR/P program depends on both the progress of technology projects and the preparedness of individual colleges, departments, and units at the University. With this people-centric approach, we are confident that we will successfully go live with Workday on June 16, 2016.
To support the transition to the new Workday system, the Integrated Change Management team has assigned a change manager to each of the academic and administrative units. Change managers work in tandem with instructional designers and operational support personnel to assist colleges, units, and departments in designing effective processes and procedures, along with communications, training, and readiness plans for adoption and optimization of this new technology.
As shown in the diagram below, the seven steps comprise a full change management cycle, with key questions and activities outlined at each step of the process. We plan to use this repeatable process not only in the HR/P Modernization program but also as we engage with future modernization programs in Finance and Student Information Systems.
To centralize the work of the readiness teams, the Integrated Change Management team has developed a collaboration tool called the Change Network, a SharePoint site that houses program updates, background information, details on each step of the change management process, and the readiness teams for your college, department, or unit. I invite you to explore the site as you continue preparing your team for a successful transition to Workday.
