Howard University's BisonHub (Workday) Implementation: A Transformation of Business and Student Operations
Howard University embarked on a transformative journey with the implementation of BisonHub (Workday), a cloud-based application designed to streamline and enhance various aspects of the university's operations. This initiative, a key component of the Howard Forward Initiative, aims to increase efficiency and effectiveness across all areas of the institution. BisonHub (Workday) serves as a unified system for finance, human resources, procurement, payroll, and numerous student processes. This article delves into the various facets of the BisonHub (Workday) implementation, its impact on different stakeholders, and the progress made thus far.
What is BisonHub (Workday)?
BisonHub (Workday) is a cloud-based Student Information System (SIS) that supports all major components of the student experience at Howard University. BisonHub (Workday) modules encompass recruiting and admissions, academic advising, registration, curriculum, financial aid, and student finance. By consolidating these functions into a single platform, BisonHub (Workday) aims to revolutionize how faculty and staff manage admissions, student registration, curriculum, financial aid, and student financial transactions.
The implementation of BisonHub (Workday) promises several key benefits:
- Streamlined Tasks: BisonHub (Workday) simplifies complex processes, making it easier for faculty, staff, and students to complete their tasks.
- Standardization of Processes: By establishing consistent workflows, BisonHub (Workday) ensures that processes are uniform and predictable across different departments.
- Transparency in Approvals: The system provides clear visibility into the approval process, allowing users to track the status of their requests and understand the reasons behind decisions.
- A Centralized System: BisonHub (Workday) is being implemented to increase efficiency and effectiveness across all areas of Howard University. BisonHub (Workday) will be changing the way faculty and staff process admissions, manage curriculum, manage financial aid and much more by creating one place to support all students.
The Genesis of BisonHub (Workday): Addressing the Need for Modernization
In 2019, Howard University recognized the need to replace its existing technology systems with a more modern and integrated solution. The university utilized at least 3 different technology systems to support operational and academic functions. To this end, the CIO and Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) leaders assembled a cross-functional team to engage the campus community and Howard University stakeholders in a collaborative discovery process to pursue a new cloud-based ERP system. After a comprehensive request-for-proposal process, Workday was selected as the best ERP provider for Howard.
Workday was chosen because it prioritizes user experience and streamlines business transactions, leading to enhanced efficiency. Workday's configurable business processes enable the University to adopt business best practices and swiftly leverage new functionality as it becomes available.
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Implementation Timeline: A Phased Approach
The implementation of BisonHub (Workday) has been a multi-year project, with different phases focusing on specific areas of the university's operations.
- 2019: Howard University began the initiative to search for a vendor to replace the previous application. Howard Forward Strategic Plan Office of Strategy. The University selected Workday to serve as the centralized system for student, HR, and finance transactions to allow for transparency and collaboration across departments.
- 2020: The Workday HR & Finance Project commenced, focusing on Human Resources, Payroll, and Finance processes.
- July 1, 2021: The University officially launched Workday for HR and Finance. Shortly after, the University experienced a cyber-attack, but Workday ensured that personnel and financial data remained secure.
- 2021: The Workday Student Project commenced, encompassing Recruiting, Admissions, Registration, Financial Aid, and Student Finance. This phase is more complex due to the interconnectedness of academic processes and the larger stakeholder group. Workday Student provides the Power of One system to manage curriculum, financial transactions, and academics, keeping students engaged as they track their progress toward graduation.
- 2022: The university engaged with the campus community through student focus groups, gathering input from over 100 students. Students, faculty, and staff submitted over 300 ideas to rename the system. BisonHub received the highest number of votes and was selected. The BisonHub team started attending regularly scheduled campus meetings to raise awareness about the project.
- 2023: Workday Student Functionality Adoption Began. In August, new functionality went live in the Recruiting and Admissions areas, impacting a small number of colleagues in Enrollment Management and Admissions. In October, new functionality went live to support Curriculum and Course Scheduling. In November, the project team hosted a Mock Semester Event to give students a sneak peek into the system.
- 2024: Workday Student Functional Adoption Continues. In February, the project team hosted BisonHub Day to raise awareness about the project. In April, students started to register in BisonHub for the Fall 2024 semester. In June, newly admitted students were matriculated and began using BisonHub for Onboarding and financial aid packaging started. In July, tuition statements were distributed. In August, financial aid disbursements and refunds were initiated. In December 2024, Howard University fully transitioned into BisonHub (Workday environment) and no longer uses Bison Web.
The Human Element: Change Management and Training
Recognizing that technology implementation is as much about people as it is about systems, Howard University has placed a strong emphasis on change management and training.
- Change Agent Network: In January 2023, a Change Agent Network of trusted and respected individuals from across the Howard University community was established. These individuals are supporting, influencing, and driving change within their departments.
- Training Resources: Training is available in Workday Learning.
- Organizational Change Management (OCM) Team: Members of the Organizational Change Management (OCM) team and the Change Agent Network participate in campus meetings and events to give personal and targeted messages to the stakeholders in colleges, schools, and departments.
- BisonHub Day: In preparation for the March 11 launch of the new system set to replace BisonWeb, a six-hour event dubbed “BisonHub Day” was hosted in the Armour J. Blackburn reading room. Sr. After receiving information about BisonHub, students played games and enjoyed music in the Armour J. Blackburn reading room.
- Mock Semester Session: Last semester, the team held a mock semester session to introduce students to BisonHub before the system officially launched for the rest of the university.
Key Benefits of BisonHub (Workday)
The implementation of BisonHub (Workday) is expected to yield numerous benefits for Howard University, its faculty, staff, and students.
- Improved Data Integrity and Efficiency: By reducing the volume of processes completed outside the Workday ERP, data integrity and efficiency have significantly improved.
- Fiscal Responsibility: The university is becoming fiscally leaner through the reduction of administrative costs.
- Increased Efficiency: Time is being used more efficiently.
- Environmental Sustainability: The university is becoming "greener" through the reduction in paper consumption.
- Enhanced User Experience: Workday has a modern interface and delivers services over the internet. Workday's intuitive interface provides fast access to standard work functions and is accessible across desktop, mobile, and tablet devices-anytime and anywhere. Even when users are not in Workday, notifications will alert them when they need to log in and take action.
- Streamlined Integration: Workday's design allows more consistent and efficient business processes and streamlines integration between applications.
- Increased Transparency and Visibility: It provides access to information that provides transparency and visibility into integrated data across an institution.
- Modified Registration Requirements: One change that Sierra Pegues, an organizational change management and training specialist from Human Resources, believes students will find helpful is the modified requirements regarding registration.
Challenges and Mitigation Strategies
Implementing a system as comprehensive as BisonHub (Workday) is not without its challenges. Howard University has proactively addressed these challenges through various mitigation strategies.
- Complexity of Implementation: The Workday Student Project is a more complex implementation than the HR & Finance Project due to the interconnectedness of the academic processes and the significantly larger stakeholder group. To address this, the university has adopted a phased approach, releasing functionality on a rolling basis and engaging stakeholders at different times depending on the new functionality being released.
- Change Management: Digital transformation requires a shift in mindset and culture. The university is addressing this through the Change Agent Network, training resources, and regular communication.
- Transition Period: Pegues said that while the new system will be implemented in the upcoming fall 2024 semester, a transition period will occur where students will have access to both BisonWeb and BisonHub from March 11 until then. During this transition, students will register for summer classes using BisonWeb, while registration for the fall semester will occur through BisonHub.
Looking Ahead: Continuous Improvement and Expansion
Howard University's Workday journey is not over. The university is in the final semester of the initial release of functionality, and more processes and activities will become available. As the administrative leadership for Workday, it has been a pleasure to bear witness to the valiant efforts of colleagues in human resources, ETS and across the University spectrum who have worked tirelessly to help meet measurable goals aligned with the strategic plan. The university remains committed to continuous improvement and expansion of the BisonHub (Workday) platform to further enhance its operations and provide a seamless experience for its community.
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