OPERATIONAL CAPABILITIES
SYSTEM STABILIZATION
The Problem: Implementations were rushed, "quick fixes" have turned into leaky bandages, and technical debt is causing silent failures in Benefits and Payroll.
The Intervention: I treat your system like a crime scene. I trace the root cause of the error (whether it’s a circular reference in a calculated field or a missing limit on a deduction) and I fix it at the source.
REMEDIATION
The Problem: Complexity. You added Learning, Talent, and Performance modules without accounting for the load on your Core HCM foundation. Now, a change in Absence is breaking your GL.
The Intervention: I audit the ecosystem. Because I operate at full stack (covering everything but Scheduling), I might see connections that siloed teams miss. I re-architect your cross-module logic so the system stops fighting itself.
TRANSLATION
The Problem: Inertia. Your technical team knows the architecture is impossible, but they can't explain why to the C-Suite. Leadership knows the ROI is missing, but doesn't know who to trust.
The Intervention: I break the deadlock. I function as a "political heat shield," translating complex technical reality into executive strategy. I give leadership the unbiased truth they need to approve the budget, and I give engineers the cover they need to do the work properly.
RETAINED COUNSEL
The Problem: Transactional amnesia. You are tired of explaining your configuration to a new junior analyst every time you log a ticket. Your current support partner relies on queues and SLAs, which means no one actually knows your system. Every handoff increases entropy and loses context.
The Intervention: You get a dedicated asset, not a helpdesk. I retain the context of every decision, rule, and workaround we build. When the dashboard goes red, you don't file a ticket and wait 48 hours; you call me, and I fix it immediately because I already know the architecture.
OPERATIONAL COVERAGE
CORE HCM
Most Common Issue: Copy/Paste Configuration.
Explanation: Tenants decline because administrators treat Position Management like Job Management, or simply copy configurations from previous jobs without understanding the underlying Object Model.
Reality: I learned this client-side with no safety net. I don't just "set it up"; I prevent you from building a foundation that will collapse in the next release.
BENEFITS
Most Common Issue: Entropy Cascade.
Explanation: Benefits is the rule engine that breaks everything else. A bad passive event rule doesn't just create a benefits error; it halts Payroll and blows up Integrations.
Reality: I cut my teeth on M&A cutovers by fire. I know the pain of explaining a coverage drop to an employee. I build logic that respects the human cost of a system error.
ADVANCED COMP
Most Common Issue: Scale Failure.
Explanation: Organizations build rigid structures that work for 500 employees but shatter when scaled to 5,000. They fail to account for the friction between "what the Comp team wants" and "what the system allows."
Reality: I have rigged complex, non-standard comp plans to work within Workday’s rigid framework (and made them at least semi-scalable). I bridge the gap between complex math and system limits.
PAYROLL
Most Common Issue: Accountability Gaps.
Explanation: Consultants love to use "Best Practice" as a shield when calculations are wrong, leaving the internal team to clean up the mess.
Reality: Zero tolerance. If Payroll fails, nothing else matters. I have sat in the hot seat during year-end filing and legislative changes.
LEARNING
Most Common Issue: Integration Drift.
Explanation: Learning is often treated as a silo until a missing certification breaks a downstream compliance report or integration.
Reality: I have maintained learning grids for regulated nuclear environments. I treat Learning data with the same rigor and validation as Payroll data.
TIME & ABSENCE
Most Common Issue: Garbage In, Garbage Out.
Explanation: This is where the human element fights the system. Managers don't submit time, schedules drift, and accruals break because the inputs are bad.
Reality: I’ve had to mass-advance time cards under a payroll deadline. I build validations and processes that force compliance before the data ever reaches the payroll run.
INTEGRATIONS
Most Common Issue: The Telephone Game.
Explanation: In my experience, it feels like 70% (at least - may be closer to 90%) of integration failures are communication issues (gaps in requirements, gaps in testing, lack of communication when implementing new features, or vendors changing specs without notice).
Reality: I troubleshoot the things that aren't mine. I have spent years on the client side debugging vendor errors and bad specs. I audit the requirement before I touch the code.
PERFORMANCE & TALENT
Most Common Issue: Cultural Misalignment.
Explanation: Modern companies want fluid "360 Feedback" that Workday struggles to support, while traditional orgs want rigid calibration. The config fails when it fights the culture.
Reality: I have set this up 10,000 ways. I know how to bend the product to fit the organizational culture without breaking the underlying configuration. I am also honest about system limitations.
REPORTING & ANALYTICS
Most Common Issue: Database Thinking.
Explanation: Users treat Workday objects like flat SQL tables. If you don't understand the context of the object, you can't report on it accurately.
Reality: Reporting is the proof of competence. I am good at reporting because I understand the data in the other modules (or where to look for it, logically). I know exactly where the bodies are buried in the architecture.