Timeline
Our project has two phases:
- Phase One includes HR, Payroll, and Finance services and officially kicked off in August 2025. The Macalester community will be able to first log into Workday in June 2026, and support for Phase One will continue into Phase Two.
- Phase Two includes Student services (e.g. registration, student financial services, and course management). While many on campus have already been engaged in Phase Two conversations, this phase will officially kick off during the summer of 2026, and we will share more details then.
- August 1, 2025 to October 20, 2025 is the Plan phase. In Plan, the team reviewed scope, created timelines, and established project tools and processes. Team members also began Workday training to grow Macalester’s knowledge of how Workday works.
- October 20, 2025 to February 9, 2026 is referred to as the Architect and Configure phase where the team designed and built the future state of the system. This includes configuring business processes, reports, roles, and integrations with other systems.
- February 9, 2026 to May 4, 2026 is the Test phase. In Test, we validate the new system against the system design and requirements with involvement from functional teams.
- After May 4, 2026, the system is finalized and we all prepare for data to be migrated from legacy systems to Workday, old processes are cutover to the new ones, and everyone starts to use Workday in June 2026. After that, we will continue to optimize, train, and support everything related to Phase One.
- Throughout this entire timeframe, other project work includes project governance, project and change management, knowledge transfer from Workday to Macalester staff, and preparedness for our first “Workday”!
Implementation Schedule
Macalester has partnered with Workday to be our vendor and implementation partner, following their highly-structured implementation schedule:
| Academic Year | Phase One (HR, Payroll, Finance) | Phase Two (Student) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-2026 | August to February During the Architect and Configure phase, the team designs and builds the future state of the system. This includes configuring business processes, reports, roles, and integrations with other systems. February to May During the Test phase we validate the new systems will work for Macalester. May through the year end Data Migration, system cutover, go live, and support | Planning with team members from the Provost’s Office, Registrar, Student Affairs, Student Accounts Office. Engaging the Macalester community including Student government, SAC, and faculty. |
| 2026-2027 | Continuous improvements, system upgrades, and ongoing communications and training. | During the Architect and Configure phase, the team designs and builds the future state of the system. This includes configuring business processes, reports, roles, and integrations with other systems. Functional Areas included are:
|
| 2027-2028 | Continuous improvements, system upgrades, and ongoing communications and training | Complete configuration. During the Test phase we validate the new systems will work for Macalester. Data Migration, system cutover, go live, and support Ready the entire Macalester community in change management activities and transition support. |
Coming Soon! Important Dates to Know
Check back regularly for updates including last times in legacy systems, first times in Workday, and training dates.
Related Pages
Updated: February 19, 2026