Metropolitan State University of Denver’s retrospective review of the Workday implementation process remains on track and has already engaged more than 600 employees.  

The project will involve a comprehensive look at the implementation portion of the Workday transition, which shifted many of the University’s business and human-resources functions to a single management system. The retrospective specifically seeks to understand how the implementation process impacted employees, efficiency and operations. While the retrospective may uncover opportunities and make recommendations for process improvement, this effort is not focused on conducting, tracking or managing any process improvements. It will aim to: 

  • Capture implementation best practices. 
  • Offer recommendations and considerations for action planning and continuous improvement. 
  • Measure alignment on the original intention, design, plan and expected outcomes​ of the Workday implementation. 
  • Identify what went well during implementation and can/should be replicated.  
  • Identify what could have been done better or different​ly. 
Larry Sampler, M.A., Vice President for Finance and Administration & Chief Operating Officer

“This is a reflective look at the implementation process, what went well and what opportunities there are for improvement,” said Larry Sampler, chief operating officer. “It also shows the University’s good-faith effort in stewarding investment from the state.” 

Progress to date 

Lawrence Henderson of consulting firm Continuum has scheduled 28 interviews with Workday power users and employees who were heavily involved in the planning-and-implementation process.​ Additionally, 569 employees participated in the anonymous and confidential Workday Retrospective survey, which was open Nov. 14-Dec. 1. One hundred fifty-seven employees also expressed interest in sharing more feedback as part of an in-person focus group. Those focus groups are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.  

Henderson will review the insights and perspectives shared through these various feedback channels to help MSU Denver assess successes and areas for celebration throughout the Workday implementation process. Feedback will also help identify how future large-scale projects might be improved. 

“Partnering with Continuum allows us to maintain integrity, confidentiality and trust in the process through a neutral third party,” Sampler said. 

What’s next

Continuum will include data and feedback gathered in an action-and-accountability plan and final reports that will likely be shared with the University community in March. In addition to an internal report, an external report will be developed to serve as a resource for other institutions that are conducting similar enterprise-level implementations. Data and findings will also be integrated into future process-improvement initiatives. 

Meet the Workday Retrospective Project Team: 

  • Larry Sampler, chief operating officer, project sponsor and advisor​ 
  • Kevin Taylor, chief information officer and associate vice president for Information Technology Services, team leader, functional leader for IT,​ project sponsor 
  • Jim Carpenter, chief financial officer and project sponsor 
  • Stacy Dvergsdal, associate vice president for Human Resources, functional leader for HR, project sponsor 
  • Sara Vance, program manager for Workday implementation​ 
  • Leone Dick, chief of staff to the vice president for Administration 
  • Rebecca Reid, change-and-transformation leader 
  • Liza Larsen, controller and deputy chief financial officer, functional leader for Finance 
  • Jennifer Dechant, executive assistant to the vice president for Administration 
  • Nick Pistentis, deputy chief information officer 
  • Lawrence Henderson, consultant, Continuum 

Learn more  

To read more about Workday and the implementation process, please visit the University’s dedicated Workday webpage. Watch the page for more updates on the Workday retrospective project.