Lightspeed Commerce: From 9-Month Implementation to 30-Day Stability

Executive Summary

Lightspeed Commerce partnered with Kandor Solutions to deploy Workday using the Launch methodology across 16 countries in just 9 months. The platform stabilized in 30 days post-go-live. Most environments of that size and complexity take considerably longer.

The Challenge

As a rapidly growing commerce platform operating across 16 countries, Lightspeed faced the classic mid-market dilemma:

• Multiple legacy systems from acquisitions creating data fragmentation and operational inefficiency

• Decentralized processes across countries and business units

• Ongoing M&A activity that could not pause for a lengthy implementation

• Need for speed without sacrificing quality or long-term stability

The company needed a Workday implementation that could move quickly while building sustainable operational capabilities for the future.

The Kandor Approach

Kandor embedded a client-side Project Manager directly within the Lightspeed team from day one. This was not traditional consulting engagement, but a true partnership built on:

1. Trust-Based Collaboration

Rather than positioning ourselves as external advisors, we integrated as an extension of Lightspeed’s internal team. The first weeks focused on building trust and understanding their unique context before diving into technical work.

2. Strategic Focus on Four Critical Areas

Based on our experience with 30+ Phase 1 implementations, we knew where projects typically fail. We proactively focused on:

• Data Conversion Excellence: Going beyond simple workbook completion to understand policy documentation, cross-functional dependencies, and data quality implications

• Testing Rigor: Starting test scenario documentation during requirements phase rather than waiting for formal testing phases, resulting in 99%+ accuracy between workbooks and configuration

• Change Management: Engaging end users early with cohesive change, training, and communications plans tailored to Lightspeed’s culture

• Business Readiness: Establishing governance structures, support models, and operational ownership before go-live rather than scrambling after

3. Client-Side Perspective

As former Workday system owners at Google, Slack, and Coinbase, we understood what Lightspeed would face post-go-live. This informed every decision during implementation, from configuration choices to documentation standards to capability-building approaches.

The Results

Implementation Success

Scope delivered in 9 months:

• Core HCM, Compensation & Advanced Compensation

• Absence Management

• Talent Optimization

• 16 country deployment

• 25 integrations (half developed internally using MuleSoft)

• Merging acquisitions into the tenant while the implementation ran

Post-Go-Live Stabilization

Platform stabilized in 30 days, representing the fastest post-go-live stabilization we have delivered across 40+ implementations.

For context: how long stabilization takes depends on company size, the footprint of the implementation, and the complexity of the workforce. There is no single benchmark, but six months is achievable on most of those profiles, and most organizations do not get there.

Client perspective

Heather Nicholson, Executive Sponsor and VP of People Operations, HRIS & Analytics at Lightspeed, presented their success story at Workday Rising 2022 in a session titled How Lightspeed Crushed their Launch Deployment.

Key Lessons Learned

On Resource Readiness:

I cannot stress enough the criticality of understanding the resource requirements and fully staffing up ahead of the demand on a Workday project. This is the X-Factor to the success of a deployment from a customer perspective.

On the value of client-side advisory:

Working with Kandor proved immediate and measurable ROI. They really helped us see around corners.

On Business Readiness:

The amount of time that you spend stabilizing the Workday platform after going live is heavily reliant on the business readiness for Workday. We focused on establishing governance, support models, and operational ownership before go-live rather than after.

Ongoing Partnership

Following go-live success, Lightspeed and Kandor continued their partnership into Phase 2, focusing on:

• Ongoing Workday support and optimization

• Governance structure maturation

• Internal Workday team capability building

• Strategic roadmap development

Why This Matters

The Lightspeed success story demonstrates what’s possible when implementation partners bring genuine client-side experience and focus on the right priorities:

• Speed doesn’t require sacrificing quality when you focus on business readiness from day one

• Client-side perspective changes implementation decisions because you understand post-go-live reality

• True partnership means integration, not separation between consulting teams and internal teams

• The real measure of success is stabilization time, not just go-live completion