How to Save Big on Your Workday Deployment
Expert Strategies for Reducing Implementation Costs Without Sacrificing Quality
Six months out of our Workday implementation at Slack, I discovered we'd spent $280,000 on consultant hours that could have been avoided..
The culprit? We didn't have a dedicated client-side project manager during the first phase. Every decision required multiple meetings, every clarification required billable consultant time, and every delay cascaded into more professional services spend $$.
When I moved to Coinbase, we did it differently. I personally assumed the role of client-side PM from day one. The result? We completed our implementation 6 weeks ahead of schedule and came in $200,000 under budget.
After supporting 40+ Workday implementations from both sides of the table, I've learned that the biggest cost savings don't come from cutting corners—they come from making smart decisions early, having the right people in the right roles, and avoiding the mistakes that create expensive rework later.
Here's what I've learned about saving big on your Workday deployment.
Planning your implementation?
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Book a Meeting with an ExpertThe Hidden Cost Driver: Not Having a Client-Side PM
Over 90% of organizations that purchase Workday do not have Workday expertise in-house because they've never needed it. This creates a dangerous dynamic: your system integrator knows Workday, but they don't know your business.
The math is simple:
• A client-side Project Manager costs $150,000-$200,000 per year (fully loaded).
• Poor decisions without one can cost $500,000-$1,000,000+ in rework over 2-3 years.
According to Gartner, 55% of HR leaders report their technology doesn't meet business needs—usually because implementation decisions were made without adequate internal representation.
The Workday client-side Project Manager is critical for a Phase 1 rollout. They can save your company upwards of $500K-$1MM of spend per year following the initial launch.
What Makes a Great Client-Side PM?
• Understands the entire Workday platform (from Financials to Payroll to HR)
• Has several years of project management experience with strong cross-functional alignment skills
• Knows Workday's Launch Methodology and can influence stakeholders to make rapid decisions
• Can manage both external SI teams and internal stakeholders simultaneously
• Understands change management and its critical role in successful adoption
They engage and manage the external Workday systems implementer while also mobilizing internal teams to execute on the project plan. Without this role, you're essentially letting your SI drive all the decisions—and their incentives don't always align with your long-term cost savings.
For more on building the right internal team, check out our guide on position management best practices.
4 Areas Where Your Client-Side PM Saves You Money
Here's where a dedicated client-side PM creates the biggest cost savings:
1. Understanding the Launch Methodology
2. Selecting and Managing your Systems Integrator
3. Driving your Workday Project Plan to completion
4. Navigating common mistakes for your Workday rollout
Let's break each one down.
1. Understanding the Launch Methodology
The Workday Launch Methodology is a proven, best-practice deployment package that Workday offers new customers.
It's widely used in the Medium Enterprise space and is now being adopted by Large Enterprise customers as well.
What You Get with Launch:
• Pre-configured tenant - Your data is loaded upfront, reducing risk
• Predictable timelines - A typical Launch implementation takes ~20 weeks
• Packaged scope - Clear boundaries prevent scope creep
• Embedded analytics & dashboards - Out-of-the-box reporting
• Training & adoption material - Change management support included
Why Pre-Configuration Saves Money:
Reduced Risk: Your data is loaded upfront, catching issues early when they're cheap to fix rather than late when they're expensive.
Speedy Decision Making: You see your company's actual data in Workday from the start—not theoretical designs with fake data. This eliminates the back-and-forth that burns consultant hours.
Dedicated Support: A committed Workday team delivers a robust tenant on time, reducing delays that extend project timelines and budgets.
For a comprehensive implementation roadmap, see our 10-step Workday implementation checklist.
Want to maximize your Launch methodology investment?
Learn from an expert about how Kandor Kickstart, our 4-week pre-implementation program can prepare your team for success.
Book a Meeting with an Expert2. Selecting and Managing Your System Integrator
There are many qualified and certified Workday system integrators (SIs) out there, each with different specializations:
• Technology-focused SIs - Specialize in seamless transitions from specific systems
• Industry-focused SIs - Deep expertise in Healthcare, Education, Government
• Size-focused SIs - Some focus on large enterprise, others on medium enterprise
How to Avoid Overpaying for Your SI
1. Demand an "A" Team
The Workday ecosystem has grown significantly, and with it, the consultant pool has expanded. But there's still a shortage of high-quality consultants with deep industry experience. Don't settle for anything short of great. Meet your project team. If they're sending junior consultants for senior work, you'll pay for it in rework later.
2. Ensure Cultural Alignment
Hire the SI who will bring you a project team that meshes well with your company culture. You'll be working closely with these people for months—cultural friction creates delays, and delays cost money.
3. Build What You'll Own
Choose an SI whose approach creates internal capability, not dependency. The best implementations leave your team able to maintain and enhance Workday independently.
This is why we built Kandor around capability building rather than consultant dependency. For more on this, read our blog on 5 common implementation mistakes.
Not sure how to evaluate SI proposals?
Book a free strategy call to discuss your situation. We can help you ask the right questions.
Book a Strategy call with an Expert3. Driving Your Project Plan to Completion
You've hired your system implementer. They've assigned a project manager. They've provided a project plan and Gantt chart.
So why do you need an internal PM?
The answer is simple: incentive alignment.
The SI's PM is there to complete the project and close out the statement of work. Their primary drivers are internal to their business: hitting milestones, staying within their budget, and moving to the next client.
What Your Client-Side PM Actually Does:
• Cross-functional alignment - Ensuring HR, Finance, IT are coordinated
• Process improvement - Optimizing workflows before configuration
• Fits and gaps analysis - Identifying where standard Workday falls short
• Business case development - Justifying decisions with data
• Change management - Preparing the organization for transition
• Executive steering committee preparation - Managing up effectively
For more on go-live, see our guide on top 6 tips for going live with Workday.
4. Navigating Common Mistakes (And Their Real Costs)
Time and time again, we speak to Workday customers who are 6-12 months past go-live and discovering configuration and data issues they didn't know existed.
The Top 5 Costly Mistakes
1. Over-Complicating the Implementation
The Mistake: Building custom configurations when standard Workday would work.
The Cost: $50,000-$200,000 in unnecessary build time, plus ongoing maintenance costs.
The Fix: Simplify ruthlessly. If standard Workday gets you 80% there, that's enough for Phase 1.
2. Neglecting Change Management
The Mistake: Assuming people will adopt the new system because it's "better."
The Cost: Low adoption rates, workarounds, and 6-18 months of productivity loss.
The Fix: Invest in change management from day one. Identify champions. Train on the "why."
3. Poor Data Conversion Strategy
The Mistake: Migrating dirty data from legacy systems without cleansing it first.
The Cost: Corrupted reporting, compliance risks, and $100,000-$300,000 in post-go-live cleanup.
The Fix: Start data cleansing 3-6 months before migration.
In our Lightspeed case study, dedicated upfront data work led to a 73% reduction in position data errors.
4. Inadequate Testing
The Mistake: Rushing through testing to meet go-live deadlines.
The Cost: Post-go-live defects, compliance issues, and potential legal exposure.
Real Example: In 2025, the City of Seattle faced a lawsuit after payroll errors from inadequate testing.
The Fix: Build testing time into your project plan and protect it fiercely.
5. Ignoring CFO Priorities
The Mistake: Treating Workday as an "HR project" without engaging Finance leadership.
The Cost: Financial reporting gaps, CFO skepticism, and manual processes that continue.
The Fix: Include Finance in requirements gathering from day one.
For a deeper dive, check out: 5 Common Workday Implementation Mistakes and How to Avoid Them.
Want to identify which mistakes threaten your implementation?
Book time with an expert who will provide Implementation Risk Assessment and a personalized action plan.
Book Time with an ExpertReal-World Cost Savings Examples
Example 1: Building Internal Payroll Capability
A Bay Area tech company received a $200,000 quote for Payroll and Time Tracking implementation. Instead, they hired an internal resource and implemented in-house.
Savings: $180,000+ in two quarters
Example 2: Reducing Integration Dependency
A Texas Oil and Gas Company was spending $200,000+ per quarter on external consultants for integrations. They hired a full-time integration specialist.
Savings: 85% reduction in professional services spend
Example 3: Early Client-Side PM Investment
At Slack, bringing in a client-side PM from day one resulted in: implementation completed 6 weeks ahead of schedule, $200,000 under budget, and a team that was self-sufficient at go-live.
The Bottom Line
The biggest cost savings don't come from negotiating harder with your SI or cutting testing time. They come from:
1. Having the right internal representation (client-side PM)
2. Understanding and leveraging the Launch methodology
3. Selecting an SI that builds capability, not dependency
4. Avoiding the common mistakes that create expensive rework
Invest upfront in the right people and decisions, and you'll save $500,000-$1,000,000+ over the 2-3 years following go-live.
Your Next Steps
Option 1: Assess Your Implementation Risks
Take our free Implementation Risk Assessment to identify potential cost drivers.
Option 2: Talk to Someone Who's Been There
Book a free strategy call with Seena for personalized cost-saving guidance.
Option 3: Keep Learning
• The Ultimate Guide to Workday Implementation
• 10-Step Implementation Checklist
• 5 Common Implementation Mistakes
Related Resources
Position Management Guides
• Position Management Best Practices - Build a solid foundation
• 5 Common Position Management Mistakes - What to avoid
• Comparing Greenhouse Integration Options - Detailed comparison
Case Studies
• Lightspeed Launch Deployment - 73% error reduction, 30-day turnaround
Services
• Kinnect - Headcount management software
• Advisory Services - Solution architecture
About the Author
Seena Mojahedi is the CEO and Founder of Kandor Solutions. After working at DayNine Consulting, he spent six years at Google, Slack, and Coinbase managing Workday implementations from the client side.
He's been in the trenches on over 40 implementations and has debugged more ATS integrations than he'd like to count.
Why Seena started Kandor: He's passionate about helping Workday customers own their platforms. Traditional consulting creates dependency. Kandor builds capability.
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