Revolutionising Higher Education: Southeastern Louisiana University transforms HR operations with Kainos Smart
"To bolster our resources, automated testing was imperative. Our team is swamped with day-to-day tasks, making extensive manual testing unfeasible. Smart Test has been invaluable, ensuring tests are conducted consistently."
About Southeastern Louisiana University
Originally established as a junior college, Southeastern Louisiana University has evolved into the third-largest public university in the state. Situated on a sprawling 365-acre main campus in Hammond, Louisiana, the university accommodates nearly 15,000 students, employs 1,762 faculty and staff, and offers over 150 academic programs. Additionally, it boasts a significant economic impact, contributing more than $1 billion annually to the local economy.
Southeastern Louisiana University transforms operations with Workday
Southeastern Louisiana University depended on on-premise systems for Financial and Human Capital Management (HCM) for almost 15 years prior to adopting Workday. The shift to cloud-based solutions became a priority, leading to an exploration of alternative options. With plans to migrate the existing system to the cloud, the university conducted a comprehensive evaluation of available solutions in the market.
Judy Bowles, Assistant VP for Systems at Southeastern Louisiana University, highlighted, "After thorough evaluation, Workday emerged as our top choice among several cloud solutions. Its advanced functionality, particularly in student information management, outshone others."
Overcoming testing challenges and ensuring efficiency
Judy faced significant challenges due to team size and limited testing resources. Insufficient time for end-to-end testing and internal controls checking was a concern, especially since errors in worker onboarding could affect downstream processes like payroll. Traditional testing methods would have taken weeks or even months for an implementation of this scale.
Without fully tested systems, there were substantial risks that could impact the student experience, particularly concerning amidst declining university enrollments nationwide. Planning to implement Workday Student in 2024 added complexity due to the diverse data involved. Judy emphasised the need for a solution to streamline Workday's HCM, Payroll, and Financial testing to alleviate team pressure and ensure student experience remained unaffected.
Addressing the complexities ahead
Anticipating the challenges accompanying the implementation of Workday Student, Southeastern Louisiana University opted for Kainos Smart Test to streamline their testing processes. With an already stretched internal team handling daily operations, they sought a solution to augment their capacity.
"To bolster our resources, automated testing was imperative. Our team is swamped with day-to-day tasks, making extensive manual testing unfeasible. Smart Test has been invaluable, ensuring tests are conducted consistently," explains Judy.
Additionally, Kainos was tasked with assisting in internal process controls for Workday HCM and Financial Management, providing insights for anticipated auditor inquiries.
Streamlined onboarding and ongoing support by Kainos
Kainos facilitated a seamless onboarding experience and continues to provide exceptional customer service throughout the process. Collaborating closely with Judy's team, they defined necessary tests in conjunction with the university's Payroll Director and HCM team. Leveraging the expertise of Kainos testing specialists, they swiftly initiated these tests.
Smart Test has significantly enhanced testing automation, a task previously unattainable for the small Southeastern Louisiana University team. The transition from manual to automated processes was immediate, with Kainos experts offering valuable recommendations for early tests.
"The onboarding process with Kainos has been exceptional. It's been seamless. Kainos brings expertise, knowledge, and valuable insights to the table. Their professionalism and customer service are truly remarkable," Judy affirms.
Smart Test has empowered Judy and her team by ensuring consistent testing, addressing previous limitations in their testing strategy.
"Previously, we struggled to maintain desired testing levels consistently. Smart Test now provides testing capabilities beyond our resources. The best part is the peace of mind knowing everything undergoes regular testing. We can review results and take necessary actions to address any issues," Judy explains.
Southeastern Louisiana University's future with Kainos
As Southeastern Louisiana University transitions to Workday and gears up for the implementation of Workday Student, their collaboration with Kainos is set to deepen. “We’re looking forward to leveraging Kainos's expertise for ongoing projects, supplementing efforts with internal insights. In between testing cycles, we’d like to be able to assess how processes and systems are working and be able to build and run solutions as needed,” says Judy.
Additionally, the university plans to utilise Smart Audit to bolster security measures and enhance the student experience. Judy underscores the value of Kainos's support, saying “Kainos highlighted areas that we needed to review and optimise. It identified things that would be difficult for an individual to spot. You can build reports yourself, but it’s great to have the tool there ready to plug our resource gap, to automate back-end processes and ensuring a streamlined experience and heightened security."