A foundation aligns for Workday success
At a glance
Client
Not-for-profit foundation
Industry
Not-for-Profit
Our role
Business oversight for Workday
Our solution
Workday aligned to NFP needs
Designed and de-risked a stand-alone enterprise launch
Scenario
A global foundation needed to ensure Workday Financials aligned with business needs and protected implementation timelines.
Approach
Grant Thornton performed a rapid diagnostic and provided ongoing guidance to align configuration, reporting and controls with not-for-profit best practices.
Result
The foundation went live with confidence, gaining real-time financial visibility and streamlined, control-sensitive processes.
Scenario
Finance transformation without a business perspective
A global not-for-profit foundation selected Workday Financials to modernize its back-office finance and accounting functions. The IT department led the implementation and selected the system integrator.
As design and configuration decisions progressed, finance leadership grew concerned that the business perspective was underrepresented. The CFO wanted assurance that Workday would reflect the foundation’s unique fund and grant accounting requirements while staying on schedule. Without stronger alignment, the organization risked rework, reporting gaps and limited adoption after go-live.
The foundation needed an independent advisor who could represent business priorities while collaborating effectively with IT and the system integrator.
Approach
Rapid diagnostic and ongoing business advocacy
Grant Thornton joined the project mid-implementation and began with a rapid diagnostic assessment to evaluate progress, governance and alignment to business requirements. The team delivered a focused report identifying opportunities to better support finance stakeholders while minimizing disruption to the implementation timeline.
“Workday implementations achieve the best results when technology decisions are grounded in how the business actually operates,” said Grant Thornton Technology Modernization Manager Stuart Reeves. “Our role was to bring that business lens to every design choice and help the foundation go live with the right approach.”
For the remainder of the engagement, Grant Thornton provided hands-on project support to reinforce best practices in not-for-profit accounting, clarify business requirements and rationalize reporting. The team also strengthened project communications, supported test case development and execution, and helped prioritize open issues as go-live approached.
By serving as a bridge between finance, IT and the system integrator, Grant Thornton ensured that configuration decisions reflected operational realities and control-sensitive processes.
Result
Confident go-live and stronger financial visibility
With Grant Thornton’s support, the foundation launched Workday Financials with greater clarity and confidence. Finance leaders gained assurance that the system design reflected their operational and compliance needs, while IT and the system integrator developed a deeper understanding of business requirements.
Following go-live, the foundation achieved real-time access to financial data and improved visibility into fund and grant accounting. Manual tasks in control-sensitive areas were reduced, strengthening internal controls and freeing finance staff to focus on higher-value activities.
The implementation not only modernized the technology platform but also reinforced collaboration across teams, positioning the organization for improved performance and long-term mission impact.
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This Grant Thornton Advisors LLC content provides information and comments on current issues and developments. It is not a comprehensive analysis of the subject matter covered. It is not, and should not be construed as, accounting, legal, tax, or professional advice provided by Grant Thornton Advisors LLC. All relevant facts and circumstances, including the pertinent authoritative literature, need to be considered to arrive at conclusions that comply with matters addressed in this content.
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