Countdown to launch
T-minus 14 weeks to go.
The technical switch from our current systems to Workday will be incredibly intricate. It will require all of us to follow key milestones in the weeks and days leading up to the initial go-live on 8 February 2027.
As more details about this 'cutover' phase are confirmed, we'll keep updating this page with any end dates, freeze periods, start dates, required actions and FAQ responses related to common processes.
Cutover explained in more detail
Whenever organisations go through a transformation of this scale, like our move to Workday, they go through a structured sequence of activities to make sure every aspect of the launch goes ahead safely and smoothly:
- Temporarily freezing all activity in the systems we’re fully replacing.
- Extracting data, transferring it into Workday, and checking it’s correct.
- Finalising the integrations between Workday and other York systems.
- Performing hundreds of checks on reporting, security and other areas.
- Setting Workday live, and resuming all frozen processes in the platform.
For most processes, this freeze is expected to take place from 15 January to 8 February, which should be confirmed in the next couple of weeks. This gives the programme team enough time to work through everything, while letting us all continue working as normal for as long as possible.
Some processes need a longer freeze period. Creating new suppliers, for example, takes up to two months from beginning to end, and so freezing these requests from November allows the Finance team to complete all the steps and checks needed.
This might be inconvenient or uncomfortable for some of us, but cutover makes it possible to keep payroll and other operations running without interruption. The timings are a tricky balance, and come alongside the most intense period for the programme team, but they’ll do what they can to keep everyone in the loop with key updates in the run-up to go-live:
- Exact start-and-end dates for every HR and finance process.
- Deadlines for submitting any requests or other related actions.
- How to record activity during the freeze and input it into Workday.
- How urgent or essential tasks will be handled during the freeze.
- How to complete (and get support on) core tasks once we’re live.
I’ve managed this type of transition for over a dozen huge organisations. It’s always a tense and intense time – the culmination of everyone’s efforts – and most staff only see the tip of the iceberg of the preparation involved. We're working through various rehearsals as a whole team to familiarise ourselves with every date and detail, which will form the basis of the guidance we provide to all York staff throughout.
Peter Kettle, Cutover Manager
