Workday developers: roles and responsibilities

Workday's cloud-based platforms are transforming how modern companies manage critical functions like HR, payroll, and finance. But to unlock their full potential, businesses rely on Workday developers' expertise.

These application architects play a versatile role across the software lifecycle to customize flexible Workday solutions aligned with each company’s unique workflows.

As data platforms take center stage for organizations seeking analytics-fueled growth, skilled Workday developers will only become more invaluable.

Here are four key ways they deliver value:

1. Custom Applications and Integrations

Workday developers build, test, and maintain custom applications and integrations between Workday and third-party systems like accounting, ERP, CRM, HCM, and others. These integrations enable bidirectional data flows to eliminate silos and help different systems work together seamlessly. Custom solutions also allow companies to adapt Workday to their unique needs versus one-size-fits-all.

2. Analytics and Reporting

Skilled Workday developers specialize in analytics and reporting. They create customized reports and dashboards using real-time Workday data to uncover trends and insights that facilitate data-informed decision-making across HR, finance, and other domains. These analytics provide transparency and visibility to optimize strategic initiatives.

3. Maintenance and Troubleshooting

Workday developers work closely with business teams to continuously test applications to catch bugs early. Their technical prowess also enables them to diagnose and troubleshoot issues end users may encounter to minimize disruptions. They take a proactive approach to solution maintenance and improvement after deployment.

4. Documentation and Knowledge Transfer

Documenting custom programs, integrations, fixes, and configurations is imperative for continuity. Comprehensive documentation created by Workday developers enables smooth hand-off to other internal teams or external partners supporting the platform. This allows organizations to build and retain institutional knowledge despite personnel changes.

The expertise of Workday developers directly impacts an organization's ability to get the most value from their investment in the Workday platform. As more companies embrace Workday, demand for these versatile programmers will intensify across all industries.

Key Responsibilities

Workday developers wear many hats across the software development life cycle:

Application Customization
They customize and configure Workday's flexible applications to support unique organizational processes, rules, and innovations. This requires a deep understanding of Workday's native functionality.

Third-Party Integrations
Workday doesn’t exist in a silo. Developers build and maintain integrations with surrounding systems like HCM, ERP, accounting, CRM, and more to enable smooth data flow.

Analytics and Reporting
Using Workday Studio, they create reports and dashboards to extract insights from Workday data for business leaders to monitor KPIs and inform strategic decisions.

Testing and Troubleshooting
They continuously test applications and pinpoint issues before they impact end-users to optimize performance. Strong debugging skills are critical.

Documentation and Knowledge Transfer
Comprehensive documentation of all custom programs, integrations, and configurations enables seamless hand-offs to other team members for continuity.

Must-Have Skills

• Proficiency in Workday Studio, tools, and architecture

• Integration development with SOAP and REST APIs

• Strong grasp of programming languages like Java or C#

• Problem-solving, analytical, and debugging abilities

• Understanding of system architecture and data structure concepts

• Communication skills to collaborate cross-functionally

Enterprise platforms like Workday continue to rise. Skilled Workday developers who customize deployments are indispensable assets for any organization embracing digital transformation.

Workday Developer Tools and Technologies

As a Workday developer, you have access to a wide range of tools that make building solutions on the platform easier. These tools boost your productivity and allow you to focus on innovation rather than repetitive coding tasks.

Workday Studio is the ultimate integrated development environment that lets you create custom applications, reports, integrations, and more through a user-friendly interface. With drag-and-drop simplicity to map data fields and objects, Workday Studio enables you to build solutions faster.

Enterprise Interface Builder (EIB) radically simplifies the process of moving data in and out of Workday through automation. You can effortlessly connect Workday to external applications like accounting software.

Calculated fields are also a powerful feature for creating custom formulas and calculations tailored to unique business requirements on the fly.

AI and Other Emerging Technologies

Some cutting-edge capabilities I’m keeping an eye on are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotic process automation.

AI will allow Workday to surface smart, data-driven insights and recommendations that continuously improve over time. Machine learning algorithms analyze historical patterns to forecast future needs and optimize business processes.

Robotic process automation uses software robots to completely automate repetitive, manual tasks like report generation freeing up developers.

These productivity-enhancing tools and emerging technologies assure me that the future is extraordinarily bright for Workday developers.

They are empowered to solve more complex business problems than ever before, delivering solutions that give organizations a true competitive advantage.

It's a rewarding time to contribute to the Workday ecosystem.