More than 200 university leaders and colleagues came together to launch the Architect and Configure phase of Cornell’s Workday implementation, marking a clear shift from preparation to sustained, hands-on work. This phase is about designing the foundation that will support how the university works for years to come.  

During this phase, colleagues from the human resources, finance, budget, source to pay, technical, and change management teams are working on the core processes, data structures, and decision frameworks that shape how work gets done across campuses, colleges, schools, and units. The aim is practical but ambitious: systems that respect people’s time, support the work they do every day, and feel intentionally designed for how Cornell operates now—and where it’s headed next. 

Designing with the Whole University in Mind 

Everyone involved was challenged to look beyond local practices and design with a One Cornell mindset. Architecture, in this context, means deciding what should be shared across the university, where differences are truly necessary, and where long-standing workarounds have added complexity that can be removed. 

That responsibility was framed in human terms. Each person was asked to think of themselves as a trustee of other people’s time. The decisions being made in this phase will determine how many steps it takes, for example, to hire someone, approve a transaction, or move work forward—not just at go-live, but every day after. 

The guiding CEMI principle anchored the conversation: as common as possible, as different as absolutely necessary. Exceptions are being considered deliberately, only when they meaningfully advance the university’s mission. 

Building for Flexibility, Not Perfection 

The work ahead is happening in conditions of ongoing change, financial pressure, rapid technological shifts, and real fatigue across the university. Rather than trying to design for every possible future, teams are creating a flexible foundation—shared processes, consistent data, and clear governance—that allows Cornell to adapt as needs evolve.  

The emphasis throughout was on progress rather than perfection. What matters most is having a clear structure for surfacing issues early, making informed decisions, and adjusting course as needed. 

Turning Alignment into Action 

As the kickoff moved into breakout sessions, the emphasis shifted from setting direction to putting shared understanding into practice. Colleagues aligned on how decisions will be made and how the Architect and Configure phase will design the future state, identify key dependencies, and capture open questions to address at the right time. 

Rather than avoiding complexity, teams surfaced it early and gave it structure. Differences across campuses, regulatory needs, integrations, and foundational choices were named, assigned owners, and built into the work ahead. Technology work will follow those decisions, ensuring the system supports how the university chooses to work, not the other way around. 

By the end of the kickoff, people left with more than energy. They shared a clearer sense of how decisions will be made and how much their choices matter to colleagues across the university.