The decision
Is consolidating systems always an improvement?
Haynes Boone faced the same decision many firms are considering today.
Like many organizations, Haynes Boone explored whether Workday Learning should replace its existing learning platform.
The answer surprised them.
The firm wanted better enterprise connectivity, not a different approach to managing learning.
Rather than replacing a platform already designed around the firm's learning needs, Haynes Boone chose to retain UniversitySite and connect it with Workday.
“We weren't looking to replace what already worked. We wanted learning information to be available where managers were already working.”
Why UniversitySite remained the better fit
Haynes Boone’s decision was not about avoiding change. It was about choosing the right platform for the work.
For more than two decades, UniversitySite has evolved through continuous feedback from the professional development, learning, and CLE administrators responsible for managing learning in law firms every day. That ongoing collaboration has shaped the workflows, reporting, administrative tools, and flexibility firms rely on today.
Workday supports a broad range of enterprise processes. UniversitySite serves a more focused role: helping law firms manage learning in ways that reflect the requirements and working practices of the legal industry.
Haynes Boone concluded that replacing UniversitySite would not improve how the firm manages learning. Integrating the platforms gave the firm the connectivity it needed while preserving the specialized capabilities it already relied on.
Rather than asking one platform to do everything, Haynes Boone let each system continue doing what it does best.
Each platform continued doing what it was designed to do best.
UniversitySite remained the platform for managing learning. Workday remained the firm's enterprise HR platform. Completed learning activity was shared between them.
That approach gave the firm the connectivity it wanted without compromising the strengths of either platform.
The integration
Publishing completed learning into Workday
Haynes Boone made completed learning activity available inside Workday, where managers were already working.
Instead of relying on separate requests to HR, managers could see learning information within an existing workflow alongside other employee information.
Learning continued to be managed in UniversitySite while completed learning activity became visible in Workday.
This approach helped the firm:
- Continue managing learning in UniversitySite.
- Make completed learning visible in Workday.
- Give managers information where they already work.
- Reduce recurring requests for HR reports.
- Connect specialized and enterprise platforms without duplicating their roles.
“Managers can now see learning activity directly in Workday, and many of the report requests HR previously handled have disappeared.”
The result
Enterprise connectivity without changing how the firm manages learning.
Managers gained visibility inside Workday.
UniversitySite remained the firm's learning platform.
The result was a connected technology environment that respected the strengths of both systems.
The project was not simply about moving data between systems. It was about choosing the right platform for each responsibility and connecting them effectively.
The technology
Flexible access to UniversitySite data
UniversitySite includes reporting and integration capabilities that allow firms to publish learning information into other business systems when appropriate.
Haynes Boone used that flexibility to publish completed learning activity into Workday while keeping learning administration in UniversitySite.