Manage Workday – Organizations, Roles, Locations, Hierarchies & Business Processes¶
Source: Admin Guide – Manage Workday (May 14, 2026), pp. 842–1242
Organizations¶
Setup Considerations: Organizations¶
Key decisions: - Organization types to use (supervisory, matrix, cost center, company, region, custom) - Hierarchy depth and structure - Staffing model alignment (supervisory org structure drives BP routing and security) - Custom organizations and membership rules for reporting and security
Concept: Organizations and Custom Objects — how custom objects can extend organization data.
Reference: Organization Types and Subtypes — complete catalog of Workday org types (Supervisory, Company, Cost Center, Cost Center Hierarchy, Region, Fund, Grant, Program, Gift, Business Unit, etc.).
Supervisory Organizations¶
Set Up Supervisory Organizations — create the org structure that drives staffing, BP routing, and security inheritance.
Key behaviors: - BP definitions inherit from superior orgs (override at subordinate level as needed) - Role assignments are scoped to org and inherited by subordinates - Staffing model is set per supervisory org
| Task | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Set Up Supervisory Organizations | Create orgs, assign managers and staffing models |
| Automatically Generate Reference IDs for Supervisory Organizations | Auto-assign reference IDs |
| Change Organization Visibility | Show/hide orgs from non-admins |
FAQ: Supervisory Organizations and Staffing Events — how org changes affect in-progress business processes.
Nonsupervisory Organizations¶
Set Up Nonsupervisory Organizations — configure cost centers, companies, regions, and other reporting orgs. These don't drive staffing but are used for financial reporting, security segmentation, and worktag assignment.
Change Organization Visibility — control which orgs are visible to non-admin roles.
Matrix Organizations¶
Steps: Set Up Matrix Organization Business Processes — configure dotted-line reporting relationships.
Assign Workers to a Matrix Organization — add workers to matrix orgs alongside their supervisory org membership.
Concept: Manager Integrated Organizations — orgs where a specific manager role has integrated access; useful for cross-functional team management.
Organization Charts¶
Set Up Organization Charts — configure visual org chart display with metrics.
Set Up Organization Chart Metrics — define metrics shown on org chart nodes (headcount, open positions, turnover).
Manage Organization Concepts¶
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| Concept: Dividing Organizations | Split one org into two (retains history) |
| Concept: Reorganizations | Mass movement of workers between orgs |
| Concept: Moving Workers by Organization | Mechanics of org restructuring |
| Concept: Organization Search | How orgs are indexed and found in global search |
| Concept: Correct Organization Exceptions | Resolving data inconsistencies after org changes |
| Concept: Inactive Organizations | Behavior of orgs with no active workers |
| Concept: Superior and Subordinate Organizations | Inheritance of BP definitions and role assignments |
Custom Organizations and Membership Rules¶
What They Are: Organization types you define to group workers for reporting, security, or integration purposes outside the standard org hierarchy.
| Task | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Steps: Assign Membership Rules in Custom Organizations | Rule-based auto-membership |
| Maintain Organization Types | Create and manage custom org type definitions |
| Manage Membership Rules | Define rules governing who belongs to a custom org |
Concept: Custom Organizations — how custom orgs differ from supervisory orgs; use cases for matrix, retiree, and service center orgs.
Concept: Membership Rules — evaluated dynamically; workers are added/removed as conditions change.
Org Studio and Mass Actions¶
Setup Considerations: Org Studio and Mass Actions — bulk org management tools for restructuring.
| Task | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Steps: Set Up Org Studio | Configure Org Studio for drag-and-drop org management |
| Steps: Set Up Mass Actions | Enable mass staffing actions (hire, terminate, change job) across orgs |
Concept: Org Studio Configurations — available org manipulation modes (move, divide, inactivate).
Committees¶
| Task | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Steps: Set Up Committees | Create committee definitions |
| Maintain Committee Definition | Edit committee attributes |
| Steps: Set Up Committee Memberships | Manage committee membership rules |
| Steps: Manage and Invite Committee Members | Day-to-day member management |
| Steps: Set Up Committee Meetings | Schedule and manage committee meetings |
Concept: External Committee Members — adding non-Workday users to committees.
Workteams¶
Steps: Set Up Workteams — configure lightweight cross-functional teams without full org structure overhead.
Reference: Workteam Domains — security domains required for workteam management.
Roles¶
Setup Considerations: Roles¶
What Roles Do: Roles are responsibilities assigned to workers within organizations. Role assignments drive: - Security group membership (role-based security groups) - Business process routing (who receives tasks at each step) - Reporting scope (what data a role holder can see)
Types of assignable roles: - Organization roles (HR Partner, Benefits Administrator, Recruiter, etc.) - Position roles (assigned to a position; transferred with the position) - Worker roles (assigned to a specific worker)
Key Role Configuration Tasks¶
| Task | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Set Up Assignable Roles | Create and configure custom organization roles |
| Roles and Time Zones | Configure how role assignments handle time zones |
| Set Up Role-Based Security Reporting | Reports showing role assignments across orgs |
| Edit Role Assignment Permissions | Control who can assign/remove each role |
Key Concepts¶
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| Concept: Roles Assignments, Positions and Role Inheritance | How roles flow down org hierarchy; position vs. worker roles |
| Concept: Role Assignments and the Snapshot Date Model | How role assignments are evaluated at specific effective dates |
Role-Related Reports — standard reports for auditing role assignments: role holders by org, orgs without role coverage, role assignment history.
Locations¶
Setup Considerations: Locations and Location Hierarchies¶
Key decisions: - Location types (office, remote, warehouse, etc.) - Location hierarchy structure for rollup reporting - Location-based security and business process routing - Integration with work schedule calendars
Configuration Tasks¶
| Task | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Create Locations | Define physical and virtual work locations |
| Create Location Hierarchies | Group locations for reporting and org assignment |
Concept: Locations and Location Hierarchies — how Workday uses locations in staffing, time tracking, tax, and reporting.
Reference: Location Usages — all places in Workday where location data drives behavior (payroll tax jurisdiction, schedule assignment, org eligibility rules).
Hierarchies¶
Setup Considerations: Hierarchies¶
What Hierarchies Are: Groupings of organizations into parent-child or reporting structures for roll-up reporting, planning, and financial consolidation. Separate from supervisory org hierarchy.
Common hierarchy types: Cost Center Hierarchy, Company Hierarchy, Location Hierarchy, Region Hierarchy.
Configuration Tasks¶
| Task | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Create Organization Hierarchies | Define hierarchy definition and type |
| Maintain Sort Order | Control display order of orgs within a hierarchy |
| Add Organizations to Hierarchies | Place orgs into the hierarchy structure |
| Move Organizations in Hierarchies | Restructure hierarchy placement |
| Correct Hierarchy Structure Exceptions | Resolve data inconsistencies in hierarchy |
Concept: Hierarchy Structures — rules for valid hierarchy configurations; single vs. multiple parent membership; effective dating.
Reference: Hierarchies — complete list of hierarchy types and their supported operations.
Business Processes¶
Setup Considerations: Business Processes¶
What They Are: The cornerstone of Workday automation. Business processes route tasks to authorized users based on security groups and org hierarchy. Over 550 pre-configured definitions are delivered.
Key capabilities: - Configurable without IT/coding resources - Copy and modify delivered definitions - Conditional logic via condition rules - Step-level security via business process security policies - Audit trail on completion - Business process notifications at each step or status change - Integration with third-party systems via Integration steps - Rule-based definitions for conditional routing structures
Key recommendations: - Limit consecutive non-manual steps to under 72 - Copy delivered BPs to supervisory orgs before customizing - Subordinate orgs inherit BP definitions from superior orgs unless overridden
Business Process Framework Concepts¶
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| Concept: Business Processes and Organizations | How BP definitions are scoped to orgs and inherit down hierarchy |
| Concept: Find Events | How to search for in-progress and completed BP instances |
| Concept: View Business Process Details | Reading a BP audit trail |
| Concept: Business Processes | Core framework overview |
| Concept: Effective Dates | How effective dating interacts with BPs |
| Concept: Time Zone and Due Date | Due date calculation using org time zone |
| Concept: Order of Execution | How parallel and sequential steps execute |
| Concept: Step Conditions | Condition rules that determine if a step runs |
| Concept: Completion Steps | Steps that finalize the BP |
| Concept: Approval Chain Routing | How approval chains resolve through the org hierarchy |
Reference: Actions Available on Business Processes — complete list of process-wide actions (view, rescind, cancel, correct) and where they apply.
Business Process Step Types¶
| Step Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Action Step | Primary data-entry step; initiates or continues the transaction |
| Add Documents Step | Collect file attachments during the BP |
| Approval Chain Step | Route through manager hierarchy for approvals |
| Approval Step | Single approver; configured security group |
| Batch/Job Step | Trigger a batch process as part of the workflow |
| Checklist Step | Display a checklist of non-enforced items |
| Complete Questionnaire Step | Require questionnaire completion from a participant |
| Consolidated Approval Chain Step | Combine multiple approval levels into one step |
| Edit Additional Data Step | Collect custom object field data |
| Initiation Step | The first step; always present |
| Integration Step | Call an external integration as part of the workflow |
| Report Step | Present a report output to a BP participant |
| Report Group Step | Present multiple reports to a participant |
| Review Documents Step | Route documents for review and e-signature |
| Service Step | Automated step with no user interaction |
| Shared Participation Step | Multiple participants complete the same task |
| Tasks Step | Bundle multiple tasks as one step |
| To Do Step | Non-blocking reminder task |
Customize Business Processes¶
| Task | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Steps: Configure Business Process Definitions | Add, remove, and configure steps in a BP definition |
| Steps: Set Up Rule-Based Business Process Definitions | Define multiple routing structures triggered by conditions |
| Steps: Set Up Task Consolidation | Combine related tasks into a single user interaction |
| Configure Redirect on Business Process Steps | Redirect step to a different BP participant |
| Create Custom Business Processes | Build a new BP definition from scratch |
| Edit Business Processes | Modify existing BP definitions |
| Create Business Process Condition Rules | Define condition rules for conditional step execution |
| Maintain Organization Type Precedence | Set priority for org type resolution in routing |
| Configure Rule-Based Business Processes | Assign routing structures to conditions |
| Maintain Step Delay | Configure delays before a step becomes available |
| Embed Related Worklets in Business Processes | Embed contextual worklets on BP pages |
| Create Integration (Step) | Configure an Integration step within a BP |
| Configure Consolidated Template Override | Override consolidated approval templates |
| Configure Optional Fields | Make BP fields optional or required |
| Launch Orchestrations on Business Process Status Changes | Trigger Orchestrate workflows on BP events |
Concept: Business Process Templates — how templates define the structure and defaults for a BP definition.
Concept: Calculated Dates — date fields calculated dynamically based on other BP data.
Concept: Rule-Based Business Process Definitions — routing structures that select based on conditions at initiation.
Concept: Business Process Segmented Security — how segment-based security restricts who can initiate, approve, or view a BP.
Manage Business Processes¶
| Task | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Setup Considerations: Auto-Manage BPs for Worker | Auto-complete or reassign tasks when a worker is unavailable |
| Setup Considerations: Mass Operations on Business Processes | Bulk approve/deny/reassign BPs across many workers |
| Create a Segment-Based Security Group for Mass Operations | Security setup for mass BP operations |
| Set Up Mass Operations | Configure which BPs support mass actions |
| Maintain Advanced Routing | Complex routing rules beyond org hierarchy |
| Maintain Specific Group Routing | Route to a named security group override |
| Set Up Multiple Position Routing | Handle routing for workers with multiple positions |
| Maintain Line Level Routing | Line-by-line approval for multi-line documents |
| Define Order of Parallel Steps in My Tasks | Control display order of parallel tasks |
| Steps: Set Up Auto-Manage BPs Service Step | Configure service step for automated BP management |
| Steps: Enable Attachments on an Individual Business Process | Allow file attachments on a specific BP |
| Reassign Tasks | Move BP tasks from one user to another |
Key Concepts:
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| Concept: Business Process Management | Overall BP management philosophy |
| Concept: Business Process Step Attachments | How attachments flow through BP steps |
| Concept: Autocomplete Business Processes | Conditions under which BPs auto-complete without user action |
| Concept: Bulk Approve Business Processes | Approving many BPs simultaneously |
| Concept: Auto-Manage BPs for a Worker | System manages tasks when worker is on leave or terminated |
| Concept: Manage a Worker's My Tasks Items | Admin visibility into a worker's task queue |
Create Checklists¶
Configure standalone checklists for use in BP checklist steps or as onboarding/offboarding action lists.
Delegate Business Processes¶
Delegation allows one worker to act on behalf of another for specified BP tasks.
Setup Considerations: Delegation — configure delegation scope, restrictions, and approval requirements.
| Task | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Single Task Delegation | Delegate a specific task instance |
| Business Process Task Delegation | Delegate all tasks of a specific BP type |
| Business Process Initiation Delegation | Delegate BP initiation rights |
Key Concepts:
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| Concept: Act On Behalf Of Another User | How delegated users experience the acting-on-behalf-of context |
| Concept: Delegation Routing Restrictions | Limits on what can be delegated |
| Concept: Delegation Rules | Org-level rules controlling delegation eligibility |
| Concept: Delegation Notifications | Notifications sent to delegator and delegate |
Reference: Delegation Reports — reports for auditing active and historical delegations.
Business Process Notifications¶
Create Custom Notifications — create notifications triggered by BP status or step events.
Configure Business Process System Notifications — configure delivery of Workday-delivered BP notifications (worker-level and org-level).
Schedule Alert Notifications — configure time-based alert notifications (e.g., BP approaching due date).
Concept: Custom Notifications — notification types, timing options, recipient selection, and template configuration.
Questionnaires (within Business Processes)¶
Steps: Create and Manage Questionnaires — define questionnaires used in Complete Questionnaire BP steps.
Configure Questionnaires and Questions — build question banks with multiple question types (single-select, multi-select, text, rating scale, date).
View Questionnaire Responses in Approval Steps — approvers see questionnaire answers in context of their approval step.
Steps: Purge Questionnaire and Survey Responses — GDPR-compliant response deletion.
Steps: Configure Questionnaire Security Segments — restrict questionnaire response access by segment.
Requests¶
Setup Considerations: Requests — configure general-purpose request types (e.g., IT request, facilities request, HR inquiry).
Set Up Request Types — define request categories, fields, and routing.
Steps: Maintain Access to Request Types — control which workers can submit which request types.
Concept: Requests — how requests integrate with BPs; request tracking and reporting.
Dynamically Generated Documents¶
Configure documents that are generated at runtime during a BP, populated with data from the BP context.
| Task | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Steps: Generate Dynamic Documents | Configure the document generation step |
| Create Text Blocks | Define reusable rich-text content blocks |
| Associate Custom Layouts with Generated Documents | Apply Report Designer layouts to generated documents |
| Configure Generated Documents | Set up document templates with merge fields |
Concept: Dynamic Document Generation — how merge fields are resolved at generation time.
Concept: Text Blocks — reusable content fragments in document templates.
Business Process Guidelines¶
Detailed setup and configuration guidance for specific high-complexity BPs:
| BP Type | Coverage |
|---|---|
| Expense Report Event BP | AP approval routing, receipt attachment rules, audit triggers |
| Hire BP | Pre-hire to hire flow, I-9, background check, onboarding triggers |
| Integration BP | How to embed integration steps; error handling |
| Offer BP | Offer letter generation, approval chain, e-signature |
| Onboarding BP | Task sequencing, Workday Docs, plan assignment |
Reference: Security Domains for the Expense Report Event BP — all domains required for expense report BPs.
FAQ: Business Processes — answers to common BP configuration questions.