General Workday BA Questions
1. What is Workday, and why is it widely used?
Workday is a cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) system
specializing in Human Capital Management (HCM), Financials, Payroll,
and other HR-related processes. It is widely used due to its user-
friendly interface, strong security model, and seamless integration
capabilities.
2. What are the key responsibilities of a Workday Business
Analyst?
A Workday BA gathers business requirements, configures Workday
modules, performs process design, optimizes workflows, tests new
functionalities, ensures compliance, and collaborates with stakeholders
to enhance system efficiency.
3. What Workday modules have you worked with?
I have worked with Core HCM, Compensation, Benefits, Payroll, Talent
& Performance, Recruiting, Absence Management, and Workday
Security Administration, among others.
4. How do you gather requirements for a Workday
implementation or enhancement?
I conduct stakeholder interviews, workshops, and surveys, review
existing processes, document pain points, analyze business needs, and
translate them into Workday functional requirements.
Business Process Design & Configuration
5. What is a Business Process in Workday?
A Business Process (BP) in Workday is a sequence of steps that define
how a transaction, such as hiring or termination, is completed within
the system. It includes approvals, conditions, notifications, and
security policies.
6. Can you explain the different types of Business Process steps
in Workday?
Yes, Workday BP steps include Actions (e.g., Hire, Terminate),
Approvals (e.g., Manager or HRBP approval), To-Dos (reminders for
manual tasks), and Notifications (e.g., alerting stakeholders of status
changes).
7. How do you configure a Business Process in Workday?
By navigating to the Business Process framework, selecting the
process to modify, adding/modifying steps, defining conditions, setting
approvals, configuring notifications, and testing before deployment.
8. What is a condition rule in Workday Business Processes?
A condition rule determines whether a step in a Business Process
should execute based on specific criteria, such as job profile, employee
type, or location.
9. How do you ensure a smooth transition when modifying an
existing Business Process?
By conducting impact analysis, testing in a sandbox environment,
validating security implications, and training users on any changes
before deployment.
10. How do you handle Business Process exceptions in
Workday?
By defining alternate approval paths, configuring delegation rules, and
setting up error notifications to ensure minimal disruptions.
Workday Security & Access Control
11. What is the difference between Domain Security and
Business Process Security in Workday?
Domain Security controls access to data, while Business Process
Security governs who can initiate, approve, or view specific workflows.
12. How do you troubleshoot security-related issues in
Workday?
By reviewing security group assignments, checking domain and BP
security policies, running security audits, and using the Workday
Security Diagnostics report.
13. What are Workday security groups, and how do they
function?
Security groups define access levels in Workday and can be user-
based, role-based, or automatically assigned based on conditions.
Workday Reporting & Analytics
14. What types of reports have you created in Workday?
I have built Advanced, Matrix, Composite, and Dashboard reports to
track headcount, turnover, payroll trends, and workforce analytics.
15. What is a Calculated Field in Workday, and how is it used
in reporting?
A Calculated Field is a custom data field used in reports to derive
values dynamically, such as concatenating names or calculating
tenure.
16. Can you explain Workday Prism Analytics?
Workday Prism Analytics enables businesses to integrate external data
sources, perform deeper data analysis, and create complex
dashboards beyond standard reporting capabilities.
17. How do you optimize Workday reports for performance?
By using indexed fields, limiting dataset size, reducing calculated
fields, and optimizing security access to ensure fast report execution.
Workday Integrations & Data Management
18. What Workday integration tools have you worked with?
I have worked with EIBs, Workday Studio, PECI, and Web Services for
integrations with payroll providers, benefits vendors, and third-party
systems.
19. What is the difference between EIB and Workday Studio?
EIB (Enterprise Interface Builder) is a simpler tool for
inbound/outbound data transfers, while Workday Studio is a more
advanced integration tool for complex use cases.
20. How do you troubleshoot integration failures in Workday?
By reviewing error logs, validating input data, checking security
permissions, and testing API endpoints in the Workday API Explorer.
21. How do you ensure data accuracy when performing mass
uploads in Workday?
By using EIB templates, validating data before import, running audit
reports, and performing spot-checking in the system.
Workday Implementation & Testing
22. Describe your experience with Workday implementations.
I have worked on Workday implementations from requirement
gathering, configuration, data migration, testing, deployment, and
post-go-live support.
23. What testing methodologies do you use in Workday
projects?
I use unit testing, functional testing, regression testing, and user
acceptance testing (UAT) to validate system functionality.
24. How do you handle system upgrades and new Workday
releases?
By reviewing release notes, testing in a preview environment,
identifying potential impacts, and training end users on new features.
Workday Talent & Performance, Compensation, and Payroll
25. How do you configure Compensation Plans in Workday?
By defining eligibility rules, setting up salary structures, configuring
merit increase guidelines, and integrating with payroll.
26. How do you set up a Workday Performance Review
process?
By configuring review templates, defining workflows, assigning
competencies, setting goals, and enabling calibration sessions.
27. How does Workday Absence Management work?
It allows organizations to configure time-off policies, track leaves,
manage accruals, and integrate with payroll for absence deductions.
Workday Troubleshooting & Support
28. How do you handle end-user issues in Workday?
By analyzing tickets, reproducing issues, reviewing logs, providing
training, and escalating complex problems to Workday Support.
29. What steps do you take when a Workday process fails?
I check process history, review error messages, validate
configurations, and test resolutions in a lower environment before
applying fixes.
30. How do you prioritize and manage multiple Workday
projects?
By using Agile methodologies, setting clear priorities, aligning with
business goals, and ensuring stakeholders are informed of timelines.
Scenario-Based Questions
31. How would you approach a request to modify the
employee termination process?
I would gather requirements, assess security impacts, update the
Business Process, test in a sandbox, and deploy changes with proper
documentation.
32. A payroll integration failed due to incorrect compensation
data. How do you troubleshoot?
I would review the integration log, check compensation configurations,
validate input data, and rerun the integration after fixing errors.
33. An executive requests a report on workforce turnover
trends. How do you proceed?
I would gather requirements, create an Advanced Report, use
calculated fields for tenure, and visualize data using Workday
dashboards.
34. An HR user reports they cannot approve a hiring request.
How do you resolve this?
I would check security roles, review BP approvals, validate domain
permissions, and update security settings if needed.
35. How do you handle resistance to Workday system
changes?
By communicating benefits, providing training, addressing concerns,
and gathering feedback to ensure smooth adoption.
