Strategic Plan 2026鈥�2030
Built for the moment 鈥� advancing the future
Financial administration
Financial administration touches nearly every part of the University. It enables schools, colleges and units to purchase goods and services, manage budgets, support employees, administer programs and responsibly steward public and private resources.
As part of Operational Excellence, the UW is examining how financial administrative work is organized and delivered across the University and where we can reduce unnecessary complexity, strengthen consistency and improve how the work gets done.
What we are working toward
The Finance workstream will explore opportunities to:
- Reduce unnecessary complexity, including duplicate steps, unclear requirements and processes that are difficult to navigate
- Strengthen consistency while recognizing where different needs require different approaches
- Make financial services easier for faculty and staff to navigate
- Clarify roles, responsibilities and decision-making
- Strengthen access to financial expertise and reliable support for schools, colleges and units
- Make better use of Workday and other enterprise technology
- Build sustainable staffing models and stronger career pathways for finance professionals
- Improve coordination among unit finance teams, shared services and central finance offices and policy owners
This work will build on what we have learned through Workday Finance and other University financial improvement efforts. Our goal is not to simply move today’s processes into a different structure. It is to improve the work itself.
Where we are now
Financial Shared Services is partnering with units in ongoing discovery and planning to understand current services, staffing and transition considerations. In parallel, the Husky Hub Alliance is developing recommendations for procurement and accounting services and identifying opportunities for process improvements. These efforts will inform service responsibilities, support needs and the sequencing of integration.
Shaping the future together
The people who deliver and use financial services every day have essential expertise and experience to bring to this effort. Engagement with finance professionals, faculty, staff, administrators and others who use financial services will inform the design and help us understand where consistency will improve service and where distinct needs must be considered.
Progress and updates
The Husky Hub Alliance is translating its review of financial processes into recommendations for improvement. Examples include:
- ProCard verification changes that preserve unit flexibility while clarifying compliance responsibilities and reducing unnecessary send-backs.
- Travel reimbursement recommendations that clarify responsibilities and strengthen follow-through from request to payment.
- Purchasing proposals that help faculty and staff access the appropriate procurement expertise and reduce duplicate information requests and approvals.
These recommendations will inform further review, implementation planning and coordination with the governance groups and responsible central offices and UWIT.
User groups that include shared environment staff, unit-level staff and faculty have formed to redesign intake forms in UW Connect. This work brings together the perspectives of people who submit requests and those who process them to make information requirements clearer and reduce unnecessary effort.