The Department of Energy (DOE) rolled out a modern, cloud-based human capital management (HCM) platform powered by Workday, replacing a legacy, siloed environment using a repeatable model for agency HCM modernization governmentwide. It’s the first cabinet-level agency to bring its core human resources (HR) systems into a FedRAMP-authorized cloud – Workday Government Cloud.
The challenge: aging, transactional HR and low visibility
The department replaced a set of legacy human resources (HR) IT systems, the core of which was a PeopleSoft-based environment known as CHRIS (Corporate Human Resources Information System). “The department wanted to move toward a true HCM solution that would enable comprehensive workforce management,” said Sean McCoy, a managing partner at Workday focused on federal agencies.
McCoy recalled how encouraged department leaders were after they received access to the Workday implementation in development and realized they could quickly visualize the entire department and drill down through the organization.
“Previously, they had about 75 org charts in PDF format, with no easy way to see structure, roles, job titles, or contextual information about the workforce,” he noted.
The goal: SaaS modernization and a better experience
The department set broad goals to move to a software-as-a-service platform that consolidates HR systems, delivers a cohesive employee and manager experience, and improves data integrity.
Workday initially entered the conversation as the department researched a new learning platform. The scope expanded to HCM modernization when leaders saw the breadth of Workday’s capabilities and Workday’s ongoing effort to “federalize” its product.
“Our teams have been focused on federal functionality in Workday for the last four years,” said Nick Portlance, senior manager of product management at Workday. “Our work with the department helped us to further test and refine that functionality.”
The partnership: DOE, OPM, Workday, and AFS
Crucially, the department and Workday collaborated closely with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to align with federal frameworks, including OPM’s Human Capital Business Reference Model and the Guide to Processing Personnel Actions (GPPA), which governs how agencies document personnel actions across the employee lifecycle.
The resulting implementation includes Workday Government’s Personnel Action Request (PAR) framework – designed specifically for federal agencies – which automates key HR processes, including hiring, promotions, and job updates. Since going live, the department has reported 100% user adoption and processed nearly 20,000 PARs in less than four months – significantly improving how workforce updates are handled across the agency.
“Our collaboration with DOE and OPM, with testing and feedback, really helped us to understand the nuances of federal personnel processing, close final capability gaps, and enhance the functionality we had delivered,” Portlance said.
The work extends to the implementation, with Accenture Federal Services configuring Workday to department requirements while Workday’s product teams engage directly on federal capabilities.
“We engage actively to fully understand current challenges and priorities, and then implement, with a singular commitment to enabling the department’s success.”
The modern platform: What’s new for employees and managers
The deployment delivered a unified, self-service experience for employees, including checking pay, updating withholdings and retirement contributions, and initiating HR requests; as well as integrated capabilities for managers and HR practitioners, such as performance planning, learning tied to roles and skills, and real-time organizational views. Leaders will be able to examine workforce readiness and skills against mission needs – visibility that the legacy system couldn’t deliver.
“Environments with a lot of siloed systems typically require a significant amount of manual data entry,” Portlance observed. “Within Workday, because it’s an integrated platform, all worker information is automatically populated, reducing the chance for human error and creating efficiency.”
Hurdles overcome: Funding and leadership changes
As with many large technology modernization initiatives, the department and its contractors had to overcome some challenges along the way to successful deployment. DOE initially faced a funding shortfall and turned to the Technology Modernization Fund (TMF), with the backing of OPM. DOE was awarded a $17 million grant. As part of the TMF award, the department committed to work closely with OPM, provide routine updates, and share lessons learned with other agencies – ultimately producing a playbook that other agencies can adopt and adapt to their specific needs. The department also operates a customer council, which offers agencies insight into the HCM modernization project.
An organizational challenge arose when a portion of the department’s leadership on the Workday project changed early in the year. A leadership adjustment can introduce risk and uncertainty, yet in this case, the shift underscored the project’s strength, McCoy noted. Existing department personnel maintained essential continuity, and the staff who joined the leadership structure embraced the Workday initiative immediately for its long-term strategic value. McCoy added, “The entire team doubled down on our shared commitment to success and the partnership.”
Looking ahead: change management and deployment
The HCM modernization effort began in January 2024. Initially, a 21-member tiger team worked in the production system; Workday launched department-wide in late October 2025 to more than 11,000 users across the department. Over time, the department plans to expand the capabilities in its Workday platform, including adding learning and time tracking.
In addition to the nearly 20,000 processed PAR requests, almost 20,000 self-service user transactions have been completed since Workday went live. More than 13,000 knowledge articles have been read, more than 53,000 custom reports have been run, and more than 9,000 open season elections have been processed, according to the department.
The department prepared for broad deployment with a year-long change management initiative, marketing the transition, building training curricula, and implementing a train-the-trainer model to help employees get comfortable with Workday after rollout.