Phases

For Phase One, with implementation in December 2025, LinkUW employees will be participating in onboarding and training starting in November. If we do not have LinkUW employees with academic unit experience, we can train them during this time.

By including a mix of academic, administrative, and auxiliary units in the Phase One pilot, we aim to understand how best to change the way services are provided at UW–Madison, gather feedback throughout the process, and refine our practices and processes to meet unit needs and create smoother transitions during each new phase.

The LinkUW project team has actively partnered and collaborated with Phase One participating units from the start of the initiative. The project team has taken time to understand each unit’s culture, operations, and needs. For HR and finance, this meant working closely with HR Leads and finance directors to learn about current business processes and how they function. Additionally, an HR Working Group and Finance Design team played a key role in shaping the pilot service catalog and designing processes for LinkUW.

We expect improved process efficiency and reduced time to complete transactions. By moving operational work to LinkUW, schools, colleges, and divisions will be able to focus more time, effort, and resources on strategic and mission-centered work.

The goal of this transition is to standardize the service offerings delivered by LinkUW. Units will not be able to pick and choose which services are included/they participate in.

The project team engaged with Phase One units to determine which services were the right fit for LinkUW. This list is likely to expand as employees within LinkUW gain expertise and additional units join.

The project leaders are committed to providing communicating information and updates shared governance bodies. Additionally, the team is committed to communicating, collaborating, and considering the perspectives of impacted staff members in participating units.