Strategy
HR strategy & operating models
Target picture for the HR function, operating model with business partners, shared services and centres of expertise, roles and governance.
Define the target pictureWorkday & HR consulting · Enterprise architecture · Agentic AI
HR, thought through.
We advise on HR strategy, system selection and Workday implementation – and build the architecture that carries it afterwards: integrations, apps and AI agents that actually work in your HR landscape.
Services
Between HR strategy and a running system.
Six fields, one standard: thinking organisation and technology together – exactly where programmes otherwise fail between HR, IT and the systems integrator.
Selection
HR system selection
Requirements profile, market view, evaluation, contract and licence advice – and selecting the implementation partner that fits you.
Start a selectionWorkday
Workday implementation & programme leadership
Client-side programme leadership and design authority. We review the partner, document decisions and take the programme through go-live.
How we workChange
Change management & adoption
Stakeholder analysis, communication, enablement and adoption tracking after go-live – so the system is used, not just running.
Secure adoptionArchitecture
Enterprise architecture & integration
HR system landscape, integration architecture with Workday Integrations, APIs and middleware, data model and security.
See the architectureArchitecture · AI
Agentic & generative AI in HR
Use-case assessment, agent design, connection to Workday and adjacent systems via the Model Context Protocol (MCP), governance and operations.
See the agent exampleWorkday
Workday, implemented properly.
A Workday programme is not one project but many. We take on the role that is usually missing on the client side: the authority that talks to the implementation partner as an equal, documents decisions and says what will not work – before it gets expensive.
We have been a Workday customer ourselves and have led programmes on the partner side. We know what is missing from the proposal.
Target picture & tenant strategyWhat Workday should do – and deliberately what not.
Partner selection & contractScope, assumptions, delineation of services, pricing model.
Design authorityConfiguration decisions the organisation can live with.
Integrations & dataInterfaces, migration and data quality as a workstream of their own.
Test, cutover, go-liveQuality assurance of the partner, realistic dates.
Hypercare & adoptionFirst 90 days: stabilise operations, measure usage.
Agentic AI · Generative AI · MCP
The next HR function works with agents.
An AI agent is more than a chatbot: it understands a request, plans the steps, accesses Workday and adjacent systems through defined interfaces – and asks before it changes anything. We design such agents, connect them to your HR landscape via the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and take them into operation.
HR service agentconnected via MCP · Workday, policies, ticketing
Example
Lena K. · Sales
I'm moving to Munich on 1 November. What do I need to do?
Planning: check profile · find policy · change address · request allowance
workday.get_workerProfile read · location Bielefeldpolicy.searchPolicy “Relocation” · section 3 foundworkday.propose_changeNew address from 1 Nov · awaiting HR approvalNew address from 1 Nov · approved by HRticketing.create_caseCase HR-2291 · relocation allowance createdDone. Your new address is recorded from 1 November – HR has approved the change. Under the relocation policy you are entitled to an allowance; the request is running as case HR-2291. Please upload your registration certificate there.
Roles & permissions checked · every action logged · changes only with approval
Simplified illustration. People, data and tool names are fictitious.
How an agent works with us
- It may only do what the role may do.The agent acts with the permissions of the person asking – not with admin rights.
- It accesses systems via MCP.Workday, policies, ticketing and documents are connected as clearly described tools. No screen scrapers, no shadow database.
- A human decides.The agent may read and propose on its own. Changes to master data go through an approval.
- Everything is traceable.Every request, tool call and approval is logged – for audit, data protection and the works council.
Where agents make a difference in HR today
HR serviceAnswering questions on leave, payroll and policies – with sources, and a handover to HR when it gets sensitive.
OnboardingTriggering and tracking accounts, equipment, appointments and documents across systems.
Data quality & migrationValidation rules, duplicates and mappings before go-live – faster than any spreadsheet round.
Test & releaseDeriving test cases from process descriptions, checking Workday releases for impact.
People analyticsAsking questions in natural language – answers only from data the person asking is allowed to see.
Knowledge & policiesMaking works agreements, policies and process documentation searchable – versioned and with sources.
Architecture
Architecture that carries agents.
We see Workday as part of a landscape. Integrations, data and AI are part of the design from the start – not phase 2.
Integration architectureWorkday Integrations, APIs and middleware cleanly separated – with clear ownership for each interface.
MCP serversOne standardised access layer for agents instead of many point integrations. Tools, permissions and logging in one place.
Apps on and beside the platformWorkday Extend, custom services, portals – where the standard system ends.
Data model & securityAn HR data model that supports reporting, AI and audit alike.
Governance from day one
EU AI ActMany AI applications in HR are classed as high-risk. We classify use cases early and plan the requirements in.
GDPRData minimisation, purpose limitation, deletion concept and processor agreements – before the first prompt runs.
Works councilIn Germany, AI systems in HR are generally subject to co-determination (Section 87(1) no. 6 BetrVG). We provide the subject-matter groundwork for the works agreement.
Operations & costMonitoring, model changes, cost per transaction. An agent is software and needs to be run.
We advise on business and technical matters, not on legal ones. For the legal assessment we work with your legal department or law firm.
Why nextHR
We know both sides of the table.
01
Both sides
We have been responsible for HR systems on the client side and led programmes on the partner side. We know what the partner leaves out of the proposal.
02
Architecture, not modules
Workday is part of a landscape. Integrations, data and AI belong in the design from day one.
03
AI that connects
For us, agentic AI in HR is not a lab pilot but an extension of the existing architecture – operations included.
04
Saying what won't work
We would rather leave a conversation without a mandate than with a programme that will not work.
Approach
Clear before it gets expensive.
Three steps, each with a result you can use even without us.
Understand
Two to four weeks: interviews, system landscape, a look at contracts and programmes. We tell you where things are stuck.
Result:
Situation report & recommendationDecide
Target picture, options with effort and risk, decision paper for the board or steering committee.
Result:
Target picture & roadmapDeliver
Programme leadership, design authority, architecture, change – in the role you are missing, for as long as needed.
Result:
A go-live that holdsFAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is nextHR a Workday partner?
No. nextHR sells neither licences nor implementation services and is not a Workday partner. We work on your side: as programme lead, design authority or quality assurance towards your implementation partner.
Do you only advise on Workday?
No. Workday is our focus, but we run HR system selections vendor-neutrally. Operating models, change management and architecture are system-independent anyway.
What is the Model Context Protocol (MCP)?
MCP is an open standard through which AI agents access systems and data – as clearly described tools with defined permissions. Instead of connecting every AI to Workday, ticketing or document storage separately, you get one shared, controllable interface.
How do you use AI in HR in a privacy-compliant way?
With data minimisation, roles and permissions, approvals for changes and complete logging – and by involving data protection, information security and the works council early. The legal assessment is done by your legal department or law firm; we provide the business and technical groundwork.
Do you work remotely or on site?
Both. Workshops and steering committees on site in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, ongoing work mostly remote. We work in German or English.
What does a first conversation look like?
45 minutes, no obligation: you describe where your programme stands – we tell you openly whether and how we can help. A short request via the form is all it takes.
Next step
Tell us where your programme stands.
A 45-minute conversation is usually enough to know whether we can help – and whether we should. Remote or on site in DACH.
Request
Briefly describe what it is about – we will get back to you within two working days with a suggested date.