The Payroll Success Pyramid: Building a Foundation for Payroll Transformation

Recently, we hosted a webinar introducing the Payroll Success Pyramid, a framework for transforming payroll from the ground up. 

The pyramid is built on three core pillars: systems, support, and strategy. During the webinar, we explored how these elements work together and shared how organizations are finding success at each level of the pyramid. 

In this blog, we've provided an overview of the pyramid and how it works, with a few questions to help you on your payroll transformation journey. 

Want the full details? Watch the entire webinar on demand. 

Rethinking the path to payroll success 

Conventional thinking might suggest starting with strategy and working backward to determine the right systems to use and the level of support you need. But it's hard to create a meaningful strategy if your teams don’t have the resources to analyze or act on critical payroll data. That’s why we believe organizations should first focus on their systems and then their support before turning to strategy. For more insight into why strategy shouldn’t always come first, check out our Payroll Success Pyramid eBook series. 

Building the Payroll Success Pyramid 

1. Start with systems – Your systems provide the foundation for your payroll transformation. They enable accuracy, efficiency, and visibility while providing a storehouse for the data payroll teams need to make informed decisions. 
2. Focus on Support – Once your systems are in place, consider how to staff your payroll team (whether in-house or with outsourced services) and how payroll collaborates with other departments, such as HR, finance, and benefits. Strong support across teams fosters collaboration, which is critical for payroll’s success and the success of the broader organization. 
3. Add strategy – With systems and support in place, your payroll team can finally elevate its focus from compliance to transformation, leveraging valuable insights that help drive meaningful change for the business. 

Questions to guide your transformation 

No matter where you are on your payroll transformation journey, these questions can help you assess and strengthen each pillar of the Payroll Success Pyramid: 

Systems 

• Is your payroll system agile enough to adapt to changing regulations and workforce needs? 
• Does it simplify complex tasks and offer innovative features like automation or workforce management tools? 
• Can you reduce the number of systems, integration points, and vendors you need to protect your business from errors and risk? 
• Can you centralize payroll data across regions for transparency and timely decision-making? 
• Does your system foster organizational trust and position payroll as a strategic partner? 

Support 

• Does your team feel adequately supported by the business? 
• Can repetitive tasks be outsourced to streamline your operations, give you access to specialized expertise, and create more space for strategic thinking internally? 
• Are you confident in your team’s expertise to keep your organization compliant? 

Strategy 

• Are you leveraging payroll data to identify trends, uncover inefficiencies, and shape organizational strategies? 
• How can payroll collaborate with other departments to improve resource utilization and cost savings? 
• Should you consider earned wage access or pay transparency initiatives to modernize the pay experience? 
• How are you proactively preparing for compliance challenges or supporting business expansion efforts? 

Get the full insights to fuel payroll transformation 

When approached in the right order, the Payroll Success Pyramid turns payroll into a proactive, strategic partner capable of supporting your organization in ways it couldn’t before. 

You can dive deeper into how to put the Payroll Success Pyramid to work in our two-part eBook series or watch the webinar on demand to hear from payroll leaders and listen to our discussion about the framework. 

Explore our services to learn how OneSource Virtual supports payroll transformation. Since 2008, we’ve helped over 1,400 Workday customers handle administrative tasks related to payroll, benefits, and accounts payable. 

We work directly within your Workday applications to simplify the service experience and help you maintain Workday as your single system of record, maximizing your experience so you can move from tactical to strategic.