The Hidden ROI of Built on Workday Apps: 5 Metrics You Should Not Overlook
Here’s the thing: Built on Workday (BoW) apps aren’t just about convenience or filling feature gaps. They’re reshaping how organizations evaluate the return on their Workday investment. These apps, developed and distributed by certified Workday partners like Makse Group, run natively within your Workday tenant. They don’t rely on external platforms, don’t require messy integrations, and don’t need a Workday Extend license.
(Curious what this looks like in practice? Explore Makse Group’s portfolio of Built on Workday applications.)
This shift moves the ROI conversation away from long deployment cycles and technical overhead, and toward immediate impact, streamlined operations, and measurable value.
Let’s break down five ROI metrics that forward-thinking organizations should start tracking as they explore Built on Workday apps.
Technical Debt Reduction: What’s the real cost of external integrations?
Every third-party integration adds layers of risk, cost, and operational complexity. Built on Workday apps eliminate this burden by running within your Workday environment, using native security, data, and interface standards.
Start by calculating the hidden costs of your current ecosystem:
Annual licensing fees for integration platforms
IT staff time spent troubleshooting and maintaining connections
Security audits for external endpoints
Risk exposure from data mismatches across systems
Why it matters: Reducing technical debt not only lowers ongoing costs but also decreases compliance risk and operational overhead.
2. Time-to-Value: How fast does this app deliver results?
Built on Workday apps go live in days, not months. Since they’re already aligned with your existing Workday configuration, there’s minimal setup and no additional infrastructure or security review required.
Why it matters: The shorter the time-to-value, the faster your investment begins to pay off both financially and operationally.
3. IT Resource Efficiency: How much time is your internal team saving?
In-house builds and third-party solutions often come with long-term maintenance obligations. Built on Workday apps are supported and maintained by the certified partners who develop them. Once deployed, your internal teams are no longer responsible for updates or bug fixes.
Why it matters: Reducing the burden on IT frees up skilled resources for strategic initiatives, rather than support tickets or platform workarounds.
4. Process Completion Rates: Are workflows being fully executed?
Built on Workday apps enhance process reliability by embedding additional functionality directly into your existing Workday environment. Take Makse Group’s Sales Order and Dropship Management app. It adds sales order functionality to Workday, enabling teams to complete fulfillment workflows without leaving the platform.
Why it matters: Better workflow continuity leads to fewer errors, faster execution, and more reliable business outcomes.
5. User Adoption: Are people actually using the tools you provide?
Many new tools fail because they require users to adopt unfamiliar interfaces. Built on Workday apps retain Workday’s familiar design, data model, and navigation standards. That means higher comfort levels, fewer support requests, and less resistance to change.
Why it matters: When users adopt tools more easily, organizations get better data quality, higher productivity, and stronger returns.
What Now?
Start by inventorying your current integration landscape. Identify the hidden costs in your existing setup, then model how Built on Workday apps could eliminate these inefficiencies.
Focus on solutions that address common business challenges first.
The organizations winning with Built on Workday apps aren't just buying software; they're investing in platform strategy. They understand that the real ROI comes from building on their existing foundation rather than around it.
What this really means is simple: stop thinking about Built on Workday apps as individual solutions. Start seeing them as strategic platform investments that compound value over time. The hidden ROI metrics we've outlined here represent just the beginning of what's possible when you truly embrace native platform development.
Browse the Built on Workday section of the Workday Marketplace or explore Makse Group’s portfolio of applications to see how real operational problems are being solved, natively in Workday.
Need help deciding? Reach out to us to figure out the best-fit app for your business case.
