Magna Housing’s finance transformation: Why starting small with Strada and Workday Adaptive Planning was the smartest move

Interview with Ian White, Head of Finance, Magna Housing by Diego Serna Neira

When Magna Housing, a leading UK social housing provider, decided to modernize its financial planning processes, the stakes were high. With 500 employees and a mission to deliver quality housing services, the organization needed a solution that would not only replace outdated spreadsheets and manual processes but also set the foundation for long-term success.

Inevitable change: Partnering with Strada secured the transformation Journey

Magna’s finance team had relied on Excel macros for years maintained by a single consultant nearing retirement. This created a growing risk of operational disruption. Magna’s team were being forced into change, and the risk became higher each year. 

Beyond risk, the team struggled with time-consuming reporting cycles and limited forecasting capabilities. Month-end reporting could take up to 10 working days, and strategic planning was constrained to a 12-month view.

Strada brought structure and confidence to this transformation. Recommended by Workday, Strada’s team guided Magna through governance, planning, and implementation with a pragmatic approach. 

“Strada were easy to work with, responsive, and helped us pare back our excitement into a realistic implementation and adoption roadmap.”

Ian White Head of Finance

Why Workday was a essential tool for effective financial transformation

Magna’s vision was clear: move away from fragmented processes and embrace a platform that could scale. Workday Adaptive Planning stood out for its ability to deliver speed and flexibility critical for Magna’s finance team. Magna has begun shifting from a 12‑month budget cycle toward a three‑year planning horizon. Early signs show this move will enable more strategic, long‑term thinking across the organisation helping budget holders look beyond immediate operational needs and toward future planning. 

Budget constraints and risk management drove Magna’s decision to start with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). The MVP included:

• Workforce planning
• Revenue and expense inputs
• Basic balance sheet and cash flow setup
• Office Connect integration for Excel reporting

Magna didn’t want to replicate everything they had or overcomplicate things. Starting small allowed the team to learn, evolve, and build value step by step. Since going live, Magna has expanded Adaptive Planning to additional users, showing how the MVP approach created a strong foundation for wider adoption, faster cycles, and greater accountability across the team. As more users adopt Workday Adaptive Planning this cycle, Magna is already seeing faster cycles, stronger ownership, and higher engagement across the finance team. 

Efficiencies and metrics to measure the success of Magna's financial transformation

The results speak for themselves:

• Two days saved per month on month-end reporting
• Faster forecasting cycles with real-time updates
• Progress toward a three‑year budget cycle, now underway
• Improved accuracy and reduced manual errors

They knew their investment in Workday Adaptive Planning was sound when an error found in a forecast was corrected instantly reinforcing the value of real-time, reliable reporting.

Magna House's financial systems future road map

Magna’s roadmap includes expanding balance sheet and cash flow modeling, introducing five-year and even 30-year planning, and integrating with a new finance system. AI is also on the horizon, with Magna exploring automation and predictive forecasting.

Advice for others undertaking a financial transformation

Ian’s advice to other housing associations: “Start simple. Build the basics, then evolve based on demand. Don’t try to be overly clever, focus on core reporting first.”