Angela Wheeler

Jun 07 2021

Let’s talk about SAP SuccessFactors People Analytics and Dashboards

Are you interested in implementing Stories in People Analytics but trying to understand what benefits it might bring you? Have you thought about embracing Human Experience Management (HXM) and been told that Stories in People Analytics will help you along the path? Do you just like watching someone being frank and totally honest about SAP SuccessFactors solutions and not selling any sales bs?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you may be interested in this video that Chris Paine, Discovery Consulting’s self-proclaimed Chief HR Geek and SAP Mentor made for the Mastering SAP Africa Conference recently held online by Eventful People.

In this video, which is a live recording of the conference presentation, Chris explains his vision of how Stories in People Analytics could become a revolutionary change in the way information is presented to employees but tempers his excitement with acknowledging some of the restrictions of the solution as it is today.

Or watch the video on YouTube here.

Aug 27 2020

Lessons Learnt from Implementing SuccessFactors Onboarding 2.0

When I started implementing SuccessFactors Onboarding 2.0 late in 2019 it was very new, only just General Availability and no customers were live as yet. There were definitely a few speed bumps as consultants and customers navigated through this new product! Here’s what I learnt along the way, which I hope will make for a smoother transition for other customers.

Adopt Standard System Processes, Rather Than Customising the System

Be willing to adopt rather than adapt the system. Instead of trying to implement multiple complex processes with the current limitations – keep it simple. The product isn’t at full parity with Onboarding 1.0 as yet and more features and functionality will continue to be rolled out.

When I started to implement Onboarding 2.0 late last year I was very fortunate to have a client who was both flexible and willing to change their processes so they could adopt the standard functionality Onboarding 2.0 provides.

Given the product was so new at that stage, this was really critical to the success of the implementation, and the approach I’d still urge clients to follow. There’s more growth to come in how much we can customise the system to suit individual needs, so be open to starting with a standard process and building out from there.

As an example, to include compliance forms and features (currently only available for Australia and the UK, with some US support planned for release in 2H 2020) you need to use the standard-delivered process variant. The next release will provide enhanced support to tailor processes to your needs while still supporting compliance features.

This will give more flexibility to have multiple processes configured for different scenarios, such as removing the “New Recruit Data Review” validation step at the beginning of the process. This step kicks off the onboardee paperwork and tasks but is really just a validation of the same information already provided, we could streamline the process by removing a potential bottleneck while waiting on a user to action a step that may not add much value.

Less Mapping But Less Flexibility

With Onboarding 1.0 we configure data mapping from Recruiting to Onboarding, then Onboarding to Employee Central, making the data flow slightly more complex and with more effort involved.

In Onboarding 2.0 we map directly from Recruiting to Employee Central, but with the simplification comes less flexibility. The Onboarding data model is configured using the same system functionality as adding contingent worker, apprentice, or other types of employees.

But it’s ONE data model for ALL onboardees.

While Onboarding 1.0 doesn’t support hire of contingent workers either, it did provide more flexibility to define separate onboarding workflows for each type of employee – the limitation being that they all end up in Manage Pending Recruits to be hired as employees.

For some customers this option works fine if they aren’t using Contingent Workforce functionality. For others Discovery has previously implemented a custom development at the end of the Onboarding process to hire contractors in “Add Contingent Worker” rather than an employee hire.

Now we have one set of data that can be captured for all Onboardees, with no capability to show/hide fields, or to include/exclude sections depending on the employee type. This becomes a problem when you consider that you then have National ID, Bank Details, etc included for contractors; information which isn’t usually required for these types of staff.

Support for contingent workers and other employee types is a critical improvement I’d like to see on the Roadmap for release soon, so customers can seamlessly manage all recruits via an integrated recruiting and onboarding process.

Custom Data Collection & Reporting

With Onboarding 2.0 we can create custom data collection objects to capture information from onboardees in addition to the key hire-related data included in the personal paperwork step, such as uniform requirements. This works well to cater for non-standard data scenarios, however, the data captured is only available via:

Reporting in People Analytics Embedded Edition
By mapping into a custom form which is only accessible in Document Management
With a custom extract using APIs or Integration Centre, adding extra effort to the project

Ideally this information would be visible in the Employee File after completion of the Onboarding process, but a system limitation prevents this currently. The next best solution is standard system reporting capability, and to do this you will need People Analytics Embedded Edition.

PAEE is the latest suite-wide reporting and insights tool being rolled out for SuccessFactors, which has a prerequisite of SAP Cloud Identity Authentication (IAS and IPS). If you haven’t already upgraded to these features it’s worth considering as part of your implementation, while the Onboarding/Offboarding Dashboards provide an overview of activities, you won’t get in-depth analysis of your processes.

Notifications & Form Requirements

Onboarding 2.0 delivers “Email Services”, a standard set of notification triggers and preconfigured templates. While it’s nice to have standard content available as a starting point, most customer requirements will include the use of standard and custom tokens (data already captured during the process), attachments to notifications, ability to send to external email addresses, and more flexibility in triggers; none of which are currently available.

Again, this is an adopt rather than adapt approach, while we wait for the product to develop. It looks like attachment support for notifications is expected in the next release and I hope a few more nice surprises here too.

In some scenarios we can work around these limitations, e.g. attachments, by providing documents to the onboardee in a custom homepage tile for easy access. We can also provide policies and documents for review and signature during the paperwork process. SAP’s standard eSignature or integration with DocuSign provides online signature support.

Consider how many policies/forms are required to be included in this step, as the more data to be mapped and the more forms required, adds extra effort to the project.

Existing SuccessFactors Employee Central Customers

For customers already using SuccessFactors Employee Central, factor in time to review and update existing permissions and business rules. One of the big improvements of Onboarding 2.0 is that it utilises platform business rules rather than “advanced conditions” and role-based permissions, rather than the current syncing process for Onboarding 1.0.

This provides much more granularity and consistency in role-based permissions, as well as making it easier for client system admins to maintain, but with that comes more complexity in getting it right. Existing roles need to be updated to ensure that we aren’t giving too much access, or not enough, and that they work in conjunction with any new Onboarding permissions.

Business rules also need to be reviewed. Where we might be validating certain data fields on save when adding a new employee, these same rules will be triggered during onboarding steps and may need tweaking.

Benefits and Upcoming Improvements

What customers will gain from implementing Onboarding 2.0 is:

A user interface and experience more consistent with the rest of the suite
Tighter integration with Employee Central, which should only continue to improve with subsequent releases
Simplified approach with no need for user, permission, and foundation data syncs; use of To Do tile tasks; capability to map standard foundation objects such as Division, Department, Cost Centre, Location from Recruiting.
Improved Offboarding process with new tasks including Knowledge Transfer Plans
On/Offboarding Dashboards to view all tasks in one place and flexibility in assigning those tasks to different user groups, unlike Onboarding 1.0
All UI screens built to be mobile-responsive
SuccessFactors Employee Central and Recruiting modules aren’t prerequisites, integration with third-party systems managed by either SAP CPI or SuccessFactors Integration Center, using SuccessFactors OData API (EC mini-master IS required).

As well as expected fixes and improvements to business rule support and crossboarding processes, the current roadmap for the 2H 2020 release includes the following:

Attachment support for Email Services
Ability to generate person id with EC business rules; currently does not comply with customer requirements for different number ranges
Support for creating custom processes with compliance steps, enabling steps to be skipped or reordered
US compliance support for US Federal (W-4) and state withholding forms, restricted availability for I-9

With future releases it seems unlikely that Onboarding 1.0 will continue to experience much growth, while getting in on the ground floor with Onboarding 2.0 will be the key to gaining benefits from new features.

Final Thoughts

Onboarding 1.0 has no confirmed end-of-support date currently, it’s not going anywhere just yet and compliance updates will continue to be implemented.
Onboarding 1.0 and 2.0 can be run in a hybrid approach, existing customers could implement 2.0 for Australian employees only, with the remainder of countries continuing to be processed with 1.0.
Capability to utilise migration tools is proposed for late 2021, if you’re ready now – don’t wait.

May 26 2020

Should You Make the Switch to SuccessFactors Onboarding 2.0?

The long-awaited SuccessFactors Onboarding 2.0 was released in the last quarter of 2019 and being “lucky” enough to have a client keen and willing to implement immediately, I’ve been able to explore the solution in detail. While it’s a step forward in user experience, there’s a lot more to consider, here’s the key points that customers should be aware of when deciding whether to switch.

Overall, how does it rate?

Improvements Compared to Onboarding 1.0

Now part of the SuccessFactors platform, no need for user/ permission/ foundation data syncs, data mapping is simplified, use of To Do tile tasks.
Uses platform permission roles and groups; unified security setup.
Consistent user experience; what your onboardee sees prior to starting is the same as they’ll see once they are an active employee.
Continual change is being rolled out, meaning the product will only continue to improve, unlike Onboarding 1.0 which will remain pretty static.
On/Offboarding Dashboards to view all tasks in one place and flexibility in assigning those tasks to different user groups.
Utilises much of the same configuration as Employee Central, which is good for client system administrators.
More flexibility in process steps used, with further enhancements coming.
Continues to support DocuSign or SAP e-Signature for form signatures.
All UI screens built to be mobile-responsive.
Reporting available with SuccessFactors Stories in People Analytics (formerly People Analytics Embedded Edition), which requires SAP Identity Authentication Services (IAS/IPS).

Future Improvements/Features

US Federal (W-4) and state withholding forms, as well as restricted availability for I-9 compliance forms expected in 2H 2020.
External user type isn’t picked up in the standard sync to SuccessFactors Learning, so learning items aren’t available until the onboardee’s start date.
No migration tools available for Onboarding 1.0 to 2.0, requires new build. Migration expected in a future release but no date as yet.
As for Onboarding 1.0, currently no support for Contingent Workforce Management, or management of any staff types who have specific data requirements, e.g. volunteers, contractors.
Limited email notification functionality and loss of workflow ability for equipment tasks.
No support for business rules during the process steps onInit and onChange, ie. to customise the data captured with rule-based criteria.
No rules supported at all for crossboarding records created from a Recruiting/Onboarding process, as well as system-generated fields not populating. Expecting a fix on this soon.

If your Employee Central configuration is already bedded down and working for you, then Onboarding 2.0 can leverage off your existing solution to improve the end-user experience – both internally and externally. Particularly if you’re not trying to recreate numerous complex processes then put Onboarding 2.0 on your near-future radar. Note: Onboarding 2.0 can be implemented with a non-SuccessFactors HRIS or ATS integration.

If you’re about to start an implementation then I wouldn’t even consider Onboarding 1.0, you will be provisioned with 2.0 by default and that is SAP’s direction forward. Would you buy Apple’s iPad from 2 releases ago, or would you buy the latest version, knowing that it’s been updated and built with the latest technology?

While Onboarding 1.0 will continue to be available for existing customers for quite some time to come, dropping the clunky integration and sync jobs for a new build would be my recommendation unless you have a compelling use-case otherwise.

The flow is quite similar to Onboarding 1.0, with capability to create your own processes, or skip steps as needed. Further flexibility is expected in the 2H 2020 release, giving more options to reorder the process and skip steps. Currently you need to use the default process variant in order for compliance to work, but it will be great to be able to define separate processes with and without this step.

Key points to consider before implementing

If you’re keen to move ahead with the new product, you need to be prepared to accept the current limitations, as it is still under development.

As yet there’s no migration path so it’s a new implementation, with migration tools on the SuccessFactors Roadmap for some time in the next 24 months. If you’re willing to commit to another project and keen for the changes, then go ahead and implement Onboarding 2.0 without those tools.

However, take this as your opportunity to re-look at your processes and simplify them. Don’t expect 100% parity between what you have now in Onboarding 1.0, and what Onboarding 2.0 provides. If you want to implement soon, don’t try to replicate exactly what you have currently. Keep it simple and approach it with an open mind as if you were implementing a new module/process. Because that is exactly what you’re doing.

Consider these questions:

Are the relevant compliance forms available? While you could implement 2.0 just for Australia and keep other countries on 1.0, consider the mixed user experience and supporting both.
What data do you need from new hires? If using Employee Central, are you already capturing it, e.g. visas/permits, national id, bank details.
Review the policies and forms you need populated/signed and consolidate where possible!
Think about who should perform validation steps, onboarding tasks, and the final hiring step – this will affect and inform your role-based permissions.
Who needs to be notified, when in the process, and what data do they need? Consider third-party systems here as well. Can you simplify your existing notifications?

Also consider your future plans for reporting. As mentioned previously, Onboarding 2.0 reporting is provided with SuccessFactors Stories in People Analytics and this isn’t just a case of flicking the upgrade switch and having it working. There’s a load of information in this post in the SuccessFactors Customer Community, and while there’s no Onboarding templates as yet, there will be a standard set of reports available.

You’ll also need to implement SAP Identity Authentication Services (IAS/IPS), even if you already have an identity management system authenticating single sign on (SSO) to your SuccessFactors instance.

Is it worthwhile despite this?

What you WILL gain is a solution that fits much more with the rest of SuccessFactors, both in user experience and integration between modules. And as I’ve previously mentioned, it IS still undergoing development, which means new features and improvements will be rolling out continuously. Unlike Onboarding 1.0 which is unlikely to change much now, except for compliance updates/general fixes.

One of the major showstoppers for many organisations has been the lack of compliance forms in the initial Onboarding 2.0 release. However as of the First Half 2020 release, UK and Australian compliance forms are available (Australian Tax File Declaration and Superannuation), with US compliance planned to commence from 2H 2020.

Customers that I’ve demoed to have found the user experience more appealing and the flexibility to assign the onboarding tasks to different responsible groups is seen as an improvement on the previous version as well.

The Onboarding and Offboarding Dashboards give a visual overview of all tasks in progress, as well as drilldown to more detail on the status of the steps and forms. I’d like to see the Onboarding checklist task more aligned to the other tasks, as it’s easy to overlook, and a fairly key requirement for many customers. In Onboarding 1.0 it was easy to build these types of requirements into panels but that’s no longer the case.

How are existing Employee Central customers impacted?

If you already have Employee Central, then implementing 2.0 means that your data model is going to require changes. Similar to implementing Contingent Worker, we create a Person Type for “Onboardee” and replicate the configuration, depending on what data is required to be captured for Onboardee versus Employee (or Contingent Worker). This will likely require some tweaking of fields and business rules in the hire and ensuring relevant data is mapped from Recruiting.

Leading me to Contingent Workforce functionality; there’s still no integration between CWF and Onboarding. This is on the SuccessFactors Roadmap for sometime in the next 24 months. So while you can recruit a contractor or agency staff via SuccessFactors Recruiting Management and put them through the Onboarding process, they will all end up in Manage Pending Recruits instead of Add Contingent Worker.

Discovery have previously developed a custom solution in Onboarding 1.0 for customers so that these types of hires are removed from Manage Pending Recruits and created automatically as contingent workers, so as not to impact the customer’s licensing. Stay tuned for updates on whether we do something similar for Onboarding 2.0.

Also factor in that for existing clients, role-based permission roles and groups will need re-work, expect and allow for testing to ensure everything is working as expected.

What needs to improve?

One area I’d like to see significantly improved is the Email Services functionality. Preconfigured email templates are provided and while you can personalise the texts, we can’t yet use custom tokens, only the standard set provided – which is very limited.

We also can’t configure custom triggers, so while we can create custom notifications, we don’t get a lot of choice about when in the process they are triggered. Being able to trigger a notification to a user that there are onboardees ready to hire is one example of these limitations.

Existing customers with very customised notifications will really feel the pain of this one, there’s just not the flexibility we are used to in Onboarding 1.0 for generating notifications and workflows for equipment, IT and systems provisioning, etc.

Final thoughts

One other area I’d love to see SAP give more focus to is the interaction between the business and the onboardee, prior to their start date. Many customers are looking for this to be more conversational and interactive, rather than just pushing out a bunch of emails and forms, they want to better engage with their new hire. It’s nice that you can now login from a mobile device for the paperwork & tasks (responsive!) but it just isn’t enough in this competitive market for HCM solutions.

This might look like the hiring manager sending an SMS to ask about their new team member’s favourite coffee or tea and letting them know where the best local cafe is before they start. They might like to record a quick video and send it, without having to upload to the system and create a tile to link it. They might ask for 3 fun facts to share with the rest of their team members.

These are all actual requirements from customers and not something we can currently cater for in the way clients really want. Not everyone reads the many emails we send them and we have to recognise that different age demographics respond better to some communication methods than others.

Once Onboarding 2.0 is more settled, it’s time to consider the new hire’s experience just as much as the business necessity to streamline a data-driven paperwork process. Please put the “experience” in HXM!

Next steps

In my next post I’ll go through the process steps and features in more detail, including screenshots. You can also read more about my lessons learnt from implementing 2.0. Meanwhile, get in touch and arrange a demo and a chat about the new Onboarding 2.0 solution to help you decide if you should make the switch.

Oct 25 2018

SAP TechEd Barcelona: Why Everything is Moving to the Cloud

While at SAP TechEd Barcelona, Discovery’s Chris Paine (Chief HR Geek, Solution Architect & SAP Mentor) and SAP’s Matthias Steiner discussed the evolving nature of business software and why everything is moving to the cloud.

Watch to find out:

Why the push for cloud and SaaS versus existing on premise solutions?
Why is SAP putting so much energy and focus to the cloud?
What is behind Björn Goerke’s keynote message, “keep the core clean” and what does it mean for customers?
Hint: this is critical to realising serious value from your cloud system.

Want to find out more?

Visit SAP TechEd Online to find all the replays, interviews, and blogs from the 2018 conferences, or talk to us for more information about how SAP’s cloud solutions can benefit your business.

Oct 23 2018

SAP Partner Golf Day Supporting Redkite

SAP held their annual Partner Golf Day fundraiser in Sydney this week, with the Discovery team showing their support, both as players and sponsors.

The winner on the day was definitely Australian cancer charity, Redkite, with over $52,000 raised from the event, helping Redkite to provide essential support services to 21 families facing cancer for an entire year.

No wonder these guys look so happy!