All posts by Jeremy Masters

About Jeremy Masters

Jeremy Masters is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Worklogix, a management and technology services firm specializing in enterprise application development and implementation support for HCM solutions. For 18 years, he has worked with the latest Talent Management and Self Service functionality within the SAP HCM suite and SuccessFactors, including Performance Management, Enterprise Compensation Management, ESS/MSS, Succession Planning, and E-Recruiting. He regularly presents at SAP Insider events and is the co-author of the following SAP PRESS books: Implementing Employee and Manager Self Services in SAP ERP HCM, SAP ERP HCM Performance Management, Enterprise Compensation Management in SAP ERP HCM, E-Recruiting with SAP ERP HCM, SAP ERP HCM Infotypes and SAP ERP Self-Service: Employee, Manager, and HR Renewal.

Singapore Conference 2012

I am excited about my upcoming trip to Singapore for the first ever SAPInsider HR conference, October 16 through October 18.  For additional details on the conference, check out the website here: www.hr2012.com

A few weeks back, I was able to sit down with Dave Hannon, Senior Features Editor with SAPinsider & insiderPROFILES at Wellesley Information Services (twitter: @Daveatwispubs) and record a short podcast on the sessions I will be delivering in Singapore.

To read about my session on ESS and MSS, click here:

To read about my session on Usability and User Experience, click here:

I will be doing an “old school”, “back to basics” session on Org management. Click here for more info.

And, of course, one of my favorite topics (always), compensation management.

Obviously, one of the themes throughout my sessions will be around the recent acquisition of SuccessFactors, and what this will mean for SAP customers now and going forward.  I have had many conversations with my customers since SAPPHIRE around this topic, and it’s evident that many questions still exist out there.  I have previously listed some of the top integration challenges between SAP and SuccessFactors in a prior blog.

Thanks, and for those of you who will be in Singapore, I look forward to meeting up with you!

Jeremy

@jeremymasters

 

SAP and SuccessFactors: My Top 9 Integration Challenges

I have had the fortune of gaining exposure to some of the latest information on the ongoing SuccessFactors and SAP integration. At the SAPPHIRE conference, and again at the recent HR2012 conferences, SAP has laid out their plan for integration with SuccessFactors (SFSF).  It is obvious that everyone at SFSF and SAP knows this topic is paramount in moving forward with its customers.  Clearly, SAP is pouring lots of R&D into these integration packages, and promising frequent minor releases (to combat poor reception to the slowness of earlier Enhancement Package releases). We are yet to understand what the rhythm will be, but certainly they will need to have frequent innovations around these process and data integrations so that customers can leverage a standard integration.

For the SAP customers who decide that a hybrid orientation (SAP as Core/Payroll/Time/Benefits and SFSF for Talent) is their new platform, I have identified a few challenges that will need to be addressed for SAP and its customers as they move forward:

  1. An interface is still an interface. Customers understand that an interface is still an interface no matter how standardized it will be. The current download/upload via .CSV was a quick and dirty solution to get SAP customers on SFSF but we need to mature this integration – SAP and SFSF  know this and is actively working on further improvements in their integration packages.
  2. Workflow/approvals and notification management.  How will workflow and approval routing be handled? SAP arguably has one of the best workflow engines out there, so will this be leveraged, or perhaps workflow/notification management will be handled from SFSF.  When organizational structure changes and employee movement occur, we will be reliant on SAP Core master data to update SFSF in a timely and consistent manner. This is easier said than done as know from our past experiences connecting systems.
  3. Security and provisioning models. How will the security models be shared between the two systems?  How will the security and provisioning models be integrated/shared/leveraged across platforms? How will established GRC and identify management processes be incorporated into SFSF?  This could be an audit and controls field day.
  4. Global employee management. Most SAP customers are not using true concurrent employment (global employment) functionality, but almost all have their own way of identifying expatriates, inpatriates, and other global employees.  This is a pain point for a lot of customers since it’s already hard to manage this population in SAP.
  5. Portal navigation including ‘deep linking’. How will customers achieve “one, unified self service experience” if some services reside in both portals (Employee Central and NetWeaver)? Years ago, we were foaming at the mouth on the importance of having one portal with seamless look-and-feel, linking, and access to web content regardless of where it resides (intranet, internet, etc).
  6. Usability / user experience between the two systems needs to be addressed.  Right now, it makes sense that this is prioritized lower since there are ‘bigger fish to fry’ (i.e., data integration) but we know that we want a beautiful user experience, but we also want a beautiful, consistent user experience.
  7. Data model. How are the two data models being integrated, merged, or otherwise made seamless?  SAP’s Infotype framework is one way of organizing data; SFSF has another. When data is sent to SFSF (and/or back to SAP), will we need any transformation of data, or is the data models close enough to support tight integration?
  8. Terminology. Every system has its own set of terms (‘system vernacular’). How will we integrate these? Examples include (from the SAP side), Personnel Area, Personnel Subarea, Employee Group, and Employee Subgroup – how do map over to SFSF data, and what are they referred to as?  Additionally, we need to be sure translations are handled consistently as well. Internationalization needs to be seamless and consist across the two systems.
  9. Content management. Centralized content management will be difficult if not impossible.  For the interim, I suppose parallel content management strategies would exist until one system is used, as I don’t think Employee Central and SAP Netweaver could be managed from the same CMS.

These are the top considerations that have been swirling around in my head of late, and I am sure there are more considerations.  There are certainly specific ones depending on the type of business. For example, public sector versus private as well as within industry (e.g. Pharmaceutical vs non-Pharmaceutical).

The good news is that SAP and SFSF are committed to tackle these items, but our community must be diligent and honest on how we approach and solve for each of them.  Time will tell on how these are solved. Hopefully SAP and SFSF will use their large vendor network to help.

– Jeremy Masters

@jeremymasters

How SAP’s purchase of SuccessFactors will affect SAP HCM consulting

I was recently asked to provide a few comments on the recent SuccessFactors purchase and what it means for SAP HCM consulting. Some other leading industry experts and I gave our slant on how the recent news may influence how we do our work differently within the HCM space.  Click here to be taken to the article posted in the SAP Community Network’s website.   The blog offers some nice perspectives, broken down by some of the major areas within the SAP HR module including:

  • Core HR (Payroll, Time, Benefits, PA, OM)
  • Enterprise Compensation (ECM)
  • eRecruiting
  • Learning Solution (LSO)
  • Talent Management
  • Performance Management
  • ESS/MSS
  • SAP HCM Technical

Q&A on ESS / MSS in EhP5 – Understanding the Latest Innovations

Check out the transcript of my Q&A blog session on the Insider Learner Network website: http://www.insiderlearningnetwork.com/go/thread/view/91053/28907403/New_features_for_ESSMSS_with_EhP_5:_QA_with_Jeremy_Masters_on_SAP_self-services

In this post, I answer questions from several panel members who ask some very good questions on the latest Enhancement Package 5 functionality for Employee and Manager Self Service. Some highlights include the move to the new Web Dynpro ABAP launchpad, as well as the new deployment options within the framework.

All of this information and more is discussed. One thing you will need is a log on (username is free) to access the information on this site.

 

Live Q&A: Link pay to performance with Enterprise Compensation Management and SAP ERP HCM

On Tuesday, October 25, 2011 from 12:30pm – 1:30pm EDT, join me on the Insider Learning Network’s HR Forum, and learn about Enterprise Compensation Management (ECM). You will be able to ask me questions during this hour on any ECM topic. Bring your lunch, log in, and ask away! Looking forward to seeing you all online at that time.

You will need to register ahead of time. Here is the link to register for the Q&A. Also, if you do, you will also be able to access the free download (which is Chapter 4 of my SAP PRESS book on Enterprise Compensation Management with SAP ERP HCM): http://sapinsider.wispubs.com/ECM

Enjoy, and see you all online!

Best Practices for Designing a Delegation Management Process in SAP

In my presentation “A comprehensive guide to delegation in SAP Manager Self-Service (SAP MSS)” at the HR 2008 event in Orlando, Florida, I shared best practices for designing a thorough delegation process in SAP HCM that satisfies key delegation business requirements. The solution also ensures audit requirements are met including Sarbanes-Oxley.

Why use delegation within your MSS platform?

In many organizations today, managers require a delegate (or proxy) to be authorized to act on their behalf. Managers may need a delegate when he or she:

  • Goes on vacation and needs coverage
  • Requires ongoing administrative assistance
  • Requests assistance from a peer

Most commonly, delegation is used when initiating and approving Personnel Change Requests (PCRs), and for approving leave requests, travel requests, and time and expenses. Performance Management and Compensation Management are sometimes subject to delegation but can be problematic due to the sensitivity of data available in those processes. Delegation is usually distinguished between transactional and approval authority. Some managers want the delegate to have the ability to:

  • View employee information only
  • View employee information and initiate transactions, but not approve workflow items
  • View employee information, initiate transactions, and approve workflow items

Depending on your policy, you can design a delegation process that grants delegation to managers only, to all employees, or to those employees who meet certain criteria, such as those with a certain salary grade and above. Regardless of how and to whom you choose to grant delegation, there are certain best practices you should keep in mind.

Four tips for designing a robust delegation process

    1. Ensure that delegation privileges have a set “life span”: You should specify beginning and end dates for your delegation relationships to ensure that your data does not become stale. Do not leave the delegation relationship open-ended by specifying an end date of 12/31/9999. Instead, institute and enforce a corporate policy of creating specific life spans. For example, you may want to set the maximum time period allowed for delegation to six months.
    2. Distinguish between transactional and approval authority: The difference between transactional and approval authority is an important distinction within a delegation context. Distinguishing between merely giving authority to initiate transactions (transactional authority) and actually giving authority to approve work items (approval authority) gives you greater flexibility and provides a more precise segregation of duties. Your auditors will love this.
    3. Review the delegation policy and functionality with your legal and IT security teams: Because delegation is not standard SAP functionality, make sure that the appropriate contacts in your company are aware of the new functionality you are planning to implement so that they can apprise you of any legal or security issues/policies that you need to adhere to.
    4. Create a custom audit program to report on delegation practices:An audit program that reports on your managers’ and delegates’ practices of delegation can help you detect whether there is some suspicious activity that you need to follow up on and whether any managerial activity exists that may be frowned upon. Understanding how managers and proxies are using the functionality will also shed light on how to improve the functionality in future releases.

Facing the challenges of implementing delegation in SAP

Implementing delegation in SAP can be challenging. However, by following these four recommended best practices, you will position yourself to properly address delegation and its impacts to the organization. A flexible and robust delegation solution will go a long way in broadening your SAP HCM footprint and increasing your ROI.