Recap Guide to the 2H 2024 SAP SuccessFactors Release
Maximize the benefits of your SAP SuccessFactors solution with our comprehensive guide covering the most important changes coming with the 2H 2024 release.
The 2H Release from SAP SuccessFactors: What You Need to Know
The 2H SAP SuccessFactors release is soon in production and now is the time to review the most impactful items across the SAP SuccessFactors HCM Suite.
SAP SuccessFactors Platform (Foundation)
Role-Based Permissions Troubleshooting Tool
A new admin tool, Role-Based Permissions Troubleshooting Tool, is now available in the Admin Center. This tool is designed to help administrators troubleshoot issues related to role-based permissions (RBP). It provides detailed insights and diagnostics to identify and resolve permission-related problems.
It will replace the “View User Permissions” admin tool that will reach End of Maintenance on November 15th, 2024, and will be deleted on May 16th, 2025.
The level of impact is low. It allows you to search for and compare two users at the same time.
Latest Role-Based Permissions Supports Effective Duration
As a Role-Based Permissions administrator, you can now configure the effective duration of a permission role. When you create a role assignment for a permission role, the role assignment creation wizard displays an Enable Effective Duration option.
The start and end dates of the effective duration align with your company's preferred time zone.
The level of impact is low.
Click here to watch the full 2H release briefing on SAP SuccessFactors Platform.
SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central
Supporting Digital Signature in Document Generation Using DocuSign
You can now digitally sign generated PDF documents using DocuSign in Document Generation. This feature provides a convenient option for adding digital signatures to your documents.
How the Document Generation tool works:
When generating the document, the system sends the document by email to the signers configured in the system.
The signer receives the email with a link to sign via DocuSign.
If there are multiple signers set for the document, it will send an email to the next signer.
After the document is signed by all signers, an email notification will be sent to the final user (employee) with a link to download the signed document.
Pre-requisites:
DocuSign license needs to be purchased separately, as it is not included in the standard SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central solution.
Configure DocuSign.
Configue DocuSign credentials on SuccessFactors
Configure the signer's workflow and document template.
The level of impact is high. This feature enhances the convenience and security of document handling, streamlining processes that require digital signatures. Contact us for enablement of the feature.
Synchronize Job Relationships for Vacant Matrix Positions
This feature allows administrators to decide if and how the system synchronizes the position matrix and job relationship of employees for vacant positions. The synchronization can be set to the following settings:
No: The options for transferring job relationships are shown on the Termination and Internal Hires pages.
Delimit Job Relationships: If there is no other incumbent available for a given matrix position, then the given job relationship type is delimited with an end date.
To Incumbent on Next Higher-Level Position: If there is no other incumbent available for a given matrix position, the search selects the incumbent of the next available position based on the position hierarchy.
The level of impact is high. This update is particularly useful for organizations with complex matrix structures as it helps to maintain organizational data accurate and up to date.
Want to know more? Follow the link to watch the full release briefing for SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central.
SAP SuccessFactors Time Management
Changes to the Earliest Possible Recalculation Date
The earliest possible recalculation date is now regularly updated by the system and can never be more than 84 months which is 7 years in the past.
There are two different ways of automatically updating the earliest recalculation date. You define this by using the new Recalculation Period Type field on the Time Management Configuration object. This new mandatory field has the following possible values:
Constant Period: Keeps the recalculation date constantly at a certain number of months in the past, e.g., the past 24 months. In this case, the recalculation date is updated daily.
Increasing Period: Keeps the recalculation date a fixed date, e.g., the start date of the current financial year, and is updated only after a defined number of months.
The level of impact is high. The change is designed to prevent performance issues and provide a more flexible and automated setting of the earliest possible recalculation date.
Create Temporary Work Schedule Employee Self-Service UI
Employees can now adjust their work hours or days for a specified period, typically due to personal circumstances, family obligations, health issues, or other reasons.
This enhancement is to allow easy changes to the planned shifts of employees using an intuitive user interface design for employee self-service usage. For example, employees want to change the working day to half-working days or want to make Fridays non-working days. Employees can now make this change for themselves. The temporary changes are to managers for approval if a workflow is configured.
Access the full release briefing recording for Time Management here.
SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting
External Candidate Authentication Using SAP Customer Data Cloud
Recruiting administrators can now use SAP Customer Data Cloud to authenticate candidates within the external career site. SAP Customer Data Cloud balances security and self-registration, providing candidate registration and authentication options.
The Career Site options include:
Registration with phone number using SMS
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Password-less Authentication
Registration with social media - with support only limited to Facebook, Google, and LinkedIn
Basic Authentication with email and password
This feature allows candidates to register using their phone number without requiring an email.
Limitations when the phone is selected:
Candidate Relationship Management
Job Alerts
Job offers – only verbal
Candidate assessments and background verification
Message Center
For the above features, email is required.
Notice: As of 2H 2024, this feature is not available for customers with EU Access and for customers in Canadian and Saudi Arabian data centers.
The level of impact is high. It optimizes the experience for external candidates to register quickly and apply for jobs faster, avoiding application drop-offs.
Enhancements to Internal Hire Process
A recruiter can now use functionalities like workflow, cross-entity rule, and position updates for the internal hire onboarding process initiated by SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting.
With the 2H 2024 release, when a recruiter initiates onboarding for an internal hire, the configured workflow rule is evaluated. Based on the rule, the workflow is triggered.
Once the workflow participants take the necessary action, the workflow status is updated in Recruiting. The following labels are displayed in Recruiting depending on the workflow status:
Workflow Pending
Workflow Cancelled
Workflow Returned
Workflow Rejected
Workflow Completed
Functionalities:
A workflow to manage changes for internal hires whose onboarding is initiated from Recruiting can be set up.
The existing workflow rules that are used in Employee Central MSS data updates can be leveraged.
Cross-entity rules are supported for this enhancement.
Position updates are now available for internal hire.
The level of impact is high. This feature provides improved functionalities that enhance the onboarding process for internal hires.
SAP SuccessFactors Onboarding
Primary and Secondary New Hire Tasks for Process Variant Manager
Administrators can now associate standard and custom tasks with the updated Primary New Hire Tasks step and the Secondary New Hire Tasks step. You can separate New Hire Tasks into two separate “Blocks”, which can now be set up and coordinated as individual Steps in the Process Variant Manager–trigger your tasks alongside or after specific events during Onboarding.
Blocks can include both Standard and Custom Tasks for a deeper customized Onboarding experience for both New Hires and Hiring Manager. You can also connect Blocks to a Document Flow block – Custom Tasks and more can now attach to a Document / e-Signature step.
Access to Past Onboarding Checklists
Employees can now view all their Onboarding information and documents, created after 1H 2024, by selecting Your Onboarding Checklist from the All Actions menu on the latest People Profile page.
Users who have had past Onboarding Checklists may now access and see their historical Checklists.
The checklist includes:
Compliance forms such as the U.S. Form I-9 and Everify.
Information and attachments provided in the Personal Data Collection and Custom Data Collection steps.
Documents generated by custom tasks.
Watch the full on-demand 1H release briefing for Onboarding via this link.
SAP SuccessFactors Performance & Goals
Delegation is now available for Performance Forms
A new delegation feature can now be enabled, allowing Managers to delegate Performance Forms to other people, effectively replacing them in the route map. The same feature can be granted for admins to allow managing delegations on behalf of users.
Please notice that this feature is planned to be released in prod on Dec. 13th, 2024.
The level of impact is high. We recommend that you test this functionality and decide if it’s useful to your organization.
Delete Channels in Continuous Performance
The Delete Channels option is now available for users. The owners of a channel can now delete it either one by one or via bulk deletion. Permissions can be granted to admins as well to delete channels for users.
Only channels that were manually created can be deleted, e.g., channels with Manager and possibly Matrix Manager are not removable.
The level of impact is high. We recommend testing this feature and prepare for its adoption.
Bulk Channels Invitations Now Supported in Continuous Performance Management
Users can now bulk create/delete channels to invite/delete multiple channels in one go instead of individually.
Channels are now grouped by relation type for easier overview. Various UI upgrades to navigation, Texts and Icons, etc.
The level of impact is medium. We recommend testing this feature and prepare for its adoption.
SAP SuccessFactors Succession & Career Development
Enhancements to Latest Development Goals
In the latest version of Development Goals, users can now view audit history for custom learning activities and upload certificates to custom learning activities. Custom learning activities must be configured for your development plan template to be used.
For certifications of custom learning activities, a new field must be introduced in the development plan template.
The level of impact is medium. These features were developed to achieve parity with Legacy Goal Management.
Manage Administrator Permissions for Mentoring Programs
Currently, mentoring administrators have permission to manage all mentoring programs.You can now define under Settings on the Manage Mentoring Programs page, per mentoring program, who can manage it.
The level of impact is high.
SAP SuccessFactors Learning Management
Updates to the Integrated Learning eXperience
The integrated Learning eXperience has been updated with new features. Changes have been made to:
Manager view
Library Search using categories
Custom pages
Updated LMS Permission role
Access to ILX for LMS Sites user
Here is an overview of the updates the Integrated Learning eXperience for SAP SuccessFactors Learning:
Banners: up to 49 custom banners. Each user can see up to five banners in the carousel.
Custom Cards: Up to 100 custom cards. Users can see up to 8 cards.
Admin suggestions (recommendations) are now visible in the section ‘Suggested to me’ on the learning plan.
Users can mark suggestion as not interested or bookmark it for later. Users can also recommend a suggestion to peers using the recommend option on the Course details.
Hide the required Learning section.
Non-required assignments by admin or manager in Important Learning section.
2411:
Up to 5 Custom Pages
Each page can contain banners (up to 5 banners) and up to 6 sections.
Each section can contain up to 8 cards.
The level of impact is high. We expect more updates coming in the upcoming releases.
AI in Learning: Assisted Writing
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has now entered the realms of Learning and one new tool is the AI-Assisted Writing tool. It can improve your Title and Description fields when creating Items, Curricula, Programs, and Collections.
The AI-assisted writing tool isn’t yet supported in the Item and Curricula translation widgets.
Pre-requisite:
AI premium license/AI Units
Want to know more? Follow the link to watch the full release briefing for SAP SuccessFactors Learning Management.
SAP SuccessFactors Compensation & Variable Pay
Enhancements to AI-Assisted Writing and Availability in More Areas
AI-assisted writing is available for use in more product areas, and now also includes the Content Translation and Text Analyzer features.
The following new AI-actions have been added:
Translate: For written text, the user can select this option to choose the target language they'd like it translated to. The following capabilities are supported with this action:
Analyze Text: With this option, a safety scan is performed on each text box, prompt entry, or Generative AI output in order to detect bias and remove discriminatory or violent language. Users can choose to accept or reject the suggested text presented for replacement. Text Analyzer scans for the following safety attributes:
SAP SuccessFactors product areas within Compensation that support AI-assisted writing as of the 2H 2024 release:
How AI-Assisted Writing Can Help: Reward and Recognition
Improve the messages from Award Nominator to award recipients and approvers.
Improve the descriptions of programs, levels and categories that the Administrator provides.
How AI-Assisted Writing Can Help: Compensation & Variable Pay
Improve the content of Notes and Force Comments for the Compensation Planner in your Compensation, Variable Pay, and the Total Compensation worksheets and Executive Review.
Improve the content of the fields in the column designer for the Administrator when designing Compensation, Variable Pay, and Total Compensation templates.
With these new enhancements, customers can access content in their native language, reinforce inclusive language, and further enhance the quality of their communication
Note: AI-assisted writing is currently only available on the web version of SAP SuccessFactors applications. Mobile support for this feature is not yet available.
Additional Enhancements to the Latest My Forms page
SAP introduced the latest My Forms page in 1H 2024. In 2H 2024, SAP has further enhanced the page to improve filter and search capabilities as well as the user experience better.
The latest My Forms page enhancements are the following:
You can now configure filters based on roles using role-based permissions.
You only see the templates with existing worksheets in the Template search drop-down menu in the selected folder.
You see the My Direct Reports, My Matrix Reports, and My HR Reports filter options in All or Reports Only only when relevant to your role.
You can now Reset your filters.
You see the total number of forms.
The Mass Route Document Forward and the Mass Route Document Backward role-based permissions are respected. Additional enhancements have also been made to the latest My Forms page.
This enhancement is from a customer community idea. The level of impact is high.
SAP SuccessFactors Workforce Analytics & Reporting
Deletion of Classic Reports
All Classic Reports e.g., List Views, Spotlight Views, Spreadsheet Reports and Classic Reporting will be deleted on November 15, 2024.
Please note that Archive & Print, Detailed Document Search under Classic Reporting will be retained.
The level of impact is high. Customers using Classic Reporting will need to have an alternative solution.
Sensitive Fields in Calculated Column
Fields marked as sensitive can now be used in calculated columns in Report Stories. Calculated column, that uses sensitive field, can be added to a chart without the need of adding the context field. Read logging is not enabled in calculated columns.
The level of impact is medium. Watch the full SAP SuccessFactors 1H release briefing for Workforce Analytics and Reporting via this link.
Ensure Efficient Release Management with Effective People
This guide contains our selection of some of the key enhancements from the 2H 2024 release. If you’re interested in diving deeper into the new release, we highly recommend that you check out our module-specific on-demand release briefings via our Release Hub and the SAP What’s New Viewer for details on each release item.
We also offer release management services including workshops that are specifically designed for your company’s setup and roadmap.
Learn more
Contact Effective People today for expert guidance on your HR transformation strategy.