How to improve usability and quality within your SAP HCM application

Transcription

1 Hw t imprve usability and quality within yur SAP HCM applicatin Mst rganizatins that have implemented SAP HCM are nw lking fr ways t imprve their SAP-supprted HR-prcesses in terms f usability and quality. This is nt nly triggered by the requirements f varius audits but als a questin f gaining a mre efficient system and reducing the csts f HR-prcesses. The experts f iprcn helped varius custmers t imprve quality and usability with wrkshps, caching, custmizing, and custm develpment. This article prvides valuable advice based n ur experience. Under the pressure f tight schedules and budgets many SAP HCM implementatin prjects end up with a system, that wrks smehw and in mst cases prduces the crrect payrll results fr the mment. Hwever, mst prjects fail t prvide an applicatin that supprts its users in the best pssible way t ensure high quality f data, let alne prcedures t supprt quality management fr future changes, such as supprt packages, upgrades r new functinal requirements. S, the imprvement f quality and usability shuld be subject t a prject fllwing the implementatin itself. The gd news is: This prject can be spread ver a lnger perid f time with lw intensity. Once the framewrk and the bjectives are established, the prject can be decmpsed int many small pieces f wrk, with each f them delivering sme value f its wn. In this article we want t give yu sme ideas t include int yur wn quality initiative. All these activities have been implemented by the experts f iprcn in varius prjects and have prved t be highly beneficial. It always turned ut that gd usability imprves bth data quality and efficiency. We recmmend building an actin plan based n the ideas in the fllwing list, assign pririties t each actin and then implement ne by ne. 1. Hw t imprve the usability and quality f yu SAP HCM applicatin 1.1 Imprvement f the user interface Make sure, that there are n fields r buttns n the screen, which the users dn't need. This can be achieved by varius custmizing ptins (such as table T555m fr inftypes), screen variants r the GUIXT-technlgy. The F4-help in any field shuld nt cntain any entries, which are n lnger used. In mst cases it is just a matter f discipline t delimit entries in custmizing tables, which are n lnger used. Especially in larger applicatins, it may be difficult t decide which entries are still in use. Frm time t time, this shuld be checked ut fr items that ntriusly tend t get ut f hand. E.g., we use a tl t check the usage f wrk schedule rules autmatically. T make the usage f the F4-help efficient, there shuld be a reasnable rule in place, which determines hw the keys and names f the crrespnding custmizing entries are cmpsed (e.g.: part time wrk schedules start with a "P" fllwed by the number weekly wrking hurs). Wherever pssible, data entry fields shuld cntain reasnable default values, s that the user desn't need t enter data manually that can be autmatically determined in a particular case. In many cases, the defaults can be determined via custmizing, ften using features. One ppular and simple example is inftype 0008 (basic pay). If wagetype "1510" must be entered there fr each piece rate wrker, than this culd as well be dne autmatically by the system. In this particular case, the specific IMG-custmizing fr inftype 0008 allws such a cnfiguratin easily. page 1

2 Hw t imprve usability and quality within yur SAP HCM applicatin If there is n custmizing ptin fr a specific case, screen variants are always an ptin fr straight-frward default values. In the case f inftypes the BAdI HRPAD00INFTY r the functin exit PBAS0001 allw very flexible defaults by adding yur custm ABAP cding. Further functin exits and BAdIs are in place fr ther cases. Fr sme widely used fields, yu can determine default values fr each user individually via the user parameters. Yu can maintain them either via transactin SU01 r each user can maintain his r her wn parameters via transactin SU3. T find ut, whether a particular field can be filled by a user parameter, psitin the cursr int the field, press F1 and then click the buttn "technical infrmatin". If there is a user parameter crrespnding with this field, than it is shwn in the field "Parameter ID". The fllwing picture shws, hw the currency field f a jb psting is filled by the user parameter "FWS". Nte: the value cming frm the user parameter can be verruled by ther default values determined frm custmizing settings. A very effective way t imprve data quality and save a lt f time with errr-handling is the implementatin f plausibility checks. In many cases the system can determine that the data entered in a particular cntext must cntain sme mistake and prduce an errr message. Alternatively, if a special cmbinatin f data is unlikely r ptentially page 2

3 Hw t imprve usability and quality within yur SAP HCM applicatin dangerus but in rare cases pssible, the system can submit a warning message s that the user will think again. There are varius ways t perfrm plausibility checks: The custmizing prvides specific cnfiguratin ptins fr many cases such as cllisin f different time inftypes, limited budgets in cmpensatin planning, cllisins f a seminar attendance with a planned hliday, permissibility f wage types fr emplyee subgrups, persnnel subareas r inftypes, etc. The abve mentined BAdI HRPAD00INFTY and the functin exit PBAS0001 allw very sphisticated checks with small effrt. E.g.: "have mre than tw emplyees the same bank details in inftype 0009?" Using inftype 130 yu can avid a defined grup f data t be changed t far int the past. 1.2 Other ways t imprve data quality Yu can create yur wn ABAP reprts t d certain checks, which cannt be perfrmed during the prcess f data entry. E.g.: a list that cmpares the grss r net pay f the current perid with the last ne fr each emplyee and shws all emplyees where the difference exceeds a certain percentage. The payrll run itself can perfrm varius checks. Yu are very flexible, when using a custm functin (created via transactin PE04) t perfrm yur wn checks and stp the payrll fr a particular persn, if any incnsistencies are fund. We call this an "emergency brake" as it prevents wrng data t enter int payrll at the very last minute. Authrizatins and rles are very imprtant t prevent users frm entering data they are nt suppsed t. This des nt nly aim at illegal actins but als helps t reduce the number f mistakes. Of curse, the whle area f authrizatins is crucial fr quality, security and audits. Hwever, let's fcus here n ne specific aspect that can avid many mistakes: prvide yur users with a rle-specific menu where yu include all transactins and reprts they need t perfrm and exclude all thers. This allws yu t blck transactin SA38 cmpletely fr nrmal users thus preventing them frm using wrng r utdated reprts. 2. Prcess autmatin and reprting 2.1 Prcess autmatin Where prcesses can be standardized t a certain degree, their quality will generally be higher, if the HR system actively supprts the prcess flw. This might require a strnger cmmitment t standardized prcesses than yur rganizatin has shwn in the past. In mst cases hwever, this slight pressure frm the IT-side twards standardizatin f administrative activities has prved healthy rather than restrictive. The gd news is that such measures d nt nly imprve quality but als efficiency. We want t shw yu sme f the ptins yu have: The mst bvius technlgy here is wrkflw. SAP ffers many precnfigured templates that represent the flw f tasks and infrmatin fr business prcesses such as leave requests r the apprval f budgets. Wrkflw (r Webflw) can be used within the R/3 r ECC as well as in prtal applicatins. It is certainly a pwerful tl t guarantee that the prcess flw reaches the emplyees, wh are suppsed t wrk with it. This is particularly true, if there are many pssible persns wh culd perfrm a certain task. In this case the persn available first can grab the task ut f a cmmn pl. We cannt g int details abut wrkflw here as this wuld mean t write a bk. But t smth up yur prcesses, it is wrth cnsidering this tl. First f all check, whether page 3

4 Hw t imprve usability and quality within yur SAP HCM applicatin there is a wrkflw template frm SAP yu can use therwise a wrkflw expert can build a custm ne frm scratch. Hwever, adapting SAP templates r building new wrkflws can be a large effrt. There are ther ptins we want t discuss in the fllwing paragraphs. Yu prbably knw the cncept f persnnel actins t perfrm prcesses like hiring r retirement. They basically represent a number f inftypes t be prcessed in a predefined rder. Hwever, many cmpanies d nt fully use this cncept. It is pssible t define variatins f persnnel actins. The custmizing f the s called infgrup defines which inftypes are prcessed in which rder. This can be cnfigured flexible s that different inftypes are prcessed depending n Sme rganizatinal characteristics f the emplyee t be prcessed (defined via the feature IGMOD) The HR User grup f the user perfrming the actin (user parameter UGR) Accrdingly, yu can have ne set f inftypes when hiring a white cllar emplyee and anther ne when hiring a shp flr wrker. We generally recmmend using the first way t cntrl the set f inftypes. If it is strictly defined which users are allwed t maintain data fr which types f emplyees, the secnd alternative may be applicable t. Actins are generally saved in inftype Hwever, this inftype desn t allw t safe tw actins at the same day. That s why SAP intrduced inftype 0302 ( additinal actins ). All actins that d nt change the status f an emplyee can be kept in this inftype. There is n difference in hw the actins are perfrmed. The custmizing f actins determines which actins can be saved in inftype Many rganizatins have nt yet activated this new inftype and lse sme infrmatin when wrking with persnnel actins. Nte that this cncept unfrtunately is nt available fr applicant data (inftype 4000). If inftype 0302 is used, it is a cmmn mistake t use inftype 0000 nly when reprting n actins, thus ignring thse actins that are saved in inftype 302 nly. T have ne pint t get all actins frm in queries r custm reprts, we recmmend t safe all actins in inftype 302 and t save thse wh change a status additinally in inftype This makes reprting much easier, as yu can get all data except the status frm ne surce. Sme rganizatins never have had a redesign f their persnnel actins. Make sure t check with the users that the actins cntain exactly the inftypes that are required and that the menu f persnnel actins (transactin PA40) cntains exactly the actins required and that they are prperly labeled. Dynamic actins are an even mre flexible cncept. They can perfrm a certain actin depending n the data just maintained in an inftype. This cncept is extensively used fr applicant data but als in emplyee data. Here are sme examples and issues t bserve: Depending n the cntent f a certain field, a new inftype can pp up. E.g.: if inftype 0007 is saved with the flag fr time recrding set, inftype 0050 is autmatically perfrmed t maintain the time recrding ID number. When a new inftype pps up as described abve, sme fields can have default values depending n the values f particular fields f inftype 0001 r the inftype just saved. A functin with custm ABAP cding can be perfrmed. page 4

5 Hw t imprve usability and quality within yur SAP HCM applicatin An can be generated frm the data maintained in an inftype. E.g.: if a persn is hired, an t annunce this can be sent t the technical department s that they knw they must prvide a telephne and address. The functin is particularly interesting. Usually there are many persns that have t be infrmed if certain persnnel data changes ccur. If yur HR system is cnfigured t send s t ther systems (such as MS Exchange / Outlk r Ltus Ntes) this can save yu a lt f wrk and guarantee prper infrmatin. We recmmend, maintaining n persnal addresses in yur custmizing f dynamic actins but distributin lists (even if they cntain just ne address). This is much mre flexible because these lists are easier t change than the custmizing in tables and features. In mst cases it is n prblem t send s frm yur HR system t the utside wrld. With release 4.7 SAP supprts the SMTP prtcl, in earlier versins yu need t install a special cnnectr (please cntact us if yu want us t refer yu t an expert in this field). When using the mail functin within yur SAP system, yu can even attach an inftype t be prcessed t the message. E.g.: the persnnel fficer perfrms a hiring actin and when inftype 0007 is maintained, a message t maintain inftype 0050 accrdingly is sent t the time administratr. The time administratr nly has t click n the respective buttn in his message t have inftype 0050 ppping up. Other autmated s The functin f dynamic actins has sme restrictins: Yu cannt easily influence when the is sent. It is generated just in the mment the respective inftype is saved. As sme data is maintained far int the future, this is nt always cnvenient. Messages can nly be generated based n inftypes, but nt n ther data such as errrs in time evaluatin r travel data. The cntent is restricted t fixed texts and sme variables frm the inftype just maintained and rganizatinal data. One alternative is t use wrkflw t generate s. This is mre flexible, bust may smetimes be difficult t cnfigure and much effrt fr small effects. Anther alternative may seem t cause even mre effrt at first sight but in reality prved t be very efficient, if used reasnably: It is pssible t create a custm reprt that generates s based n varius kinds f data such as: Errrs in time management Special dates such as birthdays r anniversaries Business trips Deadlines frm inftype 0019 ( mnitring f tasks ) Etc. A straightfrward scenari can be implemented in as little as ne r tw days and prvide a reasnable return n investment thrugh time savings and higher quality f infrmatin prcesses. If there are many standardized s sent manually by yur HR staff, it may be wrth asking yur IT department r cnsultants fr a custm slutin t generate them autmatically, if dynamic actins dn t suit yur requirements. Other examples f prcess autmatin we will nt discuss deeper here are: Jb management t guarantee that individual reprts f sequences f reprts run in the backgrund at predefined times r at predefined events. In many rganizatins, the definitin f these jbs and particularly their mnitring culd d with a redesign. page 5

6 Hw t imprve usability and quality within yur SAP HCM applicatin The HR prcess wrkbench is designed t define and cntrl the prcess f the payrll run and all ther reprts invlved in it. And many mre 2.2 Effective reprting When peple talk abut quality in an IT system, the fcus is mstly n the input f data. While it is certainly true that pr quality f reprting is mstly due t pr data quality (fllwing the well knwn scrap in scrap ut principle), the prper use r reprts is als an issue. Typical prblems ccurring in the usage f standard r custm reprts in HR are: Users chse the wrng reprt r d nt find the reprt they need, because they can freely select reprts frm the cmplete SAP menu r even wrth via transactin SA38. It is strngly recmmended t define clearly which reprts shuld be used fr which purpse and t include nly these reprts in the user menu. Transactin SA38 mustn t be accessible fr functinal users. Many users d nt knw hw t use and create variants. Hwever, using variants is a very imprtant means t make sure that lists distributed n a regular basis are created in the same way every time. Only few users fully explit the pssibilities f variants. When saving the variants (see picture) yu can Include variables especially fr dates Make sure that a particular field n value is saved page 6

7 Hw t imprve usability and quality within yur SAP HCM applicatin Make a field mandatry Sme users d nt even knw that each reprt has gt dcumentatin. It can be accessed via the i buttn:. Make sure that custm reprts prvide reasnable dcumentatin fr the users. Generally, users are nt prperly trained in the usage f reprts. The selectin screen, the cntent, and wrking with the utput list are areas where a few hurs f training will pay ff quickly. This last pint is particularly true fr the Query. Hwever, in mst cases it s nt nly the functinal side but als the IT department that desn t knw much abut it. Sme cmpanies d nt use it at all, because its pssibilities are undervalued. In this article, we nly ask yu t cnsider this instrument t give yur users a flexible reprting tl which als can help them t check the quality f the data maintained. As it is nt pssible t get any deeper int the subject here, we want t mentin sme majr pints here, we cnsider wrth further thughts: Queries are based n infsets. Make sure these exactly match the requirements and d nt cntain unnecessary r prly labeled fields. Decide n what shuld be dne in the develpment system. We recmmend building the infsets there while the queries themselves may be dne by the users in the prductin system. Yu can maintain dcumentatin fr queries. D this fr any query which is nt used temprarily nly. 3. Frm Errr detectin t an Internal Cntrl System (ICS) In this article we want t give yu sme ideas t include int yur wn quality initiative. Similar measures have been implemented by the experts f iprcn in varius prjects and have prved t be highly beneficial. 3.1 Testing prcedures and test autmatin page 7

8 Hw t imprve usability and quality within yur SAP HCM applicatin Testing is a very time cnsuming and ften ill-defined task, which tends t be passed t and frm between HR and IT departments. T reach higher levels f security and efficiency systematisatin, autmatin and a prper test envirnment are necessary. Wh s gt t d it? T achieve a clear task sharing between HR and IT is already a large step frward. In mst cases, bth departments will play sme rle in testing. Hw exactly tasks are distributed depends n the distributin f ther SAP-related tasks (e.g.: wh des the custmizing?) and knwledge. A cmmn definitin is this ne: IT-department checks, whether the prcess can be perfrmed at all withut errr messages. HR tests fr the crrectness f the utcme such as payrll results. When necessary, acceptance tests may have t be added, ensuring user friendliness. This may be dne by the HR department r utsurced t an ergnmics testing lab. When t test what? This questin is mre difficult t answer and ften testing is perfrmed mre r less randmly depending n the time available. There is certainly n such thing as a 100% waterprf test. Hwever, the level f security yu want t achieve and the effrt yu want t invest t achieve it shuld be decided upn by the management. This decisin then leads t apprpriate testing prcedures which must be dcumented nce and serve as the guideline fr the future: Which events trigger testing activities? e.g.: supprt packages, changes in custmizing, peridically, What has t be tested at each f these events? e.g.: check payrll results, perfrm userinteractive prcesses such as persnnel actins, check authrisatins Hw t dcument test results? Auditrs may demand that all r certain tests are dcumented with the signature f the persn wh perfrmed the test. Hw can yu make yur life easier? Fr payrll and time evaluatin in particular, autmating tests is easily pssible. After having defined a reference result, a test tl can cmpare new results with this reference after any change in the system in a batch run. This allws yu t check the whle test data every time yu make even a small change in the cnfiguratin with nly little effrt. This leads t a much higher level f security than just picking individual cases t test manually. It particularly avids the effect that crrecting ne errr leads t a prblem in a different case yu dn t even think f. Tls fr autmating tests are available frm several prviders at different packages and prices. iprcn ffers a template based custm slutin which generally can be implemented and explained in ne day. page 8

9 Hw t imprve usability and quality within yur SAP HCM applicatin Interactive prcesses are much mre difficult t test autmatically. In sme cases, the SAP CATT tl can help but nly t a limited extend. Test envirnment The availability f a prper test envirnment is crucial fr any test. This may be a cpy frm the life system dne in regular intervals r a targeted apprach t set up an annymus and dcumented test ppulatin t cver all relevant cases. Bth cases have their prs and cns, depending n the technical and rganisatinal requirements f yur rganisatin. Here are sme criteria fr a gd test envirnment: Cver all relevant cases Data fr all prcesses nt just payrll and time management The system shuld be identical t the life system as far as pssible (except fr the changes yet t be tested) An apprpriate amunt f data t test reprts Availability f all relevant variants, queries and infsets Availability f all relevant frms (e.g. fr crrespndence in recruitment) Pssibility t test prcesses with the same rles they are perfrmed in the life system Pssibility t test the interfaces particularly ALE 3.2 Integrating prcedures beynd SAP Up t nw, this little series n quality management has nly dealt with elements within SAP HCM. After all, this is ur main fcus. Hwever, be aware that an IT-system can never be the single answer t questins abut prcess quality. A clear definitin and dcumentatin f prcesses, n matter whether perfrmed manually r IT-based, is an indispensable prerequisite fr high-quality prcesses. We want t mentin nly a few nt SAP-related elements that have t be included int a quality system: Designing simple and lean prcesses Clear definitin and cmmunicatin f these prcesses Check lists Well defined leeway t deal with exceptins Respnsibilities Tls utside SAP HCM Traceability, particularly fr auditing purpses 3.3 Bringing it all tgether: the ICS This series cvered the better part f the elements necessary t build an Internal Cntrl System (ICS). Befre setting up yur ICS, yu shuld be crystal clear abut its bjectives. The term ICS is used very ften with very different cncepts in mind. S yu shuld ask yurself sme questins befre yu start: Is the whle system just a respnse t an auditrs reprt? Des it aim at reducing errrs in payrll? page 9

10 Hw t imprve usability and quality within yur SAP HCM applicatin D yu want t target real business risks evlving frm HR prcesses? In this case, payrll may nt be a big issue at all but ther prcesses such as recruiting and successin planning becme much mre imprtant. Based n these bjectives, a central dcument shuld be created t capture the imprtant elements f yur ICS: Which prcesses are included in the ICS? With which methdlgy and tls and t which level f detail must the prcesses be described? What are the rules fr exceptin handling? Hw d IT systems help t ensure the quality f the prcesses? What are the prcedures fr system changes? Hw d we describe testing prcedures? Hw must tests and ther events with relevance fr auditing be dcumented? Which checks and mnitring tasks have t be perfrmed regularly? Where is all the detailed dcumentatin t be fund? It is recmmended t keep this central dcument as lean as pssible and refer t mre detailed dcumentatin elsewhere. This allws fr a better structure and better maintainability and enhancement. If the system is nt cnstantly adapted t changing requirements, emplyees will start wrking arund the rules and the whle system cllapses. There are tw principles yu shuld always have in mind: It must be feasible t fllw the prcedures within the time available. If yu use IT, checklists and dcumentatin intelligently, then it shuld make daily wrk mre efficient in the lng run nt mre cmplicated. The system must be maintainable. Are the rules fixed n a t detailed level, than yu have t change it much t ften. If yu want ur experts t help yu with any issues cncerning quality and usability r internal cntrl system, cntact us via inf@iprcn.cm page 10