This 5-day plan will guide you through mastering SAP SuccessFactors Onboarding 2.0 end-to-end configuration and testing. Each day involves 30-45 minutes of focused learning with step-by-step instructions, practical exercises, and references to official documentation. By the end, you’ll be prepared to implement Onboarding in real-world scenarios and train other professionals.
Day 1: Introduction to SAP SuccessFactors Onboarding
Goal: Understand the Onboarding module’s purpose, key features, navigation, and prerequisites for implementation.
1. Overview and Key Features
• What is SuccessFactors Onboarding? – Onboarding 2.0 is a cloud-based solution for managing new hire transitions (pre-day-one, onboarding, cross-boarding, offboarding, rehire) in a unified way . It uses automated workflows and guided experiences to ensure compliance, increase engagement, and improve productivity for new hires and HR. Key capabilities include data collection & document creation, task management, a new-hire portal, and integration with other SuccessFactors modules .
• Key Features: Familiarize yourself with Onboarding 2.0’s features:
• Onboarding Portal – A personalized portal where new hires access orientation materials and connect with colleagues .
• Onboarding Dashboard – A central dashboard for HR and managers to track onboarding status and tasks in real time .
• Automated Workflows – Pre-defined process steps (e.g. New Hire Data Collection, Manager Tasks, etc.) powered by business rules and notifications to streamline the experience.
• Integration Points – Standard data flow into Recruiting, Employee Central, and other HXM modules for a seamless hire-to-fire process .
• Prerequisites: Ensure you have the necessary foundation before configuring Onboarding:
• Employee Central (EC) Integration: Onboarding 2.0 requires SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central as a prerequisite . (If full EC is not implemented, at least a minimal EC setup must exist to store new hire data.)
• Provisioning Setup: Confirm that Onboarding 2.0 is enabled in your instance. (In Provisioning, your system administrator should enable the Onboarding (including Internal Hire) switch . This makes Onboarding features available in the Admin Center.)
• Admin Access: Make sure you have administrator access to SAP SuccessFactors and the Onboarding module to perform configurations.
2. System Navigation
• Accessing Onboarding: Log in to your SuccessFactors instance. From the Home drop-down or module picker, navigate to Onboarding 2.0. You should see the Onboarding Dashboard which lists new hire processes and tasks assigned to you or your team. Take a moment to click through the dashboard and familiarize yourself with its sections (e.g. Pending hires, Tasks, etc.).
• Admin Center: In the Admin Center, use the search bar to find Onboarding administration tools. Key admin pages include Onboarding 2.0 Dashboard, Onboarding 2.0 General Settings, Compliance Settings, Email Services, and Onboarding 2.0 Integration Setup. These will be used throughout this learning plan.
• Exercise (10 min): Navigate the Onboarding module:
1. Go to Admin Center and search for “Onboarding Dashboard” – review how an HR manager would see new hire tasks.
2. Search for “Onboarding 2.0” – note the configuration options that appear (e.g., Integration Setup, Compliance Settings).
3. If you have a demo or test user, try initiating a dummy onboarding process (more on this in Day 4) to see how it appears on the dashboard.
3. Key Concepts and Terminology
• Onboarding vs. Offboarding: Onboarding 2.0 also supports cross-boarding (internal transfers) and offboarding processes within the same framework . While this plan focuses on new hires, be aware the configuration steps are similar for other scenarios.
• Roles in Onboarding: Common roles include Onboarding Administrator (configures and monitors the process), Hiring Manager (completes manager tasks), HR Representative (completes HR data review tasks), and New Hire (the employee being onboarded). We will configure permissions for these roles on Day 2.
• Onboarding Process Flow: The standard onboarding process starts with Initiation (triggered from Recruiting or manually) and ends with the new hire being converted to an internal employee on Day 1. In between are steps like data collection, forms, equipment provisioning, etc., which we will explore and configure in coming days.
✅ Day 1 Outcomes: You should now have a high-level understanding of what SAP SuccessFactors Onboarding offers, how to access it in the system, and what needs to be in place before configuration. This foundation sets the stage for the hands-on configuration starting tomorrow.
Day 2: Configuration Basics (Permissions, Roles, and Workflows)
Goal: Learn how to set up role-based permissions for Onboarding and understand the default onboarding workflow (process steps). By the end of today, you’ll have configured basic access controls and reviewed the onboarding process flow using the Process Variant Manager.
1. Setting Up Permissions and Roles
Role-Based Permissions (RBP) Configuration: Onboarding 2.0 leverages SuccessFactors’ RBP framework for access control . Proper permission setup is critical so each participant can perform their tasks.
• Onboarding Administrator Permissions: Create or identify a permission role for Onboarding admins. In Admin Center > Manage Permission Roles, grant this role full access to Onboarding configuration and processes. (SAP provides a predefined permission group “OnboardingAdmin” you can use or modify.) Ensure this role has permissions to manage all Onboarding 2.0 objects and settings . Assign yourself or appropriate admins to this role via Manage Permission Groups.
• Hiring Manager and HR Permissions: The hiring managers and HR representatives involved in onboarding need permissions to complete their tasks. SuccessFactors provides standard categories like “Onboarding 2.0 Tasks” and “Onboarding 2.0 Data Review” in RBP. Create a role (or roles) for Onboarding Participants and grant access to:
• Onboarding Tasks: allow viewing/completing assigned onboarding tasks (for managers, IT, etc.) . For example, a manager should have permission to complete new hire orientation tasks or assign a buddy.
• Data Review: allow HR to review and edit new hire data during the process (if applicable).
Assign the appropriate user groups (e.g. all Hiring Managers, all HR specialists) to these roles.
• New Hires (External User) Access: Onboarding 2.0 allows new hires to access the system before Day 1 as external users. To enable this, grant new hires a special external user access role . SAP provides an “OnboardingExternalUser” role for this purpose . Ensure this role has at least read access to their own onboarding data and the ability to complete their onboarding steps (like filling personal data or signing forms). Tip: This role should be restricted only to the Onboarding module – external new hires shouldn’t see other modules. According to SAP, “before their start date, you can grant new hires access to the system as external users.” – This is accomplished by assigning the OnboardingExternalUser role to the new hire’s user record when the onboarding process initiates (this often happens automatically via the system).
• Verification: After setting up roles, use the Check Tool (if available) or a test user to verify each role’s access. For example, temporarily assign yourself the Hiring Manager role and confirm you can see an Onboarding task on the dashboard (if any exist). Adjust permissions if something is missing (e.g., if the manager cannot see the new hire’s data, you may need to enable “New Hire Data Review – View” for managers, if applicable).
Exercise (15 min):
1. In your instance, navigate to Manage Permission Roles and locate the Onboarding 2.0 permission settings. Observe the categories like Onboarding 2.0 Admin, Onboarding 2.0 Dashboard, Onboarding Email Services, etc. Make sure you understand which permissions correspond to which user actions (use SAP’s RBP documentation for Onboarding as reference).
2. If possible, create a test user and assign only the new hire external role to simulate the external new hire experience. Try logging in as that user (this may require an external email login) to see what the new hire portal looks like. (If a test login isn’t feasible, simply review the permissions to ensure they match SAP’s guidance for external new hires.)
2. Understanding and Configuring Onboarding Workflows
Onboarding Process Flow: Onboarding 2.0 comes with a default process that includes standard steps (e.g., New Hire Data Review, Personal Data Collection, Compliance Forms, Orientation Tasks, Equipment Provisioning, etc.). These steps define the workflow that a new hire and responsible teams will follow from initiation to completion . By default, all steps are active and in a logical order, but you can customize them using the Process Variant Manager tool.
• Process Variant Manager: This tool allows admins to modify the onboarding workflow to fit organizational needs . For example, you might remove a step that isn’t needed or add a custom review step. Navigate to: Admin Center > Process Variant Manager > Onboarding 2.0. Here you will see the “Default Onboarding Process.” You cannot edit the system default directly – instead, create a copy of the process (e.g., name it “Onboarding Process v1”).
• Customizing the Process: In your copied process variant, experiment with the following (you don’t have to activate these changes in production yet, just practice):
• Remove or Reorder Steps: Perhaps your company captured all candidate info in Recruiting, so the Review New Hire Data step is redundant. You can remove that step in the variant . Or if you want the hiring manager’s tasks (Create New Hire Tasks step) to occur later, you can move that step to a later point . SAP notes that steps can be removed or rearranged to match requirements (e.g., removing Compliance Forms if not needed, or reordering steps) .
• Add a Custom Step: Some organizations add a Final HR Review step at the end of onboarding. In Process Variant Manager, you can create a new step (choose from predefined types) and insert it. For example, add a “Final Check” step where HR can verify all tasks are done and data is correct before completion . This can be implemented by copying an existing step (such as Data Review) and placing it near the end.
• Extension Points (Advanced): Notice the option to enable Extension Points in certain blocks . This is an advanced feature to pause the onboarding process and run external processes (like background checks). For now, just be aware it exists.
• Save and Preview: Save your process variant. (At this stage, do not set it as active if this is a production environment – just keep it for testing or later use.) Use the preview or diagram view to visualize the new sequence of steps. Ensure that each step still has an owner (responsible role) defined. For instance, if you added a Final HR Review step, assign it to the HR role.
• Best Practice: Only include necessary steps to avoid delays. SAP’s default process is a good starting point; tweak it only if you have a clear business need. For example, “an organization might want to remove the Review New Hire Data step because all necessary data was collected during recruiting, or add a final review step for HR to do a final check” . Changes like these should be tested thoroughly (Day 4 will cover testing).
Exercise (10 min): In Process Variant Manager, create a simple variant:
1. Copy the default onboarding process.
2. Rename it “Test Onboarding Process”.
3. Remove one non-critical step (for example, if “Compliance Forms” don’t apply to your region, remove that).
4. Save and Deploy the variant (this makes it available, but you can keep the default as the one in use unless you actively switch).
5. If your system allows selecting a process variant (some customers might tie variants to conditions via business rules), you could later test this variant with a dummy hire. For now, just practice making a variant.
(This exercise helps you get comfortable with modifying workflows. You can discard or deactivate the variant after testing.)
By the end of Day 2, you have configured fundamental security for Onboarding and explored how the onboarding workflow can be tailored. Tomorrow, we’ll delve into advanced configurations: custom forms, emails, and compliance.
Day 3: Advanced Configuration (Custom Forms, Notifications, Compliance)
Goal: Configure custom onboarding forms (including compliance forms), set up email notifications, and understand compliance settings. You will create or enable forms and notifications that fit your organization’s needs and ensure legal requirements are met.
1. Custom Forms and PDF Documents
Onboarding often involves collecting additional data and signatures on various forms (company policies, NDA, benefits enrollment, etc.). SAP SuccessFactors Onboarding supports PDF Forms that can be generated and signed as part of the process . There are two types of forms to consider:
• Compliance Forms: Standard government or regulatory forms (e.g., U.S. I-9 Employment Eligibility or W-4 Tax Withholding) that SAP provides templates for.
• Custom Forms (Corporate Forms): Company-specific documents (policies, agreements) you may need to add yourself.
Enabling Compliance Forms: Many compliance forms are delivered but not active by default. Use Admin Center > Compliance Settings to enable needed forms:
• For example, to enable U.S. forms, go to Compliance Settings, select “United States” and toggle on Form I-9, Federal W-4, and relevant state forms . SAP introduced these in Onboarding 2.0 so you can meet legal requirements within the system . Ensure you also configure any integration (like E-Verify for I-9, if applicable) – this might involve setting up API credentials or additional fields, which is beyond today’s scope but documented in SAP guides.
• Repeat for other countries/regions as needed (e.g., Canada TD1 forms, etc.). If your company operates in multiple countries, review each country’s compliance forms in the list.
• Permission Check: Confirm that your RBP settings allow the necessary roles (HR or new hire) to view and complete these compliance forms. (SAP documentation lists specific permissions like ComplianceFormData, ComplianceProcess etc. that must be enabled for new hires and admins . If using compliance forms, verify these are granted to avoid access issues.)
Creating & Uploading Custom Forms: For forms not provided by SAP, you can upload your own PDF templates and map them to onboarding data. The basic process for custom forms is: prepare form → create fields → upload and map → add to process .
1. Prepare the PDF: Use a PDF editor to create your form template (or take an existing company form). Add fillable fields in the PDF for each piece of data you want to auto-populate or have the new hire fill. Keep the file under size limits (often <5MB) .
2. Ensure Data Fields Exist: Determine if the data for the form is already captured in Onboarding/Employee Central. If not, you might need to add custom data fields. In Onboarding 2.0, additional fields can be created via the Manage Business Configuration (for EC data model fields) or using Manage Data for custom MDF objects (for “Additional Onboarding Data”). For example, if you have a “Vehicle Information Form” for company cars, you may add new fields for “License Plate” etc. (This step is advanced; a simpler approach is to include any extra questions in the Additional Data Collection step of onboarding without creating new fields, but for fully mapped forms, fields should exist in the data model.)
3. Upload and Map PDF: Go to Admin Center > Manage Document Templates (or in some editions: Onboarding > PDF Forms). Select your Onboarding instance (company) and upload the PDF file . Once uploaded, the system will detect the PDF form fields. Click the Map Fields (plus icon) to map each PDF field to an Onboarding data field . For each field:
• Choose the corresponding Onboarding key or data field. For example, map “First Name” field on PDF to the Onboarding data key for first name. The interface typically shows a list or search dialog for data keys . Select and assign each key, then Update the mapping .
• Map all fields including signature fields. For signature, use the special Sign field mapping provided by SAP (which integrates with the e-signature component) .
• Save the mapped form.
4. Add Form to Onboarding Process: Now that the form template is ready, include it in the onboarding flow. Navigate to the Onboarding Processes configuration (which might be under Reference Files in older Onboarding UI or via Process Variant Manager in Onboarding 2.0). Find where to assign PDF forms to process steps. In many cases, compliance and custom forms show up in the Document Flow or Forms step of the onboarding process. Using the admin UI, add your new form to the appropriate step . You may have an option like “Assign Form to Process” – choose the onboarding process (or the variant) and add the form, specifying when it should appear. You can also set conditions if the form is only for certain employees (e.g., only show “Vehicle Info Form” for roles that require a company car).
5. Test the Form: We will test in Day 4, but ensure that the form is enabled. If you added it via a process variant, that variant needs to be active or conditionally used. If added to the default process, it should now be triggered for all new hires meeting criteria.
Exercise (10-15 min): Identify a simple policy document (or use a sample like a “Acknowledgment of Company Handbook”). Go through steps 1-3 in a sandbox environment:
• Create a short PDF with two fields: Name and Date.
• Upload it and map “Name” to the Onboarding new hire name field, and map “Date” to the start date or today’s date field.
• (If you don’t have a sandbox SF instance to do this, simply write down the mapping plan and ensure you know where in the Admin Center you would perform these actions.)
This exercise reinforces how custom forms integrate with Onboarding.
Tip: Keep a list of all forms required for your onboarding process. For each, decide if it’s a compliance form to enable or a custom form to upload. This forms checklist will guide your configuration.
2. Email Notifications Configuration
Effective onboarding relies on timely communications – welcome emails to new hires, task notifications to managers, reminders for pending tasks, etc. SuccessFactors Onboarding includes a set of preconfigured email templates and allows custom notifications.
Preconfigured Emails: SAP provides standard email templates (e.g., “Welcome to Company – sent to new hire”, “New Hire Activities – sent to manager”, etc.). These are found under Admin Center > Email Services (Onboarding). Review the list of templates:
• Note the template name, recipient, and trigger event for each. For example, a “New Hire Welcome Email” might be triggered when the onboarding process is initiated for a new hire.
Customizing Email Content: You can edit templates to match your company’s tone and instructions:
• Select a template (e.g., “Welcome Email”) and edit the subject line or body. Insert dynamic tokens for personalization (like [[FirstName]]). Keep the key information (like login instructions or start date reminders) intact.
• Save changes and, if possible, send a test email to yourself (some systems allow test send to a specified address to preview formatting).
Creating New Email Notifications: If you have scenarios not covered by standard emails, you can create new ones:
• Example: You want an email to IT when a new hire is about to start, listing what equipment to prepare. You could create a new email template “IT Equipment Notification” and use a business rule to trigger it (since Onboarding 2.0’s built-in triggers are limited ). The new rule function Trigger Email Notification can send custom emails at specific process steps (H2 2023 introduced more flexibility in triggers). This is advanced, but be aware it’s possible via the Business Rules in Admin Center.
• Basic approach without rules: If the system offers a “CC role” or similar in existing notifications, use that. For instance, some templates allow adding additional recipients (like IT or security) so they get notified without a separate email template.
Notification Types: Onboarding uses a combination of Email Notifications (sent to email inbox) and In-App To-Do Notifications (appearing on the SF home page To-Do list). The Email Services config mainly handles emails. The To-Do notifications (work queue) are usually automatic when tasks are assigned. For our plan, focus on emails which you can configure directly. According to a feature overview, notifications can be of different types (email, workflow, reminders, etc.) and are used to inform all stakeholders of their onboarding tasks . For example, an automatic email might go out to the facilities team for badge creation, triggered by assigning a facilities task . Determine which such communications are needed in your process.
Exercise (10 min): In Admin Center:
1. Go to Email Services (or Email Template Settings) for Onboarding. Locate the “New Hire Welcome” email template. Edit the greeting to personalize it (e.g., “Dear [[FirstName]], Welcome to [[CompanyName]]!”). Save the template.
2. If your system allows, create a new email template: e.g., “Manager Reminder – Day 3”. Set it to send to the Hiring Manager, with a message “Your new hire [[FirstName]] starts in 2 days. Please ensure all onboarding tasks are completed.” (You would later tie this to a trigger, but just creating the template is a good practice.)
3. Check the Onboarding 2.0 Processes or Business Rules section to see if any rules exist for triggering emails. Note how the standard ones are triggered (you may see rules named like “Send welcome email on initiate”). No need to edit them now – just be aware of how the system knows when to send each notification.
Tip: Plan out your notification timeline: e.g., Day 0: welcome email to hire; Day 0: notification to manager to prepare; Day 1: orientation reminder to hire; Day 3: reminder to manager for any pending tasks, etc. Many of these can be handled with the standard set or slight configuration. Leverage the existing templates and only create new ones if absolutely necessary (to avoid complexity, since custom triggers may require more maintenance).
3. Compliance and Policy Settings
Beyond forms, Onboarding may require certain compliance policies or settings:
• E-Signature Configuration: Onboarding 2.0 integrates with SAP Signature Management by DocuSign for electronic signatures . Ensure that e-signature is configured (check Admin Center > E-Signature Settings). In most cases, SAP manages the connection, but you may need to set up DocuSign account info in Provisioning. If your forms require signatures, test that signing works (in Day 4).
• Data Privacy and Consent: If you operate in regions with data privacy laws, ensure your Onboarding process includes any required consent forms or privacy notices. These could be included as custom forms or as informational steps. SAP doesn’t automatically prompt these, so include them in your custom process if needed.
• Compliance Timing: Some compliance tasks (like I-9 in the US) have strict timing (e.g., complete by the third day of employment). The system doesn’t enforce this by default; it relies on your process and admins. Use Manage Timing (if available) or at least document for the HR team when each compliance step must be done. For example, set a reminder notification for HR on Day 1 to complete I-9 Section 2.
• Review Country-Specific Settings: In Compliance Settings, after enabling forms, review if any country-specific options are available (like state tax defaults).
Summary: By end of Day 3, you have set up the mechanics of onboarding content – all forms new hires need to fill or sign are configured, and all notifications that keep everyone informed are in place. You’ve essentially built the skeleton (Day 2) and flesh (Day 3) of your onboarding program. Tomorrow, we will connect these pieces by testing the end-to-end process, including integration with Recruiting and Employee Central.
Day 4: Integration & Testing (Recruiting to Onboarding to Hire)
Goal: Integrate Onboarding with Recruiting and Employee Central, and perform end-to-end testing of the onboarding process. You will simulate real-world scenarios to ensure data flows correctly from recruiting through onboarding to the creation of an employee record.
1. Integrating Onboarding with Recruiting Management (RCM)
If you use SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting, the usual flow is: a candidate is hired in Recruiting, which initiates Onboarding for that candidate. Key integration configurations to check :
• Provisioning (Onboarding Integration): Verify that the switch “Enable Onboarding Integration (BizX Onboarding)” is turned on in Provisioning under Recruiting settings . (Your implementation partner or SAP support can confirm this. It triggers the link between RCM and Onboarding.)
• Recruiting Status Setup: In Recruiting, define an applicant status that will hand off to Onboarding. Typically, you configure one status as “Hirable” (ready for hire) and the next as “Hired” which triggers the onboarding process . Make sure only one status is marked as “Hirable” and one as “Hired” in each pipeline (having multiple can cause issues ). For example, set “Background Check Complete” as Hirable, and “Offer Accepted” as Hired, so that when a recruiter moves a candidate to “Offer Accepted,” onboarding begins.
• Initiate Onboarding Permission: Ensure that Recruiting users (e.g., recruiters or hiring managers) have permission to initiate onboarding. In RCM, this can be configured via the Job Requisition XML or Admin Center’s template settings. SAP provides a snippet (feature-permission in the requisition XML) to allow certain roles (like recruiter = “R” or hiring manager = “G”) to trigger onboarding . Verify with your Recruiting admin that this is in place. In short, recruiters/hiring managers should see an option like “Initiate Onboarding” when they set a candidate to the hired status.
• Onboarding Integration Setup: In Admin Center, open Onboarding 2.0 Integration Setup . Decide if Onboarding should start for all hires or only some. By default, it’s enabled for all job requisitions, but you can filter (e.g., only for full-time positions, or exclude interns) . For initial testing, keep it simple: apply to all job requisitions. (This page is also where you map specific requisition criteria if needed, but that’s optional.)
Exercise (Integration Config Check, 5 min): In Admin Center, go to Onboarding 2.0 Integration Setup. Check that “Apply Onboarding to all Job Requisitions” is selected . If not, select it and save. This ensures your test hire will trigger onboarding. Also, identify the name of the status in Recruiting that corresponds to onboarding start (you might need to open Recruiting > Manage Recruiting Settings > Applicant Status Configuration to view this). Communicate with the Recruiting team if a change is needed.
2. Integrating Onboarding with Employee Central (New Hire Creation)
At the end of the onboarding process, the new hire’s data must be converted into an active employee record in Employee Central.
• Recruit-to-Hire Data Mapping: Earlier in configuration, we mapped fields between RCM and Onboarding. Similarly, Onboarding to EC mapping is largely direct because Onboarding 2.0 uses the EC data model. However, ensure the Recruit-to-Hire Data Mapping in Admin Center is properly set . Navigate to Admin Center > Recruit-to-Hire Data Mapping. On the EC Data Entities tab, you should see mappings for entities like PersonalInfo, JobInfo, etc. Verify that critical fields (First Name, Last Name, Start Date, Position, etc.) are mapped from RCM to EC fields . If anything is unmapped (especially required fields), map it now. SAP recommends mapping all mandatory EC fields to avoid data issues . For example, ensure jobInfo.company, jobInfo.event-reason, jobInfo.manager-id are mapped appropriately (they might be mapped to custom fields or default values if not coming from recruiting) .
• “Day One” Conversion Job: The process of converting an onboardee (external user) to an internal employee is handled by a scheduled job. Ensure the Day One Conversion Job is configured in Provisioning . This job typically runs daily and will activate any onboardees whose start date is today, turning them into an internal user and creating their EC employment records. Coordinate with your system admin to confirm this job is active. Without it, the new hire might not be automatically converted on start date. (If you can’t check provisioning, plan to manually use Admin Center > Manage Pending Hires as a fallback to convert the hire – this tool lets you review and import onboardees into EC if needed.)
• Cross-Module Permissions: Ensure that once converted, the relevant HR or managers can see the new hire in Employee Central (this is standard if they have EC access). Also, the new hire should get appropriate EC roles (usually handled by the system once they become an internal user).
3. End-to-End Test Scenarios
Time to put everything together. You will run through a full onboarding cycle as a test. If possible, use a test environment or set all test entries to clearly identifiable dummy data.
Test Scenario 1: Recruiting to Onboarding to Hire (Happy Path)
1. Create a Test Candidate in Recruiting: In the Recruiting module, create a new candidate (you can often do this by creating a dummy application to an open job requisition). Fill in mandatory details (name, email, etc.).
2. Move Candidate to Hirable and then Hired: Progress the candidate through the recruiting pipeline to the point of hire. Set the candidate into the “hireable” status, then move to the “hired” (onboarding initiation) status. Upon doing this, check for a confirmation or notification that Onboarding has been initiated. (If configured, you might see a message or the candidate record will show “Onboarding initiated”.)
3. Verify Onboarding Initiation: Switch to the Onboarding module (Admin Center or Onboarding Dashboard). The new candidate should now appear as a “New Hire” in Onboarding. Often, the candidate will be listed on the Onboarding Dashboard with status “Not Started” or “In Progress”. If you have access, also check Admin Center > Manage Pending Hires (Onboarding) – the candidate should be listed there as an onboardee.
4. Execute Onboarding Steps: Now play the role of each actor to move the process along:
• HR Data Entry: If the first step is HR completing missing data, go to the Onboarding dashboard, find the new hire, and complete the New Hire Data Review step (enter any data requested and submit).
• New Hire Portal: The new hire should receive the welcome email. Instead of actually having them log in, you (as admin) can proxy as the external user or simulate their actions. Alternatively, if you have the email, use the new hire’s credentials to log into the Onboarding portal (you might need to create a dummy external user login for them via Admin Center > Add New Hire to Onboarding if not done automatically ). Complete the Personal Data Collection: fill in personal information, sign forms electronically, and submit each panel. Make sure to test any custom form you added: does it display and capture data correctly? For example, if you added an “IT Policy Acknowledgment” PDF, verify that the new hire can see it and mark it as signed/submitted.
• Manager Tasks: Log in as the Hiring Manager (or proxy as one) for this new hire. Check the To-Do list or Onboarding dashboard for any tasks assigned to the manager (e.g., “Set up work equipment” or “Assign a buddy”). Complete one of these tasks to ensure the system records it.
• IT/Other Responsible Groups: If you configured tasks for IT or others, you might simulate those as well (or just verify they were notified via email).
• Completion: Continue until all onboarding steps are completed. The process might automatically mark complete once required steps are done or may wait for the start date. If there is a final HR sign-off step (as you may have configured in Day 2 exercise), complete that as well.
5. New Hire Conversion: Assuming the start date is today or you trigger the conversion, run the conversion:
• If using Manage Pending Hires: Go there, select the candidate, and “Hire” them into the system. This usually means confirming their data and creating their employee profile in EC.
• If relying on the scheduled job, you might need to wait until it runs (or ask a provisioning admin to run it). If you can’t run it now, change the candidate’s start date to tomorrow and plan to check tomorrow whether they converted (or ask admin to temporarily run the job manually for testing).
After conversion, verify in Employee Central (People Profile) that the new hire now exists as an active employee with the correct data (check name, position, etc., and that their user type is now internal).
6. Verify Data and Documents: In Employee Central, or in Document Management, verify that documents (like signed PDFs) from Onboarding are stored (Onboarding typically saves completed forms to the Document Center). Also verify that any data collected (like address, phone number) has flowed into the employee’s EC profile fields. If something is missing or wrong, note it – you may need to adjust your Recruit-to-Hire mappings or required field configurations .
Expected Results: The end-to-end process should complete without major errors. All emails should have been sent (check the new hire’s email inbox if accessible, and the manager’s). All tasks should be marked done on the dashboard. The new hire should now be an employee in EC.
Test Scenario 2: Manual Onboarding (if no Recruiting) – Optional: If your company sometimes hires without using SF Recruiting (e.g., off-cycle hires or contractors):
• Use Admin Center > Add New Hire to Onboarding to manually start an onboarding process . This requires you (the admin) to input the person’s details and start onboarding. Ensure you have RBP to do this (Onboarding Admin usually covers it). Once initiated, follow similar steps as above to complete onboarding for that person. This tests the system’s capability to onboard without an RCM trigger.
Troubleshooting During Testing: If you encounter issues:
• If the candidate did not appear in Onboarding: check that the recruiting status was correctly configured to trigger onboarding (the integration setup and RBP might be the culprit). Also ensure the user was not already in the system (which could skip onboarding for rehires differently).
• If you get a permissions error (e.g., “User not authorized” when trying to access a step): re-check the RBP role for that step’s user. Onboarding often has very granular permissions; one missing checkbox can block access. Commonly missed: giving the new hire external user permission to the specific compliance objects or data objects – resulting in the new hire seeing an empty screen. Use admin override to complete that step, then fix RBP and retry with another test if needed.
• If data didn’t map into EC properly: likely a mapping issue. For instance, the new hire’s department is blank in EC – this suggests the recruit-to-hire mapping for department wasn’t set. Map it and test again.
• If emails didn’t send: ensure the Email Services templates are active and the email trigger conditions were met. (Check email logs if available, or simply verify the template’s target and that the responsible user had an email address in the system.)
By the end of Day 4, you should have a successfully onboarded test user and first-hand experience of the process from multiple perspectives. This testing not only validates your configuration, but also is a rehearsal for understanding what end-users (new hires, managers, HR) will experience — valuable when you train others in the next step.
Day 5: Troubleshooting, Best Practices, and Training Others
Goal: Consolidate your knowledge by learning how to troubleshoot common issues, reviewing best practices for Onboarding implementation, and preparing to train end-users and other administrators.
1. Troubleshooting Common Issues
Every implementation encounters some issues. Let’s review a few common ones and how to address them:
• Permission Issues: One of the biggest challenges can be RBP misconfiguration . If a user reports not seeing or being able to do something in Onboarding, first check their permissions. Use the Permission Checker tool or manually verify the user’s roles. For example, if Hiring Managers cannot initiate onboarding, ensure the requisition template permission was added . If new hires can’t log in, ensure they have the External User role and the account is set to external user type. Often simply granting the missing RBP (or logging in as the user to replicate the issue) solves the problem.
• Onboarding Not Triggering: If moving a candidate to the hired status doesn’t start onboarding, confirm the status configuration. Remember, only one status should be marked as Hireable and one as Hired in each pipeline; if incorrectly set, the hand-off won’t occur . Also ensure the Onboarding Integration toggle in Provisioning is on. Check the candidate’s data for any validation issues (e.g., missing mandatory field could sometimes silently fail the transfer – the system might require all mandatory fields in EC have some value before onboarding can start ).
• Data Mapping Errors: If information is not coming through to Onboarding or to EC, revisit the Recruit-to-Hire Data Mapping. A handy trick: if the mapping page is blank or not updating, run an OData API Metadata Refresh (Admin Center tool) and log out/in; sometimes new fields don’t appear until you do this. Use the Validate All Entities button on the mapping page to check for unmapped required fields .
• Email Notifications Not Sent: Check if the emails are sitting in a queue or failed. Use Email Notification Audit (if available) to see if emails were generated. If not, perhaps the trigger condition wasn’t met. For instance, the “welcome email” might only fire for external users – if your test user was internal, it wouldn’t send. Also ensure each template is set to “Active” and has correct recipients. Remember that Onboarding 2.0 has some limitations on custom email triggers , so if a desired email didn’t send, you may need to implement a business rule or accept the limitation.
• Process Stalled or Task Not Generated: Occasionally, an Onboarding process might stall (no tasks created) if something wasn’t configured (e.g., responsible group not set for a custom step). Use Admin Center > Monitor Processes (if provided) to see the status of the workflow. You can also use Restart Onboarding for a particular hire if needed (there’s an option to restart the process, which can be enabled via feature toggle, to recover from certain errors). If a task is assigned to “No Role” due to missing responsible group, assign it via Admin take-over or fix the process definition and then restart that step.
• Common Error Messages: If you see specific error codes or messages (like ONB-*** codes), search the SAP Knowledge Base or community. SAP’s community forums are full of Q&A where consultants have encountered similar issues. Often, the fixes involve one of the areas above (permissions, data, or config).
When troubleshooting, a best practice is to replicate the issue in the test environment and use a systematic approach: check logs (if you have access), isolate which step fails, and verify configuration for that step. The good news is Onboarding 2.0 is on the same platform as EC, so traditional EC troubleshooting tools (e.g., checking the Business Rule execution via rule trace, checking employee data via Manage Data) are available.
2. Best Practices for Onboarding Implementation
Now that you have deep-dived into Onboarding 2.0, let’s highlight some best practices to ensure a smooth implementation and operation:
• Keep it Simple Initially: Leverage the standard process and forms as much as possible. The default Onboarding process covers common needs; avoid over-engineering it. Only add custom steps or fields if absolutely necessary for your business. Each customization can introduce complexity and potential bugs. It’s easier to start with baseline functionality and add enhancements later than to remove or fix over-complicated configs.
• Data Consistency: Ensure all required data is accounted for between Recruiting, Onboarding, and EC. For example, if EC requires a field (like Company or Business Unit), make sure Recruiting provides it or define a default. “Map all mandatory fields under the four mandatory entities (personalInfo, employmentInfo, jobInfo, emailInfo) to avoid any data disparities.” . This prevents situations where the new hire can’t be converted due to missing data.
• Test Multiple Scenarios: Don’t only test the “happy path.” Create scenarios for different employee types: e.g., International hire (with different compliance forms), Rehire (someone who had worked before; Onboarding 2.0 has a rehire check process), Internal transfer (cross-boarding) if you plan to use that, and No-show (if a new hire does not join, how will you cancel or roll back the process?). By testing these, you ensure your configuration handles all cases or you identify manual steps needed.
• Stakeholder Involvement: Involve IT, Facilities, Payroll, etc., if they have tasks in onboarding. Get their input on what tasks and notifications they need. It’s common to assign equipment or account setup tasks to IT and entrance formalities to Facilities. Make sure those tasks and notifications are configured, and that those teams have access to the Onboarding system or at least receive the emails. Inter-department collaboration ensures no step is missed on Day 1 for the new hire.
• Use Checklists and Worksheets: During your project, maintain an Onboarding configuration workbook (a spreadsheet or document) that tracks:
• Roles and their permissions,
• List of forms (with file names, status enabled, etc.),
• List of email notifications (template name, purpose, recipients),
• Mappings done (fields from RCM to EC),
• Integration toggles (Onboarding enabled? Day1 job scheduled? etc.).
This serves as documentation and a quick-reference if something needs to be updated later. It’s also useful for audit or knowledge transfer.
• Monitor and Iterate: After go-live, monitor the onboarding processes for a few cycles. Gather feedback from new hires and managers. Perhaps new hires say they didn’t understand a certain form – you might improve the instructions email. Or managers might forget to complete tasks – maybe implement an extra reminder notification or provide a dashboard report to HR. Onboarding is about user experience as much as compliance, so continuously refine it.
• Stay Current with Releases: SAP SuccessFactors releases updates twice a year. Onboarding 2.0 might get new features (for example, improved notifications or new compliance forms). Keep an eye on release notes and test new features in preview. Adopting improvements (like the new hire checklist on the homepage introduced in recent releases) can enhance your onboarding program without much effort.
3. Training End Users and Administrators
Finally, to ensure successful adoption, prepare to train others on using the Onboarding system:
• Training HR and Administrators: Your HR team or onboarding specialists need to know how to initiate onboarding (if manual), how to monitor progress, and how to troubleshoot minor issues. Conduct a training session showing the Onboarding Dashboard and how to use it. Demonstrate actions like editing a new hire’s data, resending an email, or canceling an onboarding (e.g., if a candidate withdraws). Provide them a one-page cheat sheet with key steps and links to any internal wiki or SAP Help pages for reference.
• Training Hiring Managers: Managers play a key role (completing tasks, welcoming the employee). Provide a quick guide or short video for managers that explains: where to find their onboarding tasks in SuccessFactors (usually in the To-Do tile on the homepage), how to complete them (e.g., click task, enter info or confirm completion), and the importance of doing so on time. Emphasize that the Onboarding tool will help them and their new team member have a smooth start. Many managers are occasional users, so clarity is key.
• New Hire Guidance: While the system is meant to be intuitive for new hires, consider sending an introductory email separate from the system-generated one that explains what they need to do. For example: “You will shortly receive an email to login to our Onboarding Portal. There, you will fill out some information and find your Day 1 agenda. Please complete all sections before your start date. If you have issues, contact HR at …”. This sets expectations. Additionally, ensure the content in your welcome email and portal is welcoming and clear (avoid too much jargon or system-speak).
• Documentation: As a best practice, “document the process” for training purposes . Create simple step-by-step documentation or a FAQ for each user group:
• For HR/Onboarding admins: an admin guide (e.g., how to add a new hire manually, how to configure a form if needed in future, etc.).
• For managers: a short PDF or intranet page, “Manager’s Guide to Onboarding in SuccessFactors,” listing their responsibilities and screenshots of the To-Do page.
• For new hires: perhaps a welcome web page or part of your offer packet that introduces the digital onboarding process.
These documents don’t have to be lengthy – in fact, concise and visual is best. Use screenshots where applicable, and highlight the key actions users must take.
• Train-the-Trainer: If your organization is large, consider a train-the-trainer approach. Empower a few HR super users or IT support members with in-depth knowledge (perhaps share this 5-day plan with them!) so they can support others. They should understand the configuration (in case something needs tweaking) and be able to answer end-user questions.
• Feedback Loop: After the first few onboarding groups have gone through, solicit feedback from the new hires and managers about the system usability. Use that to adjust your training materials or even the system configuration if needed. Onboarding is the first impression of your company’s internal systems for a new employee – investing in making it smooth yields high returns in employee satisfaction.
Exercise (15 min): Outline a brief training plan for each role:
• Write 5 bullet points that you will cover when training hiring managers (e.g., where to log in, what tasks to do, deadlines, who to ask for help, etc.).
• Write a sample Q&A for new hires (e.g., Q: “What if I need to save and continue later?” A: “You can save your progress on each form and log back in via the link in your welcome email.”).
• Share this outline with a colleague or mentor to see if it’s clear. This will help ensure your training approach is solid.
4. Go-Live Readiness Checklist (Wrap-up)
As you conclude the 5-day plan, here’s a quick checklist to review, combining all days:
• System Setup: Onboarding 2.0 enabled; provisioning jobs (Day One conversion) scheduled; recruiting statuses configured.
• Security: RBP roles for all participants (admin, HR, manager, new hire external) set and tested.
• Processes: Onboarding workflow reviewed; variants created for any custom process needs; responsible groups assigned for all tasks.
• Forms & Documents: All required compliance forms enabled; all custom forms uploaded, mapped, and assigned to the process.
• Notifications: Email templates reviewed/edited; custom notifications set up if needed; tested email triggers.
• Integration: Field mappings between Recruiting-Onboarding-EC verified; test hire data flowed correctly.
• Testing: Conducted end-to-end tests; fixed any issues discovered; all tasks and data appeared as expected.
• Training: Training materials drafted; support plan in place for go-live; users informed about upcoming changes.
By following this structured learning plan, you have incrementally built up the knowledge and configuration of SAP SuccessFactors Onboarding 2.0 over five days. You are now equipped not only to implement and configure the module but also to operate it effectively and train others to use it. Remember that successful onboarding is a continuous improvement process – keep learning from each onboarding batch and leverage SAP’s community and updates. This is more focused on consultants who has intermediate level expertise.
No comments:
Post a Comment