The Comprehensive Guide For Upgrading From Sap Erp HCM To Sap Successfactors

THE COMPREHENSIVE
GUIDE FOR UPGRADING

FROM SAP® ERP HCM TO
SAP SUCCESSFACTORS®
Table of contents
01 02
Introduction Key Business Case Factors
to Consider
page 3 page 4
03 04
Assessing your Finding the
Readiness Right Partner
page 7 page 9
05 06
Deployment Tips and Tools for the
Options Implementation Process
page 12 page 15
07 08
User Adoption and Beyond the
Change Management Implementation
page 20 page 22
09 10
Conclusion Why Rizing for your
Migration to the SAP Cloud
page 23 page 24
/ 2 © 2020 Rizing LLC or a Rizing LLC affiliate company. All rights reserved.
01 Introduction
Technology in the human resources space
has moved rapidly since the first cloud
enterprise solutions were introduced just
on-premise edition” as a bridge to give
additional time to those customers
who are not ready to fully move to
after the turn of the millennium. It began SAP SuccessFactors in the mid-term.
initially with talent management tools, but
now all of what an HR organization needs Whether or not customers migrate from
to do can be done in the cloud. Today, on-premise SAP to SuccessFactors now,
cloud solutions for HR remove not only the migrating to the cloud is inevitable because
infrastructure burdens, but, more importantly, the systems of 20 and 30 years ago simply
drive improved processes and continual were not designed to keep up with the
innovation. pace of change and innovation in today’s
business and consumer-driven market.
The cloud is the path to innovation and This does not simply mean that technology
efficiency in HR and payroll. That is why needs to change – everything needs to
companies running SAP ERP HCM all over change starting with how we think about
the world are moving to cloud solutions like HR transactions from hire to retire; because
SAP SuccessFactors to transform their HR business processes are not simply evolving.
and payroll processes—SAP even has a
program for this called Upgrade2Success. We are now seeing the tipping point from
evolution to an outright reimagination of
To ensure maximum return-on-investment what is possible and as a result, businesses
(ROI) in moving to the cloud, SAP’s themselves are being completely and totally
Upgrade2Success program combines recreated, redesigned, and reconstructed.
three key elements that are vital to the Changing your core HR system — a system
success of any project: that is arguably at the very center of every
single business transaction — is a once in a
PEOPLE: People with deep expertise in decade, or perhaps even a once in a lifetime,
SAP ERP HCM and SAP SuccessFactors. opportunity.
Given customers’ desire for innovation

PROCESSES: Best practice approaches to keep pace with today’s HR needs, the
to identifying the risks associated with motivation is there to move to the cloud.
migrating from heavily customized legacy The good news is many SAP customers
programs to new cloud technologies. have already upgraded from on-premise
HCM to SAP SuccessFactors Employee
Central, so there are many best practices,
TECHNOLOGY: Tools to simplify and
tools, and services provided by SAP and
accelerate the migration.
its partners that can ensure the smoothest
implementation and best possible result.
If you are an SAP on-premise customer,
it is important to know that SAP is ending In this comprehensive paper, we will provide
mainstream maintenance for SAP ERP insight into the entire process of upgrading
HCM in 2027. SAP SuccessFactors is the to the cloud and SAP SuccessFactors from
go-forward solution for HR. and the primary an on-premise HCM environment. We
focus of SAP-led innovations in HR. will take you through the necessary steps
from business case to implementation and
In 2018 SAP announced an SAP S/4HANA® adoption. We will also highlight the useful
HCM on-premise solution, “SAP Human tools and services that can make things
Capital Management for SAP S/4HANA, easier along the way.
Key Business Case
Factors to Consider
Upgrading to the cloud begins with establishing a business case. In this step,
organizations walk through each of their HR and payroll processes to drive improved
processes and continual innovation. They identify key actions to take and tools to
02
use from the exploratory phase to management of a live solution. This is important
in ensuring the move to the cloud is supported by leadership and end-users alike.
To achieve executive support for HR transformation, you will have to construct a solid business
case to ensure you have the necessary investment. This is done by demonstrating how moving
to the cloud will provide ROI and breaking down each area that the transformation will impact.
In the table below, we have outlined how SAP SuccessFactors increases ROI over SAP ERP HCM
in 13 key areas.
How cloud
increases ROI ON-PREMISE CLOUD
SAP SuccessFactors is delivered with standard

HR processes and workflows are cumbersome functionality for hire-to-retire HR transactions,
Workflow to build and adapt to changing business needs. including workflow, alerts, notifications, and
This requires technical expertise. Workflows, alerts, approvals. HR administrators can create
Build & notifications, and approvals require separate workflows; more complex processes require
Maintenance configuration and maintenance. Tracking and technical skills. Line-of-business users can
troubleshooting require technical insight. handle the processing end-to-end via clear
user interfaces (UI).
SAP SuccessFactors is delivered with a fully

Department and position structures are visible functional org chart that allows employees to
to a manager. Company hierarchy structure search for others in the organization and to
Visibility is not realistically functional in a manager or see the reporting structure. Three complete
employee’s view without complex technical hierarchies; Reporting Structure, Position
programming or add-ons. Structure, and Company Structure are all
available.
Empowerment of managers to initiate position SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central comes

and employee transactions is available via with MSS built into the system. There are no
Manager Self-Service (MSS). However, delivery of separate connections to portal or NetWeaver
MSS requires the design capabilities and support required. Transactions can be processed
Self-Service of numerous technical resources and a variety of in real-time. As a result, what you see in
platform connections. Processing of transactions Employee Central is exactly what you get in
is not real time. Support, troubleshooting and MSS – removing the need for reconciliation or
testing are labor intensive. comparison between two different displays.
Continued on next page >
< Continued from previous page
How cloud
Adapting the on-premise environment for SAP SuccessFactors delivers maintenance

new and changing business needs – or to take and enhancements in biannual releases that
advantage of SAP enhancements – requires are installed on your platform automatically.
Agility technical resources to first maintain the system Technical resources may be engaged to
at the current level of support packages. This activate and configure enhancements; but the
process requires multiple resources across IT and core functionality is always at the latest level
the business area and spans at least 6-8 weeks. offered by SAP.
SAP SuccessFactors delivers localization

SAP delivers localization to countless countries.
for an ever-growing number of countries.
Multi-Country The complexity of configuring the on-premise
Deployment across various countries is less
Configuration environment for each country and language
complex in the cloud model, requiring less
requires technical resources.
time and effort.
The system is not intuitive, therefore requiring

Training Interfaces and workflows are intuitive,
more time and materials to ensure users are
Costs prepared.
requiring limited to no training material.
Client maintains no landscape. The servers

Client is required to maintain their own separate
are maintained by SAP and are available in
landscape – servers and back-up servers and
Server local countries to support security concerns.
procedures. The hardware and manpower
Infrastructure add costs to the client that are sometimes
SAP maintains back-up and is responsible
for availability, response time and security
not considered.
of the servers.
SAP SuccessFactors offers extensibility

through Partner pre-built add-ons available
Customization and modifications are possible in the SAP App Center. Some minor additional
Extending
with ABAP coding. Modifications result in customizations may also be made by the
the Solution increased maintenance efforts ongoing. HR Administrator. Extensions do not affect
the core product and, thus, do not result in
increased maintenance complexity.
SAP SuccessFactors comes delivered a mobile

Client must build custom apps using
interface readily available out of the box. Users
Going SAP Fiori or other technology and must
can download the app from the mobile app
Mobile create the infrastructure to deliver and
store on android or iOS and have full access to
manage mobile capability.
the system, including org charts and forms.
Requires the client to deploy and implement

As simple as activating role-based permissions.
Self-Service Portal Work Packages. ESS/MSS requires
ESS/MSS functionality is embedded, and no
Scalability configuration, as well as technical
additional configuration required.
development for related portal configuration.
Cloud solutions are economically focused on

future development–enabling clients to agilely
Mainstream maintenance will end in 2027.
adapt to business and technology changes.
Keeping the solution will require further
The expense of hardware and technical
Building for maintenance and increase costs. If moving
resources to manage the landscape can be
the Future to SAP S/4HANA, client has the option to
redirected to innovation. Cloud models fit
continue on-premise until 2030 with additional
our rapidly changing global environment,
Compatibility Packs.
enabling organizations to keep pace with
the competition forward.
Continued on next page >

< Continued from previous page
How cloud
There’s no loss of on-premise data when

Years of historical data resides within the
moving to cloud with Rizing Lyra, available
Historical on-premise environment and life-cycle
on the SAP App Center. Rizing Lyra delivers a
Data management processes and servers are
3D view of all historical data accessible within
required which demand technical resources.
a SuccessFactors tile.
The role-based permissions model is the

Inherent within on-premise security are layers
authorizations framework leveraged in
of complexity and specific skillsets needed
Security to maintain the software such as SAP Basis
cloud HCM and can be maintained by HRIS
administrators directly in the UI. It is intuitive
and SAP Security expertise.
and easy to maintain.
To assess current costs of your on-premise system for comparison with a cloud system, there
are things to examine that will not factor in the cloud. Primarily, those are infrastructure costs
but others as well.
In an on-premise environment, there are server and other hardware component costs, physical
infrastructure costs like electricity and cooling, software infrastructure costs, redundant system
costs, disaster recovery costs, platform costs, maintenance fees, support and help desk, as well
as IT and operational personnel to manage it all.
Much of that is eliminated with a cloud subscription service like SAP SuccessFactors because you
are passing the infrastructure burden on to the vendor. Those are not the only cost reductions,
or potential savers that come with cloud.
Innovation is important, and often helps to bring about efficiencies that save time and money.
The cloud offers a faster route to innovation through more frequent and automatic updates.
Part of that innovation is improved analytics and reporting. How much could you save if you
better knew how your HR processes were performing? Tools within SAP SuccessFactors,
as well as partner-built options such as Rizing Lyra, can provide user-friendly, modern
reporting and analytics that dig deep into your HR processes.
Finally, employee engagement is central to the modernized user experience and self-service
capabilities of cloud HR software. Managers and employees can perform tasks that would have
otherwise been relegated as repetitive and menial work for an HR employee. In the cloud, these
HR tasks are also delivered in a unified suite, giving companies the ability to leverage pre-built
integrations for a single user experience, as well as a single system to maintain.
Savings come through more productive HR staffers, and the reduction of hours on things such as
entering and filing paid time off information. That is just one example of something that is done
without HR intervention by the employee or manager in the system.
There are many factors that can help you build a strong business case for upgrading to the cloud,
the key is identifying which best fit your organization. There are real savings to be had in a cloud
transformation. To achieve those savings, it is best to be prepared for the move.
Assessing your
Readiness
Moving your on-premise systems to
the cloud may seem daunting. That
initial step of building a business case
03
Assessing your readiness prior
to your move to the cloud will
will help, but even more knowledge is help you ease your business
power. Assessing your readiness for
Employee Central can give you a path
transformation project by:
to a successful implementation. There
are activities you can undertake ahead • Identifying any significant and
of a move to the cloud that will save costly roadblocks.
time and avoid pitfalls in the long run.
Many of the customer concerns around • Gaining a complete overview

moving to Employee Central revolve around of all customizations in
having too complicated of an on-premise SAP ERP HCM.
system with too many customizations
for cloud to be able to support their • Identifying any technical
requirements.
Integrations that might delay
the project.
Look at your
• Itemizing risks and planning
Current System for a mitigation strategy.
When properly assessing your readiness,
• Providing better insights to the
you should be looking at your current
system, while also checking for significant Employee Central team entering
roadblocks that may come along during the design sessions.
your implementation process. Here are some
important steps to take in assessing your • Better planning, budgeting,
readiness for Employee Central: and estimating all efforts.
• First up, and perhaps one of the greatest
• Identifying any data quality issues
causes of insecurity for customers,
is creating a list of SAP ERP HCM or gaps that could potentially hinder
customizations. These customizations are the future cloud deployment.
often created to align with an established
process. When moving to HCM in the • Breaking down internal cloud
cloud, it is time to start thinking about if project skillsets and experience
those processes can be updated. to plan for the impending
cloud project.
• In examining your current HCM your team is stuck doing things the old
system state, in addition to examining way. Not all existing processes should be
processes and forms, you will look at migrated, some should be discarded for
workflows—both HR and non-HR. You new and updated processes that fit with
will also take inventory of any SAP upgraded technology and modern HR
SuccessFactors Talent Modules you may demands.
already be running, and look at shift
planning, compensation, and self-service Transformation often comes for customers in
capabilities. the form of employee self-service. This might
come as a change for your organization,
• Beyond that, you will look at a list of where HR administrators are relied upon
things in your SAP ERP HCM system, as to initiate processes. In a self-service
well as current interfaces and programs environment, managers and employees
on which your HCM process relies. conduct many HR transactions. Addressing
user adoption should be part of your strategy.
For each of these areas, it is important to
consider potential impacts they may have Finally, you may have deployed custom
on an Employee Central implementation, programs, Infotypes, and objects in your
as well as possible mitigation strategies SAP HCM on-premise system. These custom
for that impact. solutions need to be examined early for
successful Employee Central adoption.
If some of the functionality addressed in your
Identifying Roadblocks on-premise customizations will be necessary
to Success in your SAP SuccessFactors system, it’s
important to know what tools are available
Roadblocks to a successful Employee for extensibility in the cloud. For example,
Central implementation can be both the SAP Cloud Platform is a differentiator
technical and involve cultural and mindset in the HR space for bigger projects, and
shifts. If employees are unable to adjust to SAP SuccessFactors also offers user-friendly
the new HCM system, that can impact the extensibility options within the solution for
project negatively. They need to be ready smaller additions.
for the change.
These custom solutions also tie into data
Change management experts will be key migration and data cleansing. There are costs
to keeping your stakeholders in the loop associated with conversions and keeping
and ensuring consistent communication historical data. Think about your data early
throughout the Employee Central evaluation. and figure out your strategy. One option
The amount of change management that is for keeping your historical data accessible
required is reliant upon your current self- without propping up an old system is Rizing
service landscape. We will cover change Lyra—we will expand on historical data
management in more detail later in this paper. options in a later section.
The goal of implementing a new HCM A good partner will help you find the best
system in the cloud should be real HR solutions for extensibility and data migration,
transformation. That cannot be done if as well as help alleviate any other roadblocks
you may discover.
Finding the
Right Partner
Finding the right implementation and
sustainment partner is crucial to your
cloud transformation project’s success.
04
The right partner for implementation
can be maintained into the sustainment
phase. A partner’s ability to communicate
Care must be taken when selecting your a comprehensive sustainment plan in the
partner, as the decision can be just as request for proposal (RFP) stage with flexible
important as the choice of software for support options for organizations should be
your business. strongly merited.
Partner review sites such as Raven Intel can

provide a nice base for finding a partner that RFP and Tenders to
fits your needs, but there is deeper analysis
that needs to be done.
Find a Partner
There are all sorts of partners in the Oftentimes, a company will put out a bid to
enterprise technology ecosystem. There tender as a way of evaluating and finding an
are those that implement a wide range of implementation partner for their software.
competing technologies without specific This is a great way to become educated not
expertise in a single software set. There are only on who is working in the space, but also
companies, like Rizing, that are focused solely on the product itself by way of information
on SAP SuccessFactors for HCM. There are provided by partners in their responses.
others that provide niche services for specific
modules or processes. However, RFPs and other tenders (RFIs,
RFQs) can also be a double-edged sword for
In the case of SAP software projects, organizations due to the amount of time and
customers should be looking to work with effort that they tend to add to pre-project
partners who employ consultants with the cycles, and the risk of choosing partners
relevant certifications needed in the specific based on procurement rules rather than on
software and bring a unique set of expertise other criteria that may be important down
that is relevant to the project’s focus. Finding the line during software deployment.
the partner or combination of partners that
can help you complete your implementation In order to make the most effective use of
work and maintain your system requires your RFP evaluation, at a minimum, the
looking at several traits. organization should take into consideration
the following as part of the overall process:
Organizations should be seeking to work
with a partner with sector specific experience
that are able to articulate the unique HCM
Time and Process
processes embedded in unique industries. Does the time it will take to do an RFP cycle
For example, in the retail sector, there is a make sense for the business? It is common
need for trusted advisors in the areas of for organizations to spend more time
employee self-service and the need to tailor doing a lengthy evaluation, only to have it
the cloud mobile functionality deployment actually lead to delays in getting a project
accordingly. going for a variety of reasons (e.g. budget
goes elsewhere, did not like the responses, • Solution Information – Can the partner
underestimated the required budget demonstrate a clear understanding of
and could not get appropriate financing, what your organizational needs and
procurement invalidated chosen partner). objectives are, and clearly describe a
solution and path towards attaining them?
In many instances where it is not a pro-
curement requirement to do an RFP, it may • References – Does the partner have
make more sense to just begin with a short specific references in good standing
list of three to four partners. These could that are relevant to the work you are
be consulting firms that have worked with attempting to do?
your organization before or who have been
referred to the business. Having them do a • Project Profiles – Can the partner
short proposal and presentation may often provide resource biographies that could
get you what is needed relatively quickly and be available for the project start date
avoid a lengthy bid and tender affair. and a guarantee that they will not
switch resources? Note: It is unlikely that
partners will agree to a definitive team in
Information
a response, but showing the willingness
What information does the business need to to try to provide the “A” team and to
make an informed partner decision? If your ensure no “bait and switching” of finalized
organization requires or prefers the RFP resources should be the ask for any
route, it will be imperative that the questions organization looking to procure the best
you ask in your tender get you as much support possible.
relevant information that you need about
your potential partner. Recommended areas
to inquire about would include some of the
Costing
following: How can we do an apples-to-apples
• Company Overview – General history of comparison of pricing amongst different
the company, how long they have been RFP bids? This is the constant challenge
Not all partners when doing a tender, as it is possible to get
structure their pricing in business, where they are based, what
services and products they provide, etc. widely different costing in the responses
the same, even for
that are sent back from partners.
similar scope. • Specializations and Differentiators –
What makes this partner unique in their It is therefore important to have a clearly
space and separates them from their defined scope in a response that can serve
competition? as the basis for comparison from one
partner to another. Additionally, while the
• Bench Strength – How many consultants
does the partner have, where are they procurement team may love the price point
located globally, and are they direct of the lowest bid, this should be only one
employees of the company? factor in the evaluation of a partner selection.
Not all partners structure their pricing the
• Certifications and Credentials – Does the same, even for similar scope. There could
partner have the appropriate and specific be important differences in intellectual
certifications to do the job needed? property, resource seniority, on-site versus
• Project Experience – Does the partner remote time, project management and minor
have relevant and recent project scope variations that could make a large
experience that demonstrate a track- difference in bid numbers. Pay attention to
record of success? Is this experience the details and be sure to get as transparent
analogous to what your company will a breakdown as possible on the partner’s
be attempting with your project? pricing model.
Education and Experience Not every consultant on a project needs
the Professional Certification for it to be
Make a Good Partner successful. However, it is vital to have
individuals with that top-level experience
Experience is something that every company and knowledge in key areas. It is about
is looking for in an implementation partner. finding the right balance: The consultants
When it comes to your work, you will doing configurations in the background do
want individuals that have experience. not necessarily need to be professionally
Employees come and go, and they could certified, but it is important for the leads on
be taking valuable experience with them. the project to be at that level. Professionally
Good partners maintain a consulting certified consultants have seen the
staff that has direct project work, and SAP SuccessFactors solution work in a
preferably professional SAP SuccessFactors real-world situation, and can better help
certifications. plan for future developments and anticipate
fixes before they come.
It is important to note there are two different
types of SAP SuccessFactors certifications1,
and they require vastly different experience Ensuring the
and knowledge to acquire:
Right Partner Fit
In conversations with partners, you should
be wary of any that want to use boilerplate
SAP SuccessFactors Associate pricing and scope. A good partner takes time
Certification to listen, assess your needs and provides
a tailored experience that will ensure your
The Associate Certification covers software implementation is the right fit.
the fundamental knowledge for
SAP SuccessFactors configurations You will also benefit from partners that are
and solution implementations. adept at project management, rather than
just focusing on technical work. A high touch
and project management-based approach
SAP SuccessFactors Professional
will allow you to consider all functionality and
Certification
provide turnkey services when your team
Professionally certified individuals cannot meet capacity. A high touch partner
must have real-world experience, with will feel almost like an extension of your
three complete SAP SuccessFactors business because they have taken the time
implementations in the past 36 months to understand it, which means proper project
where they played the lead role. management and a system that works for
your organization.
Finally, do not forget about references.

A good partner should have them, and you
Earning the Professional Certification level should ask for them. This is an HR project
of customer satisfaction over the course after all, we certainly would not want to
of three implementations requires a deep forget references.
knowledge of the product, and it is important
to have people like that leading your project.
Professionally certified consultants can
anticipate the pain points and identify
leading practices in an SAP SuccessFactors
project because they have experienced
them firsthand.
1 “What is the difference between SuccessFactors Associate Certification and Professional Certification?,”
SAP Training, https://training.sap.com/help-center/faq/faq/what-is-the-difference-between-successfactors-
associate-certification-and-professional-certification, (October 2019)
Deployment
Options
You may decide on your deployment options before picking your implementation
partners, or you may bring the partner along to decide which deployment option
works best for you. Organizations take different paths to the cloud. Some decide
05
to go full cloud immediately and replace all on-premise systems. Many, driven by
investment constraints, take a more iterative approach.
Sure, it would be nice to get all the process and user experience upgrades in the cloud
immediately, but it is important to find the deployment option that works best for your
organization. We have broken these down into four buckets where customers will fall:
Side-by-Side, Core Hybrid, SAP S/4HANA on-premise, and Full Cloud.
SAP S/4HANA
SIDE-BY-SIDE CORE HYBRID ON-PREMISE FULL CLOUD
1 2 3 4
PA & OM
Talent PA & OM PA & OM
Payroll
Analytics Talent Solutions Talent Solutions
Talent Solutions
Personnel Admin. (PA) Workforce Analytics/ Workforce Analytics/
Workforce Analytics/
& Org. Mgmt. (OM) SAP Analytics Cloud SAP Analytics Cloud
SAP Analytics Cloud
From 1508 through Early Adopter program – Productized integrations with SAP CPI (Except for EC Payroll)
PRODUCTIZED INTEGRATIONS
Time & Attendance Time & Attendance Time & Attendance
Payroll Payroll Payroll

PA
ERP ERP S/4HANA ERP
1 Side-by-Side
Many SAP ERP HCM customers begin their cloud journey with a Side-by-Side scenario. This is
when an organization picks certain cloud modules to supplement on-premise capabilities. Talent
modules are most common as add-ons, and that is how many cloud HCM vendors got their start.
SAP SuccessFactors offers a best of breed approach, which gives you the ability to choose certain
modules to essentially dip your toe in the cloud space. That is not something that all competing
vendors offer. Others may require you to purchase the entire suite, including core HR capabilities.
2 Core Hybrid
When going with Core Hybrid, companies make the move to upgrade to a core HR system in the
cloud. For SuccessFactors customers, that means replacing SAP ERP HCM with Employee Central
along with all other necessary modules.
What makes this hybrid is that time and attendance and payroll functions are kept on-premise
through traditional SAP payroll.
3 SAP S/4HANA On-Premise

SAP is offering current users of SAP ERP 6.0 the option to remain on-premise for HCM until 2030
as they migrate to SAP S/4HANA on-premise. This is ideally a relatively simple upgrade that
deploys compatibility packs that enable the current on-premise HCM environment to be fully
functional with SAP S/4HANA.
This option only works for the on-premise version of SAP S/4HANA. SAP is currently completing
requirements to enable this on-premise version with an expected release in 2022. This gives those
late adopters some extra time to assess readiness for the cloud. In this scenario, much like core
hybrid, payroll and time management functionality stays on-premise.
4 Full Cloud
Full cloud is exactly as it sounds—all HR and payroll processes are conducted in cloud
environments, including payroll with Employee Central Payroll. Here, the customer will have fully
upgraded their HR suite, including Employee Central, analytics, and all modules. This is the goal
for all journeys to the cloud but the pace in which organizations reach this future state will
vary and the most effective partners will be able to recommend the sequence of steps that
will mitigate risk for your company.
How to Find the Right Deployment Option for You
In order to take advantage of the speed, innovation, agility, improved experience, and ROI that
the cloud offers, the ultimate goal is to transition to an “all cloud” environment. Agreeing on your
businesses priorities and understanding both the upstream and downstream implications, both
from a functional and technical point of view is the key to deciding which deployment model is
right for you.
SAP ERP HCM

Time & Attendance
Payroll
PA & OM
Business and Users Core HR satisﬁed?
Yes – Expand No – Replace
Local HRIS burning / Keep Payroll and

Need Talent and/or Move all to cloud
RoW consolidation T&A on-premise
1 2 3 4
Talent Hybrid Side-By-Side Core Hybrid Full Cloud
Agree that full cloud is

the end game and build
out a complete roadmap.
Understand the implications,
TIP
then begin the journey.
Tips and Tools for the
Implementation Process
Once you have chosen your partner and
selected your deployment preference,
there are many things you can do
Inside and Out
06
Know Your Workbooks
to better prepare for a successful Robust workbooks are imperative, and it is

SAP SuccessFactors implementation. important to know your workbooks. They
There are tasks that you may not have help you understand your system and make
considered before getting started but the right decisions.
become readily apparent as you are in
Workbooks help review functionality that
the middle of a project. Sometimes these
is already live. It is important to know that
are technical, sometimes they are more
thoroughly because you need to know
people focused.
how that functionality will fit with the new
Likewise, there are actions to take modules coming in. Reviewing workbooks
throughout the project that will optimize frequently will ensure you know when
your implementation. Throughout this section, consultant advice is needed for modules
we will discuss some key actions that you to get along well.
should take throughout the upgrade process.
Define workbook ownership at each phase
of the implementation ahead of time. As you
Before You Get Started go along you need to bring in teams to do
cross-module reviews of workbooks so that
integrations are planned appropriately.
Have a Plan for Deploying Instances Workbook ownership is critical post-Go
Live, most notably with the scheduled
You need to be aware of how instances
SAP SuccessFactors release program.
will be deployed in the cloud. For example,
We will dig into managing releases later.
SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central
comes standard with three instances, while
Recruiting and Onboarding come with two.
It is important to manage those instances Rizing Blueline can replace
because it greatly benefits the integration
of modules if you can do cross module
your current management
configuration and testing—this will not of configuration settings
work if your Employee Central instance is via spreadsheets with the
one step ahead. capability to automatically
Make a plan ahead of time for how you will
generate workbooks. The
use the instances provided for development, TIP app allows you to manage
testing, and deployment. Engage your all information in a single
consultants early and often to determine place during implementation,
whether it makes sense to purchase more planning, and execution.
instances from SAP.
Learn more
The More Training the Better Ongoing Strategies
Training should build an understanding of Before and During
all modules for your implementation team,
so that they are put in the best position to Implementation
succeed. That training should go beyond
PowerPoint and be hands-on. Again, cross- Now that you have done your due diligence
module training should be happening. in preparing for your implementation, there
are also overarching steps you should
Making sure your employees are properly take in implementing SAP SuccessFactors
trained is an essential piece of user adoption Employee Central.
and change management. Offering a
variety of training options that enable your
employees to succeed, while also selling Creating Universal Definitions
them on the features and capabilities in
Defining your organizational structure
the system, will maximize the value of
is important. This includes examining
your investment.
legal entities, business units, divisions,
departments, locations, and cost centers.
Planning Ahead for Updates These are important because there is
potential for additional layers if needed
SAP SuccessFactors updates on a biannual using Metadata Framework (MDF)
basis, so it is likely to change in some way functionality during the implementation.
in the middle of an implementation. There
is a possibility that the new updates will You should also focus on the design of your
impact your system during your project, Role Based Permissions (RBP) and security.
and you need to have a plan in place for You want to minimize the permission
managing changes. Stay on top of the roles for simplicity’s sake and to reduce
release calendar, and make sure to be ready maintenance. Think holistically about how
to handle any configuration changes that each of your permissions will complement
could be necessary. We will discuss release SAP SuccessFactors functionality.
management in further detail later.
It is also important to figure out what sorts
of job descriptions your company uses, and
how those positions fall within a hierarchy.
This will set you up for easier HR automation
Follow the SAP SuccessFactors release in the future. When doing this, and for all
HR-related items, make sure to use standard
schedule. Pay attention to the release notes
naming conventions to reduce translation
before the updates go live to avoid having to cost and effort.
TIP go back and make unexpected changes.
To bring these definitions into your
system, MDF allows customers to create
custom objects and functionality in
SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central
as required. MDF provides the ability to
define objects, fields, behavior, and the look
and feel of the application through a web-
based user interface, without coding, and
enables admins to create business rules
to implement custom logic.
Mind the Data That saves time and resources and finding
a way to streamline configurations in a
Additionally, always have data migration consumer-grade interface like Blueline
on your mind. There are tools that assist will only serve to make the project more
with this, which we will detail, but having successful.
skilled HRIS resources in place to support the
migration effort will lead to greater success.
If you do not have this internally, seek out Optimizing a
that role from your implementation partner.
Global Project
Of course, when you are looking at how data
migrates, you also need to be aware of which If you are implementing SAP SuccessFactors
systems will be integrated with Employee in multiple countries, there are often unique
Central. Are these the same as your SAP ERP things to consider in order to make the
on-premise system or are they different? process go smoothly. When organizations
What work will need to be done to ensure implement SAP SuccessFactors Employee
these integration needs are met? This is Central globally, they are often replacing
best to know early. disparate systems and varying HR processes.
The goal of a global implementation
Finally, do not skimp on reporting. You want should be to unify technology and process
to make sure your reporting requirements are wherever possible, allowing a company’s HR
globalized before working with your partner department to operate more smoothly as it
on configuration work. Better reporting will reaches internationally.
lead to greater insight into the system and
more positive outcomes. As Employee Central customers implement
their systems in different countries, there are
some important things to keep in mind that
Take a Proven Practice Approach will ultimately create a more efficient project.
The goal of a global Here are important tips to consider:
A lot of what we are discussing here—
implementation should defining roles, keeping data migration
be to unify technology at the top of your list—are proven and Design a Global Template
and process wherever best practices that have been discovered
possible, allowing through hundreds of Employee Central Every country will have different laws around
a company’s HR implementations. It is going to benefit time management, benefits and payroll, for
department to operate your own project greatly to factor in what example. Countries will also require different
more smoothly as it has worked for others before—it will save translations to different languages. That
reaches internationally. time and allow you to focus more on your does not mean every Employee Central
company’s unique needs. deployment in a new country has to be done
from the ground up.
There are ways to automate those best
practices with partner-built products It is important to build a global template of
such as Rizing Blueline. With Blueline, items that will work across all countries—
you are provided a proven implementation business processes, configurations, naming
process that is delivered through a user- conventions, training materials, global
friendly interface. There are also practice RICEF (Reports, Interfaces, Conversions,
templates for testing out industry-specific Enhancements, Forms) design decisions and
configurations, as well as automatically more. This template will give your company
generated XML when you do make those a head start whenever it needs to deploy in
configurations. a new country.
Make your project easier by taking into Meet with stakeholders from each country
account the experience of those that have before the global project to figure out what
been there before. It is possible that someone can be taken globally and what needs
else has done something that will work for local flavor.
your own process and take you most of the
way to the finish line without doing your
own discovery phase.
Harmonize Foundation Objects Establishing a Smooth
Globally
On-Premise to Cloud
Before implementing Employee Central, there
are organizational steps that can be taken
Data Migration
to ensure an easier project. Harmonizing
organizational structures, pay structures, and As we touched on above, data migration is
job structures company-wide are helpful from something you should always have at the top
an employee data perspective—these are the of your mind. In moving from SAP ERP HCM
foundational objects of the system. on-premise to SuccessFactors Employee
Central, there are likely to be configurations
Organizational structures are most and data that you’d want to carry over from
important—they need to be aligned from one system to another. The good news is
a business unit perspective. Job structures that with the Employee Central subscription,
are also a good thing to have harmonized, SAP offers a tool that helps with that data
it will make it easier down the road from a transition called Infoporter.
recruitment perspective. Pay structures are
nice to globalize, but we often see customers Infoporter offers an easier migration path
that have necessary differences across from SAP ERP HCM to Employee Central
locations. through pre-built integrations that can
be enabled via configuration without
development effort. This helps expedite
Create Standard Approvals your data migration and replication process.
and Workflows
Take employee data replications, for
With approvals and workflows, it is best example. When migrating, you will replicate
to approach them with the 90 percent rule. an employee from Employee Central,
That means the global template for approvals and in doing so the ERP may generate a
will take your implementation 90 percent of new personnel number, even though that
the way there, leaving the final 10 percent employee already exists. The issue then
for local specifics. The same can be done for becomes that the employee’s master data is
many HR processes and transactions. then replicated to the new personnel number.
With Infoporter, this issue will be resolved
because it ensures that existing personnel
Build Strong Central Governance numbers are reused during replication
because employee key mapping tables are
It is vital that the governance of the global
updated throughout the migration.
project itself is very tight, no matter where
the implementation is occurring. All key Any good SAP ERP HCM to Employee Central
stakeholders need to be aligned with the migration will use Infoporter. Make sure that
idea of a global template and you need to your project team and partners are aware
have a strong process in place to protect of it, because it will save plenty of time and
the global template. ease the challenge of data migration.
For example, it is a good idea to have a
design decision team that reviews all design
decisions to ensure that requirements coming
from different countries are met with the
global template in mind as much as possible.
Effective governance will tie all the other

work together in harmonizing a global
implementation. Utilizing all these steps
will create a more efficient rollout for your
global organization.
Archiving Historical HR Information Moving Payroll Data to the Cloud
Quickly and Accurately
You may not need all the data in your
on-premise system to move to the cloud Perhaps the most important set of data
system. However, there is the possibility when it comes to employee happiness is
that you will need to have that information payroll data. Nobody wants to mess with a
later. It may come in handy for analysis payroll system that works. Employees that do
later, or you may need it for regulatory not receive their paychecks accurately and
and compliance reasons. on-time are much more likely to look for a
new job—and who could blame them?
Some companies have propped up an
on-premise instance—paying for its That means data replication is essential
management and maintenance—for the sole when moving from SAP on-premise payroll
49% purpose of ensuring that historical data is

available should the need for it arise. This
may be necessary in many situations, but
to Employee Central Payroll in the cloud.
The data replication itself plays a major role
in the length and cost of moving from one
it can also be a costly method for keeping system to another.
information around to use later.
Tools from SAP partners can help automate
There is an alternative. Rizing Lyra offers the process of payroll data replication from on-
Employees will start a data archiving functionality that allows your premise to the Employee Central Payroll in the
new job search after company to keep its historical data without cloud. These are offered by consultancies such
just 2 payroll errors* maintaining a license for an instance that your as SpinifexIT and TIK. Your implementation
employees will not be using. The data can partners will be able to find the solution that
then be accessed and analyzed with Lyra’s works best for your organization. Automating
user-friendly reporting and analytics tools. this process can save time, money, and
provide an accurate result.
So, if keeping historical data is necessary
for your organization, know that there are
options to keep it around without migrating
it directly into your new SAP SuccessFactors
system.
Rizing Lyra can help

accelerate your move to
the cloud by allowing you
to transfer legacy data
and decommission legacy
systems. Lyra also provides
TIP robust data reporting and
data analytics that combine
your previous core HRIS
history with new and
ongoing information.
Learn more
* The Workforce Institute at Kronos Incorporated.
User Adoption and
Change Management
We have talked about many of the
technical and configuration aspects of
an implementation but there is one truth
07
and culture. However, there are some
general guidelines to follow for effective
change management that involve the stages
that remains: The greatest system in of formulating, planning, implementing,
the world is not worth anything if it is managing, and sustaining the change.
not adopted by employees. That is why
To formulate the change, it partially
focusing on user adoption and change
encompasses what we discussed in building
management within your project is
a business case and assessing readiness.
essential. Users must be sold on the new
You need to identify and clarify the need for
features and functionality and must be
change, and you need to define the scope
ready for the change those may bring
of the change. These are important steps
to their daily work.
in order to kick off a successful change
management program within your overall
Implementing Change project.
Management and Planning is where you will define your

change management approach, including
User Adoption your levels of stakeholder engagement
and the transition to the new software and
Change Management is the process, tools, integration with business operations. Then
and techniques used to manage the people you move on to the implementation phases,
side of change and is all about avoiding which is where those stakeholders and the
surprises for your stakeholders. User adoption project team deliver the project outputs.
and change management go hand-in-hand,
and you will find some of the processes The process of change management does
required to do both well can be similar. not stop with the implementation of the
software. It continues through measuring
Successful change management ultimately adoption rates, change outcomes, and
means that a project is more likely to meet change benefits. The change management
objectives, stay on schedule, and stay on plan should be adjusted wherever these
budget. With effective change management, measurements fall short. This begins
your business will be at a higher level the ongoing process of sustaining the
of readiness for the new software, your change through ongoing communication,
stakeholders will be more satisfied, your consultation and stakeholder representation.
leaders and employees will be more engaged
in the process, and you will have more Setting up a good change management
commitment to the change overall. All that program will make the process of user
leads to greater end-user adoption. adoption much easier. Enabling user
adoption can be done by excelling at
The approach you take for change three key factors: Communication,
management will vary by your organization’s Super Users, and Training Materials.
individual needs such as structure, history,
Communication Training Materials
Good communication that drives A blended learning approach is
user adoption begins before the recommended to ensure all employees feel
SAP SuccessFactors subscription is comfortable. This can include in-tool videos,
even purchased. presentation decks, in-person training, quick
user guides, and more.
Employees want to know how the change
will ultimately help them. Show them that Training should also be done on a rolling
self-service does not mean off-loading tasks basis—your implementation is likely to be an
from HR to the managers and employees, agile one, so your training should be as well.
but how it becomes easier and faster to do Introduce new aspects of the system at the
simple HR tasks on their own, rather than pace that you are implementing them, to give
waiting for HR to help them. users a chance to absorb what is new. Once
the users are in the system, you should be
It is also about building an argument about soliciting feedback and always looking for
how the new system impacts employees ways to improve software and process.
positively long-term. It enables them to
better track their performance and goals, In both good change management and
understand how they are on track to their good user adoption strategies, active and
The right promotion, and so on. visible executive sponsorship and frequent
communication to the communication is important. These will get
right stakeholder via These communications shouldn’t just come employees engaged in the process—as will
the most impactful from HR. Oftentimes it is more impactful to providing a structure to change management
media. have key executives and representatives and user adoption processes.
in the organization push the benefits of
the change. Integrating the technical and people sides
of your implementation by considering
how each technical change impacts each
Super Users employee persona is necessary to deliver
the most successful implementation.
Select key employees from each department
or function to become experts on the system.
They can be leveraged as liaisons between
the project team and employees, and to
provide mentorship and support. Make sure your training
Consider this part of building long-term program is evergreen
adoption through educated users. so any user, new or
experienced, can go
TIP
back to it later.
Beyond the
Implementation
After your SAP SuccessFactors
system goes live, you will have
implemented many new and improved
CALENDARING
08
Here is where you will align your release
management to the biannual release
functions and processes. However, as calendar—from product roadmap updates
SAP SuccessFactors is a cloud system, 1 to the release in production. Along the way
it is updated frequently—twice per year you will plan for when release summaries,
starting in 2020. That means there are release details and webinars, and the
plenty of innovative features that will preview instance are available.
come along, and you want to have a plan
in place to be ready for those. That plan
is what we call Release Management. CONFLICT PREVENTION
Establishing roles and responsibilities,
2 particularly with multiple modules receiving
Release Management updates, will be vital to the long-term success
of the release management program.
When you have an on-premise system,
releases are once per year at most, and many
TRAINING
organizations typically would not even update
This is self-explanatory. Users need to
it that often. Keeping up to date with the latest
on-premise releases can be a major technical
3 be trained on updates that may impact
their job processes. User education is an
task, along with the change management that
essential piece.
Your cloud system will comes with the refreshed system.
be most successful if
you manage, prioritize, In the cloud, because you are not managing
MINIMIZING UNINTENDED IMPACT
and prepare for the hardware, those upgrades arrive auto-
It is important to document your systems,
releases. By keeping matically. That does not mean they show up
beyond the generalized system documen
your instances current, suddenly in the system—most SAP Success
tation provided by SAP SuccessFactors.
you will be getting Factors updates will give an opt-in option.
You should be keeping track of configura
the most out of your tion workbooks, administrator and support
SAP SuccessFactors It is beneficial to opt-in to receive 4 guides, system and program change
system. the latest your software has to offer.
histories, and governance team meeting
SAP SuccessFactors is now on a biannual minutes. Rizing Blueline is an option for
release schedule for all modules, except automating the tracking of changes made
mobile and recruiting, which are monthly. to the system as well as administering
That means you always have the opportunity custom configurations.
to have the most up-to-date HR technology
available.
PARTNER
There’s no reason to be intimidated by the This is where you work with your
frequency of updates. Instead, use the time stakeholders to validate that the updates
you must set up a process. A good release 5 are meeting business requirements, capture
management approach includes five phases: user feedback, and overall measure the
Calendaring, Conflict Prevention, Training, success of each release.
Minimizing Impact, and Partner.
09 Conclusion
Employees remain the most valuable
asset at any company. Your HR system
is an important way to connect with
It is a big decision to make the change from
on-premise to the cloud for your HR software,
but the reality is all companies will make
prospective employees, hire and onboard that move eventually. Making this upgrade
new employees, and measure the success now will therefore set you apart from your
of your current employees. Having a system competitors and allow your employees to seize
that drives better engagement with HR, opportunities in innovation, customer service,
while also reducing the impact on IT and and collaboration for many years to come.
HR professionals, is something that can be
achieved with an upgrade to the cloud. To help you on that journey, there exists a
robust SAP SuccessFactors ecosystem with
The transformation is about more than new a broad range of implementation skillsets,
software. It is a transformation around how solutions, and methodologies to help ensure
we live our lives and meeting the expectation the transformation is a successful one with the
to have that same level of connection at highest level of value to your organization.
work. Putting the employee at center of
everything enables you to build the processes Building that business case for cloud adoption
that increase happiness, and in turn increase and SAP SuccessFactors is becoming easier
retention and make your company one that and easier. Now, the important piece will be
is a more attractive place to work. ensuring you have the right plan in place for
implementation and ongoing management.
There are the same increasing expectations With this guide, we are confident you
for a consumer-grade experience in all parts as an SAP ERP HCM customer have the
of your organization, but your HR system foundation for a successful HR upgrade to
should be a leader in that charge. Employee- SAP SuccessFactors in the cloud.
centricity can go beyond attracting and
retaining the best talent, it is also about
attracting and retaining customers. The
two go hand-in-hand, but it starts with
your human capital.
This may be a new way of thinking for your

organization, but that means you are writing
a new chapter in your company’s history.
You are helping employees become more
intelligent and empowered. With the wealth
of data and analysis tools available in the
cloud, you are giving HR the ability to predict
with accuracy and react with speed.
10 Why Rizing for your Migration
to the SAP Cloud
Rizing has a successful track-record of helping SAP HCM on-premise clients create a clear
business case for their move from SAP ERP HCM to SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central.
We help customers achieve increased ROI with cloud by maximizing the unique benefits of cloud.
Our deep knowledge of SAP ERP on-premise is a key differentiator in helping clients adapt
1 their current processes to SAP SuccessFactors and realize the tangible value of moving to
the cloud.
We speak HR and we know SAP. Our consultants are experts in human resources and
payroll management – and are professionally certified in SAP SuccessFactors. We can
2 translate from SAP on-premise speak to cloud and help paint the picture of the lower total
cost of ownership (TCO), combined with user adoption of a consumer-grade solution.
We can help design and implement an approach that aligns with your business objectives,
3 maximizes your software investment, and enables you to move to the cloud with confidence
and success.
Clients will benefit from the most experienced and tenured SAP
We have delivered professionally certified consultants in the industry.
25% of all global
Employee Central
implementations,
the most of any
SAP SuccessFactors
partner in the world.
rizing.com | [email protected]
© 2020 Rizing LLC or a Rizing LLC affiliate company. All rights reserved. This document is provided for information purposes only, and the contents are subject to change without notice. This document is not
warranted to be error-free, nor subject to any other warranties or conditions, whether expressed orally or implied in law, including implied warranties and conditions of merchantability or fitness for a particular
purpose. We specifically disclaim any liability with respect to this document, and no contractual obligations are formed either directly or indirectly by this document. This document may not be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without our prior written permission.
Rizing, Lyra, Blueline, and other Rizing products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Rizing LLC or a Rizing affiliate company in the United States
and other countries. SAP SuccessFactors, SAP S/4HANA is/are the trademark(s) or registered trademark(s) of SAP SE in Germany and in several other countries. All other product and service names mentioned
are the trademarks of their respective companies.

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The Comprehensive Guide For Upgrading From Sap Erp HCM To Sap Successfactors

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THE COMPREHENSIVE

GUIDE FOR UPGRADING

Given customers’ desire for innovation

SAP SuccessFactors is delivered with standard

SAP SuccessFactors is delivered with a fully

Empowerment of managers to initiate position SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central comes

Continued on next page >

Adapting the on-premise environment for SAP SuccessFactors delivers maintenance

SAP SuccessFactors delivers localization

The system is not intuitive, therefore requiring

Client maintains no landscape. The servers

SAP SuccessFactors offers extensibility

SAP SuccessFactors comes delivered a mobile

Requires the client to deploy and implement

Cloud solutions are economically focused on

Continued on next page >

There’s no loss of on-premise data when

The role-based permissions model is the

Many of the customer concerns around • Gaining a complete overview

Partner review sites such as Raven Intel can

Finally, do not forget about references.

Time & Attendance Time & Attendance Time & Attendance

Payroll Payroll Payroll

ERP ERP S/4HANA ERP

3 SAP S/4HANA On-Premise

SAP ERP HCM

Business and Users Core HR satisﬁed?

Yes – Expand No – Replace

Local HRIS burning / Keep Payroll and

Agree that full cloud is

to better prepare for a successful Robust workbooks are imperative, and it is

Effective governance will tie all the other

49% purpose of ensuring that historical data is

Rizing Lyra can help

* The Workforce Institute at Kronos Incorporated.

Management and Planning is where you will define your

This may be a new way of thinking for your

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