Driving Successful SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Adoption: The Power of Change Management and

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Implementing SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central (EC) isn't just about rolling out a new system—it's about fundamentally rethinking how HR operates and delivers value. Successful EC adoption hinges on embracing change management and transformation strategies that center around people, processes, and technology working in harmony.

Transforming HR: Beyond Automation

Employee Central represents more than a digitization tool—it’s a paradigm shift in the HR toolkit. It enables a move from reactive, administrative HR practices to a proactive, data-driven approach that empowers employees and managers at every level. This shift is crucial because technology is an enabler, not a crutch to continue outdated or inefficient processes.

Adopting EC offers an opportunity to:

• Rethink HR workflows: Instead of replicating manual, paper-based processes in a digital form, it's time to challenge why those processes exist in the first place. EC allows organizations to redesign processes based on best practices, efficiency, and user experience.
• Empower the workforce: EC puts power directly into the hands of employees and managers through self-service tools for tasks like time-off requests, position management, and accessing pay slips. This democratizes HR, reducing bottlenecks and fostering ownership at every level.
• Standardize globally, customize locally: EC supports global process standardization while allowing for regional compliance and cultural nuances. This balance ensures HR processes are streamlined and consistent, while still respecting local requirements.

Key takeaway: Automating bad processes only digitizes inefficiency. The real power of EC lies in rethinking HR delivery, simplifying operations, and enhancing the employee experience.

Common Roadblocks to EC Adoption

While the technology offers immense potential, many organizations encounter recurring barriers that prevent full realization of EC’s value:

Lack of Vision: Without a clear, shared understanding of why EC was implemented and what success looks like, teams struggle to align efforts and sustain momentum.

Inadequate Executive Sponsorship: Change needs vocal and visible leadership. When executives fail to actively support EC adoption and provide adequate resources to operate, resistance grows and transformation fails.

Ineffective Configuration: Implementing EC to mimic legacy processes limits its potential. Without reimagining workflows, organizations risk underutilizing the system’s capabilities. Configuration needs to evolve with time to always be aligned with changing HR programmes and tactics.

Siloed Ownership Between HR and IT: EC requires HR to own the solution, with IT as a strategic partner. When IT remains the sole owner, HR engagement and user-centric enhancements often lag.

Low User Adoption: When employees and managers revert to old ways of working (e.g., bypassing self-service functions), the value of EC diminishes.

Security Concerns and Infrastructure Gaps: A lack of trust in cloud security or inadequate infrastructure (e.g., mobile access for frontline workers) can block adoption.

No Continuous Change Management: Treating change management as a one-time, go-live activity is a common misstep. Ongoing communication, training, and feedback loops are essential to reinforce adoption on a solution that is constantly changing. 

💡Action Tip: Identify your organization's top two barriers today and create targeted plans to address them, whether through stronger sponsorship, better training, or rethinking workflows.

Value Management: Aligning People Priorities with Employee Administration Goals

Value management is where strategy meets measurement. It is the glue that binds your HR strategy with the operational goals of Employee Central. It ensures that your organization isn’t just using EC, but is also realizing measurable business value from it.

Without value management, there’s a risk that your EC project becomes just another IT system—operating in the background without truly impacting HR’s strategic goals. With value management, every action taken in EC is purpose-driven, aligned with business priorities, and measured against clear outcomes.

Here’s how it works:

Clarify Your Business Objectives (The 'Why'). Before diving into system metrics, step back and align on your HR priorities:

• Is it improving data accuracy to support workforce planning?
• Are you aiming to increase employee engagement through better self-service experiences?
• Is process efficiency or compliance a key focus

Translate Business Priorities into Employee Administration Goals (The 'How'). Once the big-picture goals are set, map them to specific EC functionalities:

• Accurate employee records → Supports talent readiness and workforce planning.
• Self-service adoption → Empowers employees and reduces HR admin workload.
• Process automation → Frees HR to focus on strategic initiatives like DEI, leadership development, or culture building. 

Example:

HR Priority: Improve employee engagement.

EC Goal: Increase adoption of self-service tools.

Metric: 90% of employees accessing their personal data via EC.

Define Metrics and Key Performance Indicators (The 'What'). Metrics turn intentions into measurable targets. Some common EC value metrics include: 

• Adoption Metrics: % of vacation requests submitted via EC; % of pay slips accessed through self-service.
• Process Efficiency: Reduction in time taken for headcount reporting; decrease in manual data entry.
• Data Quality: % of complete and accurate employee records; % of positions regularly updated.
• User Experience: Employee Net Promoter Scores (eNPS); reduction in HR service desk queries.

Build a Value Scorecard (The 'Dashboard'). A value scorecard brings transparency and accountability. It links HR strategy, EC goals, metrics, and current performance in one place, making it easy to track progress and adjust as needed.

Example Alignment:

People Priority	EC Goal	Metric
Improve Workforce Readiness	Accurate Position Data	95% of positions updated quarterly
Enhance Employee Engagement	Increase Self-service Usage	90% of payslips accessed via EC
Streamline HR Processes	Automate Administrative Tasks	50% reduction in manual HR interventions

This approach ensures that every EC initiative ties back to a business outcome, reinforcing the system’s value across the organization.

Monitor, Analyze, and Act (The 'Continuous Improvement'). Value management isn’t “set it and forget it.” Regularly review your metrics:

• Are adoption rates where they should be?
• Is HR achieving process improvements?
• Are data insights driving better decision-making?

When gaps appear, take corrective actions:

• Low adoption? Introduce refresher training or incentives.
• Inaccurate data? Review processes for updating and validating records.
• Slow reporting? Optimize workflows and ensure proper system usage.

Remember: Adoption alone isn’t the end goal. True value comes when EC helps HR deliver business outcomes—whether that’s improving employee experience, enabling better decision-making, or streamlining operations.

Life After Go-Live: Building a Sustainment Model

While a successful go-live for SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central (EC) is worth celebrating, the real value begins after the confetti settles. Life after go-live is where adoption must deepen, processes mature, and the system proves its impact. A strong sustainment model ensures that EC continues to evolve with your organization’s needs and remains aligned to HR strategy and business goals.

Here’s how to build a post-go-live ecosystem that supports ongoing transformation:

✅Create a Dedicated Sustainment Team

After go-live, EC needs a cross-functional team that owns both the operational and strategic aspects of the solution. This includes:

• Key User (HR): Deeply understands the HR strategy and business needs. Acts as a liaison between HR stakeholders and system admins. Usually embedded within the HR function, with 30–50% of their time dedicated to EC.
• Key Admin (Technical/IT): Responsible for configurations, managing permissions, release testing, and integrating with other systems. Often has full-time focus on EC.
• HCM Solution Admin: Oversees the entire SAP SuccessFactors suite and coordinates across modules. Ensures that changes in one area (e.g., EC) don’t create conflicts in others.
• Partner Support: Engaged on a regular cadence to provide expert-level guidance, troubleshoot issues, and align your environment with best practices and product evolution.

💡Best Practice: Assign clear roles and ensure these individuals receive continuous training and certifications (e.g., SAP SFX accreditations) to stay aligned with product updates.

✅Define Core Sustainment Processes 

Your sustainment model must go beyond "keeping the lights on." It should proactively drive continuous improvement and innovation.

Innovation Management:

Review and assess SAP’s bi-annual release notes. Use structured processes (e.g., impact assessments, sandbox testing) to determine what features to adopt and when. Update configuration as often as HR processes, programmes or strategies change.

Data Management:

Confirm data architecture, define data catalogue, build governance, and monitor data quality KPIs (e.g., % of completed employee profiles, % of active positions updated). Define a process for data audits, cleansing, and integrity checks.

User Support and Enablement:

Provide tiered support, from help desks to admin support. Offer training refreshers, just-in-time guides, and contextual help in the system. Foster a self-service mindset.

Adoption Monitoring:

Track metrics like login frequency, transaction completion rates, and support ticket volume. Use these insights to spot bottlenecks and address low engagement areas.

💡Quick Tip: Treat sustainment like a product lifecycle—not a project. Establish a regular release calendar with internal “mini-go-lives” for new features.

✅ Establish Governance for Agile Decision-Making

Governance in the sustainment phase isn’t about bureaucracy—it’s about making the right decisions, quickly and collaboratively.

Set up a governance model with these levels:

• Central EC Committee: HR Key User + Key Admin + Solution Admin. Owns day-to-day decisions (~60% of cases), such as adjusting workflows, managing permissions, or minor process changes.
• Operational Committee: Includes HR leaders, IT architects, and PMO. Handles cross-functional changes that affect multiple processes or modules.
• Executive Steering Group: CHRO, CIO, or transformation leads. Engaged for strategic shifts (e.g., expanding EC globally, adopting new modules, redefining core HR processes).

💡Use guiding principles (e.g., “adopt standard over customize,” “data quality over quantity”) to evaluate change requests and avoid solution drift.

 ✅ Embed Change Management as a Continuous Cycle 

Change management doesn’t stop at go-live. The sustainment phase must include: 

• Continuous Sensitization: invite collaborators to be part of the cloud journey changing mindsets and with it - cultures
• Ongoing Communication: Regularly share what’s changing in EC, what’s new, and why it matters. Highlight success stories and new capabilities.
• Refresher Training: Offer quarterly training for managers, HR, and new employees. Use short, role-based modules to keep it relevant.
• Feedback Loops: Collect input through pulse surveys, focus groups, or adoption dashboards. Feed insights back into improvement cycles.

💡Sustainment = reinforcement + optimization + user experience. The more EC becomes part of the “everyday fabric” of work, the more value you’ll extract from it.

 

✅Plan for Scalability and Continuous Growth 

A mature sustainment model anticipates what’s next:

• New Releases & Features: Be ready to evaluate, test, and roll out new innovations (e.g., AI-based recommendations, new mobile capabilities).
• Expansion into New Modules: Use EC’s strong foundation to expand into areas like Time Tracking, Performance, or Compensation.
• Evolving Business Needs: Align system changes with shifts in HR strategy (e.g., new operating models, M&A, remote work, compliance changes).

💡 Run annual reviews to re-align your EC strategy with business goals. Consider a "year in review" dashboard to showcase achievements and justify future investments.

A sustainment model is not a luxury—it’s your safety net and your springboard. It ensures that SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central doesn’t just work—it thrives, evolves, and continually delivers value across your HR landscape.

By treating post-go-live as a long-term transformation journey, organizations can truly unlock the strategic benefits of EC—empowering employees, enabling HR agility, and accelerating business outcomes.

This blog post is part of the Path to Success series aimed at supporting existing SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central customers adopt and consume more of the features and functions to achieve desired business outcomes.

The original webinar & slides are available on-demand here: link to the recording

We are committed to support all of our SAP SuccessFactors customers on their individual Path to Success. These sessions are part of a wide range of ways we can support your evolution to continuous value and driving business outcomes.  

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