
SaaS (software as a Service) or Public Cloud solutions deliver regular changes to improve their capability. These changes, which can be either optional or mandatory, include enhancements and new features. While we're focusing on the SAP SuccessFactors solution, these core concepts apply to all SaaS/Public cloud solutions.
At a high level, release management involves planning, scheduling, and controlling software release build, testing, and deployment. It ensures that new features and updates are delivered reliably and consistently, minimizing the risk of service disruption. Due to the continuous delivery and deployment models, this process is even more critical in a cloud environment like SuccessFactors.
Effective release management secures minimized disruption, improved user experience, and increased security. Depending on the customer's requirements, the release's frequency and size (how many changes are included) are decided as part of release management.
The bare minimum for SAP SuccessFactors is twice a year, and SAP automatically provides these changes as part of the subscription.
Critical Components of SuccessFactors Release Management
1. Planning and Scheduling: SuccessFactors operates on a bi-annual release cycle, the May and November releases. This predictable schedule allows customers to plan and prepare for upcoming changes. Customers can not deviate from the release plan and must adjust their release planning accordingly. Ensure mission-critical items are not due on the same date as the release for end users who may be working on such tasks late Friday evening or Saturday morning (depending on the location of your data center).
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Please review this SAP SuccessFactors Community blog to review potential upgrade windows and details associated with a non-disruptive scheduled patch. Although relatively rare, your instance may receive an unscheduled patch to fix a critical functional or security issue.
2. Discover and Explore: SuccessFactors provides detailed release notes and documentation ahead of each release, outlining new features, enhancements, and any potential impacts on existing functionalities. At this phase, customers should review and shortlist the features that could be activated (optional) and also list features that are activated and should be tested. Your process owners, users, and admin should know the available capabilities. This review has to involve business owners, and decisions should be made by consensus after the impact review. At this stage, dependencies, if any, and risk assessments and licensing impact, if any, should also be conducted.
For example, a release offers 27 features for the Performance and Goal Management module, 15 of which are automatically on (global changes). The remaining 12 are reviewed, and only 3 are found relevant by process owners. Such a review per module would take not even 30 minutes and should be done twice a year. Activating optional features not reviewed and approved by process owners is not recommended.
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3. Testing and Quality Assurance: Rigorous testing ensures stability and performance before the release. This includes automated testing, user acceptance testing (UAT), and beta testing with a select group of customers. Moreover, the release is available for all customers for four to five weeks in the preview environment.
Customers should define the core interfaces and scenarios. Business users (typically process owners) conduct the regression testing. Customers should also decide if they need to utilize automated testing tools and, if applicable, adjust the test scripts after the release. We recommend refreshing tenants regularly so that you have a representative preview/quality landscape. (Instance Refresh Tool FAQ & Demo - Full Admin guide to enabling Instance Refresh Tool)
4. Customer Enablement: SuccessFactors provides comprehensive training and support to help customers understand and utilize new features. Webinars, Q&A sessions, tutorials, and support documentation ensure a smooth transition. Most release changes require only basic SF admin skills and do not require deep consulting expertise. For changes requiring provisioning, where activation is not self-service, customers can request assistance through an SAP support ticket, offered as a free service by SAP cloud product support.
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5. Post-Release Activities / Measure / Feedback Loop: After the release, end-user feedback should be gathered and analyzed to address any issues and inform future updates. Release-related known problems, if any, should be reviewed. It could be done via a short meeting with process owners or power users.
Please post your questions so that we can enrich the following FAQ part.
Effective release management is a cornerstone of maintaining the reliability and performance of cloud-based software like SAP SuccessFactors. A structured release management process for SAP SuccessFactors ensures that customers receive timely updates that enhance their HR operations without disrupting their daily activities.
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