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 HCM Processes and Forms

Purpose

You can use this component to execute HR processes in which changes are to be made to HR master data. You can use interactive forms to integrate all involved roles directly in the process.

Using the component has the following advantages:

  • Media bridges (such as paper/PC, fax/PC) and the ensuing multiple entry of data are avoided.

  • Reduction of the incorrect entries by using the system to integrate all involved roles

  • Reduction of the processing time for HR processes

Implementation Considerations

Business Prerequisites

Before you can set up the component, yuo must know the business flow of HR processes in your enterprise. We recommend you create process descriptions that contain the following information in particular:

  • Overview of all users involved in the process and their roles

  • Overview of HR master data relevant for the process

  • Description of the process flow comprising the sequence of process steps, the role assigned to the process step, and the master data relevant for the process step.

Technical Prerequisites

To be able to use the processes, the Additional Actions infotype (0302) must be actively used in your ERP system.

Note Note

To activate the Additional Actions infotype and to create the corresponding infotype records for your employees, see Customizing for Personnel Administration and choose the Activation ‘Additional Actions’ step in Start of the navigation path Customizing Procedures Next navigation step Actions Next navigation step Set Up Personnel Action Types End of the navigation path .

End of the note.

For more information about the technical settings of the component, see HCM Processes and Forms (Technical Overview) .

Features

Cross-Role Implementation of Processes

You use SAP Business Workflow to define process flows. You can use all the functions of SAP Business Workflow (including branching and approval steps within a process). The Workflow Template is used to display and execute processes and enables you to integrate all the roles required for a process.

Interactive Forms

You use interactive forms to enable data entry through forms and to provide the user with the precise fields and information he or she requires to execute the particular process. The forms are integrated with the backend system and therefore HR master data is updated automatically.

If you use several forms within one process, the data can be transferred between the various forms.

In Customizing, you can define customer- and industry-specific forms that are tailored to suit the requirements of the particular process.

Example Example

In the Marriage of Employee process, you can edit in a form not only the data from the Personal Data infotype (0002), but also the address data from the Addresses infotype (0006), for example. The same principle applies to more complex processes that were previously performed using personnel actions (transaction PA40).

End of the example.

Note Note

The SAP system includes a variety of sample processes that you can use as a template when you configure your own processes. For more information, see Sample Processes in HCM Processes and Forms .

End of the note.
Functions

The component provides you with the following functions for implementing and executing processes:

  • Saving the form entries as a draft

  • Entering notes

  • Managing attachments

  • Transferring process documents (forms and attachments to a process) automatically to an employee's Digital Personnel File (DPF) .

  • Setting up error tolerance for entries made in the form

    In this way, you can also permit the user to save incorrect entries without these entries being saved directly in the backend system. In this case, the data has to be corrected by a subsequent user.

  • Overview of processes and search for processes for users in the HR Administrator role

  • Tracing all those involved in the process (person who created the request, approver, and so on)

Example: Features for a Transfer Process

The following uses a possible transfer process as an example to describe the business functions provided by HCM Processes and Forms .

Features of the Transfer process (from a business point of view)

In this example, the Transfer process has the following properties:

  • The process comprises three business steps that are performed by a sending manager, a receiving manager, and a HR administrator.

  • The data from the form is not saved to the database of the backend system until step 3. No data is saved in steps 1 or 2.

Description of Process Steps

Step 1

  • User

    The sending manager opens the Start Processes application. The system shows the manager a list of the processes he or she can start based on his or her authorizations. The manager starts the Transfer process and the system displays the relevant form for processing.

    The manager enters the required data in the form. He or she uses the Review function to check the entries.

    Note Note

    You can set up the behavior of the Review function in Customizing . For example, you can allow the manager to save incorrect data temporarily. You can define the error tolerance for each step.

    End of the note.

    After the check has been executed, the manager chooses the Send function to send the form.

  • System

    Based on the user who started the process or the affected employee, the system determines which manager is responsible for performing the second process step.

  • Result

    The user's entries are saved as a draft. The system sends a work item with the form to the Universal Worklist (UWL) of the receiving manager. This manager can perform the second process step.

Step 2

  • User

    The receiving manager navigates to his or her UWL and selects the relevant work item. The system displays the form, together with the data from step 1, for processing. The manager makes his or her entries, checks them, and then submits the form.

  • System

    Based on the user who started the process or the affected employee, the system determines which user is responsible for performing the third process step.

  • Result

    The entries made by the receiving manager and the sending manager are saved as a draft. The system sends a work item with the form to the UWL of the HR administrator responsible. The HR administrator can perform the third process step.

Step 3

  • User

    The HR administrator responsible navigates to his or her UWL and selects the relevant work item. The system displays the form, together with the data from steps 1 and 2, for processing. The HR administrator makes his or her entries, checks them, and then chooses Send .

  • System

    In contrast to the previous two steps, the Send function triggers two activities:

    • The system ends the processing of the form.

    • The system saves the data from the form to the database of the backend system.

  • Result

    The employee’s HR master data is updated according to the data entered in the form. The process is complete.

The above graphic displays a simplified version of the process steps on the user interface. This simplified version is valid in particular for the processing of forms as used by the user in HCM Processes and Forms . This application provides the user with different views in which he or she can process the form.

Using step 2 in the Transfer process (see above) as an example, the following graphic shows the views provided for the user by the form application.

Form Application Views

For more information about these views, see Form Application .