TLDR;
This session provides an overview of the roles and responsibilities of a SuccessFactors consultant, the types of systems involved, and the system landscape or architecture. It covers the distinctions between implementation partners, clients, and consultants, and the differences between implementation and support projects. The session also details the types of systems (provisioning and instance), the system landscape (development, quality, and production), and the concept of data centres, including preview and production environments, and release management.
- SuccessFactors consultants are functional consultants who implement the system for customers.
- Implementation projects involve setting up SuccessFactors for new customers, while support projects involve incident management, change management, and release management.
- The system landscape consists of development, quality, and production systems, each with provisioning and instance components.
- Data centres are split into preview and production environments to manage releases effectively.
Introduction: Roles and Responsibilities of a SuccessFactors Consultant [0:04]
The session begins by outlining the roles and responsibilities of a SuccessFactors consultant. It defines key terminologies such as implementation partner, client, and consultant. Implementation partners are authorised organisations that implement SuccessFactors for customers, while clients are the end-users of the system. Consultants are hired by implementation partners to configure the system for clients. Unlike SAP, SuccessFactors has primarily one role: the functional consultant, who may be designated as associate, lead, or senior based on expertise.
Implementation vs. Support Projects [5:12]
The discussion moves to the two main types of projects a consultant might be assigned to: implementation and support. Implementation projects are for new customers or those migrating from legacy systems. Consultants gather requirements from the customer and configure the system accordingly. Support projects involve incident management (resolving tickets), change management (implementing process changes), and release management (handling system upgrades).
Incident, Change and Release Management in Support Projects [8:15]
In support, Incident Management involves addressing tickets raised by customers for system issues or knowledge gaps. Change Management deals with implementing changes to existing processes, such as adding a level of approval to a transfer process. Release Management involves managing SuccessFactors upgrades, which occur twice a year, and understanding the new functionalities introduced.
Types of Systems: Provisioning and Instance [17:47]
The session identifies two types of systems in SuccessFactors: provisioning and instance. Provisioning can only be accessed by certified consultants and is used to enable functionalities. Instance can be accessed by anyone with user credentials and is where configuration takes place. Access to provisioning requires active certification, which is verified through an SAP portal using an S-user ID linked to the certification.
System Landscape: Development, Quality and Production [24:39]
Every customer who subscribes to SuccessFactors gets three systems: development (Dev), quality, and production. The development system is used for initial configurations and R&D by consultants. The quality system is used for testing by both consultants and business users, who perform user acceptance testing (UAT). The production system contains actual data and is used by end-users. Additional systems like test or pre-production may be added based on customer needs.
Data Centres and System Architecture [41:25]
All data is stored in backend databases within data centres located in various countries. Each data centre is split into two parts: preview and production. Production systems are always in production data centres, while development systems are typically in preview data centres. This setup is designed to manage releases effectively.
Release Management and Data Centre Strategy [51:39]
SuccessFactors upgrades occur in preview systems first, followed by production systems after a four-to-five-week window. This allows consultants to analyse new changes and report any impacts to SAP before they are implemented in the production environment. The split between preview and production data centres ensures that real-time data in production is not affected during the upgrade process.