SAP processes and forms for mobile applications
SAP Fiori apps accelerate HR processes in retail
Company / Industry
dmTECH GmbH / Retail
Range of services
With over 800 employees and as a wholly owned subsidiary of dm-drogerie markt, Germany's highest-grossing drugstore chain, dmTech is responsible for innovative solutions within the dm-drogerie markt online shop, for customer and employee apps, and for IT in dm stores, distribution centers, and headquarters.
For users of the SAP ERP HCM Suite, switching to HR management in the HR Cloud is a challenge. How should this change be approached? With the courage to embrace new solutions and iterative implementation to quickly leverage improvements – this is how the recipe for success of a large drugstore chain can be described. A new feature is the linking of the on-premise-based “Processes and Forms” component with Fiori apps for mobile use.
There's no question that technological changes in human resources management, especially in core applications, need to be carefully planned; employee rights, data protection, and works council participation must be taken into account. For companies using SAP ERP Human Capital Management (HCM), considerations usually revolve around the question of when and to what extent to switch to the promising cloud solution SAP SuccessFactors. There is no universal answer. However, if concrete process improvements are already pending, new ideas and viable “bridge solutions” are better than waiting – this was the experience at dmTECH, the IT subsidiary of the drugstore chain dm.
For some time, the company had been looking for a time-saving solution for classic HR processes such as working time changes or permanent employment. Although the application forms were already available digitally on the intranet within MS SharePoint, the approved forms ultimately had to be manually entered by HR department employees, which was a time-consuming process. In other words, there was no integration with the SAP HCM backend system. Filling out the very long form templates took up a lot of time, especially in the branches, time that was actually needed for day-to-day business. Extensive individual details such as employee number, personnel data, or tariff specifications first had to be looked up and then typed in manually.
Mobile-enabled user interface for the on-premises system
There were two changes that ultimately triggered the change process: After the planned switch to MS Office 365, a new solution for the forms was needed in any case. Even more crucial, however, was the fact that, as part of the digitalization process, all dm employees were equipped with smartphones starting in 2016. “Mobile first” makes sense, of course, when, as in the case of the drugstore chain, the majority of the workforce works in stores, close to customers and not at desks.
The new solution therefore had to be mobile-enabled above all else. dmTECH wanted to use a toolset that is already included in the SAP HCM Suite: “Processes and Forms.” The processes and templates from this modular system must first be copied and adapted to the respective use cases. By default, Web Dynpro ABAP or Adobe Interactive Forms – and, more recently, SAP Fiori – can be used as user interfaces for this purpose. At the same time, however, SAP has also made it possible to connect any other user interfaces – including the customer-specific SAPUI5 interfaces implemented in this case. Since these had to be programmed individually, the IT managers sought support. “SAP recommended projekt0708 from Munich as our implementation partner,” reports Constantin von Hornung, in-house IT consultant at dmTECH and deputy project manager.
p78, a specialist in SAP cloud solutions for HR (SAP SuccessFactors), SAP ERP Human Capital Management (SAP ERP HCM), and SAP Concur solutions, has the necessary expertise in mobilizing business applications and accepted the challenge. “We first created a proof of concept based on a single application. This allowed us to show that it is technically feasible to use Fiori as a flexible user interface for SAP HCM processes and forms,” explains Stefanie Hanske, Director of HR Technology at projekt0708. The result was so convincing that dmTECH immediately launched the joint project.
Preparatory work: Harmonizing processes
Initially, a lot of preparatory work was needed, especially on the customer side, because despite standardized forms, the application and approval processes were handled quite differently in the individual areas. External conditions, such as the tariff regulations of the federal states, also differed. “We held several workshops in advance to understand all the requirements and then create a binding concept,” says Constantin von Hornung.
It was clear to everyone involved that this would be a temporary solution lasting three to four years, as a switch to SAP SuccessFactors is also planned for core HR functions in the longer term. However, it was still worthwhile for this period, as the new applications would significantly reduce the workload for users.
An agile project approach was chosen in order to benefit from the improvements as early as possible. As soon as individual processes were completed and tested, they went live. projekt0708 set itself the goal of always presenting a new feature in the monthly workshops at the customer's site. On the developer side, too, more groundwork was necessary at first, because the links between the processes and forms and the Fiori interfaces had to be developed in the form of a reusable framework.
But then development picked up speed, and it became increasingly possible to draw on previously created building blocks. At the same time, the project method was adapted within the individual processes: “In order to comply with legal requirements and pass muster with committees such as the works council, the individual processes had to be complete and valid in themselves,” explains Constantin von Hornung.
Starting with a fill-in guide, the forms and processes for changes in working hours and income, fixed-term contract extensions, resignations, and permanent employment were implemented one after the other, and templates for employer-initiated termination were piloted.
Time-saving solution proves popular in stores
The new procedure was welcomed in the branches: “The applications are so self-explanatory that no training was required,” says Constantin von Hornung. “On the contrary, the branch managers were happy about every new process that went live and asked for more applications because they save so much time.” Unlike in the past, all basic personal data is now pre-filled, i.e., integrated and ready to use, and the branch manager only has to select a few details.
The final posting of the application data at the end of a process is not fully automated, but is carried out via a clerk cockpit that has also been implemented; this means that the clerks check the information beforehand to ensure that it is complete and free of errors. They familiarized themselves with the new requirements in advance through training courses. The effort required for HR processes has also been reduced in this area, as HR staff no longer have to manually transfer data from forms or email correspondence to the SAP HCM backend system.
And even though porting the implemented processes into the structure and logic of the cloud application is no small task, IT managers believe they are on the right track. “The fact that the processes have already been standardized will save us a lot of work and time in future developments,” estimates Constantin von Hornung.
Additional development will be brought to market jointly
p78 and dmTECH will continue to work together in the future. Among other things, the additional development of our jointly developed “Digital Instructions” add-on will be offered to other SAP user companies as a joint software product on the market. This will give other customers the opportunity to benefit from existing process know-how and obtain a technically mature, state-of-the-art solution.