2342925 - Performance Management Implementation - General Issues Quick Reference FAQ

General Considerations and Tips for any Implementation

With any issue you encounter during implementation, it is important that you, the implementation specialist, try first to reproduce the issue you are encountering, and document the replication steps, timestamp, errorId, etc, as thoroughly as possible so that if you do need to engage with Cloud Product Support, the team can review and investigate quickly.

With every implementation of Performance Management, there are some extra considerations that you need to take into account and plan for during the implementation cycles. The most important are:

• Configuration Backup - It is common that you may be implementing part of Performance Management whilst colleagues are implementing other areas of Performance Management. As this increases the risk of overwriting configuration and greater risk of creating incorrect/invalid configuration scenarios, it is strongly advised that you take a backup copy of any XML or Data before replacing it with the latest version (meaning take a backup immediately before you import). There is no way to roll back changes.
• Release Cycle - You will need to plan ahead for Release deployments in both the Preview and Production Data Centers. During any Release, there will be new Features, Enhancements Migrations and Bug Fixes to consider that may impact your implementation
• Configuration Issues - Most cases raised as Product Defects by Partners result in a Configuration Issue. Please be diligent and check/test your configuration thorough, and in line with the Best Practices mentioned in the related Implementation Handbooks. Note: If you are trying to configure a feature in a manner not described in the Implementation Handbooks, it is quite possibly not supported. Therefore thorough investigation and testing should be conducted before raising Product Support cases to avoid unnessecary delays.
• Data Issues - Typically the result of an on-going implementation, where configuration is changing all the time - note that data issues are typically caused by configuration changes where downsteam impacts were not considered when making the change
• Requests that will require Engineering or Operations Intervention - When purging users from an instance, to re-test pre-golive data imports/exercises, you will need to consider the turn-around time required by these teams to fully purge a UserID from the instance

If you are working in multiple instances, make sure you verify whether the issue exists in all instances or just the one. As per the the above, most issues we encounter are due to Configuration Issues or Data Issues caused by Configuration Issues. So it is important that you do conduct some tests on the configuration, form template settings, Workflow Triggers such as Manager Change, Calibration, etc, and verifying that the base configuration is working correctly. Product Support as well as Development Engineering will expect this to have been done before being engaged, so to avoid delays and pushback, please be as thorough as possible.

Application Errors can be thrown in all cases (Configuration Issue, Data Issues, Product Defect), so to ensure Cloud Product Support can help as quickly as possible, please be diligent and make sure you perform the above checks first before engaging with support.

Before opening an case with Product Support

Please be sure that before you open a support case with Product Support, you have performed the following sanity checks on your configuration/data - bearing in mind most issues are due to a configuration issue -:

• Have you checked and verified the configuration is correct?
• Check that the configuration for the area/feature you are configuring is correct according to the related Implementation Handbook. The handbooks always provide clear Best Practice configuration examples, which should be used as the basis for any customization.
• Be sure that if Message Keys, Picklists or Custom fields are involved, that they are also configured correctly
• Has the configuration changed recently?
• If so, can the recent change be un-done
• If so, please try revert any recent changes and see whether the problem persists?
• Can the issue be reproduced for just 1 or multiple users?
• If the issue is reproducible for all users it is still likely to be a configuration issue.
• If it seems to be related to 1 or a small user population - the next step is to check and verify that the data is correct.
• Have you checked the related Tips & Tricks (FAQ) document from Product Support?
• Have you searched the Support Portal incase a Note already exists for the issue you have encountered?

Please note - this article is aimed at providing quick reference to commonly encountered Implementation Issues, which could be encountered at any stage of implementation. Each issue mentioned in this article has a documented solution path. A couple may require the intervention of Development Engineering but most are related to common configuration misconceptions that result in undesired behaviour.

All of the issues below are either the result of Configuration issues, or incorrect use of the system.

Do note - these are the most commonly encountered - but do not cover everything. Please do search the Support Portal for other Knowledge Base Articles that could further help you resolve your Implementation Issue.

Tips & Tricks

Below are some tips and tricks recommended by Product Support, which you should consider first before opening a Support case

FAQ Index

Below are some Tips and Tricks you should be aware of or plan for during any Performance Management Implementation. Some are frequently encoutnered configuration issues and others are best practice considerations when Implementing Cloud Products. Please consult these Tips and Tricks first before opening a Support case.

1. General Configuration Issues
2. Data Retention Management
3. Employee Data Import
4. Holistic Testing Approach - Workflows

1. General Configuration Issues

The key to avoiding Configuration Issues is to keep it simple, and ensure every change you upload, you first take a backup. Do not start with the most complex configurations - start with getting the groundwork done and working before you move on to building complex custom configurations.

The other part is to ensure you are using either the latest PM / 360 / GM / CDP forms from SuccessStore or start with the last working template - also please be sure to use the latest Data Models as a misconfiguration in there can affect as well your templates. You can keep track of the latest information as well by reviewing the Admin / Implementation guides.

Our recommendation is always to start configuring everything in "Admin Center - Manage Templates". Once you finished with the setup in "Admin Center - Manage Templates" you can proceed with any other specifications that currently can't be controlled in "Admin Center - Manage Templates" by accessing the backend / Provisioning - Form template Administration.

 2. Data Retention Management (Purge Inactive Users)

What you must consider when performing a user purge is contained in the following KBA. Please be sure to read through the article carefully. Things to note:

• PMGM/CVP/RCM - Make sure the employee is not part of an open form process (Performance Management, Compensation, Recruiting, etc).
• LMS - If LMS is also enabled - you need to make sure that the SF User used to perform the purge in the SF suite, is also created in the LMS system. Username / UserID must be identicle in both systems, or the purge will fail
• After Purge - Understand that when a user is Purged - they cannot be re-used again. You must open a support case with the Platform team, and request the UserID be unblocked or fully purged. Understand this request can take 3-4 weeks to complete - so please plan accordingly. Cloud Product Support do not accept expedite requests on purge unblocks, so make sure you are making the request as early as possible to ensure it is completed in time for your project schedule. The process to unblock a purged user is documented in the following article - 2088065 - Data Retention Management - Purge Data - Platform

 3. Employee Data Import

Data that has not been properly set up can cause issues - depending if you have EC enabled or not, you will have to follow Best Practices regarding on how to maintain your data.

Please check:

2318479 - Platform Implementation tips & tricks from Support
2315109 - Employee Central - Tips & Tricks from Support

 4. Holistic Testing Approach- Workflows

 Be sure to test beyond just setting up the templates - you will have to test any related workflows. This is essential as many cases are opened as a consequence of not having verified the outcome before the roll out to live users.

• Route maps and visibility of fields - launch forms and check, if you encounter any issues in any step - don't forget to test in "Completed" stage as well. We saw in the past a lot of cases being opened, because the forms were only partially tested and the customers realized too late that specific fields are not visible once the forms were completed.
• Ratings, Weights, Calculation rules - check as well here the behavior and make sure that to spot any issues before starting with the official cycle
• Competencies - check if Core / Job code related competencies are pulling in as expected
• Goals - check whether goals are pulling in as expected and depending if you have enabled autosync or autopopulate, check the behavior here as well. Check as well the goal plan / development plan itself (access, visibility of fields, permissions)
• Manager changes - set up the document transfer rules you want to have and test them, so that you are aware of the expected system behavior
• Reports (all types) - If you're planning to run reports at the end of your cycle, then you need to test beforehand, if all data is being retrieved as expected - applies to all templates PM/360/GM/CDP and Calibration Sessions. Don't just run one test report with an admin user, instead run the reports with any HR or Admin who will run the report to make sure that there are no restrictions in regards to permission
• Calibration - should you want to run calibration sessions, test the behavior as well before the roll out to live users with some test users from beginning till end
• Portlets - also here, if you're planning to display data in portlets - set the system up accordingly and test if the information is being displayed
• Email notifications - check if emails are sent out and received as expected
• Continuous Performance Management - verify the functionality and visibility for users

When opening Support cases for the above

When opening a support case, please ensure you have completed the above steps before opening an case. If an case must be opened, please ensure the following information is attached to the case. Information to provide to ensure fastest possible turn-aound time is as follows -:

1. Replication Steps: Clear replication steps document, explaining the issue and how to reproduce (end to end - every step and screen), as well as any steps you have taken to try and resolve the issue youself
2. Configuration: Any configuration XML or screenshots of what you're doing and that are related to the UI/Page where you encounter the issue, should be attached to the case
3. Time stamp/ErrorId - If you are encountering an error, please provide the timestamp (Show version information at bottom of every page) or the full errorId from the pop-up. Please do not provide a screenshot, but copy/paste the text to the document/ticket
• If the issue is with a job e.g. you're trying to launch forms, ensure the job is running, provide the job name and submission time (from Admin Center > Monitor Job). Again, copy/paste the text as screenshots are not always good enough
4. Import files/Test User Population: Provide the import file or names of a set of test users that the issue can be reproduced with
5. Knowledge Base Articles: Refer any KBA's you may have tried to use to resolve your issue
6. Approval: Permission and access to an instance where the issue can be reproduced by Product Support. If the instance in question is a Production Instance, please try to provide access to a Test/Development instance that can be used to reproduce the issue instead (if possible)

KBA , LOD-SF-PM , Performance Management , How To