3363250 - Upgrading to Latest Goal Management when including Group goals– Best Practice Approach

SAP is planning to Universal Push all customers to latest version of Goal Management in 1H 2025 standard Release.

The Release dates as confirmed currently are:
Preview Instances: 14 April, 2025
Production Instances  : 16-18 May, 2025 

 

Therefore, it will eventually become inevitable that you have to review how this upgrade impacts to existing templates. We highly recommend you plan your upgrade before we universal push to reduce disruption of your goal cycle to a minimum.

 

We always recommend starting a new template when upgrade to latest version of Goal Management.

Please understand that reimagined goals are NOT just a user interface upgrade. It introduces new functionality and new ways of working (integration to CPM, OKR, etc). It is not, and was never intended to be a flip of the switch upgrade. Customers with very simple configurations will have very small impacts, however customers with more complex processes will certainly need to be more thoughtful when they move to the new version.

Read on if you still want to use the same goal plan template in the latest version of Goal Management. 

 

Scenarios and Best Practices

Scenario 1:

You are using a 2023 goal plan template right now and want to upgrade to latest version of Goal Management in 2024 year using a different goal plan template.

Best Practice:

This should be the easiest scenario.

• Finish off the 2023 goal cycle in legacy goals
• Upgrade to latest version of goals
• Create a new template for 2024 goal plan
• Done!

 

Scenario 2:

You are using a 2023 goal plan template right now and want to upgrade to latest version of Goal Management in the middle of this goal cycle year using the same goal plan template. You don't have group goals created in that old template.

Best Practice:

• Read about the overview of latest version here: https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_SUCCESSFACTORS_PERFORMANCE_AND_GOALS/4a24e48b5c384b18a81f6b661305021e/... make sure you are well aware of its reduced scope, limitations and changes to goal plan templates
• Proceed to upgrade to latest version of goals
• Convert the existing template so that this 2023 goal plan template can continue to be used in latest version, the integration with other modules like Performance Form, 360 Forms should stay intact. (If you do not convert, this template will be in read only mode and cannot allow any changes to data, so you must convert templates here). Read more about converting templates here: https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_SUCCESSFACTORS_PERFORMANCE_AND_GOALS/4a24e48b5c384b18a81f6b661305021e/... 

 

Scenario 3:

You are using a 2023 goal plan template right now and want to upgrade to latest version of Goal Management in the middle of this goal cycle year using the same goal plan template. You have group goals created in that old template.

Best Practice:

• Read about the overview of latest version here: https://help.sap.com/docs/SAP_SUCCESSFACTORS_PERFORMANCE_AND_GOALS/4a24e48b5c384b18a81f6b661305021e/... make sure you are well aware of its reduced scope, limitations and changes to goal plan templates
• Proceed to upgrade to latest version of goals.
• You CANNOT convert templates containing Group Goals in them, this is not supported due to its complications and disruptions it will cause to ongoing Performance Forms.
• Please follow this KBA 3471110 - Goal Plan Template Conversion Error: This goal plan template can't be converted because it contains data of group goals. - SAP for Me solution:

1. 1. Download the Group goal data for the users for the GM template with all required Goal details.
   2. Delete the group goal data for the users (including Group Goal data for inactive users as well) using the Import Performance Goals tool.
   3. Now convert GM template.
   4. After conversion, reimport the goals as team goals & assign it to the users accordingly in case Admin want to use the same Goal data.

• Then you can convert the newly created template.

Scenario 4:

You have overlapping cycles – the 2023 goal plan will be left open for 2-3 months whilst the reviews happen (often via a Performance Form) and final changes are made, and the 2024 goal plan is already opened for the new year.

Best Practice:

• Continue with the old cycle, the 2023 goal plan in legacy goals and finish that off
• At the same time, go ahead with creating a new goal cycle 2024 goal plan still in legacy goals (but don’t create group goals for the new cycle yet, you can create Team Goals though, this is to prepare for the future template conversion)
• After old cycle is completed, now upgrade to latest version of goals
• Convert existing 2024 goal plan (this should work due to no group goals being present), read more about how to convert
  here:Converting Existing Goal Plan Templates | SAP Help Portal 
• At this point the old 2023 goal plan would have finished and will be in read only mode once you are upgraded to latest version of goal management, so you don't need to keep maintaining and changing the data in it. Continuing using new 2024 goal plan in latest goals, and integration with Performance Forms will also stay intact.

Note: Until unless the legacy version goal plan is not converted as per the latest version goal plan template the older version of goal plan will be in read-only mode.