In Unit 4, we explored how to execute controls within SAP Risk and Assurance Management and interpret the overall failure report to assess control performance. Now, in Unit 5, we shift our focus to the next critical phase in the control lifecycle: issue management and the remediation process.
This unit introduces you to how SAP Risk and Assurance Management enables the structured handling of issues that arise when a control fails. Lets start to discover what you can customize in the process issues settings tile.
The Process Issues Settings tile in SAP Risk and Assurance Management enables administrators to configure key aspects of how issues are identified, categorized, and managed within the system.
It consists of several important configuration areas that help standardize and streamline issue handling across your organization.
Note
The sections outlined below represent only a subset of the available configuration options. For more detailed guidance, please visit the SAP Help Portal – Configuration for Issues.
1. Define Issue Categories
The Categories section allows you to label issues according to predefined categories. This helps in organizing and classifying issues based on their nature or area of impact.
2. Conclusion Assignments
Define possible issue conclusions, such as:
- Confirmed
- The issue is considered to be a real and valid issue.
- False Positive
- The issue is not considered to be valid and was likely raised in error.
- Withdrawn
- The issue was initially identified but has since been retracted and will not be processed further.
- Omitted
- The issue is intentionally excluded from investigation, typically due to low relevance or priority.
- Not Selected
- No conclusion has been set yet—this is the initial default value before a decision is made.
Assigning conclusions is a critical part of issue processing, as it determines how each issue is treated and whether follow-up actions are required.
3. Navigation Target
This section enables drill-down navigation from an issue directly into backend systems such as SAP S/4HANA. This is particularly useful when a navigation target is used by an automated procedure, enabling users to quickly access relevant business context or transactional data without manual effort.
4. Issue Grouping Rules
The Grouping Rules section allows you to define how issues should be grouped together based on shared characteristics or logic. This helps streamline issue management by reducing duplication and providing a consolidated view of related issues.
5. Set Up Automatic Issue Owner Notification
During issue creation, it is possible to configure notification settings to ensure timely follow-up and accountability. These settings enable the system to automatically send notifications to the issue owner.
Let's see how to handle issues that have been identified in the business data.
The Process Issues tile serves as the central workspace for monitoring and managing all issues created within the system. It provides users with an immediate and comprehensive overview of open, in-progress, or resolved issues, along with key details such as status, category, and ownership.
From this tile, users can perform several important actions to ensure efficient issue tracking and resolution:
- Assign an Owner
- Designate a responsible person for managing and resolving the issue.
- Set a Conclusion
- Define the outcome of the issue (for example, Confirmed, False Positive, Withdrawn).
- Edit Issue Status
- Update the current status of the issue to reflect progress (for example, Open, In Progress, Resolved).
- Edit the Category
- Modify the issue category to ensure accurate classification
- Group Issues Manually
- Combine related issues for easier tracking and remediation, especially when they arise from similar causes.
- Retry Issue Creation
- If an issue failed to be created due to a system or data error, you can attempt to recreate it directly from the tile.
Navigating the Process Issues Tile
Let’s explore what you can do starting at the top of the screen. You can filter issues based on several criteria to quickly find and focus on specific items:
- ID
- Search by the unique issue identifier.
- Issue Category
- Filter by the category assigned to issues.
- Status
- Filter based on progress (for example, Open, In Progress, Resolved).
- Conclusion
- Filter by the conclusion assigned to issues.
- Issue Owner
- Filter issues by the responsible owner.
- Control Version
- Filter by control versions, such as those used in Internal Controls over Financial Reporting.
The interface is customizable, allowing you to tailor the view to display additional details at a glance. This flexibility helps users focus on the most relevant information.
By selecting an issue, you can open it directly and initiate an investigation or take further action.
One key benefit is that all created issues are displayed in the Issue Overview Dashboard. This dashboard provides a consolidated view of issues and related tasks that require follow-up, helping teams prioritize and manage their workload effectively.
The full functionality and features of the Issue Overview Dashboard will be demonstrated in Unit 6.