The goal of succession nominations is to create succession plans that can be viewed in the Succession Org Chart (SOC), and the other succession tools and reports.
The succession nomination methods vary in configuration, requirements, and administration. Be careful to consider all methods discussed in the Project Team Orientation (PTO) and document decisions in the discovery meetings. While you can change the succession nomination method in the future, each nomination method tracks information differently, so not all data migrates easily from one nomination method to another.
SAP SuccessFactors Succession Management currently has three supported succession nomination methods to choose from in Provisioning:
- Role-Person Nominations
- Position-Based Nominations
- MDF Position-Based Nominations
Caution
The succession nomination method in your system is determined by a Provisioning setting. These Provisioning settings must be activated or changed by Customer Success or Professional Services.
Role-Person Nomination Method
The Role-person nomination method (also known as Incumbent-based) is typically used for replacement planning. Successors are nominated to a role/unique person combination (i.e., job code + user ID). Job codes and roles must be defined, and this method of succession planning is focused on the person or incumbent rather than the position itself. For example, a company may select the role-person nomination method if they have grown quickly by acquisition and do not have strong position management in place or need a more simplified method of administration and maintenance.
Note
One important thing to know regarding the role-person nomination method is that succession plans move with the incumbent and such plans are dropped if the incumbent's job code changes.
Because the role-person nomination method is not a recommended best practice at this time, the discussion of it is limited to this scope. If you are currently utilizing this method, your company should consider exploring some of our newer options for optimal use of the Succession module.
Position Nomination Method
The Position nomination method (also known as Legacy Position) is often selected by customers due to its minimal prerequisites. For example, you may choose the permissions structure of legacy admin domains or role-based permissions with position nominations, whereas the MDF Position nomination method requires the use of role-based permissions discussed later in this guide. Since successors are nominated to positions, a position model is created with defined roles and job codes. This allows succession plans to be linked to the position, regardless of incumbent or vacancy.
Advantages for succession planning with this method are as follows:
- Supports future planning for vacant positions
- Adds To Be Hired (TBH) positions in the org chart
- Holds plans intact even if incumbent and job code changes occur
- Automatic removal of succession nomination for incumbents
If an employee, who was nominated as a successor to a position, becomes the incumbent, the system automatically removes that employee from the successor list for this position. This enhancement automates the process of identifying successors who become incumbents and then removing them from the successor list. By selecting this option, you can optimize your succession process and relieve your talent planners of the manual steps otherwise required.
To activate this enhancement, go to Admin Center→Nominations Set Up and select: Automatically remove nominated successor if that user becomes incumbent.
Note
The position model must be maintained via sync or import. Both features are available to the administrator within Admin Center→Succession.
MDF Position Nomination Method
The MDF Position nomination method builds on our most sophisticated platform feature called the Metadata Framework (MDF) and commonly referenced as the generic object (GO). MDF puts control back into your hands as the administrator by broadening the capabilities within Admin Center.
Some powerful benefits in areas like configuration, tracking, and permissions are below:
- Creating custom fields unique to your organization within the position details
- Utilizing effective dating of positions to capture historical changes to a record
- Providing more granular permissions and targets to restrict sensitive information
- Automatic removal of succession nomination for incumbents
Due to the added functionality with MDF Position, this is the nomination method that is used for the course. Information about all three methods is given to help you understand the differences and decide which method is most appropriate for your organization.
Caution
MDF positions are generic objects built with the Metadata Framework that can be used for succession planning with or without SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central. For initial setup or modifications to Provisioning settings, contact Customer Success or your Professional Services partner to assist further.
Caution
Automatic removal of a succession nomination and the MDF Position Nomination: If an employee who was nominated as successor to a position actually becomes the incumbent of the position, the system can be configured to automatically remove that employee from the successor list for this position.
