No alternative for schemes and rules

The internationally active family business Iwis has modernized its HR IT processes in the SAP HCM environment in a targeted manner. The aim was to document changes to schemas and rules in a traceable manner, to significantly reduce the testing effort for SAP Support Packages and to increase audit compliance in payroll accounting. With the introduction of FIS/HRD SRA, the schema and rules analyzer from FIS Informationssysteme und Consulting, Iwis was able to implement precisely these requirements in a practical manner with the SAP standard extension, thereby noticeably improving transparency, process reliability and efficiency in ongoing operations. At Iwis, around 2000 employees in Germany are paid monthly via SAP HCM. Payroll accounting is organized and managed centrally. Against the background of this payroll volume and a grown SAP HR system landscape, stable, secure and, above all, traceable processes play a central role in payroll accounting.

Increasing requirements

As a growing company, Iwis was in the middle of a transformation of its HR IT landscape. Schemas and rules in the SAP HCM system had been continuously adapted over the years - for example due to legal changes, SAP support packages or customer-specific customizing. These interventions had far-reaching effects on the overall system, but were only documented to a limited extent. Schemas and rules were changed regularly - for example due to legal requirements, SAP Support Packages or company-specific customizing - but were often not properly documented. However, these changes often had far-reaching effects on the overall system. If errors then occurred, it was often no longer possible to trace what had actually happened in the system,“ says Andreas Eppeneder, responsible for payroll accounting at Iwis, describing the initial situation. Especially when importing SAP Support Packages, but also for monthly payroll accounting, this meant a high risk and led to a lot of work. In order to check possible effects, numerous test persons had to be created and complete billing scenarios had to be run through manually. At the same time, uncertainty remained as to whether all relevant changes were actually recognized.

Revision security

Against this background, Iwis was looking for a specialized solution that would make changes to schemas and rules transparent, map versions in a comparable way and document them in an audit-proof manner. What was particularly important was the targeted analysis of changes - independent of individual test cases. For Iwis, it was clear that they needed a solution that would make changes transparent, map versions in a comparable way and at the same time document them in an audit-proof manner. The aim was no longer to test „flying blind“, but to be able to trace which adjustments had been made and how they affected schemas, rules and customizing. The decision was made in favor of the FIS/HRD SRA tool, the schema and rules analyzer from FIS.

 The decisive factor was not only the functionality, but also the market position of the tool. „In my opinion, there is currently no comparable solution on the market that monitors, versions and maps schemas and rules in such an audit-proof manner. I don't know of any other tool for this area - there is only FIS,“ emphasizes Eppeneder.

Introduction after two days

FIS/HRD SRA was introduced as part of a two-day workshop. Together with the responsible employees from HR IT and SAP HCM, the tool was not only set up technically, but also adapted specifically to the requirements of Iwis and filled directly with concrete use cases. „Many people don't believe that the introduction is possible in such a short time,“ explains Ansgar Schleyer, Head of Human Resources Management at FIS. 

„After two days, we leave behind a ready-to-use system with specific test objects that the customer can work with directly.“ From the customer's point of view, the training and rapid operational readiness were also impressive: „We went straight into the test and production system after the training. The tool was ready for use the next day and we were able to work with it immediately,“ says Eppeneder. „The tool is very structured - once you've understood the logic, you quickly reach your goal.“

Relief in day-to-day business

Since the introduction of FIS/HRD SRA, the way Iwis HR works has changed significantly. Instead of time-consuming manual tests, versions can now be compared in a targeted manner. Changes can be tracked transparently, including documentation and comments.

“The If errors occur, often could no longer be understand what has actually happened in the system.”

Andreas Eppeneder,
Director of Payroll in HR Planning,
Iwis

„The biggest advantage is the enormous time saving. We save at least three quarters of the time we used to spend testing individual people,“ explains Eppeneder. „Today, we can see directly which changes have been made to the system and what effects they have.“ The tool and versioning also ensure greater security during ongoing operations. This overview is particularly crucial in the sensitive area of payroll accounting. Changes are clearly documented across all systems - from the development system to testing and the production environment. Errors can be detected at an early stage, rectified in a targeted manner and also avoided. „The system has become more secure overall. We have a much better feeling before every payroll run - throughout the entire team,“ summarizes Eppen-eder.

In addition to FIS/HRD SRA, Iwis also uses other tools from the FIS/HRD product family, in particular FIS/HRD CCC (Copy, Compare, Convert). While FIS/HRD SRA creates transparency regarding changes to schemas, rules and customizing, FIS/HRD CCC supports the structured comparison of payroll results. Payroll runs can thus be systematically compared - for example between different time periods, test and production systems or after changes in customizing. In interaction with Iwis, adjustments to schemas and rules can be specifically linked to the concrete effects on payroll accounting. 

This means that changes to the system do not remain abstract, but can be traced directly using the accounting results. This makes it easier to classify deviations and creates transparency as to which change had which effect.

„We can quickly understand why results have changed and what has happened in the system, especially in the event of deviations in the billing run,“ says Eppeneder. „This makes it much easier to analyze the causes - even in day-to-day operations.“

In addition to the technical solution, Iwis particularly emphasizes the cooperation with FIS. Fixed contact persons, clear communication and practical training contributed significantly to the success of the project. „The collaboration was very professional and at the same time informal. We had a fixed contact person right from the start, and all processes - from setup to training - ran smoothly and purposefully,“ reports Eppeneder. „That helped us enormously to use the tool quickly and effectively.“ Close cooperation is also a key success factor for FIS. „The exchange with users and feedback from the field are essential for us to further develop our products and stay close to our customers,“ says Schleyer.

Basis for changes

By using FIS/HRD SRA, Iwis has created a reliable basis for transparently tracking changes to schemes and rules and increasing security in payroll accounting. The reduced checking effort, the better overview of changes and the increased confidence in the processes have a direct impact on the quality of the monthly payroll run. In the future, Iwis plans to further expand the versioning options and make greater use of them in a productive environment. This puts the company in a good position to implement further changes in the SAP HCM environment in a controlled and comprehensible manner. (Source: FIS)

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