3 Reasons Why You Should Be Using PeopleSoft Workforce Availability

The PeopleSoft Fluid Workforce Availability feature equips managers with the tools they need to track and monitor employee time, training and attendance using an intuitive schedule view on a desktop, tablet or mobile device. The Fluid Workforce Availability feature enables enhanced managerial decision making, lowered compliance risk and workforce costs.

Interactive Viewing
The Workforce Availability page within the Manager Self Service dashboard shows an overview of all employees’ scheduled and reported times, with a daily or weekly view. Using the filter options, managers can search for and filter only the employees they would like to see, such as employees reporting to them during a particular shift. Managers can see who has approved or unapproved absences quickly, who is sick and who is taking vacation time. In addition to filtering capabilities, there is also a Sort command, allowing managers to sort by name, telephone, reported time and scheduled time. 

The Workforce Availability page uses rectangles to represent an employee’s scheduled time, with green bars reflecting actual, clocked time. Managers are able to see an employee’s attendance down to the minute. Managers can drill down and view more details about an employee’s time, such as the time they punched in and out, or when they took their lunch break.

Immediate Action
The Workforce Availability feature allows managers to take action immediately in regard to an employee’s time or attendance. For example, using the filters, managers can see who did not clock in for work on a given day and follow up quickly with a phone call by referencing the telephone number displayed under the employee’s name. Managers can take other actions in regard to an employee’s attendance by clicking on the related actions button next to an employee’s name. Managers can take actions such as approving overtime, approving an absence or emailing an employee to ask about a deviation in his or her attendance.

Extended Insight
Another helpful feature for managers is the Schedule Variance total displayed in the upper right corner of the pages. The page displays the total number of scheduled hours among all employees, the total hours reported and the overall percentage of variance. Managers can use this insight, taking it into account when making decisions and planning for the future.

Four Focuses of PeopleTools 8.55

With PeopleTools 8.55 released at the end of last year, Oracle continues to focus on delivering the best features and functionality through PeopleTools. Oracle has been focusing on four major investment and delivery areas within PeopleTools. The areas of focus include the following:

Focus Area #1: User Interface—Oracle is continually investing in ways to make the user’s experience within the applications modern and intuitive. In PeopleTools 8.55, Fluid UI is enhanced as Oracle continually looks for ways to provide customers with simplified navigation and mobility. Some Fluid enhancements in PeopleTools 8.55 include master/detail layouts, interactive and auto-sized titles (including a new Tile Wizard that walks users through tile creation step-by-step) and enhancements with Activity Guides and Dashboards. Fluid Homepages are also enhanced to better support tiles, intuitive navigation and personalization.

In 8.55, Fluid UI is the default. When a user now logs into a PeopleSoft 9.2 application, they will see a Fluid homepage with tiles rather than the Classic interface. Users will experience unified navigation with the Fluid header, including the Nav Bar, Menu and Notifications, present on both Fluid and Classic pages.

Focus Area #2: Life Cycle Management—Oracle is focusing on simplifying and streamlining how customers manage their applications. PeopleSoft Update Images are now delivered through Deployment Packages in 8.55. This allows PeopleSoft customers to deploy Update Images on any native OS for Windows or Linux. While VirtualBox still remains an option, customers have additional alternatives and the flexibility to choose. Deployment Packages make it easy to run environments in the Oracle Cloud. 8.55 also offers an Update Manager Dashboard, allowing users to see where they are at with maintenance. As far as what is coming up in 8.56, PeopleTools will be delivered through a continuous delivery model.

Focus Area #3: Analytic and Search Capabilities— 8.55 offers users simplified analytics for aided organizational decision making as well as enhanced search capabilities, making it easy for users to find the information they are looking for. In 8.55, users can see analytics, or visual representations, of the transaction page that they are on with the ability to alter the report to determine which fields or information is taken into account within the analytics. Users can stay on the same page without having to navigate away to create the report or find the information they need. Users can view the report from within a Pivot Grid, drilling down to the transaction level and filtering the data. As far as search capabilities go, PeopleTools 8.55 offers users the Global Search bar throughout applications as well as Secure Enterprise Search. Oracle is currently in the development phase to allow PeopleSoft applications to support Elastic Search as well. Ataway believes that Elastic Search will be delivered in 8.56.

Focus Area #4: Developer Productivity—In 8.55, developers can utilize the Application Designer andPeopleCode Editor, making it easy to build upon or customize PeopleSoft applications. Improvements include features such as find/search for PeopleCode as well as Application Classes and auto-complete, among others.

Why You Should Take a Look at HCM Update Image 17

PeopleSoft recently released the newest Update Image for HCM—Image 17. Wondering why you should leverage selective adoption to uptake some or all of the new features within this newest image? Here are the top 10 reasons.

Reason #1: Fluid Company Directory Usability Improvements
The Company Directory feature is now enhanced and has been redesigned through the Fluid User Interface with on-the-go users in mind. The Directory can now be displayed on mobile devices, tablets and desktops. After clicking on the Company Directory tile from the landing page, users will be able to search the Company Directory through a search bar, enhanced with filters to allow users to set their own search criteria and find the employees they are looking for. Users will also be able to access recently viewed pages and browse through their favorites pages with the number of employees in each collapsible section prominently displayed. In addition to accessing contact information or even map location of employees through their profiles, users can access/modify their own profiles easily. Mobility and navigation is intuitive and seamless, providing users with the information they need at their fingertips.

Reason #2: Direct Report Framework for Training Administration
PeopleSoft eDevelopment utilizes the same direct reports configuration with Update Image 17 as with other existing manager self service pages. The Training Summary feature displays the Employee Selection Criteria page with the same list and set up of employees as with the other manager self service pages. This ensures a consistent look and feel across pages.

Reason #3: Element Browser for Global Payroll and Absence Management
The Element Browser, enhanced in Fluid UI, provides users with the ability to maintain rules from a mobile device. Users can search by country using the Global Payroll Element Browser. Users are able to see element information and how each element is related to other elements within the system. To find a specific element, users can scroll through a list of elements for the selected country or search through the elements using the pin name, code or description. The search capability also includes a filter button and sort button to make finding elements simple and intuitive. From each element page, users can edit the element and refresh to reflect the changes, as well as select the Rebuild Effective Date Element command when adding/deleting related element members to rebuild the element map. An element breadcrumb is displayed at the top of the page, making it easy to navigate back and forth between elements.

Reason #4: Guided Self Service (Phase 2)
In Update Image 17, self service transactions utilize the PeopleTools Activity Guides Framework. Now, the same configuration pages will be used to set up transactions. Self service transactions will match the flow of Activity Guides.

Reason #5: Manager View as Feature
The My Team tile on Manager Self Service homepage offers managers useful information about direct and indirect reports. With Update Image 17, managers can quickly access the reporting structure for all managers who report up to them by selecting the View My Team next to another manager who is a direct report or by clicking the Change Team button next to the “Team of” field at the top that displays that manager’s name and job title. After selecting another manager, the page automatically changes to that manager’s list of direct reports. This enhanced navigation makes accessing reporting structures easier than ever before.

Reason #6: Self Service Matrix Management
Matrix teams can be managed through the Self Service Matrix Management tool. After clicking on the Manage Matrix Teams tile on the Self Service homepage, managers can add or edit teams from the Manage Matrix Teams page. Filtering capabilities allow users to add search criteria and quickly find the teams that they are looking for. When adding a new team, managers can select the type of team, add team members and set team leads.

Reason #7: Talent Acquisition Management Print Application
Using the Talent Acquisition Manager, users can determine which information fields to include when printing out applications. Using checkboxes, users can select which information they would like to include in the printed applicant report in one convenient PDF file. Other options include the ability to print attachments like resumes or responses to an online application questionnaire.

Reason #8: Updating Disability and Veteran Status in the Fluid User Interface
Users can now update Disability and Veteran status using the Personal Details tile on the Employee Self Service homepage through Fluid UI on a mobile device. Another enhancement is the addition of Form I-9 completion instructions and a link to the form itself to complete it directly from a phone.

Reason #9: Workforce Administrator and Talent Administrator Homepages
The new Workforce Administrator and Talent Administrator Homepages enhance navigation by making it easy for administrators to access commonly used information and transactions. The tiles make it easy for administrators to access WorkCenters, dashboards, analytics and more.

Reason #10: Workforce Availability
The Workforce Availability feature through the Fluid User Interface equips managers to view and track their team members time and schedules—both for the day and for the week. Filters allow managers to sift through employee tracked times, such as those employees with a schedule deviation or those away from work. Managers can take action on an employee’s reported time, such as approving overtime or notifying an employee about an absence. 

Simplify and Streamline with PeopleSoft Asset Tracking

PeopleSoft Asset Tracking, within the PeopleSoft Asset Physical Inventory solution, provides an intuitive, mobile tool for the management of physical company assets. PeopleSoft Asset Tracking replaces third party integrations as well as allows you to scan your assets to receive information about the asset from the repository. With this PeopleSoft solution, users can access the asset information they need directly from a mobile device, tablet or desktop.

To search for physical inventory, users can access the Physical Inventory tile and enter the Physical Inventory ID and scan a location, if applicable. A list of physical assets appears in a left pane.

Using a handheld scanner, users can scan the asset and the Scan Value from the barcode will automatically appear in the Scan Value field within the application. The application will then retrieve the asset from the asset repository and display the details of that particular scanned asset. Users can review and edit the information for that asset. Administrators will have the ability to set what information for each scanned asset can be edited by users. For example, users can edit information such as which custodian is assigned to each piece of equipment. Users can then select the Notify button from the menu to email that custodian and notify them of the update.

For items where the barcode is illegible or missing, PeopleSoft Asset Tracking makes it easy. Simply click the Find Asset button from the menu to find the asset within the system. Users can search by Unit, Asset ID, Tag, Serial ID, Mfg Name or Model and then select a button to manually scan the item to add it to the inventory list. The solution also makes adding new assets simple, allowing users to select a New Assets button from the menu to input asset information.

PeopleSoft Asset Tracking will automatically update scan locations for inventory when users enter a scan location in the Physical Inventory tile and be flagged for review. There is also a Scan By Location tile, which serves as an auditing tool that allows users to scan inventory and record a location, but not within the physical inventory process. This feature only allows users to update location rather than receive full editing capabilities like within the Physical Inventory tile. The “Force Asset Location Update” allows users to automatically revise the location of assets in the repository for all items scanned. Users will be able to go back and reference a scan history to see all of an asset’s locations.

PeopleSoft Asset Tracking simplifies asset management by allowing users to easily update and monitor asset information and location while on the go.

3 Reasons to Move to PeopleSoft 9.2 Procurement Solutions

In the newest PeopleSoft Talk with Oracle’s Marc Weintraub, Alexa Masters, Product Strategy Director, discusses the new enhancements and developments in PeopleSoft 9.2’s Procurement Solutions. She addresses three main challenges facing Purchasing Departments and how PeopleSoft Procurement addresses these areas.

The first reason to move to PeopleSoft Procurement Solutions is to reduce Spend Creep. CFOs and organizational leadership are watching Purchasing departments and are seeing how spending can impact the bottom line. Leadership is looking for ways to not only control, but cut costs wherever possible. By increasing automation with things such as supplier administration, organizations are able to significantly cut costs and focus on executing operations. This initiative, called the Supplier Lifecycle Management initiative, allows users to reduce risk and improve data management, creating savings in multiple areas.

The second reason to move is to stay in compliance. There are two parts to compliance in Purchasing- contract compliance and supplier compliance. Purchasing departments need to make sure that contracts, service level agreements and documents are compliant as well as the suppliers that they decide to do business with. PeopleSoft has launched the total Contract Management Initiative, enforcing compliance and lowering risk. A new development recently released within this initiative is the PeopleSoft Supplier Contracts Workbench. The Workbench provides users with a visual display of all activities through the life of a contract. It provides users with a one-stop shop to see all contract activity and drill down into the activities related to each.

The third reason to move is to provide your Purchasing users with the modern, mobile and innovative experience they are looking for. PeopleSoft answers users’ requests through solutions and functionality delivered in the Fluid User Interface. Before Fluid UI, PeopleSoft users used Desktop Requisitioning. Now, customers are looking for a mobile, modernized eProcurement Requisitioning tool. With eProcurement in Fluid UI, procurement officers will be able to access the information they need while on the go from a smartphone or tablet. eProcurement Approvals are now also available on mobile devices with future development in Requisition Receiving on mobile.

Another way 9.2 delivers an innovative experience through PeopleSoft eProcurement is the Integrated Marketplace, where internal and external 3^rd party catalogs are combined in one place. Users experience streamlined search and navigation without having to look up different pages. All results are found within the PeopleSoft eProcurement page.

PeopleSoft is continuing to develop new features for eProcurement solutions. Oracle is currently working on developing a Supplier Contract Activity View, which allows organizations to take all the contracts from a supplier and name/structure them to match their organization’s preferences. Supplier Onboarding Registration Templates, Supplier Change Request, Supplier 360 and Supplier Portal Solution in Supplier Lifecycle Management in 9.2 are all available to those who have the Payables or Purchasing module in 9.2.

Want more information on PeopleSoft eProcurement? Email me or visit Oracle online. 

Increase Efficiency with PeopleSoft Time and Labor Auto Enrollment

The time and labor administrator within the organization is responsible for setting up time and labor and enrollment rules for each employee. The administrator is also responsible for updating any time reporter data any time an employee is promoted, terminated or has a job change within the organization.

PeopleSoft Time and Labor Auto Enrollment saves administrators valuable time by automating the enrollment process in Time and Labor for new hires, people leaving the company or people switching jobs within the organization.

Setting Up Auto Enrollment

To begin Auto Enrollment Set Up, log in as an administrator and select the “Enable Auto Enrollment” checkbox, which can be found on the installation page.

Administrators have the option as to whether they want to process enrollment in real time or enroll in batches (in a batch number set by the administrator). There is also an option to turn on Preview Mode, allowing administrators to see the enrollment in Pivot pages. By filling in the Retro Limit, administrators can specify how many months back they would like the Auto Enrollment to process. An Exclusion List on this page shows the query of individuals who are not automatically enrolled in the Time and Labor.

From this page, administrators can also designate when they would like a terminated employee’s enrollment to inactivate.

Set Up Steps

The first step is to navigate to the Enrollment Group page. The Enrollment Group page allows administrators to group employees who share similar time reporter data. The criteria are based off of queries built by the administrators to designate the different groups of employees.

Second, administrators outline the attributes for the time reporter data and values for that enrollment group. The last step is to set up time reporting user preferences, such as the default timesheet display (monthly, weekly, etc.) and the option to include a Save for Later button. The Schedule Assignment page assigns the enrollment groups to a predetermined schedule.

After setting up auto enrollment, administrators can process auto enrollments by an individual employee, all employees or by batches of employees.

From the Fluid Manager Self Service homepage, administrators can view a Time and Labor Auto Enrollment Tile that shows the number of enrollments to review as well as the total number of errors. The preview mode is accessible here, allowing administrators to view the enrollment data in an intuitive Pivot Grid format with the ability to drill down into the grid or filter through the enrollments.

PeopleSoft HCM Time and Labor Auto Enrollments ensures that your organization stays up to date and saves valuable time and resources.

Strategies around Reporting in PeopleSoft

Still using Crystal Reporting? Here are the two main reasons why you should switch your reporting tool.

The first reason to replace Crystal Reporting is that other enhanced tools through PeopleTools 8.55 are now available. The newly released PeopleTools 8.55 offers Oracle application users new and enhanced functionality, including the ability to access applications on a mobile device and create a user experience that is modern, simplified and intuitive. In addition, PeopleTools 8.55 will also bring increased analytic reporting capabilities through Simplified Analytics and interactive Pivot Grids, built using delivered or prebuilt PeopleSoft Queries. Users will be able to “slice and dice” data to view real-time reports, leading to enhanced decision-making and increased organizational efficiency. PeopleSoft users are also familiar with Oracle BI Publisher, introduced a few releases back to create reporting.

The second reason to replace Crystal Reporting is that support will be discontinued. PeopleTools 8.55 offers capabilities that, in many instances, will replace traditional reporting methods. SAP Crystal Reports, a traditional reporting method used by PeopleSoft customers in the past, will be discontinued. PeopleSoft Crystal Reports allowed users to create both standard and custom reports for print using data found within the PeopleSoft system.

PeopleTools 8.54 is the last release to support Crystal Reports, and PeopleTools 8.51 was the last release to bundle it. The support of these reports will end along with the Premier Support of 9.1 applications. Before July 2011, Oracle supported these reports to benefit PeopleSoft customers. Now, however, users will have improved reporting and analytic tools available to them to support their reporting needs. Users previously using Crystal Reports will be able to switch over to Oracle’s Business Intelligence Publisher tool. BI Publisher is the reporting platform for all PeopleSoft 9.2 applications.

Oracle Business Intelligence Publisher (BI Publisher, formerly XML Publisher) is an enterprise reporting solution that streamlines report and form generation. One of the main advantages to using Oracle's BI Publisher product is the separation of the data extraction process from the report layout. BI Publisher enables customers to design and create report layout templates with the more common desktop applications of Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat, and renders XML data based on those templates. With a single template, it can generate reports in many formats (PDF, RTF, Excel, HTML, and so on) in many languages. Oracle’s Business Intelligence Publisher approach to reporting can dramatically reduce report maintenance, enabling power business users to adjust report templates without involvement of IT resources.

Oracle BI Publisher allows users to create, manage and distribute interactive and polished reports geared toward customers. Oracle BI Publisher also allows users to create government forms and electronic funds transfer documentation. BI Publisher makes creating reports easy and efficient, allowing users to set up reports exactly as they would like with the flexibility to export it in a number of different formats. Users can also schedule when and where they would like the reports to be delivered, such as via email. BI Publisher can also help users manage government regulatory reports.

Interested in utilizing PeopleTools 8.55 Analytics or the BI Publisher? Visit the PeopleTools 8.55 page on Oracle's site.