The H1 2020 SAP SuccessFactors release went into production mode on June 5—which means many customers are now experiencing the latest updates to the SuccessFactors HCM suite. The use of H1 to describe the release signals a change—a shift to biannual releases for the cloud product. That meant a more significant set of upgrades, and with it came changes to how SAP SuccessFactors shares the release information.

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First, partners previously had access to the release notes about a month ahead of when customers saw them. For H1 2020, partners got the release notes at the same time as customers—one before the preview period began.

Second, gone were the detailed release webinars of the past, which featured an in-depth examination of every change in each module. SAP SuccessFactors replaced those with Q&A sessions, having customers review the notes, and submitting their biggest questions before the webinars. Instead of a broad approach to the webinar schedule, only the submitted questions were covered.

Finally, SAP SuccessFactors unveiled the new What’s New Tool—detailed documentation of the H1 2020 release notes that included demos for many of the updates. There is a searchable online version, as well as a PDF document that replaced the demos with screenshots (similar to the webinar decks from previous releases).

New SAP SuccessFactors Release Schedule Means New Strategies

The changes made to the way SAP SuccessFactors released information did force customers and partners alike to adapt. The shortened period for partners to review information meant intensive study periods to prepare—we may have been reminded of university finals week.

Changing the style of webinars from a detailed rundown of release notes to a Q&A that answered pre-submitted questions also meant customers needed to do a lot more exploring on their own. The What’s New Tool was helpful in that regard, but it also meant the review sessions with partners were even more critical.

We have plenty to take away from the changes in the H1 2020 release. We also now possess insight on how to optimize the H2 2020 release.