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    Version 5.1.0.9
    In This Topic

    Released on 29 October 2018

    Type:  Major Upgrade

    This is a major upgrade from version 5.0.3.2 which includes a rewrite of the web application onto the latest web technologies, a complete rethink of the workflows and forms modules and how they'll extend in the future.

    We are unfortunately still busy with rewriting the new web application and as a result, we're pointing back to the legacy site for some functions like Performance Reviews, Leave, etc.  This causes those parts of the site to load slower than usual.  We're aiming to have the legacy site phased out by March 2019.

     

     Core Upgrades

    Automatic Updates

    • Automatic updates will work from this version forward and will allow us to do minor updates on the system without affecting users.  The update service and files are hosted at https://updates.hrmanage.net, but can be hosted on the client's network to reduce outbound traffic.
    • The Update Service will check the client's application version and determine which files to return (a full upgrade, only differential files or a full update with subsequent patches).  If any plugins are registered for the client, the relevant files will also be downloaded and installed.
    • As long as HR Manage was originally installed using the HR Manage setup package, subsequent updates does not require administrator privileges and can be done by the standard user with the click of a button.

     

    The New HR Manage Online

    • The new web application is developed on the latest asp.net core platform.  Our aim is to make things simpler than before and stay out of the way.  The site uses more of the space on the screen while reducing the space used for headers and menus.
    • A default theme is implemented that can be customised from the HR Manage windows application without the need to contact PeopleRes Support to load or change the theme.
    • Navigate anywhere on the site from anywhere by using the smart navigation button
    • Clicking on the HR Manage Online link at the bottom will open the About page which will show the current version, license and list of registered contacts (i.e. Admin and HR contacts for the different branches)

     

    Email Platform

    • We've upgraded our email platform and all emails sent will now be logged in the database and kept for a year.  We're laying the groundwork for sending reminder emails in the future, although we're not there yet.
    • Multiple email accounts can now be configured, one for each module and can be customised by:
      • Specifying a Reply-To email address (in case users reply to an email notification)
      • Specifying the maximum number of attempts to send an email notification before failing
      • Specifying the maximum number of recipients per email.  If more recipients are found, the email will be split into smaller emails to overcome some mail server limitations.

     

    Recipient Group Management

    • Recipient Groups can now be managed from all module configuration areas as well as the comboboxes listing them.
    • We've also added a categories that they can be assigned to for easier management
      Compliance Management

    The compliance management has been upgraded and separated from the employee management module.  This means that technically we can now define a set of requirements for almost any entity in HR Manage and load compliance data for that entity (i.e. Service Providers, External Companies, etc.).  It will still be accessible as before through the Jump To menu in Employee Manager and will look similar as before.

    It is now also possible to specify a requirement group as a template for a Workflow Activity and enable users to upload compliance data and documents through a workflow online.

     Leave Administration
    While Leave wasn't part of the focus for this release, we did rewrite the navigation and dashboards for the module onto the new platform.  For now, Applying for leave, Approving applications and viewing reports are still done on the legacy site, but listing applications and viewing the dashboard is new.

     

     Workflows, Forms and Incidents

    Most of the work for the new version has been for this module.  Incident Reporting is now a sub-module of the Workflows module.  Everything has changed from the way workflows and forms are designed to how they work.

    Our aim was to make everything simpler and more accessible.  We created libraries for Form Templates and Workflow Templates, both that can be categorised.  Changes made to templates are immediate (i.e. making changes to a workflow activity or form entry is saved immediately and not only when the overall template is saved).  We've also integrated the designers into other editors, reducing the need to navigate between screens.  For instance, you can design a form on-the-fly when creating a Capture Form activity in a workflow.

     

     Forms
    The Forms module now has its own library with categories.  Forms are now able to contain Record Fields (i.e. internal fields for employees or occupations like Race, Job Title, etc.) and Matrix Questions.  Skip-logic can be configured for each question to determine which form entry must be prompted next and the form gets generated dynamically as questions are answered.

     

     Workflows

    Core

    • The new workflow system forms the core base for all other modules that uses workflows.  This means making an improvement on the module in the future will automatically make that improvement available to the Performance and Incident modules as well.
    • Workflow activities have more power and options.  You can specify multiple participants per activity and their role in the activity.  Workflows can now go back to previous activities.
    • Some examples of activity improvements:
      • Sign off activities
        • Can now act as a mini-decision by prompting the user with an Approve and Reject option.  Choosing either option results in the workflow following a different path.
        • Capture additional text that will be displayed to the user before sign off (op Approve/Reject, depending on the configuration)
      • Form activities
        • New option to either start with a blank form or to import values from previous completed form activity if this isn't the first time the form is found in the workflow (i.e. when workflow was pointed to a previous activity)
      • Tasklist activities
        • Tasklists can now control whether new tasks can be added during the activity or if only tasks from the template can be used
        • Specify to which people tasks can be assigned:  Only to participants in the workflow / activity, or to any employee in the system
        • Tasks can now be assigned to Positions or Employees
        • There is now the option for tasks to be dependent on other tasks.  i.e. Cannot start before a previous task has been completed.
      • Decision activities
        • Decisions can now consist of multiple evalutation expressions and you have the option to specify under which condition the decision should evaluate to true.  i.e. When all expressions evaluate to true or when any one expression evaluate to true.
      • Load Requirements activities
        • This is a new type of activity that allows people to load compliance requirements and supporting documentation.  Typically used in an onboarding process.
        • Security can be specified on each requirement type, who can view and who can update.
        • A separate Save Requirements activity type can be added to the workflow to save the compliance data to a specific employee.

         

    Extensibility

    • Workflows are now linked to locations to find and filter workflows easier.  You can customise how the assigned locations are determined (from Creator, Target Person, fixed or manually selected)
    • The custom fields platform currently available in the Employee module has been extended to support workflows.  You can now define custom fields for the workflow module and specify per template which fields must be included and in which order.  These fields can be used as columns or filter fields in the Windows application.
    • An initial form can be created during the workflow template design which will ask the user additional questions before the workflow is created.

     

    Integration

    • For the first time, we've created a platform that allows 3rd parties to develop their own plugin workflow activities to perform tasks in other systems.
    • These plugins can be used to send data to SAP, retrieve and download data from SAP or anything that might be needed.
    See Also