Sapling - Transitioning to Smart Assignment

Introduction 

Smart Assignment recommends matching Profile Templates, Workflows, Documents, and Outbox Templates during onboarding or offboarding based on your Group Filters and team member groups.

If you are an existing customer using Smart Assignment and are looking to improve your onboarding and offboarding programs by introducing new group filters, you've come to the right place.

If you are a new customer and haven't yet set up Smart Assignment, visit this article when setting up your account to build the most robust and personalized onboarding experience for your team.

Overview

Up until this latest release, Sapling has only supported the group types Location, Department, and Employment Status as Group Filter options to use for Smart Assignment. With this release, you will now have the option to use up to 5 group types as group filters for your onboarding or offboarding plans!

 

Group Filters vs. Group Types

Group Filters are your selection of specific Group Types, like Location or Division, to be applied in your Sapling account. You can select up to 5 Groups types be used as Group Filters, that can be used as filterable options for your people or program data throughout the Sapling platform. In this example, the Group Type "Special Projects" is being selected as a Group Filter:

Only Profile Templates, Documents, Workflows, and Outbox Templates will dynamically update to your Group Filter selections. Features like Holidays, Time Off, Company Links, Integrations, Permissions, etc. will not yet support this dynamic selection of your group types to be used as Group Filters.

Group Filters vs. Smart Assignment

Group Filters help you quickly organize your people and program data like workflows or documents. Smart Assignment uses Group Filters (or a subset of those filters) to automatically build your onboarding or offboarding plans in Sapling.

Step by Step Transition Plan

We'll use the example of introducing a new Group Type, Job Type, to improve an onboarding program.

 

Step 1 - Determine the Group Types you'd like to use

Determine how'd you like to improve your onboarding program with new or existing group types. Maybe you want a group type that segments Managers with Direct reports or Managers without? Maybe you want a group type for Executive team members vs. non-executive team members? How about a group type that indicates a Division, Job Level or Job Type? Once you identify how you'd like to further personalize your onboarding program, create those group types.

Start here if you ARE already tracking the people data tags you want to use

If you are already capturing these types of groups as standard fields under Profile Setup > Job Details instead of Group Types, you'll need to complete all of the steps listed below AND then remove the standard field from your Profile Setup > Job Details configuration.

Start here if you ARE NOT already tracking the people data tags you want to use

You'll need to determine 2 things to create a Group Type under the Groups page (Add group):

1. What will you name the Group Type? (this name must be unique, so if your intent is to reuse a field name already used under Job Details, update the existing name to something different before creating this new group type)
2. What Job Details table should this new group type be stored in? 

Step 2 - Adding values to your Group Types

Once those types are created, you will need to create the options of that group type. Use the Actions > "+ Add New" button to add those options.

If you have a large amount of values to upload, skip to step 3.

Step 3 - Add your new group type field to the applicable Profile Templates

1. Navigate to Administration Tools
2. Click on Profile Setup
3. Click "Profile Templates"
4. Select the profile templates that should include this group type as a field to collect
5. Click "Job Details"
6. Find the table in which you added the group type
7. Click " Add Fields" and select the group type field

Step 4 - Update data for your team

Once those values are created, you can apply that data to your team members. We recommend using the Bulk Upload feature for both Step 2 and 3.

If you're pulling this data from existing fields you've used on Profile Setup > Job Details to track these people data tags, download that data from Reports first, then continue with uploading that data to the newly created Group Type(s).

Step 5 - Important Step! Configure Group Filters & Smart Assignment

Now you can go through the Smart Assignment configuration wizard to set your group types as Group Filters, and decide which filters you'd like to use for Smart Assignment. We recommend just setting your new Group Filters but not adding them yet to be required for Smart Assignment.

If you are only looking to introduce up to 2 new filters and continue using the Sapling default group types, continue to Step 5; otherwise, jump to Step 7

If you'd like to remove Location, Department, or Employment Status and use other group types, we recommend you add up to 2 group filters you'd like to use first. Once you've successfully updated your Workflows, Documents, Profile and Outbox templates with these new values, then we recommend you remove the Sapling default group types you no longer want to use.

Step 6 - Update your Activities

Navigate to your workflows, documents, profile templates and outbox templates and you can now see the Detail panel will have the updated Group Filters you've selected. You can now begin updating your activities to use the new Group Filters.

If you have a high number of workflows or documents to update, reach out to your CSM for help.

Step 7 - Onboard or offboard using new Group Filters with Smart Assignment!

Now that everything is configured, go back to "Configure Smart Assignment" on the Groups page and enable the group types you've updated and click save. You can now onboard or offboard your next team member, and Smart Assignment will seamlessly add the correct Workflows, Documents, Profile Templates and Outbox templates.

FAQ

What happens if I remove a Group Filter I'm currently using? Does Sapling forget how my workflows or documents were using them? No, they are stored behind the scenes and if you'd like to go back to using them, you can enable them again during the Smart Assignment configuration wizard. Keep in mind if you added Group Type data on your employees, as long as that group is active, it will be displayed on the team members job details, on the Org Chart, and in Reports.

What if I'm in the middle of updating my Group Filters and I need to onboard or offboard a team member and I want to use Smart Assignment? Go back to your Groups page, and then reset your Group Filters to Location, Department, and Employment Status used in Smart Assignment. Once you complete the onboarding or offboarding event, you can then go back to updating your Group Filters. You can also choose to disable Smart Assignment during the onboarding or offboarding event and manually assign activities.