You Have to Put the "Success" in SuccessFactors Yourself

First, make sure that you have your current and future state business requirements mapped out and documented before the engagement and implementation process begins. It is quite painful to attempt to optimize your process on the fly while attempting to configure a system. Second, the sales people will tell you what you want to hear and will find that there is "over promise, under deliver" syndrome once the contract is signed and you are handed over from sales to the implementation consultant. Make sure you all conversations, questions and answers are thoroughly documented throughout the implementation process. There is no SuccessFactors system administration manual because the system is so highly configurable, so be prepared to develop one for yourself. Make sure you get and contact references before purchasing.

Our company has invested a significant amount of time and capital in the configuration, implementation, communication and on-going maintenance of our set of SuccessFactors modules. The system is a good investment for the value it brings to a company of our size in terms of functionality and user friendliness. There is a lot of untapped potential that our company could realize and increase the ROI. Ironically, in order to realize the untapped potential of the system, we would need to work with external consultants, not SuccessFactors themselves, to identify such opportunities and solutions.