FocalReview® Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is the SpiraLinks FocalReview® and Compensation Planning tool?

    Our HR FocalReview® module automates Compensation processes, including hierarchical approval, multi-currency, stock grants, lump-sum bonuses, matrix organizations, Performance Appraisal history, forced ranking, multi-language etc. This is the latest of Spiralinks' applications, built to co-exist with Enterprise systems like PeopleSoft, SAP or Oracle. Online FocalReview® cuts cycle time and process costs while improving security and control. Out-of-the-Box (OOB) it is loosely coupled to the central database (e.g. as an Oracle view) it works with Active Directory or LDAP network protocols. The database can also be tightly coupled through our ERP-specific APIs in Near Real Time (NRT) mode. It can be a step towards a larger integrated Performance Management solution, or it can be a stand-alone module, complementing the Enterprise system.

  2. What are SpiraLinks' Technical, Business and Implementation Assumptions?

    You may have three implementation platforms in mind:

    • onsite in a production environment
    • out hosted at a co-location center or
    • at a Cloud hosted site.
    For security, workflow and concurrency reasons, you may prefer a production implementation under your control, but Software As A Service (SaaS) implementations are increasingly feasible within our customers' security principles.

    Your timeframe is to complete a Focal Review process within 6 months.

    You run an industry standard production environment which includes large Windows, Unix or Linux servers and large scale relational databases on Oracle, IBM, Sybase, MS SQLserver, mySQL or PostgreSQL DBMS.

    The Focal implementation will run on a separate server, with a J2EE compliant application server such as BEA WebLogic, IBM WebSphere or Apache/Tomcat.

    Login authentication can be authenticated by Active Directory or LDAP or handled by the application.

    You have an online Personnel system (such as PeopleSoft, Oracle, Cyborg, SAP), against which we can map the Focal data requirements. We will be pleased to send you our data schema for you to evaluate the degree of congruence.

    The enterprise database and application interact in 3 areas, initial data load, ongoing authentication and headcount verification, and upload to payroll. These require precise data mapping and network and security planning.

    Reporting is usually as available online, plus executive review requirements developed on a custom basis; typically in BIRT, Business Objects, Cognos, Crystal Reports, Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, or PDF.

  3. Where can I see the application in action? What is the main Functionality?

    Functionality is as demonstrated in the currently available online FocalReview® demo.

  4. Is the application available for out hosting?

    This product can be deployed as an out hosted application at a co-location center or a Cloud hosted site. If you want SpiraLinks to provide an out hosted service, we can provide an out hosted solution through managed services with providers (such as DataPipe or Rackspace, etc) with whom we work in North America and Europe.

    FocalReview® functionality is also available in a Software As A Service (SaaS) implementation which has slightly different technical specifications.

  5. Does SpiraLinks prefer an in-house implementation?

    For any Compensation Planning system, it is important to have up-to-date payroll and employment status information. It is vital to have instantaneous authentication of users and validation of organizational membership. While this can be done outside your firewall with ftp and XML, it may involve issues with the sensitivity of personnel data, this may be especially important if you are dealing with European personnel.

    The ultimate choice of platform depends entirely on your security policies and previous experience with internal or external staff.

  6. Do you support international employees/currencies?

    Yes. Worldwide department structures are supported (in the demo, using PeopleSoft Organization and Reports-To tables). All compensation details are held in the database in local currency at 16 places of decimals, are summarized in your "Corporate" or planning currency, typically US dollars, Euros, British Pounds, using the PeopleSoft (or similar) exchange rate table.

    Multiple Pay Rates/Types, Frequencies and work periods are managed (e.g. Monthly, Hourly, 13 x Annual, Full/Part Time, Shift etc).

  7. How does the application display employee information?

    The Demo version allows you to see (Summary Report on each department page) totals of all departments under the manager in question - including their own. Drilling through the departments gives totals by employee within each department. A summary by employee across all departments can be added.

    The market view (provided by your research or external sources) is shown for current and proposed future salary. This is shown in lieu of position within the internal range. But Range can be substituted or with a bit more effort, added.

  8. Is there any work flow capability?

    Yes. The product is driven by your natural progression through the Compensation Cycle.

    Prior to the Focal Review period, Managers can be requested (or required) to review their personnel lists by organization and confirm accuracy or request corrections.

    FocalReview® initiates the work cycle by enabling a modeling and budgeting function that allows what-if investigation and confirmation and consolidation of Budgets. The roll out of the Compensation tool can be managed or staged by Role, Level, Location, Compensation Type etc. Progress can be tracked and encouraged by reporting/analysis and emailed triggers.

    All completions are notified to next-higher management by email. All revisions by higher management are alerted to reviewing managers by email. Completions are frozen for the completing manager and open to next-higher managers. Revisions unfreeze by employee or by department as required.

    2nd level managers and higher can see online which of their departments have completed and/or submitted departmental data for review. Super User authority (including ability to modify data) can be assigned to any mixture of employee (HR reps, VPs, General Managers, any/all of the above, Comp. only etc.)

    Following completion of the Approval step, Employee Statements can be provided to Managers or direct to Employees.

    The product also enables, if desired, on-going Manager Inquiry into employee status without opening up other Personnel system functions.

    Other triggers and alerts include the ability to require (and deliver) Promotion documentation if any data is inserted into the Promotion fields.

  9. Does the application support non sales variable pay programs and administration?

    FocalReview® can handle a wide range of Variable Pay types, the specifics of which in terms of rates, calculation, personal or group eligibility, targets, timing, variability, thresholds, deferrals and other rules are in User Management control.

    Plans directly related to sales quotas or the achievement of specific Performance Targets are handled off line but, duly specified, can be integrated, especially if the Performance Module is installed.

  10. Does the application support stock option planning?

    Yes, and we are availble to discuss the implementation of Vesting and Investment Programs related to Pension Plan management.

  11. Are there any reporting capabilities built in?

    There are three levels of reports in the system:

    • Immediately actionable analytical detail in the form of budget summaries for the manager on the main work page.
    • Through the Report item on the menu bar, managers and HR can see overall summaries on completion status, distribution of Ratings and Increases, conformance to ranges, diversity analysis and so on.
    • For presentation purposes, and to enable any other customization or detailed analysis, there is a reporting table download available. This produces a .csv file that can be loaded to Excel, any relational database, or to reporting and OLAP tools such as Crystal Reports, Brio or Business Objects.

  12. Can you export/import to/from Excel? Can you export to PDF?

    Yes. This is implemented through the Reports menu in the Demo version.

  13. What is the Total Cost of Ownership?

    Pricing is by the number of installed servers and by the number of user managers, up to a ceiling.
    • The one time perpetual license fee includes preliminary requirements gathering, configuration and installation planning, data mapping etc., and up to one week onsite installation assistance from one of our engineers.
    • Ongoing product support can be on an on-call or annual maintenance basis. Annual support is billed at 20% of then-current license list prices.
    • Consulting and customization rates will be confirmed in the Service Agreement.

  14. How can we calculate Return on Investment (ROI)?

    An ROI example is attached to this FAQ that shows an approach to quantifying Cost, Quality, Schedule and Control benefits.

  15. How long does implementation take?

    If you are running standard R/DBMS, application servers, network protocols etc., implementation of the vanilla system, including creation of the new database schema and deployment of the application, with connectivity to your Personnel database will be under a month. Your mileage will vary, mostly dependent on number of managers, complexity of organization, the state of your existing data and any customization requirements. Training schedules and the go-live date are determined by the customer, directly affecting the elapsed timeframe of initial meetings through go-live.

    Significant time and cost deviation can result from customization needs, or changed organizational or technical assumptions. This is a vanilla implementation plan.

    Manager training can be brief. We recommend that the application be used for a Headcount/Assignment check prior to the Focal Review. This can be used as a management training opportunity at the same time as the base data is verified.

    A well prepared Focal Plan with documented company objectives, vanilla functionality and a conventional technical platform can be accomplished in 5-6 weeks, from planning to first new payroll.



  16. What about future customization in a licensing model? What if we customize between product releases, will these be picked up in the new product?

    We cannot give assurances on this subject, unless of course we perform the customization. Changes to the database schema or application code may or may not be compliant with SpiraLinks' standards, other users' requirements or the then-current state of the product code. However we will make every effort to incorporate new ideas and approaches into our basic products and expect to work closely with clients to understand their evolving needs.

    It was, for example, as a result of client usage, that we incorporated the Employee Department Ranking functionality into the product.