HR Services, HR Catalog, and Service Configuration
Anatomy of a well-built HR service
An HR service record answers "what does the employee want?" It carries a name, owning COE, category, assignment group, a case option that decides whether selecting it opens a tracked case or simply surfaces information/knowledge, an optional HR template, and HR criteria that decide who may see it. When the service is delivered through the portal, it is backed by a catalog item with variables that gather the inputs the case needs (effective date, dependent names, receipt upload). The HR template does the heavy lifting after submission: it seeds the case's short description, priority, and the ordered list of HR tasks assigned to different groups, plus any approvals.
Configuration sequence that exam scenarios follow
- Create or reuse the COE and category. 2. Create the HR service and choose its case option. 3. Build the catalog item and variables. 4. Attach the HR template and its task templates. 5. Add HR criteria (for example, active employees at a given location or employment type). 6. Publish and place it in the Employee Center taxonomy so employees can find it.
Traps
A frequent one: editing an HR template does not retroactively change cases already created from it - templates are snapshotted into tasks at creation. Another: an unpublished catalog item or an inactive HR service makes the offering invisible even when HR criteria pass. Questions also test the distinction between the catalog item (the request form) and the HR service (the definition and routing logic) - one service can front multiple items, and visibility problems usually live on the item's catalog/criteria, not the service name.
Worked example
"Tuition Reimbursement" for full-time employees: COE = Benefits; HR service with case option "create case"; catalog item with course, cost, and grade variables; template with tasks for manager approval, HR verification, and payroll posting; HR criteria = employment type is full-time.