If your organization utilizes Oracle Cloud HCM, it is essential to stay on top of quarterly updates. Quarterly updates are not optional “nice-to-haves” – typically they supplement patches, features, user interface changes, and compliance changes. In this blog, you will be taken through Release 24A, what is new, what to be aware of, how to prepare for your actual upgrade, and how to receive value from it—not just check a box. Inadequate implementation of quarterly updates can lead to lost processes, frustrated users, and potential unaccounted costs. With a thoughtful approach to these 4 steps, you should minimise your risk and maximise your ROI.
What is Release 24A and Why Care?
Oracle releases updates to Cloud HCM on a regular cadence (for example, 24A, 24B, etc). These updates are cumulative, and while some features may not be “must-use” features, many features are enabled by default. Why should you care? To point out a few reasons – security and compliance fixes, user experience enhancements, process efficiency, and continued support. Updates may include closing any resets, complying with recent regulations, enhancing workflows through the Redwood experience, and preventing deprecations.
Top Features & Enhancements in 24A
Global HR / Core HR: The enhanced Redwood experience for employment changes and position creation simplifies self-service. The manager will see an improved “My Team” dashboard for better visibility into performance outcomes, learning, and team tasks. Parent position defaults have been enhanced. Lookups have been modified, including citizenship status, for consistency. Organizations should create an impact matrix, test the new screens, and confirm any customisation before flipping the Redwood page switch.
Talent Management & Performance: Goal management is much more measurable with improved notifications and a role-based, flexible approval workflow. Profile management includes better job/position sync, attachment visibility. Career development links learning to goals and “career ambassadors”. Again, map your processes—e.g., goal-setting, succession—to these new features, and test any new integrations while communicating changes and expectations to managers early.
Learning, Absence, Benefits & Payroll: Learning modules now sync outcomes into talent profiles and support colored team-based assignments. Absence management includes visible balance during time entry, export functions, and improved auditing. Benefits now include new plan groupings and check-eligibility functions based on home address, supporting hybrid work. Payroll improvements include background processing, multi-language reports, and improved data compression when uploading large files to payroll. If your organisation operates globally, confirm that your localisation, UOM, and eligibility settings remain appropriate after the upgrade.
Data Loading, Integrations & Technical Enhancements: The HCM Data Loader (HDL) and the Spreadsheet Data Loader (HSDL) have been enhanced to allow initiating REST changes and rollbacks, added more business objects, and provided additional control options. The Time & Labour module added new database items to support premium shifts, manager approvals when attestations are pending, and automatic data removal for terminated employees. Re-test automation scripts, validate endpoints used in REST API calls, and use the data cleanup option to ensure your operations run more smoothly.
Deprecated/Removed Features: Some existing Onboarding and Checklist features will be replaced with Journeys. As some features have been decommissioned, it is best to maintain a “sunset inventory” of all features marked for removal, with a plan in place to support migration efforts and minimise service disruption.
Upgrade Planning – Best Practices
Pre-upgrade assessment: Compile a list of existing processes, compare processes to inspector updates and releases, and evaluate dependencies.
Sandbox testing: Turn on preview options in lower environments, execute essential transactions such as hires or transfers, and validate customisations or integrations.
User and training: Inform your employees of UI changes, such as Redwood page changes, verify guides, and share the benefits of the features to improve their use.
Go-live plan: Schedule updates after the Oracle window, back up your configuration, review early transactions, and establish mechanisms for user feedback.
Post-upgrade validation: Re-execute important transactions, check logs, ensure you clean up deprecated items, and ultimately update your documents and training materials.
Risks & Mitigations
Customisations might fail due to changes to the underlying objects, so be sure to test everything before and then some. Augment communication with users early in the process and offer training in advance to minimize confusion. Validate all third-party integrations to mitigate failures in your products or applications. Run tests for potential compliance issues arising from local payroll or benefits mismatches that are critical to compliance. Regain control of your app by localising payroll and benefits into regional setup tests. Don’t let your legacy or sunset inventory get out of control as it creates uncertainty with missing features.
Key Takeaways for Users & Administrators
Don’t fall into the trap of meticulously treating the update as a chore in a checklist. Look for opportunities to improve HR ops by addressing some you may feel have been tedious. Your roadmap will not drift if you plan your updates for Redwood UI releases in 24B and beyond. Introduce the change with the user experience in mind, engaging users as early as possible, maintaining clean data with minimal customisation, and notifying users of its new features or benefits. Test early, plan well and monitor after you go live.
Conclusion
Oracle Cloud HCM 24A will deliver small perfomance improvements across HR, talent, learning, payroll and integrations. Value will depend on how well you plan on the future, test, and manage the change. If you take a structured, proactive approach, you will minimized risk, advance the user experience, and maintain your HR ecosystem to be ready for continuous innovation
FAQs About Oracle HCM 24A Release
1. What is Oracle HCM 24A release?
Oracle HCM 24A is one of the quarterly updates that enhance Human Capital Management modules, including Core HR, Talent, Payroll, Learning, and more. It focuses on improving the Redwood experience, automation, and compliance.
2. When is the Oracle HCM 24A release available?
Oracle typically rolls out HCM quarterly updates around January (A), April (B), July (C), and October (D). The 24A release generally becomes available in early 2024 as part of Oracle’s standard update cycle.
3. Do I need to enable all new features in 24A manually?
Not all features are automatically enabled. Some are delivered by default, while others require administrators to opt in. Always review the “Features by Opt-In” section in Oracle Readiness documentation.
4. What are the key improvements in the 24A release?
Major updates include expanded Redwood UI, new dashboards for managers, improved goal and profile management, enhanced learning integrations, and upgraded payroll processing capabilities.
5. Will customizations be affected by this update?
Yes, custom pages, integrations, or workflows may be impacted if Oracle modifies underlying objects or UI components. Always test in a sandbox environment before applying changes to production.
6. How can I prepare my organization for the upgrade?
Perform a pre-upgrade assessment, test critical processes in a sandbox, train users on new interfaces, and monitor the system closely post-upgrade to address any issues quickly.
7. What happens to deprecated features in Oracle HCM 24A?
Deprecated features are gradually phased out and replaced with enhanced versions, such as Journeys replacing older Onboarding tools. Plan migration early to ensure business continuity.
Also Read : Cloud Data Security: Cloud services Where Are We?
