8 SAP Workflow Interview Questions With Example Answers

Updated 16 September 2022

Systems, Applications and Products (SAP) Workflow is a tool that you can use to automate any process that contains a sequence of steps or tasks. It allows professionals in a variety of industries to complete routine business processes and monitor those processes throughout each phase. Understanding some of the questions that an interviewer might ask you about SAP Workflow can help you become better prepared to answer them confidently. In this article, we list eight SAP Workflow interview questions and sample answers to help you prepare your own responses.

SAP Workflow Interview Questions With Example Answers

Reviewing a few SAP Workflow interview questions and their answers can help you feel confident during your interview. SAP Workflow helps business professionals ensure that employees are able to complete the right number of tasks at the correct time, allowing them to enhance productivity and reduce delays. The workflow is beneficial to both SAP users and individuals who are not familiar with the enterprise planning software. Larger organisations often require professionals in production roles to be familiar with SAP Workflow. Here are a few interview questions on SAP Workflow and their example answers:

1. What is SAP workflow?

To use SAP Workflow effectively, it is necessary that you first understand what it is and what purpose it provides to business professionals. This question assesses your basic knowledge of SAP Workflow and the relevance it has to the particular position to which you are applying. Interviewers use it to evaluate your basic qualifications and experience with SAP Workflow. In your answer, state clearly what SAP Workflow is and consider mentioning your own experience using the tool to provide the employer with an overview of your primary qualifications.

Sample answer: 'SAP Workflow allows its users to automate structured processes that help meet certain business needs. It makes it easier for business professionals to prioritise and manage different tasks, and users can receive notifications reminding them of a task to complete or approve. The workflow can also remind them of different milestones to meet within a given task. In my previous position, I often used it to assess the manufacturing process for a clothing company and adapt to changes in demand.'

2. What are some advantages of SAP Workflow for businesses?

There are several important benefits to using SAP Workflow that can be helpful to know when applying for a position that requires you to use this tool. Interviewers often ask this question to assess your working knowledge of the workflow and determine whether you know how to use it properly. You can answer this question by listing a few of the primary benefits that SAP Workflow provides. Since there are many possible answers to this question, consider preparing beforehand by assessing the needs of your potential employer and considering how SAP Workflow might address those particular needs.

Sample answer: 'SAP Workflow makes it easier to complete work processes by assigning necessary tasks to individual employees and saving processing time. Since the tool delivers tasks to employees automatically through their email, it also helps save additional time, since it is no longer necessary for employees to enquire about the status of a certain assignment. It additionally provides a process for responding to errors by notifying users if it finds a mistake after automatically checking the data it is responsible for reviewing.'

3. How does SAP Workflow function to automate processes?

Interviewers might additionally ask you to explain how SAP Workflow functions to further evaluate your knowledge of the application. In your answer, state what the workflow does to automate processes. It can also be beneficial to provide an example to reassure your interviewer of your experience using SAP Workflow.

Sample answer: 'By allowing its users to digitise workflows, manage decisions and identify the different components involved in a given process, SAP Workflow allows for the automation of various processes. Users can create, implement and manage different workflows. For example, if a company wants to improve its supply chain workflows to create finished goods faster, it might decide to use SAP Workflow to automate some of the decision-making involved in the production of its goods.'

4. What are the components of SAP Workflow?

Hiring managers might ask you to list the primary components of the workflow to further analyse how well you understand it. This helps them determine your depth of knowledge and assess your experience with the application in further detail. Use your answer to highlight the basic components of the workflow and provide a high-level overview of what their purpose is. You might also briefly discuss why they are useful for managers and individuals in leadership positions.

Sample answer: 'The SAP Workflow architecture includes a business object, business process and organisation model. A business object in the workflow is a collection of actions for an entity or individual in the business process to take. Business objects typically include customers, vendors and materials. The application's Workflow Builder defines business processes as any activity that contains a single step or workflow template. The organisation model includes a group of at least two people who are responsible for taking specific actions within the workflow, such as greeting customers or packaging products. These three components help provide managers with additional oversight.'

5. Explain the different types of workflow agents.

In SAP Workflow, a workflow agent is an individual who is responsible for completing a designated task or workflow activity. Hiring managers may ask you this question to evaluate your ability to use SAP Workflow to execute and assign different tasks. To answer this question, define each workflow agent and explain what their designated roles are.

Sample answer: 'Workflow agents complete actions within the workflow, such as approving a professional document, sending an email to a client or creating a file. Possible agents are potential employees who might be able to complete a designated task. The tasks they complete are often general tasks within the workflow, meaning they are available to any employee with a possible agent status. Responsible agents are the employees who are actually responsible for completing a particular task or work item. Excluded agents are the employees excluded from a particular task who do not receive any notifications.'

6. Where might you locate a background work item?

This question tests your understanding of the SAP Workflow architecture and your comprehension of different tasks or work items that you might regularly encounter in the position. You might expect this question when applying for a role that requires you to manage decisions within the workflow. In your answer, explain what a background work item is and list any steps you might take to view these items.

Sample answer: 'Background work items represent the tasks that do not require any interaction from users, meaning the workflow system executes them automatically. These types of work items are not available in the workflow inbox, unlike other items. To view them, navigate to the work item selection report and filter the workflow's tasks based on their creation dates.'

7. How would you implement dynamic parallel processing?

Dynamic parallel processing in SAP Workflow allows you to complete several processes simultaneously. This scenario-based question allows employers to test your in-depth SAP Workflow knowledge and enables you to further showcase your expertise. You can answer it by listing an efficient method for implementing dynamic parallel processing and including any details that might be relevant.

Sample answer: 'To implement dynamic parallel processing, I would first navigate to the Workflow Builder and select the option to create a new workflow. In the parameter settings window of the 'create container element' window, I would check import and select the option for a multi-line element. Then, I would navigate to the activity window and add the recently created workflow.

From the container window, I would add the new container. After adding an expression to the basic data tab and selecting the option "BUS1001" in the object type field, I would conclude by selecting "Parallel method" and clicking on the "Execute" tab.'

8. What is the difference between synchronous and asynchronous methods within a task?

It is often necessary for SAP Workflow users to understand the difference between synchronous and asynchronous methods, as they have different capacities. Your interviewer may ask you a comparison question to evaluate your ability to think critically and develop your own logical conclusions. In your answer, explain the primary difference between these two methods. It can also be useful to review certain workflow terminologies prior to your interview to ensure that your knowledge is up-to-date.

Sample answer: 'A work item that a user creates with a synchronous method ends after its successful completion. It is also possible to end it if a terminating event occurs, which is a pre-defined occurrence that automatically concludes the workflow. With an asynchronous method, the work item does not formally end until a defined terminating event occurs. At least one terminating event is necessary for an asynchronous task. It is possible to define a method as asynchronous when a user wants to terminate a given task solely by an event.'