Oracle introduced the Redwood user interface design language at Oracle OpenWorld in September 2019. The new design language is intended to modernize the user experience across Oracle’s products and services and provide more customizable applications. The new Redwood UX offers consumer-grade aesthetics and functionality. Oracle plans to migrate all Oracle Cloud Applications to Redwood UX by 2026. The Human Capital Module (HCM) module specifically, will be fully migrated by the end of 2024, with the other modules to follow. Oracle will gradually implement this change throughout quarterly updates.

This article offers a concise overview of the latest Redwood updates for Oracle Cloud customers and outlines key prerequisites to guide them in achieving a smooth and successful Redwood deployment.

Redwood Interface for Oracle HCM Customers?

As we know, Oracle has started migrating all Oracle Cloud Applications to the Redwood User Experience (UX), beginning with the Human Capital Management (HCM) module.

• For all new implementations starting with Oracle 23D release, Redwood will be enabled by default, and all configurations must be done in Redwood.

• Any HCM go-lives from August 2024 onward must be implemented on Redwood.

• All existing clients will need to plan and adapt to Redwood by Oracle 25B release.

Redwood Interface for Oracle Financial Customers

• Unlike HCM, Financials have yet to begin their journey to Redwood.

• The 24B version primarily focuses on modifications to Procurement Management, with no updates to other modules.

• Oracle Cloud 24C release and beyond will include enhancements to several modules, such as ERP and Financial Management, as well as new Redwood capabilities in Procurement.

• Future enhancements will bring substantial project management advancements in ERP and improvements in strategic sourcing inside Procurement.

• There are no modifications anticipated for the Risk Management, Compliance, and EPM modules.

Redwood Interface for Oracle EPM Customers

• With the Oracle EPM July 24.07 patch, all non-Redwood themes will be removed, and Oracle Cloud EPM environments will automatically update to the Redwood Experience.

• This change applies to Account Reconciliation, Financial Consolidation and Close, FreeForm, Narrative Reporting, Planning, Profitability and Cost Management, and Tax Reporting environments.
  Have you read our prior blogs about Oracle Redwood? If not, look it up here!

Now that you understand what Redwood UI is, let's go over the prerequisites for building Redwood for Oracle HCM Cloud.

Prerequisite for Oracle Redwood Design Implementation

Environment Readiness Analysis

• Evaluate the present Oracle module functionality and configuration.

• Determine which areas will be impacted by the shift to Redwood UX.

• Create a comprehensive project plan with schedules, resource allocation, and risk management measures.

System and Infrastructure Readiness

• Make sure your IT infrastructure fulfills the minimal hardware and software requirements for Oracle Redwood.

• Validate that the network architecture and security procedures can handle sensitive data.

• Plan the migration of existing data to Redwood including data purification and transformation processes.

Review Business Processes Which Need to Be Reconfigured in Redwood

• Define the transition scope and objectives

• Create a clear plan for implementing new procedures and processes

• Create a timeline for each transition step

• Review and update custom security roles

Update User Training Material

• Create training materials to familiarize users with the new interface.

• Conduct training sessions for new workflows and procedures.

• Inform stakeholders about upcoming changes and implications.

Complete testing, prepare review documents

• Conduct extensive testing on Redwood UX to verify compatibility.

• Perform rigorous testing on the configured Redwood system, including unit tests, integration tests, and user acceptance tests (UAT).

• Examine the system's performance under a variety of load conditions to confirm that it fulfills organizational requirements.

Continuous Improvement with each quarterly update

• Stay updated about Redwood UX updates, enhancements and implement them as appropriate.

• Regularly examine and adjust workflows and procedures to fit with business objectives.

• Solicit user feedback for enhancement potential.

Opkey for Oracle Redwood Testing

Oracle Redwood's emphasis on a modern and intuitive user interface creates both opportunities and challenges for testing. As your interface evolves, your testing requirements will vary. Opkey is ideally positioned to assist you in understanding these changes, with a wide range of exclusive capabilities such as Change Impact Analysis and AI-enabled search functions.

AI-powered Change Impact Analysis: Responds to frequent UI changes while reducing maintenance labor.

Self-Healing test scripts: Automatically repairs broken steps due to updates, minimizing regression testing.

Wilfred Opkey's Chatbot: Wilfred is powered by Opkey's ERP language model, which simplifies test design for both technical and non-technical users. It also helps you create and manage test scripts.

Oracle expertise: Opkey is named Oracle partner, offers important information throughout the automation testing process.