In the dynamic landscape of human resources and talent management, the foundation of effective development often lies in the efficiency and adaptability of the tools used. Cornerstone OnDemand (CSOD) continues to lead the way in providing innovative solutions and updates that cater to the evolving needs of businesses worldwide. The year 2023 marked a significant chapter for Cornerstone OnDemand, characterized by a series of enhancements and updates across its platform, aiming to streamline processes, bolster security, and enhance user experience.

Core HR/General

1. Copy Down: Grant Access Rights to System Administrator of a Customer Portal​ – March

Administrator ability to view copy down details for their portal improves transparency and reduces the dependency on Cornerstone to share copy down related information. Self-service ability to cancel a copy down and subscribe to email notifications.

2. Edge Import – Learning Load Enhancements (Transcript Loads) – March

• Online Course Transcript Load – ability to update from “In Progress” to “Failed” status 
• ILT Transcript Load – Pass/Fail field default value changed to Pass

3. Security Role Administration Enhancements – March   

• Role name displayed when adding permissions to a security role     
• Permission name displayed when adding constraints   
• “(Copy)” displayed in the role name when copying an existing role

4. Permissions Constraints Details – July

Administrators have access to a new Permissions Constraints Details page to review a user’s current security profile (roles, permissions, constraints) along with a historical audit of permissions, including when roles, permissions, and constraints were added and removed.

The Permission Constraints Details page is available under the options dropdown when reviewing a single user on the Users page.

5. Reporting 2.0 – Reporting Fields List UI Improvement – July

User interface (UI) improvement in the Reporting 2.0 fields list denotes field data unavailability in an organization’s portal, helping to eliminate a source of errors when running reports.

6. Default Email Address Settings – Overwriting Logic & Modification History – November

The new “overwrite” logic supports the process of updating default email addresses that are used in existing emails and templates simply and quickly. Modification history allows administrators to view a detailed record of all edits, updates and deletions made to a default email address, along with the date and time of each change and the user who made it.

7. Group Preview (Early Adopter) – November

Ability to preview group membership based on the edited criteria to detect and fix mistakes before saving. Administrators can also save changes as a draft so edits can be made asynchronously while the current Group is retained.

Cornerstone Learning CSX

1. Custom E-Signature Message for Sessions – March

For portals that are configured to use training e-signature messages set up in the Course Catalog, the message shown to the learner is the message configured for the event in the catalog. When blank, the default message set up for their division in the Training Completion Signature Preference is displayed.

2. Custom Email Localization – July

Manage multiple languages within one custom email template. This new enhancement introduces custom email localization. Admins are now able to set localized learning custom emails. As a result, end-users will receive emails in their preferred language or in the default language if the user’s preferred language is not available. This feature reduces the need for having multiple emails (one per language) and provides admins with an easy way of handling a single email with localization capabilities.

3. Global Search (Training) – Enhanced Search Default Preference – July

The default search engine when searching for training in Global Search has been set to Enhanced Search rather than Traditional Search for all portals. This tool proves highly useful when searching and browsing for training, as it allows users to apply Filters using an ‘AND’ operator and include custom fields in the search prompt.

Compared to the Traditional Search, the new Enhanced Search is significantly faster and more accurate, especially when handling searches with a large dataset that matches the search criteria, such as a high number of trainings. For instance, in most cases, newly created or updated training materials are visible within the Enhanced Search results in 15 minutes or less.

4. Auto-Completion of Videos Enhancements (Early Adopter) – November

• Ability to “Mark Complete” has been removed from additional areas in the application to ensure a consistent experience
• Supporting text added under the video player notifies learners that the video will be auto-completed after watching until the end”

5. Curriculum Versioning Enhancement – November

The message will be visible to administrators on the structure edit page when the curriculum version is not assigned to any learners yet, ensuring compliance so that structure changes are not saved until the message disappears. Next to the message, there will be a refresh icon to refresh the status of the assignment. Both the message and icon disappear when there’s at least one assignment for the curriculum version. Customers may also experience improved email performance during versioning as some optimizations have also been included with the release.

6. Upgrade Excel Format of Exports in ILT​ – November

ILT exports are upgraded to XLSX format by default:   

• Download Bulk add user template   
• Roster / Download roster from attendance and scoring page    
• Export list of events   
• Export list of sessions   
• Interest tracking   
• Exception requests / Current requests  
• Exception requests / Past requests   
• Waitlisted users / Current by user   
• Waitlisted users / Current by session   
• Waitlisted users / past requests

7. Learning Assignment Tool – Relative Recurrence Enhancement (General Availability) – November

Learning Assignment Tool – Relative Recurrence Enhancement is Generally Available to customers and will be on by default for all customers. This enhancement was previously available with the July ’23 Release as an Early Adopter for customers to optionally self-enable. With the Learning Assignment Tool – Relative Recurrence Enhancement, if a dynamic assignment is created with relative recurrence (the most common use case) or annual recurrence enabled, the system will now include those who have already surpassed that date.

Summary

In the dynamic realm of HR, where industry trends continually evolve, adapting and improving the offered product becomes imperative to meet the changing needs and expectations. In 2023, Cornerstone OnDemand rolled out a series of updates aimed at refining the platform’s capabilities while ensuring a more seamless user journey. These updates emphasized improving user experience, enhancing security measures, and optimizing operational efficiency.

If you’re seeking a partner for Cornerstone OnDemand implementation, validation, or project and advisory services, we encourage you to get in touch with us!