Conference 7.286::digital

    
    	Great idea....something that Personnel ought to be expected to
    	be doing to provide some real added value to their function in
    	Digital's overall business.
    
    	

  We already have the ALFAXP::JOBS conference, in which hiring managers post
job openings and job seekers post "job wanted" notes. This is mainly for the 
U.S.  We still have the VTX JOBS databases (U.S., U.K., etc.) but the notesfile
is far more efficient. Human Resources is rarely involved in the notesfile, and
that is one reason WHY it's efficient.
  Is .0 asking for a notesfile where PROJECTS that need people are described and
groups of people who need new jobs (instead of individuals) are posted? If so,
that might be a good idea.

    There's also uswrsl::911, which indicates "emergency" (911) needs for
    people with certain skills. This is for Digital Consulting.

         Hi Cathy!

         For some reason, there have not been any new postings in the
         911 notes file for the past week or so.  I thinks it's dead
	 or dormant.

	 Rumor has it that it's because Greg Wells was TFSO'd.  I
	 don't know if someone else is going to pick up this notes
	 file.  If not, it would be a real loss.


	 Paul

    Managers in Europe requiring a contractor can advertise in
    LOBLO::EURO_CONTRACTOR; I no of no equivalent for permanent employees.
    Keith Edmunds used to copy the VTX jobs adverts into a NOTES
    conference, but he was "let go" ages ago. No-one cared enough to carry
    on.
    
    Laurie.

         So, I see we really don't seem to have anything that does the 
    job I am proposing: a worldwide exchange for resources and require-
    ments.  The ALFAXP::JOBS conference is principally software 
    engineering as I recall and the 911 conference is "dead or dormant."
         
         I want a conference with BOTH requirements and resources, i.e. 
    with one string for a project, or programme and another for a person, 
    like a CV (translation: r�sum�).  The same person could go into the 
    conference, maintain their project string and then go on to maintain 
    their r�sum� in another string.   An entry in a project string and 
    another entry in a career string might say "Requirements analyst, 
    CALS, Europe"; match them, in whole or in part, and Hey Presto!
         
         Turning things round the other way, the project/ programme owner 
    could post an experience requirement, e.g. SECURITY, BANKING, or a 
    person could post the outline of a requirement they are looking for, 
    e.g. CASE, AEROSPACE, NORTH AMERICA.
         
         Let me illustrate this with TDE.  (Remember TDE?)  Below are two 
    strings in the conference, one for a programme and the other for a 
    person.  Requirements are added to the programme string and quali-
    fications to the person string ad hoc (no hyphen, PLEASE).  Each 
    string is randomly placed within the conference.  I don't insist on 
    requirements and resources being in the same conference but it seems 
    more tractable to me to have them so.
         
         What do you think?
         
     +--------------------------------------------------------------------+
     |                                                                    |
     |   +---------------+                 +---------------+              |
     |   |.n Requ't 1.1  |                 |.n Qualifcn 1.1|              |
     |   |               |                 |               |              |
     |   |    +---------------+            |    +---------------+         |
     |   +--- |.2 Requ't 2.0  |            +--- |.2 Qualifcn 2.0|         |
     |        |  +---------------+              |  +---------------+      |
     |        |  |.1 Requ't 1.0  |              |  |.1 Qualifcn 1.0|      |
     |        +--|  +---------------+           +--|  +---------------+   |
     |           |  |.0 Programme   |              |  |.0 Person      |   |
     |           +--|               |              +--|               |   |
     |              |               |                 |               |   |
     |              +---------------+                 +---------------+   |
     |                                                                    |
     |                                                                    |
     +--------------------------------------------------------------------+
         

    RE: .0
    
    Dave,
    	I've been thinking about something like this for a long while now,
    but have finally decided to try and do something about it!
    The only ways to find the person you want are:
    A) The old boy's/girl's network - "I can't help but I know a man who
       will know a man who might help"
    B) Via the formal management reporting structure
    C) By chance via notes or similar
    
    Nowadays, method A breaks down as soon as someone is TFSO'd.
    
    Method B fails because it is a full time job to keep up with the
    reorganisations and changes of responsibility.  I think your personal
    name says it all, Dave...
    
    Method C is usually the only option, but is far too hit and miss.
    
    I have (unfunded) set up a system based on the world wide web to try
    and help with this for Digital UK.  It could be extended worldwide
    with very little change.  It can be updated by a simple mail message
    from each employee, and includes facilities for full text searching
    etc.
    
    It will answer questions like:
    Who is my manager?
    Who reports to John Smith?
    Who is in the territory management team?
    Who knows about UNIX in Digital UK?
    I need to get hold of Rob in Birmingham, but I don't know his surname.
    What does Rob Watson look like?
    Who looks after the ACME account?
    
    As with any database, it's only as good as the quality of the data
    which goes in it - to be REALLY useful it needs a management dictate
    which says "every employee will send a one page mail to this address".
    Unfortunately, this means people owning up to their skills and
    responsibilities!!
    This sound far too much like an erosion of civil liberties for Digital,
    so it probably won't happen, but we're working on it....
    
    It's not quite ready for a full announcement yet, since the system it's
    on is moving areas at the moment, but look out for a note in UK_DIGITAL
    within the next couple of weeks - I'll expect your CV to be one of the
    first entries.
    
    -- Rob

    Been there, done that.
    
    Within the Bristol Office, we have a conference
    FILTON::BRISTOL_TCU_SERVICE_PROFILE, which contained people and skill
    strings exactly as described.
    
    As you can see from the last entry (1993), it only works if it is
    updated.
    
    WWW has infinitely more capability than NOTES, and may well work as
    long as it is updated and kept current.  
    
    How do you motivate people to keep their entries up to date? 
    
    Martin

Re: "Bristol leads the world again"

Funnily enough, the NTCC had a similar notes conference to store the
Personal Profiles and Career Histories for all its folks as part of
the Quality System (remember that?). Unfortunately the information
was deemed to be "secret" to the Service Centre, so nobody else knew
about it!!

Still, there are rumours of a new skills database as part of the
recent PSC structure, so Rob's A,B,C options in .7 will be expanded
to many more in the near future ;-)

Surely someone "at the top" must have a plan for a corporate standard
for skill finding and resourcing. After all, we have Time Reporting
defined to the n-th degree, but until the correct resource can be
identified, there will be no time _to_ report!!!!


mb

    re .7
    
    Thanks for the note.  I'll wait and see what you are proposing and I'll
    be happy to be the first to input my CV (aka resume) although it might
    take some time; there's 36 working years to cover.
    
    Just a small "yes, but" ... A management dictat is much less effective
    than willing participation in a conference we can all see is good for
    us and the company.
    
    dave_P

    Dave,
    
    I can't believe that you started work at 10!!!
    
    Jim