This report is intended to assist public sector
managers in making decisions about developing or upgrading
employee skills inventories and to reduce the cost of such
initiatives by sharing information on organizations which already
have experience in this area. It was prepared by the Human
Resources Policy Branch of the Treasury Board Secretariat because
it was apparent that, in the current environment, such an
initiative could be helpful to a wide range of departmental
staff.
This report also makes recommendations concerning
the next steps that might be taken to support research and
activities in the field of employee skills inventories.
A steering committee with expert members from the
private and public sectors was formed to provide advice and
feedback on the process. Consulting and Audit Canada was engaged
to carry out the survey described below and to finalize the
report.
During the summer and fall of 1993, a survey
questionnaire was sent to all federal departments and agencies,
and to 350 private sector companies likely to have a product or
to provide some services in this field. Forty-eight departments
responded to the questionnaire and 11 identified themselves as
currently using one or more employee skills inventories. A
paragraph on each user department describes how the inventory is
used, who uses it, how much it has cost, mistakes to be avoided,
and positive aspects of the inventory.
Fifty-one vendors responded to the questionnaire
and 38 had a relevant product. Since just responding to the
survey provided vendors wide exposure to potential federal
government buyers, this is probably a good sample of what is
currently available from the private sector. Appendix C describes
the products, what they will do, what kind of automated
environment they require, how much they can cost, whether they
can be customized, and other details. Many companies sent demo
tapes and printed material. The Treasury Board Secretariat has
kept this material, which you can access by calling the Human
Resources Policy Branch, at 952-3172.
In summary, the products available on the market
and currently in use in the federal government share a certain
number of characteristics. They are all relatively flexible and
make good use of recent technology to ensure they are user
friendly. They all cost a fair amount of money, particularly in
the start-up phase. Setting up an inventory from scratch (meaning
setting up a skills inventory, as well as the various tools to be
used) is heavy and extensive work and involves a wide range of
employees. This is particularly true for the development of the
skills lexicon(s) on which the inventory is based. Clearly, using
lexicons already in place will save considerable time and money.
This is especially appropriate for more generic positions such as
computer programmers, personnel specialists and financial
officers.
The report describes in some detail skills
inventories used by five private sector firms (Xerox, Shell, IBM,
the Royal Bank, and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce) and
three federal government systems (Management Resourcing
Information System, National Applicant Inventory System, and
Executive Assessment).
Based on this research, the report includes the
following observations:
- there is a considerable amount of work and interest in both
the private and public sectors in the area of employee skills
inventories. It is apparent that this interest and need will
continue to grow;
- in the federal Public Service, there is no standardization of
inventory format or use, and little exchange of skills lexicons
or data between or even within departments. Few departments are
linked electronically, and not many interface with the corporate
systems;
- there does not seem to be a specific body tasked with the
responsibility of acting as a focus for, or coordinating
information on, employee skills inventories in the federal
government;
- a significant number of known departmental users did not
respond to the questionnaire; and
- many current inventories appear to have duplicated work that
had already been done in other departments. This would not seem
to be an economical approach.
Therefore, the steering committee submits the
following recommendations:
- that an interdepartmental committee on employee skills
inventories (ESI) be formed, with a mandate to review current
activities, exchange information, and act as a focal point for
ESI information and activities;
- that this committee undertake follow-up work to this report,
consisting of a more detailed analysis of some specific vendor
and departmental information, and develop more elaborate criteria
for assessing existing products;
- that some minimum standards with respect to compatibility of
systems be set. For example, while it may not be possible to
identify any one system suitable for all departments, some
minimum capability of common data capture and dissemination
should be established;
- that this report be submitted to the Human Resources
Development Council. If the Council concurs, the report then be
distributed to all deputies, ADMs and DGs of Personnel, the
Career Management Steering Committee, and the unions; and
- that a symposium for users, interested parties, and vendors
be planned, to display available products and share information
among private and public sector users. This could be hosted by a
consortium of interested parties, such as the Treasury Board
Secretariat, the Canadian Centre for Management Development
(CCMD), Consulting and Audit Canada (CAC), and several user
departments.
This report is intended to assist public sector
managers in making decisions about developing or upgrading
employee skills inventories and to reduce the cost of such
initiatives by sharing information on organizations that already
have experience in this area. Given today's volatile business
climate, employers that have skills information on employees and
jobs have an advantage in choosing, developing and utilizing
human resources effectively and efficiently. This report provides
information on service-wide and departmental skills inventories
currently in use in the Canadian federal Public Service. It also
provides the results of a survey of a sample of Canadian and
American private sector companies with experience in developing
and using skills inventories.
During the summer and fall of 1993, survey
questionnaires were sent to approximately 350 private sector
companies in Canada and the United States and all federal
departments and agencies. Respondents were asked to provide
information on their experience in skill profiling and developing
employee skills inventories, and on related products or services
they offer.
Imagine yourself as Terry Black, the new Chief
Executive Officer of the Industrial Technology Development Agency
(ITDA), a government organization of 7000 employees. A letter has
just come in from Denmark, asking for five Canadian participants
for a working group developing strategies in international
industrial technology. The working group participants must have
expertise in corporate government affairs, productivity analysis,
and grants programs, and be able to work in English and Japanese.
They must also offer «representative participation» to ensure
that regional points of view and the impact on the female portion
of the labour force are not ignored.
How do you select the five nominees? You may ask
your senior staff, but that simply transfers the monkey from your
back to theirs. Will they have a base of information on employees
and their skills any better than yours? If a list of skilled
personnel were available as a start, it would be easier to
resolve the matter by narrowing the list through discussion with
your senior advisors. But how to get started?
Fortunately, you're working in ITDA. Your
visionary predecessor had gotten an employee skills database
installed, and you begin a search on your microcomputer, using
key words. You raise the query function and type in «industrial
technology, management, grants, productivity analysis, sex,
regional location, EX, and linguistic abilities.» A screen begins
to knit the data together, showing you the candidates who meet
each criterion.
Seeing there are a number of candidates who meet
all criteria, you review the files, bringing individual resumes
to the screen. Joan Abernathy is the first, and her impressive
credentials make your jaw drop. Who is she? You bring her photo
up on your screen, and remember her instantly. On you go,
toggling back and forth between criteria and individuals, asking
for more skills, until a list of 15 superbly qualified candidates
is complete. Great. Now, call together your senior ADMs, and
review anecdotal information (such as current workload) relevant
to this list, to reduce it to the five you need. Speak to the
individuals, prepare the response to Denmark, and move on to
something else.
This description may seem futuristic, but it is
in fact a real possibility in some private and public sector
organizations today. Why are these organizations investing the
significant time and money required to develop and run employee
skills inventories?
The Conference Board of Canada defines skills as
«a shorthand term for the whole set of characteristics that make
a person employable.» At its most complete, a skills inventory is
a listing of the skills, knowledge, experience, qualifications
and attributes of both people and jobs. An employer having such
information can readily compare the job requirements with the
employee's skills and make sound and timely decisions.
However, the conceptual framework for identifying
and organizing skills and the definitions of various key terms
associated with skills profiles and inventories vary
considerably. For example, the term «competency» is sometimes
synonymous with «skill.» Often it is a larger category subsuming
a number of skills and is sometimes used to mean the level at
which an individual can perform a skill.
Bob Davis («The Skills Mania,» the Ottawa
Citizen, January 3, 1991, page B1) speaks of a «skills mania» in
the educational system of the 1990s. Experts speak of «reading
skills, number skills, study skills, research skills,
essay-writing skills, project skills, thinking skills, coping
skills, people skills, and, yes, even life skills.» The
distinction between skills and knowledge is so blurred that
virtually everything you learn can now be called a skill.
Knowledge which is specific to a task is becoming less important,
since it changes quickly in all fields, thus rapidly becoming
obsolete.
There is, in fact, no general agreement from one
organization to another on what is required of employees for them
to be successful. The Conference Board of Canada tackled this
topic with a report entitled «Employability Skills Profile: What
Are Employers Looking For?» This report focuses on the kinds of
skills that are critical in the work force of the 1990s and
beyond. The report is a generic list of the kinds of skills,
qualities, competencies, attitudes and behaviours that form the
foundation of a high-quality Canadian work force both today and
tomorrow. Twenty-five senior executives from companies such as
Noranda Forest Inc., CP Rail, Bell Canada and Inco Limited put
their heads together and came up with an outline of the ideal job
applicant. The Conference Board then organized these skills into
three categories: academic, personal management and teamwork
skills. The Board's conclusions are that employers place equal
emphasis on each of these three categories, and the skills within
each category are used in varying combinations, depending on the
job.
Employers that are very dissimilar all need
people who can:
- communicate, think and continue to learn throughout their
lives (academic);
- demonstrate positive attitudes and behaviours, responsibility
and adaptability (personal management); and
- work with others (teamwork skills).
Professor Gary Becker proposes a framework
comprised of two major skill categories:
- general, which includes basic transferable skills, such as
communications, writing, and interpersonal skills that are
valuable to more than one employer; and
- specific, which includes skills that have no effect on
employees' productivity or their usefulness to other firms, such
as the skills of air traffic controllers.
Another framework of skills might consist of the
following categories:
- service skills;
- management skills; and
- communication skills.
An alternative framework breaks down the total
«skill» portrait of an individual into «hard skills,» comprising
elements of education and experience and «soft skills,» which
refer to behaviours and personality characteristics.
The former Office of the Comptroller General
chose its departmental mission, values and objectives as a
framework for its generic skills profile.
In addition, some inventories attempt to measure
the individual's level of competency in a skill. Several of the
inventories identified through our survey include measurement
scales (see Appendix C).
Once an organization has agreed upon the core
skills required and has assessed employees, other information can
be added to the structure to complete the inventory. Some Public
Service inventories include the following elements:
- organizational affiliation (department, organization within
the department);
- group and level, salary;
- previous positions, assignments, and deployments;
- assessments (corporate knowledge of individual appraisals,
testimonials, awards, assessment of the Career Assignment Program
or the Executive Assessment Centre, recognition awards);
- education;
- abilities, competencies (i.e., skills, including
linguistic);
- personal qualities, behaviours;
- knowledge or training courses taken; general and managerial
experience; and career aspirations.
Despite the plethora of approaches to defining
and structuring skills, many organizations in both the public and
private sectors have invested resources to develop skills
inventories. What are the forces pushing organizations towards
using skills inventories?
There are several general trends that are pushing
organizations to look more closely at the advantages of using
employee skills inventories. These include:
- high costs of employee salaries, benefits and training;
- delayering of levels of management;
- technology;
- the need to be competitive; and
- new human resource strategies that affect organizational
performance.
In today's service-driven marketplace, the
greatest single cost is for employee compensation and
maintenance. Employers are searching for very specialized, highly
educated individuals and will pay well for such expertise. Smart
organizations seek to maximize their use of these expensive
resources.
Organizations in the developing stage are
generally small and managed by one person or a very small
management team. Everyone knows everyone else and what their
skills are. The organization loses this knowledge when it grows
past a certain size, or the rate of recruitment accelerates. Many
large organizations today are streamlining to reduce the number
of layers of management. When one layer of management is
eliminated, personal knowledge of staff is reduced.
The power of technology is also playing a role in
driving change. Automated applications have become pervasive.
Increasingly powerful computing units, low prices on
microcomputers, improvements in data communications, and the
availability of previously unimagined software applications have
made their mark in the area of human resource management in both
the government sphere and the private sector.
Organizations today are under increasing
pressure. They either stay competitive or fail. There is little
or no margin for waste or imprecision. Adaptive organizations
have responded by focusing on strategic management that is based
on data provided by sophisticated information systems. The public
sector faces pressure to produce, while contending with
continuous budget reductions and the need to justify its role,
and defend its services to a jaundiced and demanding public. New
management philosophies based on gathering and using detailed
information are gaining followers.
In a recent survey conducted by the Phillips
Group (Best Practices in Human Resources Management,
January/March 1993), total quality management (TQM) and the
concepts underlying the term «learning organization» were
identified as among the top 10 initiatives affecting public
sector performance. Both are predicated on sharing information
and knowledge to reduce duplication and overlap in programs and
personnel.
Within the federal government context, a number
of recent initiatives have highlighted the need for good
personnel information systems. Most important is good information
on employee skills and competencies. Recent initiatives
include:
- the most significant downsizing and restructuring in the
history of the federal Public Service with former Prime Minister
Campbell's reducing the number of departments from 32 to 23;
upsizing in Revenue Canada with the introduction of the GST;
downsizing in Government Services Canada as clients move into
direct relationships with vendors and systems; and more
departments seeking to delayer and open up the senior
levels;
- the Universal Job Evaluation Plan (UJEP), resulting in larger
and broader job groups;
- single operating budgets, allowing for greater fluidity of
financial resources between salaries and other expenditures. This
means that managers will, to a much greater degree than ever
before, recognize the relationship between expenditures on
salaries and overall performance;
- changes in legislation, strengthening employment equity
programs in federal institutions;
- the Public Service Reform Act, allowing for more flexible
movement of employees through deployments;
- the Work Force Adjustment policy (effective until March
1994), putting the onus on home departments to find new jobs for
surplus employees;
- a significant number of surplus employees looking for
placement somewhere in the government;
- the Council on Administrative Reform (CAR), which has been
created to rationalize the overall holdings of personnel
information in the federal government by driving the reform for
Common Information Management (CIM) as part of a personnel
information strategy. In this context, all personnel information
holdings and needs are being reviewed, standardized, and modelled
(both functionally and by specific information holdings).
However, the issue of information on employee skills has not been
fully addressed.
In this environment, more effective use of all
resources, including human resources, has emerged as a critical
management issue. Likewise, proper management of information
holdings has become an issue in all organizations, in the domain
of human resource information as well as elsewhere. Five
information management issues must be addressed:
- are there inadequacies in the information available on
employees (i.e., what information should be held?);
- is it difficult to locate and utilize data;
- is proper attention given to electronic files, file
documentation, and retention;
- is information up to date and available corporate-wide;
and
- can existing databases be salvaged and integrated.
A gap may exist between what ideally should be
done to improve human resource management through using skills
inventory information, and what can be practically accomplished
given a shortage of resources. The situation is particularly
acute in light of the large investment necessary to develop a
skills inventory and to automate it. Proposed improvements must
be analyzed, in a business-like manner, to ensure that they bring
a reasonable net return on the costs and efforts invested in
their development and implementation and that they fit into an
overall human resource strategy.
Getting a precise measure of the size of the
Public Service is sometimes a challenge; it may be growing in
some sectors, while, at the same time, shrinking in others.
External hiring may occur in some places, while people are laid
off elsewhere. Moreover, as programs move from the developmental
stage to maintenance functions, there are lower and different
resource needs. Staff required in the earlier stages are no
longer needed. A «priority system» exists, to try to move surplus
employees into areas that are growing. But the system's use of
information on employee skills is far from ideal.
The federal government is comprised of a large
number of completely separate and distinct organizations
employing approximately 240,000 persons. While the public
perceives the government to be one unit, in reality the
organizations differ dramatically, one from the other. They range
from only a few employees (e.g., RCMP External Review Committee,
2; Copyright Board, 5; Canadian Secretariat, 8; Civil Aviation
Tribunal, 6) to organizations large enough to be small cities,
and employing thousands of individuals (e.g., National Revenue,
the former Taxation and Customs and Excise combined, 45,000;
National Defence, 30,760; Human Resources and Labour Canada,
27,000; Transport Canada, 19,081; Government Services Canada,
19,000). Different in all ways (e.g., size, mandate, nature of
operations, types of employees), these organizations resemble one
another minimally.
Currently, departments show enormous variations,
duplication and sentiments of «uniqueness» with regard to human
resource information. The challenge is to encourage departments
to manage their human resources in similar ways, sharing
experiences and systems to avoid duplication and to reduce
expenditures. Employee skills inventories are tools for bringing
departments closer to this goal.
Skills information on employees can be used in
the ways described below.
WITHIN A DEPARTMENT
-
- For recruitment, staffing, deployment and assignments:
inventories provide standardized information about the skills and
abilities of individuals:
- being brought into the federal government as recruits;
- already in the government who may be suitable for and
interested in particular vacancies, or for promotional or career
development reasons; and
- individuals directly or potentially affected by restructuring
and succession planning activities.
Moreover, comprehensive information about the
people in an organization can either speed up staffing, or
eliminate it entirely in cases where lateral moves of individuals
who are already skilled can be considered as an alternative.
Under the new Public Service Reform Act (Bill C-26), deployment
to different positions will be based on the employee's strengths
or weaknesses in certain skills. As well, the broader groupings
under the Universal Job Evaluation Plan (UJEP) will likely create
a need for more precise information about skills.
-
- For organizational structure: skills can be a basis
for job description systems, and can be hierarchically organized
to highlight the progression between levels within a job
category. Subsequently, functions, jobs and skill sets can be
analyzed when rationalizing or restructuring organizations.
-
- For identifying gaps in training: the skills of
incumbents of positions are sometimes out of alignment with the
requirements of their jobs. Comparing the two quickly identifies
the training needs of individuals. Particularly during times of
restructuring and downsizing, employees may be asked to do more,
or to do things differently, which may result in a need for
training.
Analyzing the collective bank of employees'
skills can help identify strategic and corporate training
requirements. Moreover, knowledge, at the corporate level, of
serious skills gaps or surpluses enables the organization to plan
for recruitment or downsizing.
-
- For career planning and employee development: an
individual's skills can be compared to a profile of the group of
which he or she is a member, identifying strengths and
weaknesses. Employees can then be counselled on the skills
required for advancement or on lateral developmental job openings
for which they are suited and from which they may gain skills
required for promotions. Moreover, management can be informed of
individuals whose skill levels exceed requirements and who may be
ready for higher level duties.
-
- For organizational integration: in national
organizations, geography often places a limitation on the
movement of employees if they are not known outside the region.
Having skills inventories available on a distributed network can
eliminate this barrier. Likewise, having an automated employee
skills inventory can greatly accelerate putting together teams
for special projects in matrix organizations that need to
identify people with just the right skills.
-
- For focusing on special communities: analyzing the
skill profiles of groups such as employment equity designated
groups, the Executive Group, and the financial, personnel, or
informatics community, facilitates planning to better recruit,
develop and utilize the resources found in these groups.
-
- To assess performance towards articulated
goals: both individuals and organizations can use skills
information to evaluate progress towards developmental and career
goals or towards corporate human resource strategic goals.
-
- For forecasting future employment requirements:
skill requirements can be extrapolated from future business
scenarios and compared with the existing skills base to target
long-term developmental and recruitment initiatives.
BETWEEN DEPARTMENTS
-
- To cross-fertilize concepts between departments and
to develop corporate individuals: cross-fertilization among
departments helps to develop, particularly among executives,
individuals with a corporate view and broad experience. While
this is particularly critical for the Executive Group, many other
functional groups such as FIs, CSs, and PEs would be well served
by such an approach. In 1991, 12 per cent of all mobility actions
in the National Capital Region were interdepartmental; in the
regions only 6 per cent of all actions were interdepartmental;
interdepartmental moves within the EX category were only 13 per
cent (a detailed discussion of mobility patterns in the federal
Public Service is included in Appendix A). The relatively low
mobility interdepartmentally would seem to indicate that skills
are not easily transported, that departments have all they can do
to deploy their own surplus resources during a period of
government downsizing, or that reliable data concerning employees
from outside departments are not available.
-
- To develop common standards among departments and
encourage consistency of approach within communities: this
application of skills inventories is of particular importance
from a strategic perspective in meeting the objectives of the
Council of Administrative Reform (CAR). The Council's goal is to
ensure that technology directions, personnel practices, materiel
management and financial practices are consistent across the
Public Service.
Making government function more like private
industry is a popular management concept these days. In its
handling of human resources, how does the government compare with
private sector companies such as Xerox, Shell or IBM? If the
president of Xerox wanted to know about the skills of employees
in various divisions, would it be possible? Would he or she be
able to assemble groups of employees having specific skills? The
experiences of five companies with skills inventories are
described below.
XEROX CANADA LTD.
5650 YONGE STREET
NORTH YORK, ONTARIO
M2M 4G7
Contact: Josalyne Traub
Director, Organization Development
(416) 733-6888
Job Profiles
Xerox, which has spent the past two years
developing its system, has completed job profiles for four
streams of employees who account for over half of its staff of
4500. These four streams involve the staff who are closest to the
customer: sales, technical support, professional support, and
administration. There are dozens of groupings in each stream.
Xerox uses job profiles to facilitate the
following activities:
- development of hiring profiles;
- development and implementation of education and training
strategies;
- development and implementation of Human Resource Management
process enhancements;
- development and support of Xerox as a learning organization;
and
- development and implementation of strategies for work force
preparedness.
The job profile thus makes possible a number of
activities that are critical for operational processes and
development of the organization.
There are four phases in the Job Profile cycle
which constitutes a development system:
- job profiling;
- Competency Assessment Guide;
- Development Resource Guide; and
- development portfolio and implementation.
Phase 1 Job Profiling
- Identify emerging customer requirements and future business
conditions using corporate strategic documents.
- Identify business strategies: what business strategies have
been identified to move Xerox forward over the next three to four
years to meet customers' demands?
- Identify products and services employees need to produce and
determine required outputs.
- From the outputs required, identify the attributes (personal
characteristics) that the work force needs to produce the
required output. This is developed in teams and relates to
attributes that are not easy to change with training such as:
maturity, stability, willingness to work.
- Identify knowledge and skills to produce outputs (i.e.,
competencies).
- Identify the level required in each competency for any job.
There is a five-point scale: 1 = functional (lowest level of
proficiency); 2 = proficient; 3 = highly skilled; 4 = master; 5 =
role model.
Phase 2 Competency Assessment Guide
Employees assess themselves using the Competency
Assessment Guide, which identifies the specific desired levels of
competencies for any job. During this phase, employees identify
developmental gaps which are then verified by management. They
complete forms that are later linked to job structures and
promotion.
Phase 3 Development Resource Guide
Employees use the Development Resource Guide,
which is a compilation of all developmental and training
resources available to help them reach the desired level of
competency for job skills. Each skill is assessed based on the
impact it will have on learning and assess what level of
competency will be achieved when the employee has completed
specific learning activities.
Employees use this information to develop a plan
that will bridge the gaps in their set of skills and target their
required development. Xerox is moving towards self-managed
learning.
Phase 4 Development Portfolio and
Implementation
The employee creates an up-to-date development
portfolio of action plans. The employee is responsible for
changing and revising the portfolio, as required, when certain
learning activities such as education and training have been
completed. At the end of the cycle, each employee should have a
personalized, up-to-date development portfolio based on
information the corporation generates about what is desired by
the customer and valued by Xerox.
SHELL OIL
HOUSTON, TEXAS
U.S.A.
Contact: Linda Pearce
(713) 241-1617
Skills Pool Management
Shell Oil uses a skills inventory that is driven
by the business plan to help employees develop training plans and
manage their own learning. The company contracted a consultant to
develop the skills inventory specifically for Shell's
requirements. Focus groups were used to develop the lists of
skills.
This inventory provides and describes a set of
valued skills and is used for all groups of employees. Employees
log into the system, which is on a mainframe computer, and view
the skills required for their generic job title. They use this to
identify needs which are then reviewed by their manager and
ranked in order of priority.
There are five competency levels: 0 = slight
awareness; 1 = awareness but no working knowledge; 2 = some
supervision required; 3 = able to supervise others; and 4 =
teacher. There are 20 job specialty areas and over 400
skills.
The inventory was introduced in mid-1991 with the
objective of focusing on training investments tied to business.
Shell wanted to let employees know what is important to the
business so they could design a training plan tied to their job
(i.e., relevant).
It took between six weeks and six months to start
up the various groups depending on the ground work that had been
done. This system has been implemented in about 25 per cent of
Shell's organization.
Feedback from staff is positive because the
skills pool management empowers them to enroll in courses and
manage their own time. Managers review and approve the plans and
their costs. Employees have some anxiety about the gap between
their current skills and what is required to fulfil the strategic
requirements of Shell. However, they do not have to show the
self-assessment of competencies to their manager.
IBM CANADA
3500 STEELES AVE. EAST
MARKHAM, ONTARIO
L3R 2Z1
Contact: Dr. Anita Ross
Vice President, Human Resources
(905) 361-2397
Tom Davies
(Executive Assistant, Lesley Taylor)
(905) 361-2365
IBM has four major streams of activity related to
career management:
- the personal development program,
- appraisals,
- skills inventory, and
- executive planning.
Except for executive planning, IBM has moved from
a top-down approach, which placed the responsibility on the
managers, to a more bottom-up process.
The personal development program is structured so
that every supervisor must meet his or her employee at least once
a year to complete the plan. The employee describes his or her
definition of career success, short - and long-term, and
strengths and areas for development; and proposes a plan for the
next 12 months. This may include such elements as formal
training, reading, assignments within the company or courses. The
manager and the employee discuss the plan and finalize it. The
manager writes up the meeting, but does not report it to any
other part of the organization. The manager is expected to
recognize that developing employee skills is a critical success
factor, and to move the plan forward without being monitored or
encouraged by superiors. Should employees feel they are being
thwarted, they can seek assistance from their manager's superior
or a staff human resources person.
Appraisals are carried out once a year. This is a
formal program, with the manager initiating the process. The
employee completes the report first, then meets with the manager
to discuss it. The appraisal becomes part of the employee's file,
and directly affects remuneration.
Responsibility for the employee skills inventory
is divided between employees and managers. Management ensures
that skills that are essential now and in the future are
correctly identified, and that the company is investing in these
skills so it can remain competitive and exploit
opportunities.
The skills development portion is now the
responsibility of employees. They identify their developmental
needs, as described earlier under the personal development
program, and maintain the inventory. The skills and level of
expertise required for many of the jobs at IBM have already been
identified. Employees can call up the template and assess their
skills against those identified in the inventory. In addition,
they may add items to the existing list of skills required. A
five-point range for levels of skill is used: employees indicate
their current level against the target, as well as how long it
will take them to reach the desired level. These developmental
plans are then integrated into the personal development plan for
the employee.
IBM considers skills to be a company asset, and
is moving to provide more open access to the system. Currently,
managers can view and update files, while employees can view and
update only their own files. Both employees and managers access
the inventory frequently. When forming teams, staff query the
inventory for complementary skills to find names, or scan for
names to get skills.
This inventory is currently in place for
approximately 60,000 IBM employees internationally. It is
intended for in-house use, and is not being marketed as a
product. One programmer in the Toronto lab wrote the software.
The system was developed over a period of six to eight months, at
a cost of around $100K. Users across the company share the
current annual cost of the inventory, which is approximately
$12,500 per division including updates, enhancements and
maintenance. This cost does not include time employees spend
updating their files, but that time is minimal.
Surveys IBM has conducted indicate the inventory
is heavily used. The system is accessed for operational purposes
such as setting up a team, or for identifying skills gaps to help
set up training plans for employees, as well as for other
reasons.
The executive inventory is a process where
employees must prepare a «personal contribution plan,» annually,
that identifies where the employee wants to go and a plan for
getting there. The company helps by evaluating its managers on
how well they identify and develop high-flyers and on how readily
they assist these people in moving out of their areas. Each
manager must identify some high-flyers.
Employees have two separate annual meetings with
their manager; one for evaluation and one for development. Prior
to the development meeting, the employee goes through the
following steps:
- the employee decides where he or she would like to work in
the company next;
- the employee's manager is consulted and, if he or she agrees
it's a good idea;
- the employee's manager contacts the manager in the area of
interest and recommends that he or she meet with the employee for
an «interest interview»;
- during the interest interview, the second manager outlines
the kinds of skills and experience the best employees have
brought to the unit and suggests how this employee might prepare
for a move into this unit.
These face-to-face meetings are the key to IBM's
human resource management practice. This model has been operating
for about two years. Prior to that, IBM was somewhat more
«systems» based, but they have abandoned that approach entirely.
The onus for development is on each employee and manager as a
team. Managers are evaluated on their team leading and developing
skills and IBM gives out team achievement awards.
ROYAL BANK
HEADQUARTERS
MONTREAL, QUEBEC
Contact: Randy Gilbert
Manager, Human Resource Planning
(514) 874-6542
The Royal Bank has two skills inventories.
The Executive Leadership Review System:
this is a state-of-the-art system custom-designed for the Royal
Bank by Organization Metrics (see Appendix C), and used for
succession planning for the top 300 executive positions within
the bank. The system provides «360-degree» feedback on each
executive in the bank. This means that the executive's peers,
supervisors, subordinates, and sometimes clients, all contribute
to the review. There is one senior executive whose sole job is to
conduct leadership reviews using the system and to do ongoing
succession planning.
The bank is extremely pleased with the Executive
System, but believes it is too sophisticated to be replicated for
the other 57,000 positions in the bank.
Personnel Information System: within the
corporate personnel system (which has been operating for 10
years), the bank has a Management Information Module, which is
used primarily for the employee appraisal process. It consists of
a broad level (i.e., not detailed) inventory of skills and
aptitudes generic to banking. From a paper list of 20 to 30
generic skills, the manager chooses the eight skills that are key
to a particular position and then rates the employee against
them.
The bank has identified a need to upgrade its
inventory. Work has begun on a new profile of the skills,
attributes and knowledge required to be a successful private
banker. There are plans to eventually review all job categories
in the bank and assign specific skills to each job. The bank's
Guide to Management Jobs tells employees what general
qualifications and experience are needed for management
positions. Only the Executive System has been automated.
CANADIAN IMPERIAL BANK OF COMMERCE
COMMERCE COURT
25 KING ST. WEST
TORONTO, ONTARIO
M5L 1A2
Contact: Lesley Qureshi
Manager, Capability Group
(416) 784-6950
Over the past two and a half years, four
employees have been dedicated to building 38 competency models
that cover all the job groups within the Canadian Imperial Bank
of Commerce (CIBC). Examples of competencies would be «people
management» and leadership. Each competency is further broken
down into 5 to 20 skills, knowledge and attributes. Skills are
not performance-based.
These competency models are used primarily to
prepare developmental plans for employees based on analysis and
discussions between workers and their supervisors. The competency
models form a component of a self-learning environment the Bank
is promoting. Employees are encouraged to do self-assessments
using the models and to prepare their own learning plans. They
are presently writing a Learning Guide that will identify both
knowledge and experiential learning programs available from the
bank, but these «solutions» are not yet linked to skills. The
CIBC also plans to use the models to grade jobs, and for
recruitment and selection.
To get the project going, the CIBC initially
targeted small groups within the Bank whose managers already had
an interest in developing their people. These managers were eager
to participate when they saw the links between development and
the Bank's strategic business plan.
The inventory is on a mainframe computer at
Headquarters but can be accessed by all branches. The system was
built in-house between February and April 1993.
Three service-wide skills inventories are
described briefly in this section. All are based upon a skills
profile and are designed to provide skills information on federal
employees to all departments.
Management Resourcing Information System
(MRIS)
The Public Service Commission (PSC) is
responsible for collecting MRIS data and distributing reports.
The primary objective of the MRIS is to provide information about
possible candidates for competitive actions at the EX levels. The
MRIS is built upon an extensive skills profile that is organized
into seven large skill groups (e.g., government affairs, social
disciplines, mathematics and systems), each broken out into a set
of sub-skills. The profile currently contains a total of 300
skills, but there are plans to expand and upgrade it in the near
future.
The Executive Staffing Branch of the PSC uses
MRIS reports for its staffing actions. The total potential
population covered by the MRIS is approximately 30,000; this
includes all EXs, EX minus 1s, and EX minus 2s and junior levels
of the personnel and financial administration groups. The MRIS
has been in operation since 1980, and replaced DataStream, a
system designed for a similar purpose but covering a broader
range of Public Service occupational categories and levels.
The MRIS is a self-coded inventory. Working from
the MRIS guide, which lists and defines the skills words,
employees profile their own skills and experience. Although 24
skills can be entered, employees usually report between 12 and
14. A descriptive paragraph can also be included. The employee
can identify the last seven jobs he or she has held; the system
automatically drops off earlier positions as new ones are added.
Currently, new hard copy material is being developed for the use
of employees, and it is hoped that eventually the system will
move to electronic entries.
The system is linked with the Reports on Staffing
Transactions (ROSTs), which are generated whenever an employee is
appointed to a new position. The two systems are in the process
of being integrated to eliminate duplication of data.
Approximately 130,000 ROSTs are received each year. Appraisals
are also fed into the MRIS annually. There are, however, no other
links with departmental employee skills inventories. The skills
lexicons used in departments are custom-made to reflect the
business of the department. Most departmental systems do not
interface with MRIS. Some departments, such as Transport Canada,
send tapes that automatically update the central MRIS system.
The annual cost of running the MRIS is
approximately $250,000. This includes the human resources
involved in management and inputting, printing, and materials.
The equipment for MRIS is being upgraded so that information can
be scanned rather than input through data entry. This will reduce
its operating costs.
The MRIS is used almost exclusively for staffing
EX positions. This is reflected in the rate of completion, which
drops off significantly below the EX level. Recent statistics
(1992) indicate that of the 31,000 members of the population, 60
per cent have completed the form. Of those who are participating
in the MRIS, 12.8 per cent are EXs and 87.2 per cent are EX-1s
and EX-2s. The MRIS received approximately 15,000 appraisals in
1992, 50 per cent from EXs, and 50 per cent from the lower
levels. Sixty-five per cent of EXs complete the narrative
portion; 45 per cent at the lower levels. Approximately 400
potential members of the population refuse to participate.
National Applicant Inventory System
(NAIS)/Priority Administration System (PAS)
The NAIS (or PAS) is another Public Service
Commission inventory built on a lexicon of skills. It is used to
capture employment information primarily from persons outside the
Public Service who are applying for employment with the federal
government. Using an inventory of approximately 1400 skill words,
a PSC resourcing officer codes information taken from the
applicant's résumé. The skills are organized into 90 job
profiles. (A job profile does not correspond to specific Public
Service positions but to more general job descriptions such as
scientist or educator). It took three people almost two years to
develop this extensive skill lexicon in consultation with
departments. The inventory now contains records for approximately
12,000 applicants. The PSC is moving towards applicant
self-coding. Some departments manage components of the NAIS for
the PSC. For example, Agriculture Canada is the lead department
for the recruitment of agronomists.
Executive Assessment Centre
The PSC provides government departments with a
variety of tools for assessing competencies. These tools can be
used to develop job profiles, which is the first step towards
developing an inventory of skills.
The PSC also provides consultation and assessment
services. Assessment centres provide individuals with an
opportunity to demonstrate their leadership and management
abilities in a series of interrelated simulation exercises. The
PSC currently offers three assessment centre programs:
- an assessment centre to identify those with the potential to
progress to the middle management level;
- an assessment centre to identify those with the potential to
progress to executive positions; and
- an assessment centre that is part of the selection process to
the Executive Group.
Underlying all three programs is a framework for
skills called «A Profile of Public Service Leaders and Managers,»
developed by the Treasury Board Secretariat and the Public
Service Commission. The profile identifies five levels of
managerial and leadership skills required of positions in the
management stream from supervisor to assistant deputy minister.
The profile provides a basis for selecting, evaluating and
developing leaders and managers across the Public Service. It can
also be used by employees in planning and managing their own
careers.
As a final service-wide example, the Personnel
Renewal Council is completing work on a «future competencies»
profile of human resource specialists. The Council has forecasted
key skills that will be required of personnel officers given the
rapidly changing environment in which they work and the evolution
of their role from controller, to consultant, to management. The
profile will be used for recruitment, development and career
management.
In the survey, 14 departments indicated that they
were using some form of employee skills inventory. Their
responses are summarized below, and laid out again in tabular
form in Appendix B. It is known, however, that National Revenue
(Customs and Excise), Transport Canada, and the former Office of
the Comptroller General, while not described below, have all
constructed skills profiles and, in some cases, have developed
employee skills inventories based on them.
Appendix C summarizes the results of the survey
under five columns of information, covering every aspect of the
use of the inventory, its cost, recommendations, positive and
negative features, a contact name, and more.
Costs to develop and implement the systems
described below range from a low of $7000 to a high of $300,000.
The extent and complexity of the systems vary significantly, but
most departments reported satisfaction with their systems. The
inventories appear to be used most frequently by personnel
specialists.
Transportation Safety Board of Canada
The Board has a manual inventory of employee
profiles that will be automated over the next year. While the
inventory has proved very useful to the senior management, the
work required to update the inventory was identified as a
negative feature. Cost to develop: .5 PY. Current cost to run:
approximately .125 PY.
Canadian International Development Agency
(CIDA)
The agency's system has been running for seven
years. It allows the data to be easily accessed and manipulated,
but since employees input certain elements directly, the document
must sometimes be revised to preserve accuracy. Unethical uses of
the system have been observed at times. The system was developed
by staff and a contractor. Personnel experts access the system
some 240 times a day! Cost to implement: approximately $300,000.
Costs to run it: approximately $100,000 or 3 PY's.
Communications Canada
The Department of Communications' career
management inventory has been running for about three years. It
is partially automated with only basic information computerized.
This is supplemented by manual access to CVs, appraisals, career
aspirations, and other personnel data such as security clearance
and language proficiency. It was adapted from Q & A, and was
up and running in one day, with a starting inventory of 30
employees. Personnel staff access the system on average once a
week, and line managers once a month. It costs approximately
$8,500 annually to run.
Canadian Radio-television and
Telecommunications Commission
The CRTC's system has been in use for about a
year, and is expected to be fully operational by October 1993.
Two categories and 16 skills are used. The system provides easy
access to a description of every employee. The software used
(Advanced Revelation) is not well-known. It was obtained through
the DSS Software Exchange and customized for the department by a
contractor. Personnel specialists use the system daily, with
employees providing the input. It cost approximately $50,000 to
purchase and implement, and costs $5,000 annually to run.
Department of Justice Canada
The Department of Justice is running a pilot
project on their senior management group. Participants (who input
their own data) are asked to identify their experience only.
Other information from the Performance Review and Employee
Appraisal (PREA) is downloaded into the system. The inventory is
not integrated into the Personnel Management Information System
because of the software design. The department points out that
this kind of stand-alone system may cause problems. The system
cost approximately $26,000 to develop, and has been operating for
about 18 months, although it still has a few bugs. The cost to
operate it on an ongoing basis was not provided.
Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Its system was developed by internal staff, at a
cost of approximately $7,000. The system is an inventory of
women, and is used for staffing EX-3 positions and above.
Employees do the inputting, with a specialist's approval (e.g.,
career counsellor or system manager). It has provided a useful
tool to ensure visibility for women in staffing actions. One
problem is the reluctance of some women to be included in the
inventory. It took eight months to become operational, and has
been in use for two years.
Department of Forestry
This department has an inventory for technicians
that was developed by the employee group. The inventory is based
on the model from Agriculture Canada for agronomists, to respond
to expressed requirements of the group. It appears to satisfy
these requirements. Employees use it frequently, but management
rarely accesses the system, so that it is not clear that the
system will continue to be supported. The cost and time to become
operational were not identified.
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
This department uses the Human Resources Planning
module of their Human Resource Information System. It uses 950
codes and free-form fields. While this provides flexibility, it
also makes data somewhat more difficult to extract. The system
was developed by a contractor to work on the mainframe computer.
Personnel experts use the system, or access it for line managers,
but it is used infrequently. The department did not assess the
costs to start up the system, or to maintain it.
Public Service Commission
A module from the Personnel Management
Information System (PMIS) was customized by staff and a
contractor to meet the department's needs. It was implemented in
1989 at a cost of $15,000. The skills identified in the inventory
are updated on an as-required basis by employees, managers, or
personnel staff.
Government Services Canada
This department has a number of inventories in
development or in use. Most have been initiated and carried
forward by line managers and branches, rather than by the human
resources services. Most are used for human resources planning,
but some are also intended for selection and training. One is
specifically for the CS community, both within and outside the
department. Many regions have inventories and use them for their
regional employee base. In the Pacific region, the system now
works well as a log of training and work experience for analysing
gaps in skills. It took over a year to become operational, but is
now used by line managers, with input of both employees and
users. In the Superannuation Branch, the system is still being
implemented, at an approximate cost of $6,000. Consulting and
Audit Canada, a Special Operating Agency in GSC, is developing a
relatively sophisticated system that will be used in analysing
training needs and current skills bases for project assignment as
well as corporate training plans. The Nova Scotia region and
headquarters also have systems in place.
Environment Canada (Parks)
This inventory is a pilot project that was
scheduled to become operational within a month of the survey, at
a cost of $5,000. It is intended for line managers and project
managers, and proved flexible in terms of the frequency of user
accesses (which is high) and integration with different
applications.
Agriculture Canada
Agriculture Canada has two automated skills
inventories. One is used for human resources planning activities
for the Scientific and Professional category. It provides
management with an inventory of all scientific and professional
personnel by major area of research. It is also used to forecast
the number of scientists and professionals needed to support its
research activities in the years to come. The inventory, however,
is limited for identifying skills and language proficiency. It
does not provide information on employee strengths and weaknesses
or training and development requirements. The system took less
than a year to become operational, but is now used by line
managers.
The second inventory, the TAS Skills Inventory,
which has been running for eight months, is used to search for a
broad and/or narrow range of skills to match project or
assignment requirements. However, the system record contains many
skill sets that are not broken down by category or level. It is
used by TAS coordinators on a daily basis, and only employees are
able to provide the input. The inventory will be redesigned in
the coming year.
The cost to develop and to operate the two
inventories described above was not provided.
National Capital Commission
The NCC focuses more on position and employee
profiles than on catalogues of specific skills. The Management
Profile is based on six main factors: leading, team building,
communicating, orchestrating, influencing and innovating. Within
these abilities are the following attributes: flexibility,
insight, people orientation and results orientation. The
Management Profile is used for positions at the level of
vice-president and director and is currently being expanded to
include key chief-level positions classified at the EX-1 and -2
levels and the EX minus 1 and EX minus 2 levels. A Competency
Profile is currently being developed for the use of human
resources professionals.
As part of this study, a questionnaire was sent
to approximately 350 private sector companies in Canada and the
United States likely to have products or services related to
skills inventories. Of these, 39 had a relevant product which
they described for this study. This information is summarized in
an unofficial «shoppers guide» found in Appendix C. The reader
can use this guide to identify the companies whose products or
services are of greatest interest. The guide has been organized
to provide information on:
- company name and experience,
- product name,
- product uses,
- the structure/complexity of the skills profile,
- employee record capacity,
- development time,
- technological specifications,
- price,
- clients using this product, and
- consulting services offered.
The majority of the companies provide a very
flexible tool that could be customized to suit the user, at a
price, of course. The costs ranged from a low of around $1,595
(US) from EXXIS Corporation in Phoenix, for a product offering
access by a single user, network analysis, on-site training, and
customized programming, to a high of hundreds of thousands of
dollars. Since the cost is highly dependent on the actual work
involved, this information may not be particularly reliable. Some
companies that replied had been in business over 20 years, while
others had begun quite recently. A good indicator of stability is
to combine this information with the list of installations and
numbers of users. This should provide a good indication of the
company's track record. The time required for the inventories to
become operational ranged from a low of 10 days (20 to 30 to
become proficient) to a high of 18 months. Again, the design of
the inventory and the state of readiness of the organization
would be key factors. Many of the inventories were designed to
scan résumés and capture data on or off site, as a module (that
could usually stand alone) of a larger human resources
information system.
While this research and report did not have the
objective of providing observations and recommendations, the
following statements based on the results of the work may be
useful:
- there is a considerable amount of work and interest in both
the private and public sectors in the area of employee skills
inventories. It is apparent that this interest and need will
continue to grow;
- in the federal Public Service, there is no standardization of
inventory format or use, and little exchange of skills lexicons
or data between or even within departments. Few departments are
linked electronically, and not many departments interface with
the corporate systems;
- there does not seem to be a specific body tasked with the
responsibility of acting as a focus for, or coordinating
information on, employee skills inventories in the federal
government;
- a significant number of known departmental users did not
respond to the questionnaire; and
- many current inventories appear to have duplicated work that
had already been done in other departments. This would not seem
to be an economical approach.
The steering committee was not tasked to produce
recommendations, but its members feel very strongly that employee
skills inventories are a potentially valuable tool for Public
Service human resource management. The committee would like to
undertake some follow-up action with support from the Human
Resources Development Council and other authoritative bodies such
as the Treasury Board Secretariat.
Therefore, the steering committee submits the
following recommendations:
- that an interdepartmental committee on employee skills
inventories be formed, with a mandate to review current
activities, exchange information, and act as a focal point for
ESI information and activities;
- that the committee undertake follow-up work to this report,
consisting of a more detailed analysis of some specific vendor
and departmental information, and develop more elaborate criteria
for assessing existing products;
- that some minimum standards with respect to compatibility of
systems be set . For example, while it may not be possible to
identify any one system suitable for all departments, some
minimum capability of common data capture and dissemination
should be established;
- that this report be submitted to the Human Resources
Development Council. If the Council concurs, the report then be
distributed to all deputies, ADMs and DGs of Personnel, the
Career Management Steering Committee, and the unions; and
- that a symposium for users, interested parties, and vendors
be planned, to display available products and share information
among private and public sector users. This could be hosted by a
consortium of interested parties, such as the Treasury Board
Secretariat, CCMD, CAC, and several user departments.
One of the uses of employee skills inventories
mentioned was to support mobility practices. Internal and
interdepartmental mobility patterns were examined by region,
department, and group, to determine what patterns exist, and to
establish whether an employee inventory system would be more
useful in applications at the departmental or interdepartmental
(corporate) level.
General: overall mobility in the Public
Service was examined for the calendar year 1991. Of all mobility
actions (88,835) occurring in the population of 240,903 Public
Service employees as of December 1991, only four per cent
occurred interdepartmentally. Recognizing that the statistics on
mobility are somewhat skewed by the relatively high number of
actions relative to extensions of term employees (39,070, or 44
per cent of all mobility actions), the category of reappointments
of terms was removed so that the permanent (indeterminate)
population alone could be examined. Of the 49,765 mobility
actions relating to permanent employees, eight per cent occurred
between departments. Little variation has occurred since
1987.
This finding contrasts with the philosophy that
the federal government should foster more exchange of employees
interdepartmentally, to cross-pollinate ideas and to standardize
practices. This conflict between philosophy and reality raises an
interesting issue: is this the ideal level of exchange of
employees between departments?
NCR versus the Regions: there is more
interdepartmental mobility in the NCR than occurs in the regions.
In the NCR, 12 per cent of all mobility actions occurred between
departments, while in the regions this exchange was halved (6 per
cent).
This lack of interdepartmental mobility varied
little from region to region, except for Alberta. There the
movement between departments, although still low at 10 per cent,
more closely approximated mobility in the NCR.
Departmental Differences: some
organizations showed more insularity than others. While there
appears to be some correlation with size of the organization
(small agencies, in particular, exhibit more interaction with
other departments), there appear to be other factors that affect
interdepartmental mobility as well, such as mandate,
specializations, and professional requirements unique to the
organization.
Table 1 below shows large departments with the
highest interdepartmental mobility rates.
Table 1 - Departments with the Highest
Interdepartmental Mobility
Name of Department
|
Interdepartmental Mobility Rate
(per cent)
|
Department of Finance Canada
|
16
|
Forestry Canada
|
13
|
Industry, Science and Technology Canada
|
19
|
Labour Canada
|
21
|
Office of the Comptroller General
|
45
|
Privy Council Office
|
31
|
Public Service Commission
|
20
|
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
|
14
|
Solicitor General Canada
|
26
|
Treasury Board of Canada
|
38
|
Large departments whose mobility patterns show
the least interaction with other departments are shown in Table
2.
Table 2 - Departments with the Lowest
Interdepartmental Mobility
Name of Department
|
Interdepartmental Mobility Rate
(per cent)
|
National Defence
|
4
|
Employment and Immigration Canada
|
4
|
Transport Canada
|
4
|
Correctional Service Canada
|
4
|
Statistics Canada
|
5
|
Revenue Canada Taxation
|
4
|
Differences by Occupational Category and Group:
the interdepartmental mobility rates of the various occupational
categories were analyzed for 1991 and are shown in Table 3.
Table 3 - Interdepartmental Mobility Rate by
Occupational Category
Category
|
Interdepartmental Mobility Rate
(per cent)
|
Executive
|
11
|
Scientific and Professional
|
7
|
Admin. and Foreign Service
|
11
|
Technical
|
3
|
Administrative Support
|
9
|
Operational
|
2
|
The Operational, Technical and Scientific and
Professional categories were examined in more detail to find
which groups had the lowest rates (only groups of more than 700
employees are included). The results are shown in Table 4.
Table 4 - Groups with the Lowest
Interdepartmental Mobility Rates within the Lowest
Categories
Category
|
Group
|
Interdepartmental Mobility Rate
(per cent)
|
Scientific and Professional
|
|
|
|
MA (Mathematics)
|
0
|
|
MT (Meteorology)
|
1
|
|
NU (Nursing)
|
2
|
|
SE (Scientific Research)
|
2
|
|
UT (University Teaching)
|
0
|
|
VS (Veterinary Science)
|
0
|
Technical
|
|
|
|
AI (Air Traffic Control)
|
1
|
|
PI (Prim. Prods. Inspect.)
|
1
|
|
RO (Radio Operations)
|
0
|
|
SO (Ships' Officers)
|
0
|
Operational
|
|
|
|
CX (Correctional)
|
1
|
|
GL (General Labour and Trades)
|
2
|
|
GS (General Services)
|
1
|
|
HS (Hospital Services)
|
0
|
|
PR (Printing Operations)
|
1
|
|
SC (Ships' Crews)
|
0
|
|
SR (Ships Repair)
|
1
|
The following table shows that certain groups in
the various categories had relatively high interdepartmental
mobility.
Table 5 - Groups with the Highest
Interdepartmental Mobility Rates
Category
|
Group
|
Interdepartmental Mobility Rate
(per cent)
|
Management
|
|
|
|
EX (Executive)
|
13
|
Scientific and Professional
|
|
|
|
ES (Econ., Soc., Stats.)
|
13
|
|
LS (Library Services)
|
21
|
|
PC (Physical Sciences)
|
13
|
Admin. and Foreign Service
|
|
|
|
AS (Admin. Services)
|
11
|
|
CO (Commerce)
|
16
|
|
CS (Computer Systems Admin.)
|
11
|
|
FI (Financial Admin.)
|
28
|
|
IS (Information Services)
|
21
|
|
OM (Org. and Methods)
|
11
|
|
PE (Personnel Admin.)
|
26
|
Administrative Support
|
|
|
|
ST (Sec., Steno. and Typing)
|
14
|
There are, then, certain communities in the
Public Service whose members can more easily move from one
department to another. Could it be that they require special
attention in terms of facilitating this tendency to move their
skills across departments in the government?
Department Name
|
Product Name
|
Type of Product
|
Transportation Safety Board of Canada
|
Employee Profiles
|
Manual
|
Department of Justice
|
C.M. System
|
Partially automated
|
Department of Fisheries and Oceans
|
Inventory of Women
|
Manual
|
Communications Canada
|
Career Mgt. Inventory
|
Partially automated
|
Forestry Canada
|
Skills Inventory
|
Manual
|
Public Service Commission
|
SIRH (PC/PG)
|
Automated
|
Canadian International Development Agency
|
Not available
|
Not available
|
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
|
HRIS
|
Automated
|
CRTC
|
PMIS
|
Automated
|
National Defence
|
No name
|
Automated
|
Government Services Canada Headquarters
|
Selection, Career Planning and Training
|
Automated
|
Government Services Canada Nova Scotia Region
|
Human Resources Planning
|
Automated
|
Government Services Canada Institute for the CS
Community
|
Human Resources Planning
|
Automated
|
Government Services Canada Pacific
Directorate
|
Human Resources Planning
|
Automated
|
Government Services Canada Superannuation
|
Human Resources Planning
|
Automated
|
Government Services Canada
|
HRPSS
|
Automated
|
Consulting and Audit Canada
|
|
|
Environment Canada Parks Service
|
No name
|
Automated
|
Agriculture Canada
|
TAS Skills Inventory
|
Automated
|
Human Resources
|
Planning
|
|
National Capital Commission
|
Management Profile
|
Automated
|
LEGEND FOR THE COLUMN PRODUCT USES
- recruitment tool
- staffing
- assigning employees to projects
- priority placement of surplus employees
- job descriptions
|
- to identify training gaps, do analysis
- to work with special communities (e.g., personnel)
- organizational development or analysis
- succession planning
- career development of individuals
|
- performance review
- employment equity
- downsizing
-
other (text)
|
COMPANY PROFILE
|
PRODUCT-SERVICE PROFILE
|
SKILLS PROFILE
|
SYSTEMS PROFILE
|
CLIENT PROFILE
|
Product name: Skills Master
|
|
|
|
|
The Clarendon Consulting Group
24 Java Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1Y 3L3
Attn: Ken Duff
In business since 1988
Skills Master is one of a series of
custom-designed human resources management support tools from the
HR manager's toolbox. All applications are designed using a
highly recognized third-party software product and are fully
supported by qualified HR professionals.
|
pre-packaged and/or customized;
stand-alone
bilingual
typically operational in 45 days
between $2,500 and $5,000, depending on the
degree of customization
full range of services provided.
|
supports uses: 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 11, 14 plus overall
HR planning
because of the unique nature of each application,
skill definitions and competency levels are determined with the
client.
|
runs on microcomputers (PCs, i.e., IBM or IBM
compatible)
network and Windows compatible
record storage limited only by hardware
implementation of skills inventories
|
new product - while Skills Master is new, we have
over 15 years' experience in network and Windows
- Ottawa Board of Education, 300 records
|
Product name: Skilbase
|
|
|
|
|
Claymore Systems
6432 Bernice Court
Orleans, Ontario
K1C 7E5
Attn: M. Paul Boutette
In business since 1979
Skilbase organizes and tracks training
information on the basis of job-related competencies. Because all
information is electronic, ease of accessibility and updating is
guaranteed.
|
pre-packaged;
stand-alone (normally sold «off-the-shelf» but
will customize for a major purchase)
not bilingual
operational in 2 to 3 months
single-user version, $4,500
full range of services provided and/or specific
skill or speciality.
|
Supports uses: 1,3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14 plus
multi-skilling, pay for knowledge/skills
permits unlimited number of skills, categories
and competency levels
user-defined
|
Runs on microcomputers (PCs, i.e., IBM or IBM
compatible)
network and Windows compatible
record storage limited only by hardware
|
10 installations
- Dupont, 250 records, 1992
- Exxon, 80 records, 1991
- Alberta Pacific, 500 records, 1992
- Repap, 1500 records, 1993
- General Electric, 2000 records, 1990
|
Product name: Corporate Assessment Profile and
customized package
|
|
|
|
|
Creative Organizational Design
65 Bridgeport Road, East
Waterloo, Ontario
N2J 2K1
Attn: John Towler
In business since 1979
|
Pre-packaged and/or customized;
stand-alone
bilingual
start-up time varies
price varies depending on the customizing
required
full range of services provided and/or specific
skills or speciality
|
Supports uses: 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 10
permits 20 skills categories,
35+ skills and competency levels
5 to 9 can be defined in percentiles
skills and categories predefined; competency
levels user-defined
|
Runs on microcomputers (PCs, i.e., IBM or IBM
compatible)
not network compatible
Windows compatible
record limit 37,000
|
15 installations
- La-z-Boy, 400 records, 1990
- Minit Lube, 50 records, 1989
- Zehrs 5700 records, 1992
|
D.L.G.L. Ltd
850 Michele-Bohec
Blainville, Quebec
J7C 5E2
Attn: Richard Rousseau
In business since 1980
|
pre-packaged or customized;
a stand-alone module of a complete HRIS
bilingual
price and time to become operational vary with
size or installation
full range of services provided
|
supports uses: 1, 2, 8, 9, 10
permits unlimited skills,
categories and competency levels
user-defined
|
Runs on mainframe, mid-range computers,
microcomputers (PCs, i.e., IBM categories and or IBM
compatible)
network and Windows compatible
record storage limited only by hardware
|
- Northern Telecom, 33,000 records,
|
Product name: Drakesearch
|
|
|
|
|
Drake International
55 Bloor Street, West,
4th Floor
Toronto, Ontario
M4W 1A5
Attn: Bill Cavanaugh
Steve Schutz
In business since 1951
Customized screens to best suit the unique needs
of the organization. Dial in from portable or field computers
using modem access. Generate multiple password reports, both
«canned» and customized, for any requirement. On-screen help.
|
customized;
stand- alone
not bilingual but could be modified easily
customized system
operational in 2 months
$2,500 per installation; annual maintenance
contract 15%/year;
customization $120/hr.;
volume discounts available
full range of services provided and/or specific
skills or speciality
|
supports uses: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 12
permits 100 categories, 4900 skills per category
and as many competency levels as required
pre-defined, but can be completely customized to
client's needs
|
runs on microcomputers (PCs, i.e., IBM or IBM
compatible)
network compatible and runs on Windows as a DOS
program
functional record
limit 100,000
|
30 current installations,
40 more in implementation
- Drake Office Overload, 1600 records, 1991
- National Association of Friendship Centres, pilot project,
still in initial stages
|
Product name: EXXIS Employee Tracking
System
|
|
|
|
|
EXXIS Corporation
6232 North 7th Street,
Suite 210
Phoenix, Arizona 85014
Attn: Michael Million
In business since 1989
The EXXIS system is entirely menu-driven and
contains easy-to-follow on-screen help. It is written in Advanced
Revelation, a fourth-generation relational database that offers
variable length fields and multiple values (i.e, entries) per
field.
|
pre-packaged or customized; stand-alone; a
stand-alone module of a complete HRIS
no bilingual version
operational in 10 days; 30 to 60 days to become
proficient
$1,595 US for single user; network analysis,
on-site training and customized programming
full range of services provided and/or specific
skill or speciality
|
supports uses: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, 12,
13
permits unlimited number of skills categories and
competency levels
skills and categories pre-defined;
competency levels user-defined
|
runs on microcomputers (PCs, i.e., IBM or IBM
compatible)
network compatible
Windows version
scheduled for 1994 release
record storage limited only by hardware
|
number of total installations is confidential
- Holiday Inn Worldwide, 35,000 records, 1991
- The Quenn's Medical Centre, 3000 records, 1991
- Phoenix Memorial Hospital 2500 records, 1990
|
Skill inventory products developed
in-house
|
|
|
|
|
Feldman Gray and Associates Inc.
Suite 900
45 St. Clair Avenue, West
Toronto, Ontario M4V 1K9
Attn: Fred Feldmen
In business since 1991
Our programs are designed to meet a client's
specific circumstance and allow us to function effectively at all
executive and professional levels. Our skills inventory products
are designed primarily for career transition or outplacement
services and programs.
|
customized; stand-alone
not bilingual
professional fees vary and are based upon volume,
the level of clients, and/or the desired duration of the
programs
no full range of services provided and no
specific skills
|
supports uses: 10, 13
permits 14 skills categories, 25 skills, and
1 competency level
|
manual
record limit 100
|
N/A
|
Product name: HRM Resource
|
|
|
|
|
GSI (Canada) Inc.
5650 Yonge Street,
Suite 1401
North York, Ontario
M2M 4G3
Attn: Kathy Jeffrey
In business since 1971
|
pre-packaged or customized; a module of a
complete HRIS (operational only with full system installed, but
this can be customized)
bilingual
operational in 3 to 6 months
for skills,
Employee Manager Module, $16,500;
for requirements and succession planning, Job Manager Module,
$6,000
full range of services provided
|
supports uses: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11,
12
permits unlimited number of skills, categories
and competency levels
user-defined
|
runs on microcomputers (PCs, i.e., IBM or IBM
compatible)
network compatible
Windows version
scheduled for
1993 release
record storage
limited only
by hardware
|
150+ installations in Canada;
000+ worldwide
- St. Lawrence Cement, 4500 records,1989
- Kodak Canada, 2000 records, 1991
- Price Waterhouse, 2000 records, 1991
|
Retrieval tracking
|
|
|
|
|
Greentree Systems Inc.
201 San Antonio Circle,
Suite 120
Mountain View,
California 94040
Attn: Doug Rogers
In business since 1983
|
customized;
data entry screens customized and pre-packaged
stand-alone
not bilingual
operational following
2 days on-site training
$3,495 single user; $6,995 to $11,995 LAN
version
screen customization; pre-loading of skills
tables; user training; software enhancements support and
documentation
|
supports uses: 1, 2, 5, 12
permits 5 skills categories, 30 skills and
unlimited competency levels
user-defined
|
runs on microcomputers (PCs, i.e., IBM or IBM
compatible)
LAN compatible and runs on Windows as a DOS
application
record limit 520,000
|
300+ installations
|
Product name: HR Design Skills
Inventory
|
|
|
|
|
HR Design Consultants
352 Hillsdale Ave., East
Toronto, Ontario
M4S 1T8
Attn: Ron Van Der Wees
In business since 1982
|
customized;
stand-alone
not bilingual
operational in 1 to 6 months (many variables
involved)
$10,000
full range of services provided and/or specific
skill or speciality
|
supports uses: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 13, 14 plus
any HR function requiring skills analysis
permits unlimited skills, categories and
competency levels
user-defined
|
runs on mainframe,
mid-range computers and microcomputers (PCs, i.e., IBM or IBM
compatible)
network and Windows compatible
record storage limited only by hardware
|
N/A
|
Product name: Super HR
|
|
|
|
|
HR Hi-Tech Inc.
2892 South Sheridan Way
Oakville, Ontario
L6J 7G9
Attn: Felix Bedard
In business since 1988
|
pre-packaged and/or customized; a module of a
complete HRIS;
operational only with your full system installed
bilingual
operational in 3 to 4 months
single copy from $7,000 to $16,000+;network
version from $10,000 to $35,000+
full range of services provided
|
supports uses: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11,
12, 13, 14 plus skill search,
pay equity,
employee training records
skills and categories; 10 pre-define competency
levels or unlimited user-defined levels
user-defined or definitions could be supplied
|
runs on microcomputers (PCs, i.e., IBM or IBM
compatible, Unix/Xenix)
network compatible
not Widows compatible
record storage limited only by hardware
|
200+ installations
- Dylex Limited, 12,000 records, 1990
- Canadian Pacific Hotels, 10,000 records, 1990
- Blake Casselle Graydon, 1200 records, 1990
- Memorex Telex, 340 records, 1988
|
Product name: Personality
|
|
|
|
|
High Line Corporation
8920 Woodbine Ave.,
Suite 402
Markham, Ontario
L3R 9W9
Attn: Karl Niemuller or Teresa Ariganello
In business since 1977
Personality is designed for inter-operability
throughout your company. With an open systems concept, data can
be easily imported or exported to other commonly used programs
such as word processors or spreadsheets. It functions in multiple
languages, under a graphical user interface that provides
friendly and familiar screens using standard Windows
techniques.
|
pre-packaged or customized; a stand-alone module
of a complete HRIS
bilingual
time required to become operational varies with
number of employees and modules purchased
500 to 2999 employees = $95,000 for complete
payroll/HR package, with 12 modules
full range of services provided and/or specific
skill or speciality
|
supports uses: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 14 plus
human resource/payroll software package
skills and competencies can be user-defined or
customized - the system maintains and reports employees at
multi-level skills
|
runs on mainframe and microcomputers (PCs, i.e.,
IBM or IBM compatible)
network and Windows compatible
record storage limited only by hardware
|
Approximately 120 installations
- National Arts Centre, 1000 records, 1984
- Alberta Motor Assoc., 1000 records,1986
- Bombardier Inc., 1200 records, 1982
- Donohue, 4900 records, 1986
|
JPS Management Consultants
91 Cedargrove Way, S.W.
Calgary, Alberta
T2W 4V1
Attn
Douglas A.W. Chapman
In business since 1989
The JPS system is designed to ensure an
organization's culture, values and strategies can be
consistently, effectively and efficiently reflected in what
people are doing. Not all modules of the system need to be
implemented at the same time. When an organization is ready, the
various modules can be customized to support and enhance ongoing
management practices and procedures.
|
pre-packaged or customized;
stand-alone; can be integrated with an existing HRIS by linking
our job reference number with the HRIS employee number
working on bilingual version
operational in 3 months
from $7,500 (off-the-shelf, capacity of 50 jobs)
to $78,000 (off-the-shelf, capacity of 5000 jobs)
provides a specific skill or speciality
|
supports uses: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12
permits 5 skill categories, 39 skills and 10
competency levels
skills and categories pre-defined; competency
levels user-defined
|
runs on microcomputers (PCs, i.e., IBM or IBM
compatible)
network and Windows compatible
record storage limited only by hardware
|
25+ installations
- City of Edmonton, 1500 records, 1990
- Canadian Micro- Electronics Corp., 27 records, 1990
- Commcorp Financial Services, 400 records, 1991
- Hughes Aircraft of Canada, 500 records, 1991
|
Product name: HR/Link
|
|
|
|
|
The Jamieson/Williams
Group Inc.
2420 Meadowpine Blvd.
Mississauga, Ontario
L5N 6S2
Attn: David R. Annett
In business since 1975
We are in the process of dramatically enhancing
our offering of skills inventory, competency modelling and
performance management. We have not finalized how the end result
of the project will be incorporated into HR/Link, except that it
will be leading-edge, comprehensive, integrated and on a
client/server platform.
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
(of current HR/Link), 45 clients in 150 locations
in 15 countries
We will provide client references when the
product direction is confirmed.
|
Product name: LDM
|
|
|
|
|
Lintex Computer Group Inc.
730 Yonge St.,
Suite 206
Toronto, Ontario
M4Y 2B7
Attn: Jas Mann
In business since 1981
Product not prepared/ packaged for sale yet.
Internal documentation is maintained for system maintenance and
use.
|
customized (for Lintex only at this time);
stand-alone
not bilingual
operational in 2 weeks plus time for data
loading; depends on organization's volume
full range of services provided and/or specific
skill or speciality
|
supports uses: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6
permits 15 categories, 350 skills and 4
competency levels; all can be expanded
pre-defined
not compatible with network or Windows
|
runs on microcomputers (PCs, i.e., IBM or IBM
compatible)
|
5 installations internally (Lintex only)
N/A
|
Product name: Leadership
Effectiveness Analysis
|
|
|
|
|
MICA Management Resources
1 Queen Street, East,
Suite 2700
Toronto, Ontario
Attn: Frank Huggins
In business since 1973
Most in-depth assessment process on the
market.
|
pre-packaged and/or customized
bilingual
price varies by project
full range of services provided
|
supports uses: 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 10
permits 6 skills categories and 22 skills; does
not support competency levels
pre-defined
|
runs on microcomputers (PCs, i.e., IBM or IBM
compatible)
not network compatible
Windows compatible
record storage limited only by hardware
|
50+ organizations internationally
- Employment and Immigration Canada, 15 records, 1991
- Labatt, 84 records, 1992
- National Grocers, 50 records, 1990
|
Product name: HR INTELLECT
|
|
|
|
|
Microtrek Development
25 Royal Crest Court,
Suite 207
Markham, Ontario
L3R 9X4
Attn: Brian Kimball
In business since 1987
This highly customized fully integrated system is
designed to client specifications. It includes a fully integrated
report writer that captures every field in the system. This
enables the user to generate custom reports based on any
combination of data in the system.
|
pre-packaged or customized; a stand-alone module
of a complete HRIS
bilingual
operational in 3 to 6 months
single version, bilingual system $18,000 to
$23,000; multi-user, bilingual system $27,000 to $32,000
full range of services provided
|
supports uses: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11,
12, 13, 14 plus full HRIS, which is modular in design, can be
used to address above categories as well as other HR
functions
permits unlimited skills, categories and
competency levels
user-defined
|
runs on microcomputers (PCs, i.e., IBM or IBM
compatible)
network and Windows compatible
record storage limited only by hardware
|
14 installations
- Zurick Life, 1000 records, 1991
- City of Kanata, 800 records, 1992
- Outboard Marine Corporation, 200 records, 1992
- Co-operators Inc, 3500 records, undergoing installation
- Phillips Cables Ltd., 1200 records, undergoing
installation
|
Product name: Prohunt Recruitment Automation
System
|
|
|
|
|
Microtrends Computing Services
Suite 208
45B West Wilmot Street
Richmond Hill, Ontario
L4B 1K1
Attn: Tony Gouveta
In business since 1989
Prohunt also supports résumé scanning. When
scanning, Prohunt automatically extracts skills and profile
information from the résumé to create a candidate file.
|
pre-packaged or customized; stand-alone
bilingual
operational in 1 month
$3,950 for a single user; $14,995 for
multi-user
full range of services provided and/or specific
skill or speciality
|
supports uses: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12,
13
permits unlimited number of skills, categories
and competency levels
user-defined but definitions could be
supplied
|
runs on microcomputers (PCs, i.e., IBM or IBM
compatible and Macintosh)
network and Windows compatible
can store 1 billion records
|
110 installations
- House of Commons, 2000+ records, 1990
- Manulife Financial, 10,000+ records, 1993
- North American Life, 2000+ records, 1993
- Metro Separate School of Toronto 6000+ records, 1991
|
Mossop, Cornelissen & Assoc.
Suite 200
38 Wellington Street, East
Toronto, Ontario
M5E 1C7
Attn: Catherine Mossop
In business since 1988
|
pre-packaged and/or customized; stand-alone;
linked to career development and job search material
not bilingual
operational with 1 day of training
fees vary depending on services purchased; $1,200
per day, inventories at $25 each
full range of service within a career development
framework; specific skill or speciality provided
|
supports uses: 4, 10, 13, 14 plus career
transition and associated career transition assistance
permits 3 categories, 75 skills and 3 competency
levels
pre-defined
|
paper/pencil; computer design is under way
|
- Toronto East General Hospital
- MDS Laboratories
- Canada Packers Maple Leaf Foods
|
Product name: Succession Plus
|
|
|
|
|
Nardoni Associates, Inc.
1465 Route 31
Annandale,
New Jersey 08801
Attn: Georges Parent (Canadian contact)
In business since 1984
This is a comprehensive, adaptable system
featuring vast English-language data fields; extensive, readily
customized position files; and easily used, highly menu-driven
technology. It offers extensive report capabilities and
decision-support analysis.
|
pre-packaged or customized; a stand-alone module
of a complete HRIS
screens and help in English but can be redefined
by user; input can be in any language
operational in 2 to 4 months
Windows version, $21,000 to $28,000
full range of services provided
|
supports uses: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13,
14 plus generation of org. charts, ad-hoc reporting capabilities,
remote support capabilities
permits unlimited skills and categories; 9
competency levels
user-defined
|
runs on microcomputers (PCs, i.e., IBM or IBM
compatible)
network and Windows compatible
record storage limited only by hardware
|
- AT&T, 900 records, 1987
- McCormick Spice and Co., 600 records, 1990
- The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., 1000 records, 1992
- Kaiser Permanente, 5000 records,1987
|
Product name: MTEE - Managing Individual and
Team Effectiveness
|
|
|
|
|
Novations Group Inc.
2155 North 200, West,
Suite 200
Provo, Utah 84604
Attn: Ron Olthuis
In business since 1978
|
pre-packaged and/or customized; stand-alone
Not bilingual
Time required to be operational depends on
organization
$175 US for set of 12 surveys (1 manager, 4 peer,
6 direct report, 1 self), feedback report and Action Planning
Guide
full range of services provided
|
supports uses: 6, 10, 11
permits 18 categories and 29 skills; manager
defines competency levels
user-defined
|
runs on microcomputers (PCs, i.e., IBM or IBM
compatible)
network and Windows compatible
record storage limited only by hardware
|
100+ installations
- Northern Telecom, 500+ records, 1990
- Black & Veatch, 500+ records, 1990
- Bonneville Power, 300 records, new
|
These are custom systems and are titled
differently for different clients
|
|
|
|
|
Organization Metrics
200 First Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario
K1S 2G6
Attn: Monika Schmidt
In business since 1981
|
pre-packaged and/or customized (note: our
customization is complete - we can design total systems, not just
modify off-the-shelf packages); stand-alone our systems can
interface with any other existing system and are sold as separate
entities or in modules
bilingual
operational in 6 months - this includes
collection and entry of data
prices vary according to factors such as the
amount of customization and the level of technology interface
full range of services provided and/or specific
skill or speciality
|
supports uses: 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13,
14 plus integrate HR planning - identifying planned employee
moves to meet the requirements of the organization
permits unlimited skills, categories and
competency levels
user-defined
|
runs on mainframe, mid-range computers, and
microcomputers (PCs, i.e., IBM or IBM compatible );
software is PC-based but can link to or interface with any
existing mainframe or mid-range computer
can be linked to any network platform, i.e.,
Novell, LANMAN, Banyan
both Windows and DOS versions are available
record storage limited only by hardware
|
Approximately 300 installations
- Supply & Services Canada, several thousand records,
1991
- Kimberly Clark, 7000 records, 1990
- Alberta Government Telephones, 8000 records, 1992
- Royal Bank exec., 500 records, 1991
|
Product name: StarGarden HR
|
|
|
|
|
Pathfinder Software Inc.
1577 West
Georgia Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6E 3H2
Attn: Brian Deppiesse
In business since 1986
The StarGarden system is installed, implemented
and supported to meet your organization's specific requirements.
You benefit from a flexible framework that allows the StarGarden
system to integrate seamlessly with your company's existing and
planned business information systems. StarGarden is structured as
a set of integrated modules that can be implemented as a complete
package or installed gradually.
|
pre-packaged or customized; a module of a
complete HRIS (operational with only partial system
installed)
bilingual
operational in 4 to 6 months
$20,000 to $100,000
full range of services provided and/or specific
skill or speciality
|
supports uses: 1, 2, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14 plus
integrated, multi-function HR/payroll
permits unlimited number of skills categories and
sets aside 4 characters for definition of competency levels
user-defined
|
runs on mid-range computers
network and Windows compatible
record storage limited only by hardware
|
80 installations
- Museum of Nature, 500 records, 1991
- St. Lawrence Seaway Authority, 500 records, 1992
- Survey School Board, 2000 records, 1991
|
Product name: Managerial Assessment of
Proficiency (MAP)
|
|
|
|
|
Performance House Ltd.
Postal box 456
Waterloo, Ontario
N2J 4B4
Attn: Joyce Field
In business since 1975
|
pre-packaged and/or customized; can be a
stand-alone module of a complete HRIS
not bilingual
prices varies according to application
full range of services provided and/or specific
skill or speciality
|
supports uses: 1, partially, 3, 6, 8, 9, 10
permits 12 competencies/2 leadership styles/8
communications/values
pre-defined
|
runs on microcomputers (PCs, i.e., IBM or IBM
compatible)
not compatible with network or Windows
record storage limited only by hardware
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- Rogers Cables System, 1989
- WCB - Vancouver, 1993
- COM DEV Ltd., 1991
- Polycon Division of Magna, 1992
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Produce name: HR Catalyst
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Personnel Systems
1 Nicholas Street
Suite 512
Ottawa, Ontario
K1N 7B7
Attn: Robert Hodgson
In business since 1985
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pre-packaged or customized; a stand-alone module
of a complete HRIS
not bilingual, but can be customized with French
screens
operational in several days
$3,000 to $4,000 per module non-customized
full range of services provided and/or specific
skill or speciality; HRIS modules support our HR consulting
activities
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supports uses: 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 10, 12
permits unlimited number of skills, categories ad
competency levels
user-defined, but definitions could be
supplied
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runs on microcomputers (PCs, i.e., IBM or IBM
compatible)
can be customized for network
not Windows compatible
record storage limited only by hardware
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- Software Kinetics Ltd., 120 records, 1991, beta site
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Product name: Contractor Information Tracing
System
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Professional Computer
Consulting Group
2323 Yonge Street,
Suite 605
Toronto, Ontario
M4P 2C9
Attn: David Mahood
In business since 1978
MS windows with Gupta's SQLBASE as the RDMS.
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pre-packaged or customized; stand-alone
not bilingual (possible with limited effort)
operational in 1 month
$5,000 plus customization, installation and
training fees
full range of services provided
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supports use: 3
permits 60 categories, 150 skills and 4
competency levels
skills and categories user-defined; competency
levels pre-defined
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runs on microcomputers (PCs, i.e., IBM or IBM
compatible)
network and Windows compatible
record storage limited only by hardware
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- Pavcom, 3290 records, 1991
- SQLTECH, 20 records, 1992
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Product name: IHUR Interactive Human Resource
System
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Professional Computer
Consulting Group
2323 Yonge Street,
Suite 605
Toronto, Ontario
M4P 2C9
Attn: David Mahood
In business since 1978
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customized; stand-alone
not bilingual
$4,000 plus customization (includes 3 days'
training)
full range of services provided and/or specific
skill or speciality
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supports uses: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,11, 12,
13, 14 plus grievances, disciplinary actions, benefits analysis,
what-if scenarios (for negotiation)
permits unlimited skills, categories and
competency levels
skills and categories user-defined; competency
levels per-defined
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runs on microcomputers (PCs, i.e., IBM or IBM
compatible)
network compatible
not Windows compatible
record storage limited only by hardware
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7 installations
- CANPAR, 40,000 records, 1987
- CP Express, 112,000 records, 1987
- Griffith Labs, 2000 records, 1988
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Product name: Skills Tracker
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Professional Computer
Consulting Group
2323 Yonge Street,
Suite 605
Toronto, Ontario
M4P 2C9
Attn: David Mahood
In business since 1978
Maintains records of skills within categories.
Generates survey for collecting data on training details by
individual:
- full management reporting;
- skill inquiry/analysis with variance analysis;
- multi (4) levels of hierarchical security.
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pre-packaged and/or customized; stand-alone
user-defined languages
operational in 2 weeks
$4,900/server; copy of Skills Tracker includes
single-user database ad report writer plus 2 days of on-site
implementation and training
full range of services provided and/or specific
skill or speciality
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supports uses: 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,11, 12, 13,
14 plus produce turnaround surveys
permits unlimited skills and categories and 5
competency levels
user-defined
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runs on mainframe, mid-range computers,
microcomputers (PCs, i.e., IBM or IBM compatible)
network and Windows compatible
record storage limited only by hardware
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new product just coming on market
- SQLTECH, 20 records, 1992
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Product name: Quizkit/TapDance
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ProQuiz Inc.
76 Stafford Street
Toronto, Ontario
M6 2S1
Attn: Leslie Warren
In business since 1989
We provide computer skills assessment products.
You have to assess/evaluate before you inventory. Employers no
longer wish to take an applicant's/ candidate's/employee's
"word".
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pre-packaged and/or customized; stand-alone
not bilingual
price totally variable - up to $1,800
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supports use: 1
can be customized or pre-defined
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runs on microcomputers (PCs, i.e., IBM or IBM
compatible and Macintosh)
network and Windows compatible
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municipalities, boards of education
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Product name: Ross Human Resources, Training
Module
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Ross Systems
5925 Airport Road
Suite 200
Mississauga, Ontario
L4V 1W1
Attn: Marianne Malcolm
In business since 1972
Ross Human Resources and Payroll applications act
as database management tools for tracing applicants and items
such as skills, training and vacation accrual for employees.
Easy-to-use report generation applications enable staff to select
information based on criteria and create custom reports
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customized; however, certain pre-populated tables
are available if preferred; a module of a complete HRIS
(operational only with full system installed - full system can be
purchased for "limited usage"
plan to have bilingual product available in the
future
prices are dependent on number of users
(authorized usage) or the box it will reside on full range of
services provided and/or specific skill or speciality
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supports uses: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,11,
12, 13
permits unlimited number of skills, categories
and competency levels
user-defined but definitions can be supplied
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runs on mainframe
network compatible, when networked to
mainframe
Windows compatible
record storage limited only by hardware
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over 3200 products installed at over 1000
locations worldwide
- Concordia University, 9000 records, 1992
- Prudential Assurance company, Ltd., 1000 records, 1991
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Product name: Banner Human Resources
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SCT
Great Valley Corporate Centre
Four Country View Road
Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355
Attn: Frank Tait
in business since 1968
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pre-packaged or customized; a stand-alone module
of a complete HRIS
not bilingual
operational in 6 to 9 months
pricing varies based on the number of
employees
full range of services provided
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supports uses: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13,
14 plus human resources, position control, payroll
permits unlimited skills, categories and
competency levels
user-defined
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runs on mainframe, mid-range computers and
microcomputers (PCs, i.e., IBM or IBM compatible)
not compatible with network or Windows
record storage limited only by hardware
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109 installations
- Southern Alberta Inst., 500 records,1991
- Fundaction Polytech Inst., 500 records, 1992
- George Washington University, 18,500 records,
implemented
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Product name: Occupational Personality
Questionnaire
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Saville & Holdsworth Ltd.
123 Front Street West,
Suite 700
Toronto, Ontario
M5J 2M2
Attn: Dr. Brian Usher
in business in U.K. since 1978; in Canada since
1990
Occupationally focused questionnaire used
extensively around the world. Contact us for more information on
scales descriptions and derivative team type, leadership and
subordinate styles, selling skills, and management functions and
skills.
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pre-packaged or customized; a stand-alone module
of a complete HRIS; or can supply narrative bureau scoring at
$90/person
bilingual
operational in 5 to 10 days
software $385, test booklets $35, ans. sheets $9,
score keys $39, manual $90; training required, on per diem basis;
scoring units at $43.50 or less each person
full range of services provided and/or specific
skill or speciality
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supports uses: 1, 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
permits 5 categories, 31 to 60 skills and 5
competency levels
pre-defined
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runs on microcomputers (PCs, i.e., IBM or IBM
compatible)
network compatible
not Windows compatible
record storage limited only by hardware
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35 installations in Canada
- Baxter Corp., 250+ records, 1990
- Pfizer Canada 200+ records, 1991
- City of Kitchener, 100+ records, 1991
- Canadian National Rail, 50+ records, 1991
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Sayer & Associates
40 Rose Park Drive
Toronto, Ontario
M4T 1R1
Attn: Dr. Lyz Sayer
in business since 1982
We offer customized workshops to meet specific
needs of participants. We develop skills or promote strategies in
staff and management to enhance their contribution to the whole
organization.
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pre-packaged
not bilingual
not sold on its own
- part of a career development workshop
full range of consulting services for
implementation of an employee skills inventory
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supports use: 10
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N/A
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- Connaught Laboratories Inc.
- Nordion Ltd. (formerly Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.)
- Ontario ministries of Agriculture and Food, Energy,
Education, Treasury and Economics, and Environment
- City of Scarborough
- Veterans Affairs Canada
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Product name: Interactive Pre-Selection
System
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Selectra
Consulting Group International Inc.
755 Blvd. St-Jean,
Suite 304
Pointe Claire, Quebec
H9R 5M9
Attn: Alan Davis
In business since 1983
The Interactive Pre-Selection System is designed
to define and measure the pre-selection criteria. It provides the
tools necessary to pre-select based on one or any combination of
parameters in a way that is both logical and defensible. Choice
of parameters is made based on factors already in use by the
client plus any new factors can be added. Top-down selection can
now be measured in minutes rather than days.
The system is run on the Paradox software and can
be customized to any specific application.
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customized; stand-alone
bilingual
time required to become operational is highly
variable; depends on the degree of consultation needed, but it
can be less than 1 month price is highly variable; software
package costs about $350, but the customizing can cost thousands
of dollars, depending on the requirement and what internal
resources are available
full range of services provided and/or specific
skill or speciality
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Supports uses: 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14
plus the system can be adapted for any of the listed uses or
functions
permits unlimited skills and categories; level is
measured against a pre-defined scoring mechanism; the score is
entered into the database, by parameter (the expertise is in
developing a relevant and defensible scoring mechanism)
skills and categories pre-defined but can be
user-defined
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runs on all mainframe, mid-range computers, and
microcomputers network and Windows compatible
record storage limited only by hardware
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1, with others being developed, including a
project with the Public Service Commission
- Canadian Space Agency, 5300 records, 1992
(This was a one-off project for astronaut
candidate pre-selection by discipline.)
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Product name: Key Skills Inventory
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Selectra
Consulting Group International Inc.
755 Blvd. St-Jean,
Suite 304
Pointe Claire, Quebec
H9R 5M9
Attn: Alan Davis
In business since 1983
The Key Skills Inventory provides an easily
accessible format for storing and retrieving key skills of
existing employees or job applicants. The applications are
numerous, from sourcing, assignment and recruitment to
organizational analysis and career planning.
The inventory runs on dBase+ and a software
package customized for this application. Customizing is the key,
which means that the Key Skills Inventory is a method of breaking
down skills into a format that is logical, flexible and easy to
use
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customized; stand-alone
user must translate the definitions to have
bilingual version
time required to become operational is highly
variable and depends on the application; can range from a month
to a year
price highly variable due to the customized
approach
full range of services provided and/or specific
skill or speciality
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supports uses: 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14 plus
the system can be adapted for any of the listed uses or
functions
permits unlimited skills and categories; uses
number of years, rather than competency level; easier to update
(we have found it advisable to stay away from terminology such as
"competency level" as it can be very subjective and depends too
much on interpretation)
skills and categories pre-defined or can be
user-defined
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runs on mainframe, mid-range computers,
microcomputers; the database technology can be adapted to any
hardware configuration
network compatible could very easily be adapted
to Windows
record storage limited only by hardware
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two installations, with several others being
discussed
- Oerlikon Aerospace, 600 records, 1990
- Selectra Consulting, 17,000 records, 1985
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Product name: Skills Planning Process
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Skill Dynamics Canada
An IBM Canada Company A2/976
3600 Steeles Avenue East
Markham, Ontario
L3R 9Z7
Attn: J.H. (Joe) Mundy
In business since 1918
Data capturing can be done either in host or
client/server environments. The real value comes in the accurate
and thorough identification of skills to be surveyed and the
follow-on analysis and action planning. We provide all of these
services, including, or separate from, the data-capturing
step.
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customized; stand-alone
no bilingual version, but European French
versions might be importable
operational in 6 months
price is typically $25,000 and up, depending on
scope
full range of services provided and/or specific
skill or speciality
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supports uses: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10
permits 15 skills categories, 6000 skills and 5
competency levels
pre-defined
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runs on mainframes, microcomputers (PCs, i.e.,
IBM or IBM compatible)
network and Windows compatible
record storage limited only by hardware
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3 installations in Canada plus worldwide
operations
- IBM Canada Ltd., 10,000 records, 1988
- Petro Canada 2000 records, 1992
- Nova Corporation, 1000 records, 1993
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Product name: HR2000
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Software 2000, Inc.
Suite 300
225 East Beaver Creek Road
Richmond Hill, Ontario
L4B 3P4
Attn: Anthony Giagnacova
In business since 1981
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pre-packaged and/or customized; a module of a
complete HRIS
not bilingual
operational in 2 to 6 months
prices varies from $50,000 and up
full range of services provided and/or specific
skill or speciality
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supports uses: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11,
12, 13, 14 plus payroll costing, industrial health and safety
MSDS reporting
permits unlimited skills, categories and
competency levels
user-defined or definitions can be supplied
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runs on mid-range computers
network and Windows compatible
record storage limited only by hardware
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850 installations
- Hiram Walker, 2500 records, 1989
- G.E. (corporate) 16,000 records, 1990
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Product name: SkillTracker; custom-designed
surveys or audits
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Technical Service Council
1 St. Clair Avenue,
East, 10th Floor
Toronto, Ontario
M4T 2V7
Attn: R. Finlay
In business since 1927
We provide custom-designed skills abstracts, for
example, skills descriptions, regional applications, labour
market analysis.
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pre-packaged and/or customized;
stand-alone
bilingual
$100/hr., consulting service
full range of services provided and/or specific
skill or speciality
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supports uses: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, 13,
14plus industry or professional association's audit of members'
skills
permits 31 categories and over 2000 skills,
including 600 computing skills; competency level depends on the
position
pre-defined or can be user-defined
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runs on microcomputers (PCs, i.e., IBM or IBM
compatible and Macintosh)
network and Windows compatible
record storage limited only by hardware
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N/A
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Product name: Candidate Data Base Weir
Executive Search
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Associates Inc.
2323 Yonge Street,
Suite 706
Toronto, Ontario
M4P 2C9
Attn: Douglas Weir
In business since 1986
Existing implementations have been built with or
without customization to meet the needs of two organizations. It
is unlikely that the product would operate in a third environment
without some customization. System design allows for end-user
customization, with appropriate controls on changes.
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pre-packaged and/or customized;
stand-alone
not bilingual; however, allows for creation of
bilingual language implementations
operational in 1 to 2 weeks without
customization
price varies depending on services purchased,
between $10,000 and $17,500
full range of services provided and/or specific
skill or speciality
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supports uses: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7
permits unlimited number of skills, categories
and competency levels
user-defined
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runs on mid-range computers, microcomputers (PCs,
i.e., IBM or IBM compatible and Macintosh) Unix version scheduled
for 1993 release
networks and Windows compatible
record storage limited only by hardware
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2 installations
- Weir Exec. Search, 8500 records, 1992
- Virtual Corp.,200 records, 1992
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Product name: Willow HRS
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Willow Information Systems
Suite 101
554 Weber Street, North
Waterloo, Ontario
N2L 5C6
Attn: Bob Guenther
In business since 1988
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pre-packaged or customized; a stand-alone module
of a complete HRIS
bilingual release scheduled for fall 1993
Operational in 3 to 4 weeks
price based on computer platform and number of
add-on modules; starts at $6,500
full range of services provided and/or specific
skill or speciality
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supports uses: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11,
12, 13
permits 7 skills categories, unlimited number of
skills and levels
99 competency level
pre-defined but can be tailored to
organization
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runs on midrange microcomputers (PCs, i.e., IBM
or IBM compatible and all UNIX-based systems)
can run on network
Windows version scheduled for fall 1993
release
record storage limited only Windows version
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15 installations
- J.M. Schneider, 2000 records, 1993
- Boler, 200 records, 1992
- MKS, 100 records, 1992
- RBW, 300 records, 1992
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Departmental Steering Committee
Members
Alain Bélanger
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Treasury Board of Canada
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Margot Cameron
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Consulting and Audit Canada
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Rosemary Campbell
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Statistics Canada
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Fern Dugay
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Government Services Canada
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Jim Ewanovich
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Treasury Board of Canada
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Tom Fitzpatrick
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Treasury Board of Canada
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Ray Gosselin
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National Defence
|
Dorothy Goubault
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External Affairs and International
Trade-Canada
|
John Hilton
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Treasury Board of Canada
|
Suzanne Hussey
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Consulting and Audit Canada
|
Dan Istead
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Government Services Canada
|
John Johnston
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Treasury Board of Canada
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Georges Parent
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Environment Canada
|
Francine Poitras
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Department of Justice Canada
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Louise Poliquin
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Environment Canada - Parks Canada
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Harris Sinclair
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Public Service Commission
|
Dan Weir
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Employment and Immigration Canada
|
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