Chapter 6. Organizing Your Data

Kaarin Dolliver is a Human Resource specialist at Litware, Inc.—a nationwide outplacement firm that specializes in providing services to corporations who are downsizing. Litware has offices in 30 major metropolitan areas that are minimally staffed with three to ten employees each. When Litware gets a contract, it creates a temporary Outplacement Center in the client’s offices in the appropriate city. The center is headed by a Litware specialist, and staffed using part-time contractors.

Each Litware office maintains its own list of contractors. Some lists are in Microsoft Excel, some in Macintosh databases, and some on paper rolodexes. They contain different information about the contractors, and there is no ability to coordinate efforts in employing these contractors. Kaarin has been asked to create a centralized database of contractors who can be accessed through the Web from any Litware office. Contractors must be able to update information about their schedule, expertise, and travel availability, and Litware managers must be able to easily see a list of top candidates to staff new Outplacement Centers as they are needed.