A small tool with a big impact – the PROMATIS Workforce Center
PROMATIS has stood for the successful realization of complex projects for over 30 years. That sounds great, but also a little abstract, and raises the question: what is the recipe for success? Clearly, this is the diverse expertise within the company and the intelligent composition of the teams to complete the tasks set on time, on budget and to the satisfaction of the customer. This approach was and is the basis for PROMATIS' success. However, as the number of employees increased, so did the complexity of the expertise. It quickly became clear to us that a solution was needed to systematically manage the expert knowledge of our employees, but there was no such solution on the market in the required form. The creative minds at PROMATIS therefore developed a tool that uses standardized queries to record and archive the hard and soft skills of employees – the Workforce Center. The core element is a knowledge database of employees' skills. This expertise is reflected in the profiles of the employees and includes, among other things, education, professional focus, professional experience, key qualifications and language skills.
As a long-standing Oracle partner with the ability to realize complex tasks in a user-friendly way, the experts at PROMATIS use an Oracle database as the core and implement it with Oracle APEX. The result is a tool that provides a clear, structured and comprehensive overview of all information relevant for PROMATIS project business. Used across all departments, the tool has enjoyed a high level of acceptance since its introduction and is an integral part of daily business. Of course, keeping the system updated plays a decisive role here, which is facilitated by simple maintenance and administration.
The sales department is one of our most intensive users, because in the past, the creation of expert profiles, which are necessary for a high-quality quotation, had to be laboriously researched in a variety of documents and compiled into a template. In the Workforce Center, this is a thing of the past. Simply entering the desired skills provides an immediate list of experts, including the skill level. The profiles of each individual expert are available in predefined formats and a uniform layout, but still leave room for individual customization.
A project database was created for the project business, which presents the relevant customer information as well as requirements, solutions and information on the individual project members, including their roles, all in a structured way. This direct linking of projects and employees ensures maximum transparency and a comprehensive knowledge database, which is used in detail for qualitative project planning. The focus here is on selecting suitable experts for projects. An example to illustrate this: A technical consultant who speaks Japanese as well as English and has extensive expertise in APEX is needed for an international project. If these three criteria are entered into the Workforce Center, it immediately lists the relevant employees with further information about their experience in the respective projects.
Another benefit is the further development of talented employees in the company, who are supported by Human Capital Management. Up-to-date information on certifications and additional experience in the projects helps with the targeted design and implementation of further support and the promotion of potential on an individual basis. The information also provides a transparent and valid basis for employee appraisals, which are conducted regularly and with high priority at PROMATIS.
A small tool with a big impact: that's the PROMATIS Workforce Center. This digitalized management of the skills of all employees increases the transparency of expertise, highlights partially unrecognized skills, and ensures a reduction in time-consuming tasks in day-to-day business. In short, a tool that everyone in the company uses.
Author: Sabine Rudolf
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