Notes: WEB SERVICE ADMIN TOOL

Kartavya

18/02/03

Web-Service Admin Tools

There will be 2 tools – one for 3P and the other for each subscriber.

Amongst many things that an Admin Tool will do, one thing is, it should enable both 3P & the subscribers,

Statistics of Transactions Carried Out.

Enclosed find some screens which I have developed for this purpose, both for subscriber & for 3P.

These are not comprehensive. There could be some more as our thoughts crystallize, but these could be used to get started.

Even if backend software does not get developed by 10th March, we should most certainly have the screen-designs (for the subscriber) ready so that we are in a position to show to key managers what kind of "statistics" they can view through their Admin Tool.

(Signature)

Kartavya

17/02/03

WEB-SERVICE

ADMIN-TOOL FOR A SUBSCRIBER

In addition to several points mentioned in my earlier note dt. 17/01/03, I enclose some more points for consideration while designing ADMIN TOOL for a subscriber. It could conceivably look like our FLIGHT DECK and could be named

SUBSCRIBER’S CONTROL DESK.

Enclosed find photocopy of p=202 of book “Building the Knowledge Management Network”

I feel we should try to build this feature into our “Global Recruiter” Webservice. It would simply “thrill” the HR Managers. With this feature, HR Mgr & his “Line” Colleagues could SIMULTANEOUSLY view the same resume & exchange their views about the suitability of that candidate against their “advertised” vacancy or even otherwise.

Perhaps each simultaneous “viewer” can independently “rate” that candidate online (A/B/C/R), so that each participating manager can see the “rating/score” given by his colleagues. They can debate the rationale behind high/low ratings given by all.

“ADMIN TOOL” FOR A GIVEN SUBSCRIBER OF OUR WEBSERVICE

What should he be able to “do” using this ADMIN TOOL?

Add/delete to Authorisation List of executives authorised by him to use the Webservice.
(e.g., New joiners/resignations/retirements etc.)
Carry-out Changes in Registration Form
e.g., changes in Phone No / Email / Addr etc.
Change Access/Usage Rights of executives already authorised.
e.g.
- Mr. Abate (Personnel Manager of Kolhapur Factory) was so far authorised only to Convert resumes.
  Now, he can Convert resumes and also conduct Resume Search.
- 3P adds a new service of AutoCompose (being able to compose job-ads & distribute them to certain job-sites automatically).
  
  Central Personnel Manager may not want all of his executives (on Authorisation List) to be able to use this new service.
  He may want only a few to be authorised.

Name	Resume Convert	Resume Search	AutoCompose	Email	Edit
Mr. Abate	✔	✔
Mr. Patek	✔	✔	✔		✔
Mr. Verkat	✔		✔		✔
Mr. Sood	✔	✔	✔
Mr. Janak	✔	✔		✔

So, we will need a matrix/tabulation of the kind shown above, which the Central Personnel Chief should be able to enter/modify. He may not want all of his executives to be able to see/view the entire tabulation of service/feature authorisation.

But any given executive should be able to see/view WHAT/WHICH specific services/features he is authorised for.

As soon as the Central Personnel Chief enters this MATRIX/TABLE for the first time, automatically an email must go to each concerned executive, saying:

“Dear ________,

We have decided to subscribe to 3P’s webservice and your name has been included as one of the ‘Authorised Users’. You have been authorised to use/access this service as follows:

Your Access-Rights

Service/Feature	You are authorised
Convert email name	✓
Access Resume Database	✓
View Search-results?	✓
Insert / Delete / Edit	✓
Convert Address for Edit	✓

For using above-mentioned services on 3pjobs.com, you will need to login by entering following:

Permanent Member No
Your User ID
Your Password”

If, at anytime in future, there is any change in your Access/Usage Rights, you will be informed thru appropriate email.

Once you have logged into 3P’s webservice (as mentioned above), you will also be able to see/view certain statistics re: the actual usage of various functions/features by you.

It is VERY IMPORTANT that you do not reveal to anybody (from within or outside our Organisation) the login info (i.e. Member No / User ID / Password). Any leakage of this info, even inadvertently, could cause serious damage to Company’s interests. So, if at any time you have reason to suspect that this information has leaked out, please immediately inform the undersigned. We shall then change your User ID/Password and inform you accordingly.

I also envisage to change your User ID/Password once-in-a-while, at random. You will be informed of all such changes.

If you have any problem in using 3P’s webservice send an email to either Mr. Kavitang Chitalia at following email ID __________.

Do mark a copy to me, also phone me, in case your problem remains unsolved for more than 24 hours. Even otherwise, once-in-a-while, I would like to get your feedback re: the usefulness of this webservice.

Regards

Chief Personnel Officer/Manager

→ Selection of Which Services to Subscribe to (Subscriber’s ALA-CARTE option)

You suggested that each subscriber should have an option of selecting (also de-selecting) which of the 3P’s webservices does he want to subscribe to. This is a good idea – because web is all about mass customization – something which you simply cannot do in physical manufacture/distribution.

In which case, I suppose, we would need to provide such a CHECK-LIST in the REGISTRATION-FORM itself, which subscriber can fill in.

But, I suppose, subsequently, if a subscriber wants to add/delete, he should be able to do so from the ADMIN TOOL. So Admin Tool will need to have provision for such a check-list.

Whenever the Chief Personnel Manager “RE-CUSTOMISES” his service-options, the software must force him to take a fresh look at each executive’s Access Rights too. For example, should he decide to delete a particular function altogether, which happens to have one of his executives authorised, then automatically software must send an ALERT email, saying, “The Company has decided to withdraw service ________ . Hence your access rights to it have been revoked / discontinued.”

Dear ________

3P Web Services

We had, at Corporate level, decided to subscribe to certain features/functions of 3P’s webservice, which we are currently using.

It has now been decided to modify the existing basket of services as follows:

3P’s Web-based Basket of Services	Current	Revised
Convert email	✓	X
Search Resume Database	✓	✓
View	✓	✓
Email	✓	X

With this change, your own personal Access-Rights stand changed as follows:

Feature	Current Rights	Revised Rights

Chief Personnel Manager

Date: __________

We may need to incorporate a series of such emails/circulars in the ADMIN TOOL meant for the use of a subscriber.

We must ensure that the subscriber should be able to modify the text of such messages, which are supposed to carry his name/signature. These must not be hard-coded, even Admin Tool meant for our own use should have this feature. No hard-coding/full flexibility – we only provide a template/sample message.

One related question:

If a subscriber gives “ACCESS-RIGHTS” to 10 different executives, should we ask the Chief Personnel Manager to clearly select/enter their User IDs & Passwords for all of them,

Could we (software) generate these automatically? (In the Registration Form?)

I feel later option would be better.

→ The more I think about our webservice, the more I am convinced that Flexibility (mass customization) is going to be the key issue in its success.

Not only would clients want complete flexibility in choosing what features they want to use (and what not), each client would expect an equally...

Flexible “pricing-policy”

On a web-service, we cannot dictate:

a minimum price, or
a maximum price, or
a fixed price

In fact, we should not.

What is absolutely impossible to do in a brick-and-mortar real world scenario, is perfectly feasible in the virtual world. And since now every client knows that this is possible, they will demand/insist.

Situation, therefore, would look somewhat like follows:

PRICING MATRIX (Rs./Transaction)

Client	Convert	Search	View	Email	Edit
L&T	25	10	30	40	5
Voltas	20	30	18	14	9
Wipro	50	80	25	10	8

Each client will use his bargaining power with us, depending upon how much business he plans to give us. And, depending upon how badly we want that client’s business, if we feel we must accommodate him, and no one else needs to know, or will come to know.

Wouldn’t we be very flexible (if, for instance, Wipro were to bring in 3 lakh resumes-database + 30,000 additional every month)?

So, the software must take care of this flexibility.