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Why isn't it a browser-based application?
This is actually a question we're hearing less and less. It seems that people are becoming more familiar with the constraints - and the frustrations - of web-based, browser-based systems.
Some of the keys to a good recruitment system are:
- Speed - as close to instant response as possible
- Providing maximum of information with the least amount of effort and time
- So easy to update it encourages entry of every item of information
- So user friendly that it's easier to use than not to use
In our opinion none of these criteria is met by a browser based system.
About 30 years ago a series of studies determined that more than a half second response time is unacceptable in a system. We don't believe that this has changed with the introduction of the Internet.
Users of web-based systems are tolerant of ten-second response times, but this doesn't encourage them to update a system. CRIS enables users to enter every piece of information available. Every non-trivial contact you have with another person should be recorded - even failed attempts at contact.
By doing this:
When a consultant rings and leaves a message for a candidate, the history of previous communications are readily available. In CRIS each call can be logged with a single key press in a fraction of a second. If a candidate's history shows that they have not returned previous calls, or made an effort to keep in touch with the agency, the consultant can do a new search in seconds and have information on alternative candidates for their client - without wasting precious time.
As you can use CRIS from your home computer, or from your notebook anywhere you can connect it to the net, you get all the advantages of remote access without the disadvantages of a browser interface.
What development methodology do we use?
CRIS's methodology is based on Extreme Programming (XP) principles. This is a relatively new methodology, but is tried and tested, and has been found to be dramatically effective in enabling the development of very good systems extremely accurately.
Some examples:
- CRIS 1.0 went live after 6 man-weeks' development.
- The SMS messaging facility was designed, developed and implemented in less than a day.
- Integration with Microsoft Outlook took two man-days.
Traditional development methodology could not have allowed these to be achieved. XP introduces some requirements that we continue to address, notably in testing. Because XP has at its core the philosophy of iterative development and redevelopment the testing regime has to be strict.
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What sort of PC do you need to run CRIS?
The simple answer is "Anything that will run Microsoft Office applications like Word, Outlook and Excel". We have installed CRIS, for fun, on a Pentium 130 with 32MB of memory, and it ran almost as fast as on a high-end workstation. One strong recommendation is for 17" screens, as CRIS has been built with the philosophy of having as much information visible as possible at any one time - and the more information we put on a CRIS screen the more users request.
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How many clients currently use CRIS?
Over 200 organisations and 1,700 recruiters use the CRIS system daily.
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How many users can CRIS have per database?
There's no practical maximum. The CRIS application has been designed to be exceptionally light on resources, and the platforms very scaleable, meaning that merely adding hardware can increase the capacity.
The performance of CRIS is lightning fast, even with a candidate database of over 50,000 and 45,000 resumes attached. Given that hardware manufacturers are easily able to supply servers with 64 processors and 16GB of memory we don't believe we'll ever reach any limit.
Our definition of "lightning fast": A candidate search takes less than half a second when searching a 50,000 candidate database with four conditions: Wanted Salary between $40,000 and $50,000, Typing Speed greater than 50 words per minute, CV Updated in he last month, Availability within the next 7 days.
Searching for a particular candidate is for all intents and purposes instantaneous.
For smaller organisations a single user CRIS application can run very well on a low-end notebook running Windows XP, SQL Server and all Microsoft applications. The demonstration version of CRIS runs on a notebook against a candidate database of approximately 10,000 with 7,000 resumes.
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Can you run CRIS over the Internet?
Yes. CRIS was designed from inception to be very light on network traffic. You can therefore easily run CRIS remotely.