Visualising Organisational Metrics from Web-based Organisation Charts
Posted by Rod Bishop | Filed under Organisational charting
Headcount
Figure A shows headcount summary numbers at the top of an organisation. The formulas used to calculate the numbers can be quite complex. Some formula examples include; count open positions, do not count open positions, count only approved open positions, count part time positions as 50 percent of a headcount, etc. Different formulas for different departments of organisational groups may be needed.
It is much more convenient to review headcount in the proper context, and to further increase the value of the information, add a next level drilldown. For example, in Figure B, in the CEO’s detail (the box on the right) the total headcount by location is shown. The location data could also be presented for each of the CEO’s direct reports by simply selecting the proper chart box.
Figure A: Organization Chart Showing Headcount
Job Type Census
Figure B shows a Job Type (or Job Code) census report within an organisation chart. This type of presentation adds an important dimension to simple headcount reporting. While traditional headcount reports present the number of people in each department, this graphical representation places metrics in the proper context for effective analysis. The base analysis can be done instantly without spending an extraordinary amount of time digging through reports or spreadsheets.
Figure B: Organization Chart Presenting Job Type Census Data
A Word About Security
From these two examples, we can see how convenient it can be to use organisation charts as a launch platform for presenting metric information. However, we also know that the most important metrics are quite often confidential. Therefore, traditional organisation charting solutions cannot be used to present confidential data en masse. The best we can do with traditional organisation charting solutions is to restrict access to the charts by including only those “in the know” on our distribution lists.
Effective Web-based organisation charting solutions not only centralise data and access, but also carefully restrict information views based on a user’s role. Further, by applying configurable access rules, access to information is accurately restricted at the granular level.
For example, a specific user might have access to salary information, but only for certain jobs in certain locations and under certain conditions. A condition might be an HR generalist relationship to the person being accessed. When security is employed at this level, only the most confidential metrics are presented.
Web-based organisation charting solutions can manage security because the organisation chart itself is an accessible Web function — existing as a data set within a database and not just a file on someone’s desktop.
Security Best Practices
Most often, robust data security is achieved within a system when it is centralised and simple to administer. For centralised organisation charting, the very best security scheme is one inherited directly and automatically from the data source. The data elements presented within the charts are most often derived near-time from a higher data source. Most often this higher data source is an ERP, HRIS
or similar database. These data sources must have a strong data security scheme or they cannot exist.
The best centralised organisation charting systems literally “inherit” security directly from the ERP or HRIS. If HR generalists have access to a particular worker’s salary or personal information within the ERP system, they will also have this same access in the organisation charting system. If this access is removed at the data source, it is also removed in the organisation charting application automatically.
The organisation charting system should share the authentication method used by the data source. By doing so, an authenticated user is passed seamlessly from the data source to the organisation charting system — eliminating the need for separate user record maintenance.
These best practices are commonly employed by organisation charting platform users, thereby allowing the platform to be used to visualise even the most sensitive HR analytics and metrics.
With a solid secure foundation, let’s look at some other examples…
Tags: HR, metrics, org charts, Organisational charting, OrgPlus, visualisation, workforce modelling
