Ask HN: How do you manage employee IT skills?

[ExcilSploft]

Hello All, I work for a semi-large international company and we have an employee driven initiative to create a searchable database of people and their skill sets. Since this is an employee driven initiative there is almost no budget for development, so I come to you to ask whether there is a way around wheel reinvention that does not cost a fortune. What do you use to manage employees and find the best fit for projects?

[timwiseman]

Having worked mostly for small companies I have never done this personally in a real world environment, but this seems almost like a textbook case for a normalized SQL database. The database diagram is easy to set up and then depending on what development resources you do have available (I know you said its limited) you can make either a web based front end with fairly quickly with a competent developer or else an Access or similar based front end can be made by just about anyone that is computer literate.

If you go with the Access type interface of course it comes with some limitations, but it is more robust than many people give it credit for. It can serve as a quick prototype unit management comes around and assigns a good developer to write either a web based or custom desktop front end.