From: Lorna Mabunda (mabunda@bioquestinc.com)
Date: Thu Mar 24 2005 - 17:45:56 PST
Message-Id: <99ee2b855abdea98b3d42dd32f164ca1@bioquestinc.com> From: Lorna Mabunda <mabunda@bioquestinc.com> Subject: Comp Intel / Biomed-pharma-health info resources / developing metrics Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2005 17:45:56 -0800
After years of working on the fringes of or in nontraditional areas of
profession, I have finally had the opportunity to join the SLA. I'm
looking forward to getting to know some of you and hopefully being able
to share some of my knowledge just as I hope to learn from you, my
peers.
That said, I wonder if anyone can offer some suggestions for me as I
grow into a newly created position at BioQuest, a retained executive
search firm serving emerging and established medical device,
healthcare/life sciences I.T., healthcare services and
biopharmaceutical companies. I am new to the firm, the search firm
industry, and the industries we serve, but I have a great deal of
experience in library and information services, particularly research.
My role is integral to the company, and I am the only person with
tasked with my particular accountabilities. In other words, I am the
Research Department. Meanwhile, the firm has never had a Information
Professional in its midst, so I am doubly eager to show the advantage
of having a librarian on site.
I have two broad questions.
1) Before I came on board, the primary sources used to identify
potential candidates were Zoom Info (formerly Eliyon), Hoovers,
RAPS.org, the FDA databases, and Google/Google Alerts (to find trade
shows, exhibitor lists, company web sites, press releases etc.) These
are therefore the resources that I have been using; however, I feel
like there must be more arrows we can add to our quiver. I use these
sources either to identify companies in a particular space and then to
identify those who hold specific roles within said companies. Sometimes
I am also asked to locate someone whom we may know once held a position
at a given company but who has moved on. Eventually I would also like
to build our physical collection, but for now my primary concern is
identifying the right/best online tools to help me with people
searches.
2) My second question is in regards to metrics and systems
organization. My first step has been to implement a formal search
request process, which they've never had. My goal is to create a
mechanism that will both help me track my work through a project by
creating a research history and also to build a "portfolio" that I can
use come time for my performance evaluation. I've also struggled with a
way to provide metrics, i.e. what numbers to track and how to do so.
Because I haven't been asked to do so, I have decided to keep it
simple: # of candidates added to the db, # of companies added; # of
records updated (eventually I will also be the our proprietary Database
Admin). The # of hours devoted to a particular project is captured on
my time sheet, but I feel I should also track the time spent on a
specific searches within a project so that the eight consultants with
whom I work can get a better understand of why what seems like a simple
request to them, may, in reality take a couple of days.
I do want to add that I have the full support of my new colleagues.
They're happy to have me, and I believe that more often than not, they
will work with me as I create structures where none have been. I know
that having that sort of buy-in ahead of time puts me ahead of the
game, so if anybody has tips or suggestions on how to help me help the
profession shine, please let me know!
I look forward to your suggestions.
Thanks in advance,
lmm
Lorna Mpho Mabunda
Research Associate
BioQuest, LLC
100 Spear Street, Suite 1125
San Francisco, CA 94105
ph. 415-777-2422 xt 23
mabunda@bioquestinc.com
BioQuest is a retained executive search firm that serves emerging and
established medical device, healthcare/life sciences I.T., healthcare
services and biopharmaceutical companies. Please visit our web site
(http://www.bioquestinc.com/) for more details.
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