SBIR Phase II: OptDiverse: Innovative Technology to Enhance Workforce Diversity, Capabilities, and Performance

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目旨在完善算法方法，并开发用于劳动力优化的原型软件，重点是多样性规划和管理。该项目预计将实现以下四个主要目标：1）进一步增强和扩展第一阶段期间创建的核心技术，并赋予其附加功能，这些功能对适销性和有效性都很有价值; 2）加强外部通信-软件必须与用户和数据库系统进行有效通信。在第一阶段，建立了基本的通信。在第二阶段，该系统将得到极大的增强，以便更有效地使用; 3）开发软件即服务架构-为了最大的市场渗透率，该软件将通过网络部署。将重新设计系统架构以适应这一要求;以及4）执行alpha测试-内部和外部测试对于发布高质量产品至关重要。第二阶段的研究将加强产品的技术方面，同时显着提高其易用性，产生一个系统准备进入市场，预计该软件系统的商业应用是首先提高劳动力多样性规划的性能，然后发展到支持整个劳动力的优化。预计该技术将对更广泛地将代表性不足的人才纳入劳动力队伍产生重大影响。我们还希望该技术能够在招聘和留住所有员工方面做出更好的决策，从而提高组织绩效。该软件将允许组织建模和模拟政策，计划，计划以及其他因素（如实践和补偿）之间的关键模式。本研究的影响包括：1）设计更有效的方法（模拟/优化）多样性规划和劳动力优化，增加劳动力多样性，能力和绩效; 2）支持重要的社会和经济举措; 3）吸引投资，因为它显著增加回报并最大限度地减少多样性和劳动力规划的风险; 4）增加人力资源管理和决策科学的知识体系，可以利用这些知识来进行更多的研究和开发。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project seeks to refine an algorithmic approach and develop prototype software for workforce optimization with a focus on diversity planning and management. This project is expected to achieve the following four major objectives: 1) further enhance and extend the core technology created during Phase I and endow it with added capabilities that will be valuable for marketability as well as effectiveness; 2) enhance external communications - the software must communicate effectively with the user and database systems. In Phase I, rudimentary communications were established. During Phase II, the system will be greatly enhanced to allow for more effective use; 3) develop software as a service architecture - for greatest market penetration, the software will be deployed via the web. The system architecture will be redesigned to accommodate this requirement; and 4) perform alpha-testing - internal and external testing is critical to releasing a high-quality product. The Phase II research will strengthen the technical aspects of the product while significantly improving its ease of use, producing a system ready to enter the market.The commercial applications anticipated for the software system are to first enhance the performance of workforce diversity planning and then evolve to supporting the optimization of the entire workforce. The technology is expected to have a significant impact on the broader inclusion of under-represented talent in the workforce. We also expect the technology to lead to improved organizational performance by enabling better decisions in recruitment and retention of all employees. The software will permit an organization to model and simulate critical patterns between policies, programs, initiatives, as well as other factors such as practices and compensation. The impacts of this research include the potential to: 1) design a more effective approach (simulation/optimization) to diversity planning and workforce optimization, increase workforce diversity, capabilities, and performance; 2) support a significant social and economic initiative; 3) become appealing to attract investments as it significantly increases return and minimizes risk in diversity and workforce planning; 4) add to the body of knowledge in human resource management and decision sciences that may be leveraged to permit additional research and development.