Design And Implementation Of A Human Resource Management And Recruitment System Using Open Source Tools. Study Of Rift Valley Railways

Abstract

The fast growth in communication and information systems around the world generally and in

East Africa in particular, has made it easier for major institutions to better organize their

databases. In the case study of the Rift Valley Railways, the objective was to develop a costeffective

computerized human resource management system. The researchers developed a

system which was user-friendly and could be readily adopted by other organizations. A database

was developed to store the user’s information. It had the capacity to improve on its services and

to attract more clients who use the service. It also had a database storage system which could act

as a backup and support the preliminary system. It would be capable of storing the user’s

information separate form daily reports of the organization hence keeping information from the

human resource department separate from that of the public, a key security measure which is

crucial in information technology in the present time. These were achieved by the use of

informatory research tools in combination with the research methodology, with tools such as

system development life cycle (SDLC), prototyping and Joint Application Development (JAD)

consequently software for instance PHP in hand with MYSQL server it was possible to

accomplish the task. This was expected to increase efficiency and ease the work for the human

resource department of the Rift Valley Railways. The project was deemed to be feasible and was expected to improve customer goodwill and employee motivation if implemented. The company was expected to have a greatly enhanced competitiveness among international business enterprises and hence be in a position to provide better services to its clients and employees.