Gizmo Categories

Current (basic) categories

There are currently four main categories of gizmos in the database. Here they are with some suggested subtypes to clarify:

1. Monitor
   • CRT
   • LCD
2. System
   • Mac
   • Laptop
   • PC
   • Integrated CRT/System
   • Other
3. Printer
4. Miscellaneous
   • Mouse
   • Cable
   • Etc.

(Actually, some of the subtypes above are in slightly different categories in the current scheme.)

Gizmo flow and stations at Free Geek

As gizmos come into and leave Free Geek their flow (in or out and to where) needs to be tracked. Each of the major stations below (in the rectangles) has its own needs that apply to the area in which this gizmo flow is tracked.

For instance, the store needs to track gizmos in one way but recycling in another. Take a Macintosh System (without a monitor). When it is received the front desk counts it as a System. When it is recycled it also considered a System. But when it is sold it matters that this system is a Macintosh. THe other stations don't care.

Guidelines for good categorization

• The gizmo categorization scheme needs to account for the differences needed in all areas (incoming and outgoing) without overburdening any one area with too much detail.

• We also need to keep an eye on certain types of gizmos that we expect to change how we do business. For instance, it would be useful to know what the ratio of LCDs to CRTs is and has been over time (in order to predict when we might need to switch the FreekBox spec to include LCDs instead of CRTs) or what our costs for recycling each are. It's also probably wise to watch TV numbers fairly closely.

• A well designed categorization scheme will also tell us enough about where the gizmo likely spent time that we could use donation, sales, disbursement, and recycling numbers to illuminate how much time and money is spent processing each. For instance, it should be obvious to tell that at least most Macintoshes came from receiving through Club Mac and into the store or recycling. Compare this to most PC systems (same track but through Prebuild and Build), or Laptops (same track but through Laptop Build). If the categorization scheme fails this test it should be worked on.

• If there is confusion about what a gizmo type means, then it can skew our numbers. For example, if a Macintosh mouse is sold in the store with a gizmo type of Macintosh, then (to the rest of Free Geek( it will appear that a system got sold rather than a "Miscellaneous:Mouse". If it is necessary to associate the Mac mouse with Club Mac, then we need at least two types -- Macintosh-System and Macintosh-Part (or something like that).

• If the sheer number of gizmo types gets too big, then data entry becomes too difficult and the system invites avoidance, and the data becomes unmaintained and useless.

• It is likely that as time progresses, we'll need to change the scheme. Stuff that used to matter doesn't anymore. Other stuff matters where it didn't before. The scheme should be able to be changed as needed.

Suggested target scheme

Input needed for this section based on people who work in each area and/or need to analyze the data.

Maybe we should pull laptops and TVs out into their general categories

1. System
   • Mac
   • PC
   • Integrated CRT/System
   • Other
2. Monitor
   • CRT
   • LCD
3. Laptop
4. TV
5. Printer
6. Other
   • Mac part
   • Laptop part
   • Mouse
   • Cable
   • Card
   • Misc
   • Etc.