Implementing Agile Practices in People & Culture (HR) Team: A Practical Guide

Many technical agile experts argue that agile methodologies cannot be seamlessly applied within People & Culture (HR) teams. The traditional structure and workflow of People & Culture (HR) teams differ significantly from those of product development teams.

However, agile is not only a process; it is more of a behavior and a mindset. So, being a People & Culture (HR) leader who wishes to become a change agent for your team, you have to start immersing yourself in agile behaviors.

Here's how you can inculcate agile practices in your People & Culture (HR) department with a specific focus on the recruitment process.

Transforming People & Culture (HR) with Agile Practices

1. Forming Agile People & Culture (HR) Teams

Forming Agile People & Culture (HR) Teams is pivotal for modernizing HR practices and adapting to dynamic workplace demands.

It involves structuring teams with clear roles: a proactive People & Culture (HR) manager as the Product Owner, a dedicated Scrum Master to facilitate agile processes and versatile team members who execute tasks like recruitment, employee engagement, and talent development.

This approach fosters collaboration, transparency, and agility in decision-making, enabling HR departments to respond swiftly to organizational needs and drive continuous improvement in employee experience and organizational culture.

Key Roles:

• Product Owner: The People & Culture (HR) manager assumes this role, prioritizing recruitment needs and maintaining the recruitment backlog.
• Scrum Master: facilitates the agile process, ensuring meetings occur and removing obstacles.
• Team Members: The team executes recruitment tasks, conducts interviews, and manages candidate communication.

2. Implementing the Scrum Framework for Recruitment

2.1. Sprint Planning:

• You need to establish a two-week sprint cycle.
• As a People & Culture (HR) leader, you need to develop a backlog with tasks such as posting job ads, screening resumes, conducting interviews, and sending offer letters.
• Set specific goals for each team member, e.g., "Screen 50 applicants and conduct 10 interviews."

2.2. Daily Stand-ups:

• Conduct 15-minute daily meetings where team members discuss: What was completed yesterday? What is planned for today? Any obstacles encountered?
• Example: Talent Executive 1: "Yesterday, I screened 20 resumes and scheduled 5 interviews. Today, I plan to screen 10 more resumes and conduct 3 interviews. No blockers." Talent Executive 2: "I completed 3 interviews and need feedback from hiring managers to move forward."

2.3. Sprint Review:

• At the end of each sprint, all team gather for review progress: Example: "The team screened 50 resumes and conducted 8 interviews. Two interviews were rescheduled due to candidate availability."

2.4. Retrospective:

Here you can discuss what went well and identify areas for improvement:

• What went well: Timely communication with candidates and quick feedback from hiring managers.
• Improvements: Develop a better system for tracking candidate availability to avoid rescheduling.

3. Using a Kanban Board for Visual Management

You can establish a Kanban board featuring columns such as To Do, In Progress, In Review, and Done, where each recruitment task is visually represented by a dedicated card.

This visual management system helps track the status of each task transparently, allowing team members to prioritize effectively, collaborate seamlessly, and ensure tasks move through stages smoothly toward completion.

Example Tasks:

• To Do: Post a job ad for Software Developer and screen resumes for Software Tester.
• In Progress: Conducting interviews for Business Development Executives.
• In Review: Review feedback for IT specialists.
• Done: Sent offer letter to Graphic Designer.

Example Scenario: Recruitment for a Software Developer

A. Sprint Planning:

• Goal: Screen 30 applicants, and conduct 5 first-round interviews.
• Tasks: Post job ads, screen resumes, schedule interviews, conduct interviews, gather feedback.

B. Daily Stand-ups:

• Day 1: Job ad posted, screened 10 resumes.
• Day 2: Screened 10 more resumes, and scheduled 3 interviews.
• Day 3: Conducted 3 interviews, and collected feedback.

C. Sprint Review:

• Completed Tasks: Screened 30 resumes, and conducted 5 interviews.
• Feedback: "Candidates were well-qualified, but we need to improve our scheduling system."

D. Retrospective:

• What went well: Quick turnaround on screening and scheduling.
• Improvement: Implement a scheduling tool to avoid overlapping interviews.

Conclusion

Adopting agile practices within the People & Culture (HR) team requires a shift in behaviour and mindset.

By forming agile People & Culture (HR) teams, implementing the Scrum framework, and utilizing Kanban boards, The People & Culture (HR) departments can enhance efficiency, improve communication, and streamline processes.

This example of applying agile to the recruitment process demonstrates how People & Culture (HR) team can benefit from agile methodologies, transforming traditional practices into more dynamic, responsive, and effective workflows.