This adaptation is crucial, especially in the area of human resources, as organisations must respond quickly to evolving processes.
For these reasons, more and more companies are using methods such as Scrum for agile working. But what exactly is behind the term “Scrum” and which Scrum principles need to be observed in Human Resources?
In this article, we take a closer look and explain what exactly Scrum is, which Scrum principles are the most important and how your company’s HR department can benefit from Scrum.
Scrum explained: A guide to agile project management
Scrum is an agile project management method that can be of great benefit not only to IT, but also to the HR department and other areas of the company. Scrum plays a decisive role in the HR department in particular when it comes to implementing change processes in line with agile principles.
This is because the HR department is responsible for a company’s most important resource – its employees. In its role as an intermediary, it acts as a link between management and the employees of your company. The central task here is to support employees in their development and help them adapt to agile principles.
One interesting change that can be observed is that agile teams are increasingly taking on the traditional task of the recruitment process themselves. For example, teams have the authority to hire new employees independently, while HR supports them from preparation to contract issues and onboarding. HR is developing into a personnel consultancy for the company’s internal teams.
Scrum in the recruitment process
Applying Scrum to the recruitment process opens up innovative opportunities to make the selection process more efficient and transparent. By integrating agile principles, the traditional recruiting approach can be improved and adapted to the dynamic requirements of the modern working environment.
Instead of a linear and rigid approach, the recruitment processes are divided into agile sprints.
The advantages:
- The possibility of a continuous adaptation and improvement in the recruitment processes..
- Different phases, from the job advertisement to the final decision, are divided into short iterations.
- This not only promotes a faster response to changing requirements, but also enables regular evaluation and adjustment of the selection criteria.
- Scrum also allows teams in the HR department, the experts and the applicants themselves to work more closely together and independently during the application process.
- Transparent communication, regular feedback and the opportunity for continuous optimisation therefore contribute to making the selection process not only more effective, but also more transparent and satisfactory for all parties involved.
- The introduction of Scrum in the application process therefore helps your company to create a more agile, flexible and collaborative atmosphere that better meets the requirements of the constantly changing working environment.
The 6 most important Scrum principles for HR
As an agile project management method, Scrum also offers transformative approaches in the HR department. Scrum teams operate with a small team of five to nine members.
However, it is particularly important for companies and especially for the corresponding HR department to have a minimum number of team members to be able to apply Scrum successfully and in accordance with the following typical Scrum principles:
1. Basic idea and objective
Scrum starts with a clear basic idea and objective. In HR, this means that the strategic goals and fundamental values for personnel development must be clearly defined. For example, the qualification of the teams in the company for independent recruiting.
2. Concretisation and prioritisation
The ability to prioritise is crucial. HR must set priorities, be it in the development of employees, the adaptation of work processes or the implementation of new corporate values. Smart prioritisation ensures effective use of resources.
The project is divided into the following characteristics:
- Must-haves,
- can-do features or
- unimportant criteria that can be eliminated immediately for the further course of the project.
3. Planning the sprint
The HR department must plan its activities in sprints. This means that projects and initiatives should be structured in clearly defined time periods. The planning of each sprint makes it possible to react flexibly to changes and at the same time helps in setting certain sub-goals and clear milestones.
4. Creating the sprint backlog
The sprint backlog serves as the concrete to-do list for each sprint, whereinthe implementation measures and development steps is precisely planned. This backlog enables the team to implement the defined goals in a targeted and efficient manner using so-called tickets. Each ticket contains sub-goals and the team members of the Scrum team decide on their own responsibility for processing the respective ticket.
5. Daily Scrum
The short daily meeting, the Daily Scrum Meeting, is also valuable for HR work. This is where all team members discuss progress, identify potential obstacles,and make short-term adjustments. Regular communication strengthens the team and promotes rapid adaptation to changes. At the same time, they look ahead together and outline their planned work until the next meeting.
6. Sprint review
At the end of a sprint, the sprint review takes place. In HR, this means that the goals achieved are reviewed and the results are reflected upon. These reviews are crucial for improving processes, celebrating successes, and planning the next steps.
What benefits do the Scrum principles offer in HR?
Implementing Scrum principles in Human Resources (HR) brings about a multitude of advantages, transforming the conventional approaches to work and collaboration. Below are key insights into how adopting Scrum practices can significantly elevate HR operations.
- Quick familiarisation with the Scrum methodology leads to increased work efficiency.
- The simplification of the objectives makes it easier for management to recognise them.
- The introduction of Scrum creates transparency in HR processes.
- Collaboration between teams and individual employees noticeably improves, accompanied by an increase in motivation.
- Personal responsibility is encouraged, which leads to increased independence and more creativity.
- Clear prioritisation and elimination of unnecessary tasks reduces stress for employees.
- Employees develop greater loyalty and identification with the company.
- An agile working environment enhances the company’s attractiveness in the competition for new talent.
- Projects and tasks are completed more efficiently.
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Embrace Scrum for an agile and efficient future
The implementation of Scrum in HR opens up a path to more flexible and efficient work processes, especially in the context of change and recruitment processes.
In addition to collaboration and transparency, the six Scrum principles also promote the quality of work and team motivation by providing clear points of reference for strategic alignment, prioritisation and continuous improvement.
Embracing Scrum in HR not only meets the demands of contemporary workplace dynamics but sets the stage for a progressive and agile future in human resources management.
Forge an agile and efficient tomorrow in HR with Scrum, where flexible processes, collaborative principles, and strategic alignment converge to drive continuous improvement and propel your organisation into a progressive future of human resources management.