Recruit differently: agile method, Kanban table, what differences with traditional methods?

Due to the many uncertainties concerning the effectiveness of traditional methods applied in many sectors, particularly recruitment, new approaches have been required in order to optimize these ancestral practices, which at present seem obsolete. With the evolution of the market and technology, the Kanban method is one of the most used agile methods to guarantee better results in our projects. What does it consist of and how differentiates it from our old practices?

Applied for decades to day-to-day work in the workplace, the classic V-cycle model, commonly referred to as the cascade cycle, presents significant gaps that can no longer meet the needs of the enterprise.

In Human Resources as in other departments, market trends evolve gradually and, as a result, the absolutely defined approaches and objectives are no longer adapted to the current situation. The procedures adopted in the past remained fixed and therefore did not take into account the possible changes to be made along the way, whereas today the company must adapt to change and not the opposite.

Responsiveness and adaptation to change are, in our time, two major assets that can be decisive and thus make the difference between several entities working in the same sector of activity. With long-term objectives, the traditional method does not envisage a feedback on the steps already taken. As a result, the objectives could prove to be out of reach or even unrealistic and the resources insufficient or ineffective.

The so-called classical method goes through several stages, namely collection of needs, definition of the product, development, testing and finally delivery of the product. The same is true for HR who are confined to old methods without taking into account motivations, hidden talents and other skills. As explained above, this practice provides for sequential phases requiring validation of the preceding steps before advancing to the next ones, without possibility of return. This implies that any anomalies identified late can only be corrected at the end of the test phase, generating significant costs as well as lengthy corrective steps.

The traditional method based on a predictive approach is simply not suitable for today’s companies. With many constraints in terms of cost, time and quality, this practice generates uncertain results in an era when mastery of its environment has become a key factor for success.

Agile methods are management tools designed to optimize the visualization, planning and implementation of a project. Previously used in the IT field, agile methods and more specifically the Kanban method has taken a wider scale by touching HR and other key departments.

Much more than a method will you tell me? But why? In recent years, agile methods have taken on a surprisingly large scale. In this way they can be described as new approaches or states of mind, as they essentially call into question the very foundations of old practices that are no longer adapted to the current situation. Launched on an iterative rather than a predictive approach, the agile method relies on the fact that the different phases of a project must be sanctioned by tests. When recruiting individuals for a project or team, for example, many criteria must be considered and verified. Reactivity, adaptability or relational qualities are all essential factors often overlooked by current HR. In addition, the detection of hidden talents and exceptional aptitudes, of innovative and creative spirit, particularly requires the use of this method because a long course and many degrees do not necessarily take precedence today.

Thanks to the technological advances and the techniques developed recently, new perspectives are open to our HR managers in order to better manage the recruitment of newcomers. Long CV stacks and basic questionnaires to fill a vacancy are obsolete today. For the selection of files, setting up a database containing the various required criteria proves to be a much more practical and cumbersome solution for our dear recruiters. In an interview, knowledge or expertise is, without doubt, reliable but not always a priority to integrate a team or project. Candidates with exemplary references, but refractory to the change will sooner or later obstacles to your projects. The interaction of individuals and openness to change, two of the main values of agile methods, make their meaning.

Derived from the Japanese term etiquette, Kanban is an agile method which is distinguished by the illustration of the steps to be followed through a table which will allow, later, to have an overview on the evolution of such and such activity. Based on the same principles as agile methods, the Kanban method provides simple support, but illustrates perfectly the tasks in progress. In the case of an interview, this practice will have an important stake for both the recruiter and the candidate. On the one hand, the entity concerned will be able to optimally use the candidate who can, therefore, bring a greater added value to the company, by defining his role rather than his function. On the other hand, the recruited person will have greater freedom and flexibility through the tasks which correspond to him best, implying an improvement in the qualities and working conditions.

In the long term, agile methods have allowed current managers to optimize their human resources with a view to achieving more conclusive results. With conditions and qualities of work that have been significantly improved, the Kanban method always arouses a certain enthusiasm among our dear employers.