Reduce Hiring time

Hayley Kinney, Process Improvement Intern

June 10, 2013

Hiring Process Vision 

To develop a standard new hire process that streamlines the time from vacancy to appointment while attracting the best qualified and talented applicants for the job.

Situation Overview

CDOT recognized that it took too long to hire someone from the moment a request to fill a position is submitted to the point of hire.  The hiring process did not have a good tracking system which led to long time periods before new hires were brought on board.  In some cases, the hiring process could take 180 days or more. Because this process is not formally documented, there is variability in the type and number of steps performed within the regions. This can result in process delays and provides no clear estimate on the time it took to hire an individual; CDOT needed a more efficient and effective hiring system to find the most qualified candidates in a timely manner.

Project Personnel

Project Sponsor:

Sponsor Coalition:

Team:

Mentor: Gary Vansuch, CDOT Director of Process Improvement

What the Team Did

Before the event, the team mapped out the current hiring process step by step and estimated the time that it took to the entire process from request-to-fill to appointment. With the help of supervisors and hiring specialists, the team estimated that the hiring process took anywhere from 100-180+ days, about six months.

The team had a Rapid Improvement Event during the week of September 17-21, 2012 where they identified delays in the process and targeted areas where improvement was needed.  The previous process contained 116 steps from announcing the vacancy to filling the position. 36 of these steps included wasteful activities that could be eliminated to speed up the process.  The team developed a more efficient hiring system by removing 51 steps, a 44% reduction in total steps.  The new process, designed to be completed in 65 business days, will cut the hiring process time in half.

project team
process timeline

Targeted Outcomes

Recommendations for Improvement

The team identified the following inefficiencies from the previous state of the process and included recommendations for improvement.

Implementation

To ensure the success of the new hiring process, the team designed a five-phase implementation plan.

Phase one is to develop standardization and control for the process. This means creating SOP’s that can be used state-wide. Another aspect is producing a job book that contains a standardized compilation of position descriptions so hiring managers can reference or update something quickly. Also, establishing a tracking and reporting system to track vacancies and progress throughout the hiring process so that both parties- the hiring manager and the applicant - can see what is happening in real time with the application process. The final aspect of phase one is to train staff on the new improvements.

Phase two is establishing a standardized toolkit for hiring so that the process is more efficient. The standardized toolkit will be the hiring manager’s resource for assessment plans, announcements, interview/exam questions, applicant notice, a term database, and criteria for evaluating applicants. The final aspect of phase two is to train staff on the new improvements.

The goal of phase three is to speed up the process of the hiring manager before the PCR is received. This includes creating a state-wide salary database, state-wide initiation/communication, establishing a stage-gate for the approval process, and permission for NEOGOV capabilities. Phase three yields a point where salary can be delegated to hiring managers at the time of a PCR so the managers have a range to offer compensation. The final aspect of phase three is to train staff on the new improvements.

Phase four involves regionalizing the recruiting efforts. This means customizing any advertising or recruiting efforts to target people where we have a vacancy. This will comprise of subject matter expert (SME)/supervisor panel training, developing an advertisement plan for each region, HR cross-training to assist in functions and implementing a CDOT recruiting program.

Phase five is the next steps for the project. This involves re-evaluating the bottlenecks within the hiring process and developing a continuous referral process where CDOT has a current list of people to offer jobs to, so there is no need to advertise. It also consists of streamlining the onboarding process.

The team is currently working to complete implementation of phases three and four.

Future Opportunities

Assign an HR liaison within each region that could handle the majority of the workload locally which has the potential to speed up time.

Final Thoughts

With established state-wide procedures for hiring applicants, a tracking and reporting system to monitor the application status, more developed resources for evaluating and selecting applicants, and wider recruiting efforts, the improved hiring system will be much more effective and efficient in reducing the time it takes to hire an individual. Mary Dugan, who is implementing the new process in Region 2, explained, "The lean hiring process saves many business days, starting from the beginning of the hiring process to the end result of having qualified, talented applicants actively working in the Region. Two vacancies were filled in 39 business days; the process does work!" Bettering this process will create less work for those involved and save valuable CDOT time. There will be less variability in the hiring process with documented steps and systems in place. CDOT recognizes the importance of improving a process that deals directly with selecting the people who will contribute to the future success of the organization.