Agile Scrum Recruitment: A Guide

What is an Agile Scrum Team?

An Agile Scrum team is a cross-functional group of individuals who work together to develop and improve a product. The team is self-organising and self-managing, meaning they are responsible for their own progress and success.

They work in sprints, which are typically 2-4 week intervals, with the goal of delivering a working product at the end of each sprint. The Scrum framework, which is commonly used in software development, is based on Agile methodology principles and includes specific roles such as the Scrum Master, Product Owner/Product Manager, and Development Team.

Scrum is a widely used Agile method that allows teams to deliver working software in a flexible and responsive manner while also promoting continuous improvement and adaptability to change.

Scrum Team Roles and Responsibilities

The key roles within a Scrum team are:

• Scrum Master: Responsible for managing the processes and ensuring that the team is working together effectively. The Scrum Master acts as a coach, mentor, and facilitator to help the team achieve their goals.
• Product Manager: Responsible for representing the stakeholders and ensuring that the team is working on the right things. They are the voice of the customer and are responsible for the product backlog.
• Development Team: Responsible for the actual development of the product. They are the ones who take the product backlog and turn it into a working product.

Why do Businesses Choose to Use the Agile Approach?

Scrum and Agile working have become (and continue to be) popular in progressive businesses. That’s because the approach offers a number of benefits to organisations.

Greater Flexibility

One of the main reasons businesses choose to use the Agile approach is because of its flexibility. Agile methodology allows teams to adapt to changes in project requirements and priorities, making it easier to respond to new information and customer feedback. The ability to make changes throughout the project life cycle means that the final product is more likely to meet the needs of the customer, resulting in increased satisfaction and customer retention.

Speed and Time-Saving Benefits

Another key benefit of the Agile approach is its ability to save time. By breaking down a project into smaller, manageable chunks, teams are able to work on and deliver small parts of the project more quickly. This allows for faster development cycles, which ultimately leads to a faster time-to-market for the final product. Additionally, the regular meetings and feedback loops built into the Agile process help teams to identify and address issues early on, preventing delays and roadblocks.

Better Cost Control

The Agile approach can also help businesses save money. By delivering working software at the end of each sprint, teams are able to get feedback from customers and stakeholders early on in the process. This allows for adjustments to be made before a significant amount of resources have been invested in the project. Also, by working in smaller chunks, teams are able to focus on delivering only the most essential features, reducing unnecessary development costs.

Candidate Quality

The Agile approach also helps in improving the quality of the candidates. Agile development allows team members to work closely together, encouraging open communication, collaboration and teamwork. This creates a positive and productive environment that attracts and retains highly skilled, motivated and engaged team members.

The Difficulties With Recruitment for Agile Teams

Recruiting for Agile teams can be a challenging task, as traditional recruitment methods are often at odds with the principles of the Agile methodology.

One of the main difficulties is the mismatch between the timeframes of traditional recruitment and the fast-paced nature of Agile development. Agile teams operate in short sprints, with a focus on delivering working software quickly. This requires a high degree of flexibility, adaptability, and a willingness to learn on the part of team members. Traditional recruitment methods, on the other hand, can take a long time to complete, with lengthy application and interview processes, background checks and reference checks, making it difficult to fill positions quickly.

Another issue with traditional recruitment is that it often results in a lower candidate quality. Agile teams require a high degree of collaboration and teamwork, and therefore require team members with strong interpersonal and communication skills. Traditional recruitment methods, such as relying on resumes and interviews, do not always provide a good indicator of a candidate's ability to work well in a team. Traditional recruitment methods often focus on a candidate's past experience and qualifications, rather than their potential and willingness to learn, which can be important for an Agile team.

Traditional recruitment methods are often focused on finding the best fit for a specific role, rather than a match for the team as a whole. Agile teams require a diverse set of skills and perspectives to be successful, and therefore need team members who complement one another, rather than those who are identical in terms of skills and experience.

Agile teams, therefore, require a more holistic approach to recruitment, which focuses on the team as a whole and considers a candidate's potential, interpersonal and communication skills, and willingness to learn.

Initiatives to Improve Recruitment Efficiency

Recruitment can be a time-consuming and resource-intensive process, particularly in the technology and creative industries. However, there are some ways that organisations can streamline processes and improve recruitment for Agile teams.

• Use valid and up-to-date job descriptions: Job descriptions should be accurate and reflect the duties, responsibilities, and qualifications of the role. By providing clear and accurate job descriptions, you can attract the right candidates and save time during the recruitment process. Write the job spec to appeal to the candidate, including information about;
  • The company.
  • The role and requirements.
  • The team (include information about what their team would look like and who they’d be working with).
  • The products they’ll be working on.
• Offer realistic salaries: Offering competitive salaries will help attract the right candidates and reduce the time it takes to fill a role.
• Additional perks and benefits: Offering additional perks and benefits such as remote work, flexible hours, health insurance, generous holiday allowances, etc. can help attract the right candidates.
• Remote interviews: Remote interviews can save time and resources, and also can increase the pool of candidates.
• Improve initial screening: By using tools such as pre-employment testing, you can quickly identify the best candidates for the role and speed up the recruitment process.
• Better use of technology: Using technology such as applicant tracking systems (ATS) and recruitment software can help streamline the recruitment process and save time.
• Referral programs: Encouraging current employees to refer potential candidates can lead to a faster recruitment process and a higher success rate.

By implementing these initiatives, businesses can improve recruitment efficiency and reduce the time to offer and placement.

How Using a Recruitment Agency Can Help to Streamline the Process

Using an agency to help streamline the recruitment process for Agile Scrum teams can be incredibly beneficial for organisations. Here are just a few of the ways a trusted recruitment agency can help:

• Access to a wider pool of candidates: Agencies have a vast network of candidates and can quickly identify the best fit for a role. This can save organisations time and resources in their recruitment efforts.
• Expertise in recruiting for specific roles: Agencies have a deep understanding of the job market and the specific skills and qualifications required for different roles. They can help organisations identify the right candidates for the role and ensure that they have the right skills and experience.
• Speed up the recruitment process: Agencies can help organisations fill roles faster by identifying and shortlisting the best candidates quickly.
• Save resources: By outsourcing recruitment efforts to an agency, organisations can save on recruitment costs and the time it takes to fill a role.
• Access to a wide range of recruitment tools and techniques: Agencies have access to a variety of recruitment tools and techniques such as applicant tracking systems, pre-employment testing, and recruitment software. These tools can help to streamline the recruitment process and save time.
• Provide support throughout the process: Agencies can provide support throughout the recruitment process, from creating job descriptions to conducting interviews and making job offers.
• Provide an unbiased view: Agencies provide a more unbiased view of the candidates, as they are not directly invested in the recruitment process and tend to be more objective when assessing candidates.

Digitalent’s Synergy Package is the perfect solution to those arduous and long-winded recruitment processes.

With Synergy, we do all the hard stuff for you, including:

• Surveying the market and sourcing potential candidates.
• Taking over first stage interviews (saving you time) and recording the whole meeting using our innovative video interview platform.
• Providing a showcase so you can evaluate the talent for yourself.
• Once you’ve selected your ideal candidate, we’ll take care of the salary negotiations, offer management and reference requests.

On average, our clients save 20 hours in each hiring process, and go from role qualification to offer acceptance in just two weeks.