HR Process
Five workflows. Each one a loop. Optimise onboarding before recruitment. Fix process debt before adding headcount.
Core Workflows
1. Recruitment
Trigger: Role need identified — either planned (pipeline) or reactive (capacity gap).
Rule before starting: Document the role's core workflows first. Recruiting into undocumented process = adding fuel to fire.
| Step | Owner | Input | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Define contribution outcomes | Hiring manager | Role gap analysis | Outcome-based JD (not credential list) |
| Source candidates | Recruiter / ATS | JD | Candidate pipeline |
| AI pre-screening | AI layer | Applications | Scored shortlist (bias audit required) |
| Structured interview | Hiring committee | Scorecard | Character + skill signal |
| Offer + close | People Lead | Compensation band | Signed offer |
AI impact on recruitment (2024–2026 shift):
AI has bifurcated the recruitment process. On the inbound side, AI generates applications at scale — recruiters report 10:1 AI-to-human application ratios on popular roles. Signal quality collapses. The solution: move screening upstream to demonstrated work (take-home tasks, portfolio, on-chain reputation) and design interview questions that require contextual problem-solving that AI cannot fake.
On the assessment side, AI screening tools accelerate shortlisting but introduce systematic bias. Any AI scoring layer must run a bias audit against gender, geographic, and educational-institution signals before deployment.
What the recruiter's job becomes: AI handles volume filtering. The human job is character assessment, culture fit, and evaluating how someone reasons under uncertainty — not reading CVs.
Contractors: Use contractors to test a capability need before committing to an employee. Require documentation of their process in contract terms. This converts contractor engagement into institutional knowledge.
2. Onboarding
Principle: Onboarding is where culture is proved, not described.
| Step | Owner | Timing | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-boarding admin | HR | Before day 1 | Accounts, tools, checklist |
| Culture orientation | Founding team / MKO | Week 1 | Context: why we exist, how we work |
| ZPD calibration | MKO | Week 1–2 | First challenge sized to the gap |
| Beginner's mind capture | People Lead | Week 4 | Process improvement notes from new hire |
| 30-day check-in | Manager | Day 30 | Contribution velocity assessment |
| 90-day contribution gate | Manager + HR | Day 90 | Independent contribution confirmed or flag |
Metric: Time to valuable contribution. Target under 90 days.
3. Development and Performance
Continuous feedback loop, not annual review theatre.
- Monthly 1:1s: ZPD gap assessment + next challenge calibration
- Quarterly: contribution velocity review against team benchmarks
- Annual: compensation alignment + career trajectory planning
MKO assignment rule: Pair new contributors with someone who passed through the same zone recently — not the most senior person. Recency of experience matters more than depth.
4. Offboarding
A clean exit preserves optionality — rehires, referrals, and reputation all flow from it.
- Exit interview within 48 hours of notice (structured, not performative)
- Knowledge transfer: every undocumented workflow the departing person owns gets documented before last day
- System access revoked on final day
- Culture signal captured: what made them stay as long as they did? What shifted?
Capability Map
| Capability | Protocol | Tool | Human / AI |
|---|---|---|---|
| JD writing | Outcome-based template | AI draft + human edit | Shared |
| CV screening | Structured scoring rubric | ATS + AI layer | AI (bias-audited) |
| Interview scoring | Standardised scorecard | ATS / Notion | Human |
| Onboarding checklist | Role-family playbook | HRIS / Notion | Human |
| ZPD assignment | MKO matching protocol | 1:1 cadence | Human |
| Payroll run | Payroll SOP | HRIS / Rippling / Deel | AI (automated) |
| Compliance tracking | Jurisdiction-specific checklist | HRIS | AI (flagged to human) |
| Exit interview | Structured template | Async survey + live debrief | Human |
| Contribution velocity tracking | Monthly check-in cadence | Performance tool | Shared |
Workflow Files
Context
- Platform — tools that run these workflows
- Performance — how to know if workflows are working
- Players — who owns each step