Department of Homeland Security Reduced Time To Hire Project Managers By 50% With Kure
PROJECT SUMMARY
Problem: Hiring Project Managers was taking way too long—up to 115 days—delaying critical R&D projects.
With Kure’s help, the team slashed this time to 57 days, a 50% improvement, making hiring faster and more efficient.
Background
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plays a vital role in protecting the United States from all kinds of threats. Since its establishment in 2002, following the September 11 attacks, DHS has continually improved its operations to meet evolving challenges. To keep up with the pace of change, efficient hiring processes are crucial, especially in the Science and Technology (S&T) division, where delays can slow down vital R&D projects.
Alexendar Banks, Program Manager at S&T, was tasked with fixing this issue. While completing his GLSS Green Belt Training & Certification, he turned to Kure, an AI-powered process improvement software, to help lead the effort. Kure’s AI-driven tools and workflows followed the training and provided the team with real-time guidance, suggestions, and data analysis, helping them focus on solving the problem rather than getting bogged down by the process.
The Problem
The S&T division’s hiring process was dragging, with up to 115 days needed just to create and approve a job posting before it even went live on USAJOBS.gov. This delay in hiring project managers meant critical R&D projects were stalling, hurting productivity and slowing down project delivery times. The goal was clear: reduce the hiring lead time to 60 days.
The Root Causes
After analyzing the situation using Kure’s AI-driven tools, the team identified two key reasons for the delays:
Lack of standardization: There were no consistent templates or steps for creating job postings.
Complexity of the postings: Both simple and complex job postings were treated the same way, leading to unnecessarily long approval times.
The Solutions
Kure’s smart AI workflow helped the team streamline the process and reduce delays. Here’s what they did:
Simplified the approval process: The team developed a standardized, step-by-step process that eliminated bottlenecks and unnecessary delays.
Improved communication: With Kure’s data analysis, the team improved coordination between HR, the S&T division, and hiring managers, ensuring everyone was on the same page.
Introduced automation tools: By automating repetitive tasks like formatting and approvals, the team saved time and sped up the process.
Standardized job posting templates: The team created easy-to-use templates for both simple and complex roles, reducing the time spent on each posting.
Ongoing training: Kure provided helpful suggestions and examples for training the HR team and hiring managers, ensuring they could implement the new processes quickly and efficiently.
Regular reviews: The team used Kure’s built-in process review tools to keep track of progress and make improvements as needed.
The Results
The results were game-changing. The S&T division successfully reduced their hiring lead time from 115 days to just 57 days—a fantastic 50% improvement! Not only did they cut down the time, but the entire process also became more streamlined and efficient. Communication improved, bottlenecks were removed, and project managers were hired faster. This meant R&D projects could move forward without delay, boosting productivity across the division.
Conclusion
Thanks to Kure’s AI-driven workflow and guidance, DHS’s S&T division didn’t just meet their goal of reducing hiring times—they transformed the entire hiring process. The AI suggestions, templates, and automation made it possible for the team to complete the project three times faster than before. This success has set a new standard for efficiency at DHS and positioned the organization to continue improving and responding to future challenges quickly.
Alex reflects on the project:
“GLSS and Kure exceeded my expectations in helping me organize my initial approach and strategy for resolving this problem. Their support was instrumental in achieving a successful outcome that I look forward to implementing.”
By embracing Kure, the Department of Homeland Security now has a faster, more efficient way to bring talent on board—exactly when they need it most.
