The Top Human Resources Best Practice Tools & Templates

An Action Item List is a simple tool for tracking tasks, owners of tasks, and the time frame that tasks need to be completed during a project.Learn More »

Benchmarking is the process of comparing an organizations performance to those of the top standards in the industry, which can be another organization within the industry or an organization in another industry that operates at the level that the industry is hoping to achieve.Learn More »

Career Planning is an ongoing process of structured self-analysis in order to identify career objectives, marketable skills, strengths and weaknesses.Learn More »

Competency Based Interviewing is a style of interviewing used to determine an applicant’s ability to handle certain situations. Most questions in this type of interview require the candidate to provide specific examples of how they’ve responded to difficult situations in the past.Learn More »

There are several different types of Critical Incidents. A Critical Incident can be either a single traumatic event such as a life threatening emergency or violent event, or a series of repeated experiences which have negatively impacted a person over time.Learn More »

Critical Success Factors are the core actions that underlie an organization’s strategic objectives that must be accomplished at the highest level possible in order to achieve the overall goals and mission of the organization.Learn More »

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The Five Whys Process provides business leaders and managers with a simple and easy to understand methods used in the Analyze phase of DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) within the Lean Six Sigma process.Learn More »

Gap Analysis is a method of determining how an organization’s current state differs from its desired future state and the steps it needs to take to achieve desired performance results.Learn More »

Psychologist Dr Geert Hofstede originally published his cultural dimensions model in the 1970s, based on his cross-cultural psychology research of people who worked for IBM in more than 50 countries. His original research included only four dimensions, but a fifth and sixth dimension were added later. The model has since become an international standard in order for people to work more successfully across varying cultures.Learn More »

A Growth Mindset is a particular way of thinking that involves believing that one is not born with a fixed amount of intelligence but rather their intelligence grows over time through hard work and learning from others.Learn More »

Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory proposes that there are two categories of job characteristics, one of which is consistently related to job satisfaction (called motivation factors) and one related job dissatisfaction (called hygiene factors).Learn More »

An Issue Tracker is a management tool for tracking incoming issues, often related to a customer support center or software development program.Learn More »

Job Analysis is the process used to determine in detail the particular job duties and requirements as well as the degree of importance of these duties for a specific job. The job analysis is then used to create a job description.Learn More »

A Job Description is the result of doing a job analysis, and which lays out specific duties and responsibilities related to a job. The job description defines the job as related to other jobs in the organization, the lines of communication which need to be followed, and the job title to which the job reports.Learn More »

Key Outcome Indicators help measure the overall performance and success of an organization. Many companies use Key Outcome Indicators across departments to measure the success of specific groups and the organization as a whole.Learn More »

Key Performance Indicators (also known as KPIs) help measure the overall performance and success of an organization. Many companies use KPIs across departments to measure the success of specific groups and the organization as a whole. In addition, Key Performance Indicators are a helpful tool in decision-making since they create visibility into the measurable success factors of an organization. KPIs can also be used to understand where a team, department or organization stands with respect to the implementation of its strategies, goals and projects.Learn More »

Leading and Lagging Indicators are two types of measurements used when assessing performance in a business or organization. The difference between the two is that a leading indicator can influence change and a lagging indicator records only what has happened in the past.Learn More »

The Learning and Growth Perspective is a part of the balanced scorecard that refers to intangible assets (e.g., employee skills and abilities) that are required to maintain internal processes in the organization.Learn More »

Mentoring is the act of providing guidance in the workplace to a less-experienced employee, called a mentee. A mentor may either be another employee of the company or a professional from outside of the company. The mentor is a role model who shares knowledge and advice to help the employee grow professionally.Learn More »

A Mission Statement defines the fundamental purpose for why a company exists and may include aspects of the organization’s scope and values.Learn More »

Performance Management is a process in which managers and employees work together to plan, monitor and review an employee’s work objectives and overall contribution to the organization.Learn More »

A Plan of Record (PoR) is an approved plan by senior leadership that illustrates an organization’s prioritized initiatives and projects. These initiatives should be in direct alignment with the operational plan that supports the organization’s annual goals and objectives.Learn More »

A Project Charter lists the main goals of a project as well as a detailed plan for how to attain those goals. This detailed plan involves identifying the relevant stakeholders and determining the roles and responsibilities of each individual involved with the project.Learn More »

The Purpose Statement defines the basic customer needs the organization exists to fulfill. Not associated with a definitive end point, time frame, or deadline, Purpose Statements essentially answer the question “what business are we in?” in a broad yet focused way.Learn More »

RACI is an acronym for Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed. RACI Charts or the RACI Matrix are tools for outlining roles and responsibilities within a team or organization to ensure that nothing falls through the cracks.Learn More »

Resource Breakdown Structures is a hierarchical list of resources related by function and resource type that is used to facilitate planning and controlling of project work.Learn More »

A Skills Requirement Checklist is a tool for employees and potential employees which lists the skills needed to perform a specific job, and the level of competency required of each skill.Learn More »

SMART Performance Metrics is a tool used to create criteria to help improve the chances of an organization’s business success. It is an acronym that many businesses use for different purposes, from goal-setting to performance reviews to evaluating innovation.Learn More »

SMART(ER) Goals stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound, Evaluate and Re-Do. Setting SMART(ER) Goals helps to clarify ideas, focus individual or team efforts and efficiently use time and resources.Learn More »

A Sponsor Roadmap details the actions that organizational executives need to take to fulfill their role in the change management process. The roadmap is very important to making sure that your team gets the necessary support from senior leadership to ensure a successful implementation of the change management program.Learn More »

A Stakeholder Analysis is a strategy used to identify the individuals in your organization who will and will not support your change efforts. In addition, a stakeholder analysis allows your team to determine how to treat these individuals, and what actions to take with them during the change process. This analysis is useful to ensure that your change management program can be implemented successfully sine these actions help minimize resistance to change.Learn More »

A Standard Operating Procedure, or SOP, is a document or process outline that has been created to show operators how to carry out a specific task, process or activity. It can be delivered as a document, presentation, workflow document, or even a video.Learn More »

Strategic Goals are the high-level, overarching objectives that an organization sets out to achieve over a set timeframe. They articulate what the organization plans to do to fulfill its mission and vision, and they form the foundation for designing and implementing strategic initiatives, which are the actual projects and programs that get implemented in service of accomplishing the Strategic Goals.Learn More »

A Strategy Map is a clear visual representation of the major strategic objectives of an organization, usually based on a framework or model like the balanced scorecard. This representation is useful for communicating the organization’s strategy in a digestible way to employees at all levels of the organization.Learn More »

A Strategy Roadmap, also known as a Strategic Roadmap, is a visual depiction of where the organization currently is and where it would like to go in the future, including a plan to get from the current to the desired state.Learn More »

SWOT Analysis is a strategic planning tool that explores an organization’s internal and external environment, including strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.Learn More »

A Training Development Plan is a series of checklists or action plans which act as working documents to support employees and line managers in elevating the skills and competence of a particular set of employees across a team. The correct implementation of a Training Development Plan ensures the manager and the employee are both meeting their personal growth goals while simultaneously developing their ability to achieve more in the workplace while helping to support the long-term strategies of the business.Learn More »

Values Statements articulate an organization’s core beliefs and principles that drive performance and behavior. They contain the essential and enduring tenets of an organization.Learn More »

Vision Statements define and describe the vibrant future an organization wishes to create and achieve. The intention of a vision is to guide, inspire, and motivate people to reach the desired end state for the organization.Learn More »

The Voice of the Customer Table is a template which helps business leaders and managers frame the inputs received through the process of carrying out a Voice of the Customer (VOC) exercise.Learn More »