Pieter and Tim started by analyzing both candidate lead times and vacancy lead times to gain deeper insights into the vacancies themselves and the application factor, which was calculated by comparing the number of vacancies with the number of candidates. One of the biggest challenges they faced was that Port of Antwerp-Bruges had migrated to a new recruitment system in 2022. As a result, they initially had to rely on manually exported data files.

While this was far from ideal due to the time required for manual updates, they still chose to move forward by building the necessary reports and generating insights from the data that was already available.

This brings us to the first key insight. At first glance, it may seem more attractive to wait until your data is perfect before launching an analytics project. However, in hindsight, Pieter and Tim concluded that organizations learn faster by combining these two processes: starting the project and continuously improving data quality along the way. This approach helps HR analytics teams build organizational support more quickly and move in the right direction sooner.

Throughout their project, Pieter and Tim's team worked with an external partner to support the analysis. Because everyone involved in the recruitment process was so closely connected to the system and the day-to-day operations, there was a risk that certain assumptions would be driven too heavily by intuition and prior experience.

The external partner was able to ask deeper questions and bring a broader perspective to the recruitment process, highlighting aspects that might otherwise have gone unnoticed internally. This illustrates the value that external partners can bring in identifying blind spots and providing fresh insights that may be overlooked within the organization. Such collaboration can be an effective way to analyze complex challenges and uncover new opportunities for improvement within the organization.

Pieter and Tim explained that they engaged with internal stakeholders early in the process, and that this proved to be crucial to the success of their project. They deliberately chose to share their reports at an early stage with various colleagues, which led to valuable feedback. One of the key suggestions was to focus more on recruitment lead times and less on the application factor.

By involving stakeholders early in the process, you create greater buy-in and ensure that your efforts focus on topics that are genuinely relevant to business stakeholders. It is also important to link your work to a real business challenge, as this is where HR analytics can have the greatest impact. Start with the data and insights that are available, share them with stakeholders, and use their feedback to refine your approach and focus on what matters most.

AI can also support your analytical efforts. In collaboration with the Data Science department, Pieter and Tim experimented with process mining, a form of AI that analyzes complex processes.

Process mining makes it possible to automatically generate insights into how processes actually operate based on available data. In Pieter and Tim’s case, it quickly revealed insights that would otherwise have required days of analysis and discussion to uncover. Tools such as process mining can serve as valuable guides throughout your project, helping you identify patterns, bottlenecks, and opportunities for improvement while providing direction for further analysis.

The Port of Antwerp-Bruges case provided a wealth of interesting insights. Below is a summary of the four most important lessons:

• Don’t wait for perfect data: it is crucial not to wait for perfect data before getting started. Instead, improve data quality along the way. This accelerates progress and helps build support within the organization.
• External partners provide additional depth: the involvement of an external partner demonstrated the value of an outside perspective in identifying blind spots and uncovering insights that may otherwise be overlooked internally.
• Early feedback is essential: involving stakeholders early and actively seeking feedback helps create buy-in and ensures that efforts remain focused on challenges that are relevant to the organization.
• AI tools as a support mechanism: the pilot project with process mining showed how AI tools can help uncover new insights and accelerate the analytical process.

These insights from the Port of Antwerp-Bruges case highlight the power of a holistic approach to data analysis and organizational problem-solving. Such an approach not only generates valuable insights, but also creates a solid foundation for informed, data-driven decision-making and sustainable positive change within the organization.

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