My company does things a little differently. When they are hiring somebody for a new position, even if it is somebody already internal and everybody knows they are perfect for the job, there is a very strict interview process.

The panel consists of an HR person that is attached to the group doing the hiring (every group has an HR rep), the hiring manager, two other managers, and one or two subject matter experts. They have to ask all the questions that are on a prepared sheet, and everybody gets the same questions.

They have to do the same thing for every interviewee, just to protect themselves from lawsuits or any accusations of discrimination. Crazy stuff.