Some of you who have read and enjoyed my article about The Business of Doing Business (thanks mum), will remember my emphasis was on the importance of position descriptions.

As an employee, I’m grateful for a Position Description – I understand my role, I know what my KPI’s are and my tasks and responsibilities.

Every role needs clarity and identification in order for the employee to perform the role well, but how did this come about?

A role needs analyzing, whether it’s a new role or for a job that has mutated into something completely different over the years that is completely unrecognizable. Somebody originally has had to perform a job analysis – what’s the difference I hear you say?

Ok, a Position Description will give you the details of your job, who you report to, and what you are expected to do (and the money, of course) whilst the job analysis is the systematic, in-depth evaluation of the role. It’s about identifying the component tasks and outcomes of the job.
When you perform a job analysis for a new role or an old out of date position description, you’ll need to examine specifics about why the role is necessary in the first place.

Ask yourself questions like:

  • What are the work tasks, processes and procedures needed for the job?
  • What sort of person do I want in this role?
  • What are the outcomes I want for this role?
  • What will the rewards be?
  • What sort of skill, intellect or ability is involved in the role?
  • This may be well and good in theory, so I’ll break it down a little more:

Observe/look at who is doing the role and how;

  • Get your employee to write a log/or diarise daily tasks;
  • Look at the big picture of what you want and document the components;
  • Research other similar roles;
  • Decide what are the most important outcomes or contributions you want from the role.

Without a Job Analysis, there is no Position Description.

Without a Position Description can there really be an effective performance management process?