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California State Personnel Board
- JOB A NALYSIS S ECTION Merit Selection Manual: Policy and Practices
- Job Analysis 2200.
- PURPOSE 2200. T ABLE OF C ONTENTS
- AUTHORITY..................................................................................................................... 2200.
- POLICY SUMMARY 2200.
- OVERVIEW OF JOB ANALYSIS...................................................................................... 2200.
- LEGAL AND PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR JOB ANALYSIS............................... 2200.
- METHODS OF JOB ANALYSIS 2200.
- CONDUCTING A TASK-BASED JOB ANALYSIS............................................................ 2200.
- AVAILABLE RESOURCES............................................................................................... 2200.
- ATTACHMENTS............................................................................................................... 2200.
- Attachment A: Job Audit Form 2200.
- Attachment B: Work Observation Form...................................................................... 2200.
- Attachment C: Job Questionnaire 2200.
- Attachment D: Job Diary 2200.
- Attachment E: Job Checklist 2200.
- Attachment F: Critical Incident Form 2200.
- Attachment G: Task Rating Scales 2200.
- Attachment H: KSA Rating Scales 2200.
- Attachment I: Task/KSA Linkage Scales 2200.
- Attachment J: Task/KSA Linkage Matrix 2200.
- Attachment K: Elements of a Task-Based Job Analysis............................................. 2200.
METHODS OF JOB ANALYSIS 2200.
PURPOSE To provide a discussion and overview of job analysis as it pertains to the development and administration of job-related, legally defensible examination processes and the selection procedures/instruments that comprise the examination processes.
The State Personnel Board is responsible for overseeing the State’s selection system, including testing and examination processes conducted on both centralized and decentralized bases, as well as ensuring that departmental testing activities result in merit-based, job-related selection decisions in the civil service. It is the intent of the State Personnel Board to foster consistent and equitable selection standards for State agencies and departments conducting civil service examination processes.
AUTHORITY Constitution of the State of California, Article VII, Section 1 (b) In the civil service permanent appointment and promotion shall be made under a general system based on merit ascertained by competitive examination.
Government Code Sections 18500 18701 18710 18900
California Code of Regulations, Title 2 Section 206
Americans with Disabilities Act California Fair Employment and Housing Act Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII Civil Rights Act of 1991 Principles for the Validation and Use of Personnel Selection Procedures Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (29 CFR 1607)
Job Analysis 2200.
POLICY SUMMARY
continued…
- Job tasks must be sufficiently detailed to derive the requisite KSAs.
- The important or critical KSAs required upon entry for successful job performance must be specified.
- The KSAs must be operationally defined.
- There must be a linkage (or documented relationship) between the essential tasks and the important, required- upon-entry KSAs.
It is incumbent upon agencies and departments to ensure that their job analysis studies comply with the aforementioned requirements to ensure the integrity and job-relatedness of their departmental civil service examination processes.
OVERVIEW OF JOB
ANALYSIS
Job analysis as a process is a systematic means of identifying the essential tasks and functions performed in a job (or job classification) and the knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs), and personal characteristics that are required to perform those essential tasks and functions. Job analysis allows for the standardized collection and analysis of information about a job. Job analysis is a rational and judgmental process that is dependent upon the input of subject matter experts (SMEs) to identify the task and KSA requirements of a job.
Job analysis results in the identification and documentation of the essential functions of a job (or job classification), the specific task requirements of the job classification, and the KSAs required to perform those tasks and essential functions. Once conducted, a job analysis can provide data for a multitude of human resources activities surrounding a given job classification, including the following:
- classification and pay
- recruitment and selection
- training and development
- performance appraisal
- disability or return-to-work accommodation
- human resource/workforce planning
Job Analysis 2200.
OVERVIEW OF JOB
ANALYSIS
continued…
The discussion of job analysis contained herein will focus on utilizing job analysis data to identify and document the tasks and KSAs of a job to design, develop, and administer job-related selection procedures. Job analysis, as both a process and a product, is an integral part of the validation process of linking the development and use of specific selection procedures for a given job classification to the specific requirements of the job in terms of the qualifications (KSAs) required for successful job performance.
LEGAL AND
PROFESSIONAL
STANDARDS FOR
JOB ANALYSIS
A number of legal and professional standards apply to the conducting of job analysis. The major sources of guidance addressing job analysis and its use as related to employment testing include the following:
- The Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (1978)
- The Principles for the Validation and Use of Personnel Selection Procedures (1987)
- The Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (1999)
- The Americans with Disabilities Act
- Case law
The Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures
The Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (hereafter referenced as the Uniform Guidelines ) were adopted in 1978 in an effort to establish and document a set of uniform federal standards for employers for the use of selection procedures in the employment setting, as well as to address adverse impact, validation, and record-keeping requirements. The Uniform Guidelines were jointly adopted by the United States Civil Service Commission, the United States Department of Labor, the United States Department of Justice, and the Equal Opportunity Commission. The Uniform Guidelines outline requirements necessary for employers to legally defend employment decisions made on the basis of overall selection processes and the specific selection procedures that comprise those selection processes. The Uniform Guidelines pertain to any and all selection procedures that are used as the basis for any employment decision, including
Job Analysis 2200.
LEGAL AND
PROFESSIONAL
STANDARDS FOR
JOB ANALYSIS
continued…
to the Principles , job analysis data identifies the critical tasks for a job (or job classification) and the relevant KSAs that are required for the performance of those critical tasks. In addition, the Principles indicate that the critical job tasks and their corresponding KSAs should be used as the basis for developing selection procedures.
For additional information, Appendix E in this manual provides a more complete summary of the Principles.
The Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing
The current version of the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (hereafter referenced as the Standards ) were adopted in December 1999 by the American Educational Research Association, the American Psychological Association, and the National Council on Measurement in Education. The Standards include guidance on the design and use of employment tests, as well as requirements for test validity and reliability.
As with the Uniform Guidelines and the Principles , the Standards are not in and of themselves legislation or law; however, they should be considered and followed, when appropriate, in the evaluation, development, and use of testing instruments.
For additional information, Appendix F in this manual provides a more complete summary of the Standards.
The Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act (hereafter referenced as the ADA), which was signed into law on July 26, 1990, and became effective on July 26, 1992, prohibits discrimination against individuals with actual and/or perceived physical or mental disabilities. The ADA consists of five titles. Title I addresses the requirement that employers provide equal employment opportunities to qualified individuals with disabilities. Equal employment opportunities as addressed by the ADA include providing both reasonable accommodation for preemployment selection procedures and reasonable accommodation in performing the essential functions of a job.
Job Analysis 2200.
LEGAL AND
PROFESSIONAL
STANDARDS FOR
JOB ANALYSIS
continued…
In order to comply with the requirements of the ADA, job analysis methods must identify the essential functions (i.e., tasks) of a job or job classification, as well as the corresponding KSAs required upon entry to successfully perform those job functions/tasks. Essential functions are identified by the ADA as the fundamental duties or tasks or a position. According to the ADA, a job function may be deemed essential for a number of reasons, including, but not limited to, the following:
- The function may be deemed essential because the reason the position exists is to perform that function.
- The function may be deemed essential due to the limited number of employees available among whom the performance of that job function can be assigned or distributed.
- The function may be highly specialized so that the incumbent in the position is hired specifically for his/her expertise or ability to perform the particular function.
- The function may be deemed essential due to the consequences of not requiring an incumbent to perform the particular function.
- The function may be deemed essential because of the terms of a collective bargaining agreement.
Case Law
Over the past several decades, a body of case law has emerged in the field of employment testing. In a number of cases, the courts have dealt with the concept of job analysis as a basic element in developing and defending the use of selection procedures. Several cases have emerged as hallmark cases regarding job analysis. Following are the major points related to job analysis cited by the courts in these cases:
United States v. Georgia Power, 474 F.2d 906 (5th^ Cir. 1973) The validation strategy used by an organization (employer) to demonstrate the validity of a selection procedure must comply with the EEOC Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (1970). (The EEOC Guidelines were replaced in 1978 by the adoption of the Uniform Guidelines ; therefore, compliance with the validation standard
Job Analysis 2200.
LEGAL AND
PROFESSIONAL
STANDARDS FOR
JOB ANALYSIS
continued…
Guardians Association of New York City Police v. Civil Service Commission, 463 U.S. 582 (1983) A job analysis must include precisely worded tasks that clearly delineate the work performed in the job, as well as documentation linking job tasks to required KSAs, in accordance with the Uniform Guidelines , in order for the job analysis to be considered an adequate, appropriate study.
Bouman v. Pitchess, 940 F. 2d, 1211 (1991) A job analysis must conform to the requirements outlined in the Uniform Guidelines to be considered an adequate study and to serve as the legal basis of establishing the content validity of a selection process.
Michelle Legault v. Ralph aRusso , 842 F. Supp. 1479 (D.N.H. 1994 To demonstrate the validity of a selection procedure(s), the employer must demonstrate that the selection procedure(s) accurately tests (or measures) required KSAs at a level equivalent to that which is required on the job. An initial step in determining the appropriate level at which to measure KSAs is the conducting of a job analysis study upon which to base the development of the selection procedure(s).
In summary, current legal and professional requirements for job analysis establish the standards upon which the State Personnel Board’s policy is based.
METHODS OF JOB
ANALYSIS
There are a number of recognized methods and techniques for conducting job analysis that meet both professional and legal requirements. Common to all of these methods and techniques is their adherence to the Uniform Guidelines , as either stand-alone, complete job analysis methods or elements of data collection to be used in conjunction with other techniques to ensure compliance with the Uniform Guidelines. Employers and test developers have great flexibility in determining a job analysis methodology that will best meet the immediate selection or human resources need.
Job Analysis 2200.
METHODS OF JOB
ANALYSIS
continued…
The determination of the most appropriate job analysis method for a given situation is typically based on the consideration of a number of factors relevant to the situation, which may include, but would not necessarily be limited to, any number of the following considerations:
- An understanding of why the job analysis is being conducted and its purpose (e.g., as a basis for examination development and/or selection decisions, as a basis for classification activities, to develop employee training plans, to develop performance evaluation/measurement criteria, etc.)
- An understanding of the job analysis methodology to be used by both the examination analyst and the SME participants to ensure the proper completion of the job analysis study
- The type of job to be studies (e.g., occupational group, the level of the job within the organization)
- The size of job classification in terms of the number of incumbents and the number of supervisors
- The geographic locations of the positions in the classification (that is, how spread out is the job?)
- The specialty functions within the job classification (that is, are there pockets of expertise or functional specialties within the job classification?)
- The identification and use of SMEs, both incumbents and supervisors if practicable, who are thoroughly familiar with the job classification being studied in terms of the work tasks performed and the corresponding KSAs necessary to perform those work tasks
- The availability of SMEs (including both incumbents and supervisors) to participate in the job analysis study
- The willingness of SMEs to participate in the job analysis study
- The capability of the SMEs (e.g., their writing and analytical abilities) to provide expert information about the job classification
Job Analysis 2200.
CONDUCTING A
TASK-BASED JOB
ANALYSIS
The task-based methodology for conducting job analysis discussed below incorporates the required elements of job analysis to ensure that the job analysis study meets recognized legal and professional standards. While there are a number of job analysis methodologies which may be used for any given job classification, the task-based methodology is the most linear, straightforward approach. In addition, for first-time job analysis studies, this methodology focuses on the critical aspects to be addressed and incorporated in a job analysis study. This manual section is focusing on the task-based method because this method has been affirmed in the courts, it complies with provisions of the Uniform Guidelines and professional standards, and it meets the minimum standards for job analysis.
The task-based methodology consists of the following eight elements, each defined and described:
Develop a list of job tasks
Using a variety of sources of information, the examination analyst develops and/or works in conjunction with SMEs to develop a list of task statements reflective of the work performed in the job/job classification. Such sources of information should include one or more of the following:
A. Literature Review A literature review can be conducted to collect any written or printed materials relevant to the job tasks, such as position description documents, previously used examination bulletins, previously conducted job analyses for the target job classification and/or similar job classifications, job analyses conducted by other organizations (or employers) for the target job classification and/or similar job classifications, classification specification documents, and the U.S. Department of Labor’s O*NET, a database of job requirement and worker requirement statements, which has replaced the Dictionary of Occupational Titles
Job Analysis 2200.
CONDUCTING A
TASK-BASED JOB
ANALYSIS
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B. On-Site Meetings/Discussions On-site meetings/discussions with incumbents and first-level supervisors can be held to observe and discuss work tasks performed by incumbents in the job classification. In addition, a number of job audit/interview techniques could be used to focus the meetings/discussions on the identification of work tasks, including the following:
- The job audit/interview method calls for the examination analyst to meet with SMEs (which can include both incumbents and supervisors) to discuss the job classification and identify the job tasks performed. Such SME meetings/interviews may be conducted individually with SMEs or in group sessions. Depending on the SME participants, it may be beneficial when conducting group sessions to conduct separate meetings/interviews with the incumbent group and the supervisor group to ensure that the incumbents can freely provide job-specific information without feeling inhibited by the presence of supervisors. Attachment A provides a sample job audit form that can be used for either individual job audit/interviews or group interviews.
- The work observation method involves the examination analyst observing incumbents performing on the job and recording job tasks performed, as well as recording any other job-specific data related to job performance as he/she observes incumbent job performance. It should be noted that the work observation method is restricted to capturing only those work behaviors observed during the work observation period. Thus, it may be desirable to utilize another data collection method (such as the critical incident method described in the next section below) in addition to the work observation to ensure the collection of complete data regarding the tasks performed in the job classification. Attachment B provides a sample work observation form.
Job Analysis 2200.
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TASK-BASED JOB
ANALYSIS
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supervisor SMEs if there is a concern about the quality of data that may be provided by incumbent SMEs. In addition, the critical incident method may be used in conjunction with other data collection methods, such as the work observation and diary methods described previously. Attachment F provides a sample critical incident form.
It is the responsibility of the examination analyst to ensure that the most appropriate data collection methods are utilized to develop the list of job tasks. The examination analyst is not limited to the data collection methods described above as the only sources of data regarding job tasks performed and may utilize other sources of information deemed appropriate.
Once a comprehensive task list is developed, the examination analyst reviews the task statements with SMEs to refine the wording of the statements and to ensure that the task statements fully and accurately reflect the work performed in the job classification and are detailed enough to allow for development of KSAs.
In reviewing the task statements, special attention should be paid to ensuring that the each task statement reflects a specific work task. Task statements should fully address the following aspects of work behaviors:
- Performs what action (verb)
- To whom or to what (object)
- To produce what (expected output)
- Using what tools, equipment, aids, or processes
- With what instruction or direction
Rate the job tasks
Once the task statements are developed and finalized, SMEs rate the task statements, indicating the importance and frequency of performance for each task. The rating process may utilize independent SME ratings, whereby the SMEs individually provide ratings for each task. The independent ratings are then analyzed to calculate mean ratings for each task. Independent ratings work well in situations with larger SME groups or when it is not possible
Job Analysis 2200.
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TASK-BASED JOB
ANALYSIS
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to have the SMEs come together to provide consensus ratings. Conversely, the rating process may utilize consensus ratings, whereby a group of SMEs reach a consensus on the ratings assigned to each task. Consensus ratings should be used when the SME group is relatively small (e.g., six or fewer individuals).
Whether using independent or consensus ratings, the rating process must address both the importance and the frequency of performance for each task. Thus, typically, two mutually exclusive rating scales are utilized – one addressing the importance of the task to job performance, and the second addressing the frequency with which the task is performed. In addition, pursuant to the ADA, the task rating process must identify the essential functions of the job classification. Attachment G provides sample task rating scales that meet the requirements of the ADA, as well as provide both importance and frequency ratings.
Using the ratings provided by the SMEs, those tasks that are rated as important, essential job tasks are deemed to be the important tasks of the job classification.
Develop a list of KSAs required for performance of the identified job tasks
Using a variety of sources of information, the examination analyst develops and/or works in conjunction with SMEs to develop an initial list of KSA statements reflective of the qualifications required for successful performance in the job classification. Such sources of information are typically the same sources used in the development of the task list (as discussed on pages 2200. through 2200.16), including: A. A review of the literature and other relevant background information B. On-site meetings/discussions with incumbents and first- level supervisors, including the job audit/interview and work observation methods C. The use of questionnaires sent or delivered to incumbents and first-level supervisors, including the open-ended questionnaire method, the diary method, the checklist method, and the critical incident method
Job Analysis 2200.
CONDUCTING A
TASK-BASED JOB
ANALYSIS
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Using the ratings provided by the SMEs, those KSAs that are rated as both important for successful job performance and required upon entry to the job classification can be considered further in the development of any selection process.
Link the identified job tasks and the KSAs
The SMEs determine the relationship between each important, required upon entry KSA and each of the essential job tasks. The linkage process may utilize independent ratings or consensus ratings, as described on pages 2200.16 and 2200.17. Attachment I provides sample linkage rating scales, and Attachment J provides a sample task/KSA linkage matrix for the SMEs’ use in recording their linkage ratings.
Based upon the linkage ratings of the SMEs, those KSAs that link to at least one essential task of the job are deemed to be the qualifications required for successful job performance and, as such, are suitable for consideration (i.e., measurement or assessment) with a selection procedure.
Document the job analysis study
The examination analyst documents each of the steps of the job analysis process, as well as background information relative to the conducting of the job analysis study. The following areas of the study should be documented:
- Background information, including the job classification studied; the dates of the study; the name and title of the analyst conducting the study; and, the names, job titles, and division/work units of the SMEs participating in the study. Further, the analyst may choose to include additional information relevant to the job analysis study, such as the intended use(s) of the job analytic data, and/or the results of previously conducted job analyses for the target job classification.
- Task information, including the data collection methods used to develop the list of tasks; a record of the finalized list of tasks and the SMEs who participated in the editing/finalizing process; the task rating scales and the
Job Analysis 2200.
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ANALYSIS
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SMEs who provided the task ratings; the task ratings resulting from the SMEs’ rating of the tasks; and, details of how the task rating scales were used in terms of scale cut- offs which may have been applied and/or the resulting elimination of any tasks as non-essential.
- KSA information, including the data collection methods used to develop the list of KSAs; a record of the finalized list of KSAs and the SMEs who participated in the editing/finalizing process; the KSA rating scales and the SMEs who provided the KSA ratings; the KSA ratings resulting from the SMEs’ rating of the KSAs; and, details of how the KSA rating scales were used in terms of scale cut- offs that may have been applied and/or the resulting elimination of any KSAs as either non-important to successful job performance or not required upon entry to the job classification.
- Task/KSA linkage information, including linkage rating scale and the SMEs who provided the linkage ratings; the linkage ratings resulting from the SMEs’ linking the important, required upon entry KSAs to the essential job tasks; and, details of how the linkage rating scale was used in terms of a scale cut-off which may have been applied and/or the resulting elimination of any KSAs as not being required to successfully perform one or more job tasks.
Note
When conducting a job analysis study using the task-based methodology described herein, the examination analyst may choose to conduct steps a number of steps simultaneously to better utilize his/her own time, as well as maximize SME resources and availability. For instance, the development of the task list and the KSA list may be completed as one step, and the rating of the task statements and the KSA statements may also be conducted as one step. Attachment K denotes the elements described herein, which are typically included in a task-based job analysis.
The task-based methodology may be modified to better fit specific situations and circumstances for conducting a job analysis study,
