| Performance Management Cycle |
| Topic 1. The Position Description |
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Major Duties (cont.)
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Be Specific
The position description writer can clarify terminology and descriptions of work by asking a mental follow-up question, "In order to do what?" or "For what purpose?"
Examples
| Asks clients questions from a standard form. |
Questions clients to decide eligibility for (specific services), records answers on eligibility form and sends form on to be processed for acceptance or rejection. |
| Types letters and reports. |
Types final letters and reports from rough copy and general instructions; selects the correct format and proofs draft for typing, spelling and format errors. |
Don't Use Ambiguous Terms
The word "assists," when used alone, is capable of wide interpretation and becomes meaningless for PD purposes. Further clarifying the duty by adding "by" will better explain the type of assisting as follows:
"Assist" by... [performing the same duties as the employee being assisted, except for final responsibility for the work product].
Let's look at the word "prepares" used in the following statement:
| Prepares statistical tables |
Employee uses initiative to seek out of develop sources of basic information, decides the means to collect the information required, designs the tables, and writes the interpretive text. |
| Employee copies numbers to a given column on a tabular sheet and uses a calculator to compute averages and percentages. |
Here's a list of other ambiguous words that would need further clarification:
| analyzes |
edits |
oversees |
| arranges |
examines |
participates |
| assesses |
handles |
persuades |
| checks |
instructs |
plans |
| communicates |
interviews |
processes |
| compiles |
maintains |
researches |
| conducts research |
manipulates |
reviews |
| coordinates |
modifies |
responds |
| decides |
monitors |
services |
| determines |
operates |
supervises |
| develops |
organizes |
works with |
In summary, if you describe the duties in terms of "what the worker does" rather than "what gets done," you will find it a lot easier to avoid ambiguous terminology.
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