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Performing Job Analysis

This toolkit reviews how job analysis can be used to identify the knowledge, skills and expertise required to effectively perform job assignments, establish criteria for selection and promotions, design objectives for training and development programs, develop the standards for the measurement of performance, and assist with the determination of pay classification levels.

Job analysis is the process of studying a job to determine which activities and responsibilities it includes, its relative importance to other jobs, the qualifications necessary for performance of the job and the conditions under which the work is performed. An important concept in job analysis is that the job, not the person doing the job, is assessed, even though human resources (HR) may collect some job analysis data from incumbents.

Job analysis is often confused with job evaluation, but the two activities are quite different. Job evaluation is the process of comparing a job to other jobs within the organization to determine the appropriate pay rate and is not addressed in this toolkit. See Performing Job Evaluations .

Examples of how an organization may use job analysis data:

• Workforce planning.
• Performance management.
• Recruitment and selection.
• Career and succession planning.
• Training and development.
• Compensation administration.
• Health, safety and security.
• Employee/labor relations.
• Risk management.

Information Collection

Job analysis involves collecting information on characteristics that differentiate jobs. The following factors help make distinctions between jobs:

• Knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) needed.
• Work activities and behaviors.
• Interactions with others (internal and external).
• Performance standards.
• Financial budgeting and impact.
• Machines and equipment used.
• Working conditions.
• Supervision provided and received.

If an employer has not already done so, grouping jobs with related functions is helpful in the job analysis process by identifying the job family, job duties and tasks of related work. For example:

• Job family. Grouping of related jobs with broadly similar content.
• Job. Group of tasks, duties and responsibilities an individual performs that make up his or her total work assignment.
• Task. A specific statement of what a person does, with similar tasks grouped into a task dimension (i.e., a classification system).

A technical service job family, for example, could be identified as follows:

• Job family.   Technical Service.
• Job.  Technical service representative.
• Task.  Provides technical support to customers by telephone.

Job Analysis Methods  

Determining which tasks employees perform is not easy. The most effective technique when collecting information for a job analysis is to obtain information through direct observation as well as from the most qualified incumbent(s) via questionnaires or interviews. The following describes the most common job analysis methods.

• Open-ended questionnaire Job incumbents and/or managers fill out questionnaires about the KSAs necessary for the job. HR compiles the answers and publishes a composite statement of job requirements. This method produces reasonable job requirements with input from employees and managers and helps analyze many jobs with limited resources.  See   Job Analysis Questionnaire  and  Job Analysis Template .
• Highly structured questionnaire These questionnaires allow only specific responses aimed at determining the frequency with which specific tasks are performed, their relative importance and the skills required. The structured questionnaire is helpful to define a job objectively, which also enables analysis with computer models.  See   O*NET Questionnaires .
• Interview In a face-to-face interview, the interviewer obtains the necessary information from the employee about the KSAs needed to perform the job. The interviewer uses predetermined questions, with additional follow-up questions based on the employee's response. This method works well for professional jobs.
• Observation Employees are directly observed performing job tasks, and observations are translated into the necessary KSAs for the job. Observation provides a realistic view of the job's daily tasks and activities and works best for short-cycle production jobs.
• Work diary or log A work diary or log is a record maintained by the employee and includes the frequency and timing of tasks. The employee keeps logs over a period of days or weeks. HR analyzes the logs, identifies patterns and translates them into duties and responsibilities. This method provides an enormous amount of data, but much of it is difficult to interpret, may not be job-related and is difficult to keep up-to-date.  See   Job Analysis: Time and Motion Study Form .
• A team of senior managers identifies future performance areas critical to the organization's business and strategic plans.
• HR assembles panels composed of individuals who are knowledgeable about the organization's jobs (i.e., subject matter experts). These groups may be employees, managers, supervisors, trainers and others.
• A facilitator interviews panel members to obtain examples of job behaviors and actual occurrences on the jobs.
• The facilitator develops detailed descriptions of each identified competency, including descriptive phrases for clarity.
• HR rates the competencies, and panel members identify KSAs required to meet them.
• HR identifies performance standards for each job. The organization must develop and implement selection, screening, training and compensation instruments, or processes that focus on competencies. 

Use of Job Analysis Data

• Job descriptions and specifications HR uses the job analysis output to develop a job description and job specifications. The job description summarizes and organizes the information for the organization's job-related actions. Generally, the job description and specifications are combined but compartmentalized to enable independent updating as needed. See  How To Develop a Job Description  and  Sample Job Descriptions .
• Compensation decisions In relation to employee pay practices, job analysis has two critical uses: It establishes similarities and differences in job content, and it helps determine the internal equity and relative worth of like jobs. If jobs have equal content, then the pay established for them will likely be equal. If, on the other hand, job content is perceptibly different, then those differences, along with the market rates, will become part of the rationale for paying certain jobs differently.
• Selection assessments Job analysis information can also be used as a basis for selecting or developing employment assessments that measure the most critical tasks or KSAs. Some assessments involve work samples that simulate job tasks and require candidates to demonstrate that they can perform these tasks effectively. HR uses job-oriented or task-based job analysis data as a basis for developing these types of assessments because they focus directly on assessing how well job candidates can perform critical work tasks. Other assessment methods focus on measuring KSAs that are required to perform job tasks effectively, such as various mental abilities, physical abilities or personality traits, depending on the job's requirements. See  SHRM Talent Assessment Center .

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5.7: What is Job Analysis?

• Last updated
• Save as PDF
• Page ID 47036
• Nina Burokas
• Lumen Learning

Learning Outcomes

• Describe the purpose of job analysis
• Identify the steps in the job analysis process
• Identify sources of information for job analysis

OPM (United States Office of Personnel Management) describes job analysis as “a systematic procedure for gathering, documenting, and analyzing information about the content, context, and requirements of the job.” [1]

Purpose of Job Analysis

The purpose of job analysis is to establish what a job entails, including the required knowledge, skills and abilities or KSA as well as job duties and responsibilities and the conditions of the job. Job analysis is essential documentation and a fundamental resource for human resources management actions including recruiting, compensation, training and assessment and performance evaluation. As OPM notes, “a job analysis is the foundation of human resources management. A valid job analysis provides data that should be used to develop effective recruitment, qualification and assessment, selection, performance management, and career development methodologies.” [2]

Job analysis serves four primary purposes:

• Establish and document job-related competencies
• Identify the job-relatedness of essential tasks and competencies
• Establish the legal basis for assessment and selection procedures/decisions
• Establish the basis for determining relative worth

Practice Question

https://assessments.lumenlearning.co...essments/18143

Steps in Job Analysis

Fundamentals of Human Resource Management authors DeCenzo, et.al. identify the following job-specific steps in the job analysis process: [3]

• Establish the organizational relevance of the specific role. Identify how the job relates to the organization’s strategy. Reality check: If there isn’t a clear connection, the job may not be necessary.
• Benchmark positions, if necessary. If it’s impractical to conduct an analysis of every role, jobs can be grouped into categories that have similar characteristics. This is analogous to grouping jobs into categories for compensation purposes, as discussed in Module 8: Compensation and Benefits.
• Identify inputs. Determine what data sources will be used and how information will be collected. Review data and information; clarify any questions.
• Draft the job description. Formats vary, but there are common and required elements, discussed in Job Descriptions.
• Finalize the job description. Review the draft job description with the job supervisor and make revisions as appropriate. The supervisor should approve the final job description.

Summary: The Job Analysis Process

The job analysis process, including inputs and output, are listed below. [4]

• Organization Chart
• Observations
• Questionnaires

Position Data / Information

• Purpose of Role
• Reporting Relationship
• Key Accountabilities
• Internal & External Communication
• Machines & Equipments
• Knowledge & Experience
• Job Description

https://assessments.lumenlearning.co...essments/18144

Sources of Information

As noted above, determining what a job consists of involves identifying sources of information and determining how data will be collected. Internal sources of information include published information including organizational charts, job announcements, position descriptions; direct or indirect (e.g., review of video) observation; input from management, employees and/or a relevant subject matter expert, obtained through interviews or via questionnaires. An additional option for collecting data is the diary method, where a job incumbent keeps a diary or log of daily activities.

Information obtained from internal sources can be supplemented with or compared with external data. A key source of information—relevant for career exploration and job analysis, as the site’s welcome notes—is the O*Net OnLine database. O*Net’s About states the site “is the nation’s primary source of occupational information. O*Net’s database is updated on a continual basis and “contains hundreds of standardized and occupation-specific descriptors on almost 1,000 occupations covering the entire U.S. economy.” The section of particular interest to job analysts and human resource management in general is the Content Module, which provides the “anatomy” or distinguishing characteristics of an occupation including knowledge, skills and abilities and other job dimensions.

O*Net data is organized in the following six major domains:

• Worker Characteristics. Enduring characteristics that may influence both performance and the capacity to acquire knowledge and skills required for effective work performance.
• Worker Requirements. Descriptors referring to work-related attributes acquired and/or developed through experience and education.
• Experience Requirements. Requirements related to previous work activities and explicitly linked to certain types of work activities.
• Occupational Requirements. A comprehensive set of variables or detailed elements that describe what various occupations require.
• Workforce Characteristics. Variables that define and describe the general characteristics of occupations that may influence occupational requirements.
• Occupation-Specific Information. Variables or other Content Model elements of selected or specific occupations.

https://assessments.lumenlearning.co...essments/18146

O*Net’s Content Model  page is interactive; data can be accessed by clicking on a particular section or domain. For example, clicking on Worker Requirements links to a page with four primary folders: Abilities, Occupational Interest, Work Values and Work Styles. Nested under Abilities, defined as “Enduring attributes of the individual that influence performance” are four folders: Cognitive Abilities, Psychomotor Abilities, Physical Abilities and Sensory Abilities.

Completing Job Analysis

As described by the OPM, a job analysis is “a study of what workers do on the job, what competencies are necessary to do it, what resources are used in doing it, and the conditions under which it is done.” [5] Note that a job analysis is not a job evaluation; that is, the analysis is not an evaluation of the person currently performing the job.

Conducting a job analysis includes the following processes:

• Collecting Data. Gathering information from published sources, observation, interviews, online databases, such as O*Net or career sites.
• Developing Tasks. Developing a description of the “activities an employee performs on a regular basis in order to carry out the functions of the job.” [6]
• Developing Competencies. Describing the knowledge, skills, abilities, behaviors, and other characteristics required for successful performance of the role or occupational function. For information on how to write competencies, refer to OPM’s Competencies Quick Tips sheet.
• Validating & Rating Tasks & Competencies. Subject matter expert (SME) review and rating of tasks and competencies. A director supervisor or highly accomplished incumbent would be considered SMEs.
• Finalizing Tasks & Competencies. Finalization of tasks and competencies; those that are not rated by SMEs are required to successfully perform the job are dropped. The job analysis should be documented for validity and dated to provide a reference for updates.

To elaborate on the rating point, the OPM recommends that tasks that are rated as both frequent (every few days to weekly) and important (on a scale from Not Important to Extremely Important) be considered critical for the job. The OPM ranks competencies based on importance and when the skill is needed—for example, on entry or within 6 months, recommending that competencies be considered critical if considered at least Important and needed within the first 3 months.

https://assessments.lumenlearning.co...essments/18145

• U.S. Office of Personnel Management. “ Frequently Asked Questions Assessment Policy .” U.S. Office of Personnel Management. OPM. Accessed October 14, 2019. ↵
• " Delegated Examining Operations Handbook: A Guide for Federal Agency Examining Offices. " U.S. Office of Personnel Management. June 2019. Accessed September 10, 2019. ↵
• DeCenzo, David A., Stephen P. Robbins, and Susan L Verhulst. 2016. Fundamentals of Human Resource Management . New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons ↵
• People Excellence Team. " What is Job Analysis ." pesync. August 28, 2018. Accessed September 10, 2019. ↵
• " Job Analysis ." United States Office of Personnel Management. Accessed September 10, 2019. ↵
• Ibid. ↵

Contributors and Attributions

• Untitled. Authored by : Free-Photos. Provided by : Pixabay. Located at : pixabay.com/photos/person-man-male-business-tablet-731479/. License : CC0: No Rights Reserved . License Terms : Pixabay License
• man and woman sitting on table photo. Authored by : LYCS Architecture. Provided by : Unsplash. Located at : https://unsplash.com/photos/U2BI3GMnSSE . License : CC0: No Rights Reserved . License Terms : Unsplash License

Module 5: Workforce Planning

What is job analysis, learning outcomes.

• Describe the purpose of job analysis
• Identify the steps in the job analysis process
• Identify sources of information for job analysis

OPM (United States Office of Personnel Management) describes job analysis as “a systematic procedure for gathering, documenting, and analyzing information about the content, context, and requirements of the job.” [1]

Purpose of Job Analysis

The purpose of job analysis is to establish what a job entails, including the required knowledge, skills and abilities or KSA as well as job duties and responsibilities and the conditions of the job. Job analysis is essential documentation and a fundamental resource for human resources management actions including recruiting, compensation, training and assessment and performance evaluation. As OPM notes, “a job analysis is the foundation of human resources management. A valid job analysis provides data that should be used to develop effective recruitment, qualification and assessment, selection, performance management, and career development methodologies.” [2]

Job analysis serves four primary purposes:

• Establish and document job-related competencies
• Identify the job-relatedness of essential tasks and competencies
• Establish the legal basis for assessment and selection procedures/decisions
• Establish the basis for determining relative worth

Practice Question

Steps in job analysis.

Fundamentals of Human Resource Management authors DeCenzo, et.al. identify the following job-specific steps in the job analysis process: [3]

• Establish the organizational relevance of the specific role. Identify how the job relates to the organization’s strategy. Reality check: If there isn’t a clear connection, the job may not be necessary.
• Benchmark positions, if necessary. If it’s impractical to conduct an analysis of every role, jobs can be grouped into categories that have similar characteristics. This is analogous to grouping jobs into categories for compensation purposes, as discussed in Module 8: Compensation and Benefits .
• Identify inputs. Determine what data sources will be used and how information will be collected. Review data and information; clarify any questions.
• Draft the job description. Formats vary, but there are common and required elements, discussed in Job Descriptions .
• Finalize the job description. Review the draft job description with the job supervisor and make revisions as appropriate. The supervisor should approve the final job description.

Summary: The Job Analysis Process

The job analysis process, including inputs and output, are listed below. [4]

• Organization Chart
• Observations
• Questionnaires

Position Data / Information

• Purpose of Role
• Reporting Relationship
• Key Accountabilities
• Internal & External Communication
• Machines & Equipments
• Knowledge & Experience
• Job Description

Sources of Information

As noted above, determining what a job consists of involves identifying sources of information and determining how data will be collected. Internal sources of information include published information including organizational charts, job announcements, position descriptions; direct or indirect (e.g., review of video) observation; input from management, employees and/or a relevant subject matter expert, obtained through interviews or via questionnaires. An additional option for collecting data is the diary method, where a job incumbent keeps a diary or log of daily activities.

Information obtained from internal sources can be supplemented with or compared with external data. A key source of information—relevant for career exploration and job analysis, as the site’s welcome notes—is the O*Net OnLine database. O*Net’s About states the site “is the nation’s primary source of occupational information. O*Net’s database is updated on a continual basis and “contains hundreds of standardized and occupation-specific descriptors on almost 1,000 occupations covering the entire U.S. economy.” The section of particular interest to job analysts and human resource management in general is the Content Module, which provides the “anatomy” or distinguishing characteristics of an occupation including knowledge, skills and abilities and other job dimensions.

O*Net data is organized in the following six major domains:

• Worker Characteristics. Enduring characteristics that may influence both performance and the capacity to acquire knowledge and skills required for effective work performance.
• Worker Requirements. Descriptors referring to work-related attributes acquired and/or developed through experience and education.
• Experience Requirements. Requirements related to previous work activities and explicitly linked to certain types of work activities.
• Occupational Requirements. A comprehensive set of variables or detailed elements that describe what various occupations require.
• Workforce Characteristics. Variables that define and describe the general characteristics of occupations that may influence occupational requirements.
• Occupation-Specific Information. Variables or other Content Model elements of selected or specific occupations.

O*Net’s Content Model  page is interactive; data can be accessed by clicking on a particular section or domain. For example, clicking on Worker Requirements links to a page with four primary folders: Abilities, Occupational Interest, Work Values and Work Styles. Nested under Abilities, defined as “Enduring attributes of the individual that influence performance” are four folders: Cognitive Abilities, Psychomotor Abilities, Physical Abilities and Sensory Abilities.

Completing Job Analysis

Conducting a job analysis includes the following processes:

• Collecting Data. Gathering information from published sources, observation, interviews, online databases, such as O*Net or career sites.
• Developing Tasks. Developing a description of the “activities an employee performs on a regular basis in order to carry out the functions of the job.” [6]
• Developing Competencies. Describing the knowledge, skills, abilities, behaviors, and other characteristics required for successful performance of the role or occupational function. For information on how to write competencies, refer to OPM’s Competencies Quick Tips sheet.
• Validating & Rating Tasks & Competencies. Subject matter expert (SME) review and rating of tasks and competencies. A director supervisor or highly accomplished incumbent would be considered SMEs.
• Finalizing Tasks & Competencies. Finalization of tasks and competencies; those that are not rated by SMEs are required to successfully perform the job are dropped. The job analysis should be documented for validity and dated to provide a reference for updates.

To elaborate on the rating point, the OPM recommends that tasks that are rated as both frequent (every few days to weekly) and important (on a scale from Not Important to Extremely Important) be considered critical for the job. The OPM ranks competencies based on importance and when the skill is needed—for example, on entry or within 6 months, recommending that competencies be considered critical if considered at least Important and needed within the first 3 months.

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• U.S. Office of Personnel Management. “ Frequently Asked Questions Assessment Policy .” U.S. Office of Personnel Management. OPM. Accessed October 14, 2019. ↵
• " Delegated Examining Operations Handbook: A Guide for Federal Agency Examining Offices. " U.S. Office of Personnel Management. June 2019. Accessed September 10, 2019. ↵
• DeCenzo, David A., Stephen P. Robbins, and Susan L Verhulst. 2016. Fundamentals of Human Resource Management . New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons ↵
• People Excellence Team. " What is Job Analysis ." pesync. August 28, 2018. Accessed September 10, 2019. ↵
• " Job Analysis ." United States Office of Personnel Management. Accessed September 10, 2019. ↵
• Ibid. ↵
• What is Job Analysis?. Authored by : Nina Burokas. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution
• Untitled. Authored by : Free-Photos. Provided by : Pixabay. Located at : https://pixabay.com/photos/person-man-male-business-tablet-731479/ . License : CC0: No Rights Reserved . License Terms : Pixabay License
• man and woman sitting on table photo. Authored by : LYCS Architecture. Provided by : Unsplash. Located at : https://unsplash.com/photos/U2BI3GMnSSE . License : CC0: No Rights Reserved . License Terms : Unsplash License

• People Management
• Personnel Management

Job Analysis - Job Description and Job Specification

Job analysis is primary tool in personnel management. In this method, a personnel manager tries to gather, synthesize and implement the information available regarding the workforce in the concern.

A personnel manager has to undertake job analysis so as to put right man on right job.

There are two outcomes of job analysis:

The information collected under job analysis is:

Advantages of Job Analysis

A personnel manger carries analysis in two ways :

Advantages of Job Description

Advantages of job specification.

From the above advantages, we can justify the importance of job analysis and it’s related products.

Both job description as well as job specification are important for personnel manager in personnel management function. Therefore, job analysis is considered to be the primary tool of personnel management .

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Authorship/Referencing - About the Author(s)

The article is Written By “Prachi Juneja” and Reviewed By Management Study Guide Content Team . MSG Content Team comprises experienced Faculty Member, Professionals and Subject Matter Experts. We are a ISO 2001:2015 Certified Education Provider . To Know more, click on About Us . The use of this material is free for learning and education purpose. Please reference authorship of content used, including link(s) to ManagementStudyGuide.com and the content page url.

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