What’s in a Job Description?

*Note*

I have to give credit where credit is due. I am not 100% sure where this excerpt is from, however it has been instrumental as a foundation builder for me. Please enjoy and Thanks to whom ever wrote this; its been successful for me.

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What’s in a Job Description?A thorough, detailed job description should contain the following components:
· Administrative Information
· Reporting Structure
· Metrics
· Job Functions and Contributions
· Required Competencies
· Interaction / Impact Matrix
· Other
· Sign Off and Routing

Part 1

Administrative InformationThis section includes basic information about the position: job title, a short description of the job and its purpose, company name, geographic location, branch or department, supervisor’s name, supervisor’s job title, salary target, special benefits, relocation reimbursement status, special requirements such as drug testing or security clearance, and a revision date for this particular draft of the job description.

The most important part of this section is a concise statement of the purpose of the job, which should be a single-sentence statement indicating what the employee is expected to achieve and how he is expected to achieve it.

Part 2

Reporting StructureThis section includes an organization chart that shows exactly where the position fits in the organizational hierarchy. Any “dotted line” relationships should be clearly delineated. The position of the job in the organizational hierarchy gives valuable information about its significance and the ability of the employee to make progress and influence decisions.

Part 3

MetricsThis section includes metrics that are relevant to the job. These will vary considerably between jobs but might include: annual budgets; annual revenue targets; number of staff supervised and direct reports; number of customer accounts; number of contracts responsible for; and number of brands managed.

Part 4

Job Functions and ContributionsThis section briefly describes the functions of the job. Statements should be phrased in terms of the purpose and the result to be accomplished, rather than the manner in which the function is performed. For example, “Responsible for monthly consolidation of affiliate forecasts and communicating identified inventory shortages to demand planners” is far better than “Diligently perform forecasting duties”.

Itemize the key job functions for a position and record them in a matrix. In a separate column, record the percentage of time the function is performed (should total 100%). Do not list non-essential job functions if they are done less than 5% of the time. In another column, note when the function is performed (e.g. daily, monthly, quarterly). In a final column, put a check mark if the function is essential (i.e. fundamental duties that the individual holding the job must be able to perform.

Part 5

Required CompetenciesThis is where you define the knowledge, skills, abilities, and attributes that the candidate needs to have. We recommend you create a matrix that includes the following information: the competency; the experience, education or certification that is required; the function which the competency supports (going back to the functions matrix you prepared in Job Functions and Contributions above); and, finally, checkboxes as to whether the competency is a Minimum Requirement (i.e. they can’t have the job if they don’t have it) or if it is a Preferred Requirement (nice to have but not essential).

Part 6

Interaction/Impact MatrixCreate an exhaustive list of relevant interaction entities (e.g. Marketing, External Customers, Administrative Assistant, Use of Wireless Technology, etc.) in one column. Then, where appropriate, apply check marks for the following interaction types, each of which has its own column in the matrix: Performs Services For; Negotiates With / Influences; Provides Recommendations To; Supervises; Provides Directions To; and Develops Strategies For. This provides a good understanding of the position and how it will interact and influence other entities within your organization.

Part 7

OtherThis section captures other elements of the job. Include a short narrative section that gives incremental insights into the context in which the employee will do the job. Important aspects of the environment (e.g. “The plant in which this employee came to our company through our recent acquisition of ABC Company”). This catch-all section might also be used to address the decision-making powers of the position. What types of decisions can be made autonomously by the employee and which will require consultation with senior management? This section completes the job description such that it is fully described in all important respects.

Lean Six Sigma and Talent Management

Lean Six Sigma and Talent Management

A few years ago when I began to read numerous articles and case studies concerning the now famous “Six Sigma” and “Lean”methodologies, I thought that this was something that in essence applied only to manufacturing. I’ve read about all of the variations and theories and I have now come to the clear conclusion that this is simply not true.

Six Sigma, Lean, Kanban, JIT, WIP, DMAIC: these are all significant process improvement methods that if thought out and applied correctly can change the face of an organization. Regardless of which theory you subscribe to, each will complement the other.

In a recent study that I was introduced to written by Michael George it talks about how Six Sigma and Lean can and does apply to services. How does this relate to service oriented professions? We all know Jack Welch and the success that he attained while at the helm of GE. By effectively implementing DMAIC, Jack was able to truly define and revolutionize the way the top companies in the fortune 20 conduct business.

DMAIC – Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control.

Let’s look at how this can be applied to professional services,specifically within an HR management firm (an EPO), where multiple clients are serviced respective to their individual needs. According to Jack Welch, “The best Six Sigma projects begin not inside the business but outside it, focused on answering the question — how can we make the customer more competitive? What is critical to the customer’s success? One thing we have discovered with certainty is that anything we do that makes the customer more successful inevitably results in a financial return for us.”

After a very brief brainstorm, it has become clear.

What will make my client more competitive?

- Recruiting and attracting Q-Talent or Quality talent.

What is critical to the customers’ success?

- Retaining the Q-Talent

The services provided in this example are directly related to the recruitment and management of quality talent (Q Talent), and retained employees. Obviously the project scope is not included here in this Blog entry, but in short:

How do we approach the project?

Utilizing the DMAIC series of steps one can: Define the issues at hand within the respective client/project, Measure it, Analyze the potential causes, develop and implement improvements, and in the end Control the corrected process developed.

So what does all of this mean?

With a focused urgency and proper implementation, DMAIC will result in a higher quality of output; that is: Increased quality and Less quality costs resulting in greatly increased margins.

So what about Lean?

Lean is another process by which we can measure quality and ultimately WIP (Work in Progress). In essence, “Lean will effectively increase velocity. Increased velocity means less WIP.”

Jack Welch: “This will ultimately determine which activities are value added, and which are not? By joining these two unique but similar methods, Jack was able to create one of the greatest and most respected cost saving methods known to modern business.