Job analysis: gathering information
Gathering information from current post-holders and managers can help to answer some of your questions about the job and the appropriate person to fill it. There are various ways of gathering this information
Questionnaires or inventories
The current post-holder and their line manager record the tasks that make up the job on a day to day basis. A more sophisticated inventory could rate each task based on the time it takes, the complexity, and the consequences of error. The higher ratings will highlight those tasks that are essential to the job. This method works well with jobs which are well-defined and predictable.
Diaries
Diaries work in a similar way to questionnaires and inventories. The current post-holder records what they do each day over a set period (eg two weeks). This is a simple and cost-effective method of gathering information about the content of a particular job from the perspective of the person currently carrying out that job. A diary may be more accurate than an inventory as it responsive – recording how much time the postholder really spends on various tasks rather than asking them to estimate. Analysing the results may however, be more time consuming.
Work logs
Rather than recording what they do each day, as with a diary, the post-holder has a pre-defined list of skills and/or activities and records each time they use each skill or carry out each activity over a set period (eg two weeks). Again this is fairly cost effective, although some time will have to be taken to develop the initial list of skills and activities and to analyse the results.
Observation
Rather than the post-holder recording what they do in a diary or work log, an observer can keep notes on the tasks which make up the job. This prevents disruption to the current post-holder but is less cost effective as it requires the observer to spend their day recording another person's activities. Other issues with this approach are that the post-holder under observation may feel uncomfortable and will need to be reassured about the purpose of the exercise, and if more than one observer is used they may not be consistent.
Focus groups
A group of employees from across the organisation meet. Each member of the group presents a different job: its main purpose, key accountabilities, principal activities and performance indicators. The group then ‘brainstorms’ the range of qualities needed to perform each role. This approach is time consuming and labour intensive but may be appropriate if seeking to review several roles within the organisation at the same time.
Interviews
Unlike the methods discussed above, interviews can be used to discuss with the current post-holder events which were unexpected and outside their usual day to day tasks. Exit interviews with outgoing staff may be a particularly useful source of information regarding any problems with the job, and the ways in which the job has evolved in the time that the current post-holder has been in place.
Performance management schemes
A performance management scheme is an ongoing process whereby both individual employees and teams develop and improve their performance through a dialogue with managers. This dialogue can take many forms including performance reviews, coaching, setting goals and measuring the achievement of those goals. The emphasis is on a two-way dialogue, so rather than managers setting non-negotiable goals for employees, employees are equally encouraged to share their expectations, direct their own development and explain what tools and support they need to perform better at their job.
Performance management schemes have obvious benefits in terms of retention and progression of employees, but the information that is gained through performance management schemes can also be useful when carrying out a job analysis. It may reveal ways that the job has changed since its initial inception, identify support that employees in the job need, or suggest ways that systems and structures could be changed to make the job more accessible.
Tips
A limitation of all these approaches is that they may result in the job being done the same way it has been done in the past, rather than thinking about ways it could be done differently. Therefore, while current post-holders can be a useful source of information, it is important to be aware that their way of carrying out the job may not be the only way it can be done.
