Better Understand Your Jobs to Better Equip Your Workforce

Rooted in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, job analysis is essential for numerous HR functions. This systematic approach involves collecting, documenting, and analyzing job-related information within an organization. It offers a thorough understanding of job requirements, including responsibilities, necessary knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs), as well as the work environment.

DCI employs a multi-method approach to ensure accurate and reliable insights. Our methods include:

• Reviewing existing job descriptions, performance data, and other relevant documents

• Observing employees perform their job responsibilities to gain firsthand insights 

• Leading discussions with job incumbents, supervisors, and other subject matter experts to capture comprehensive perspectives

• Distributing job analysis surveys to capture quantitative data on job requirements

This evidence-based process results in a detailed understanding of job requirements, which can inform a number of HR processes.

• Develop clear, detailed job descriptions that outline essential job functions/responsibilities and the KSAOs sought in a candidate

• Enhance legal defensibility of HR processes by grounding them in job-related, merit-based characteristics and aligning them with regulations, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

• Develop and validate hiring selection tools that accurately measure job-relevant KSAOs and predict job performance

• Create fair, structured performance appraisal criteria based on lists of job requirements

• Identify knowledge and skill gaps and design targeted training programs to upskill employees

• Support equitable compensation structures by comparing information about job responsibilities across roles and to the market

• Facilitate strategic workforce planning by understanding the KSAOs needed for advancement across roles

DCI staff have conducted hundreds of job analyses across both public and private sector industries, from entry level laborer positions to C-suite roles using a variety of data collection methodologies and for a variety of purposes, including both proactive contexts and in the context of litigation as testifying or consulting experts.