The KSA Competency Analysis Worksheet guides the process of identifying, ranking, and refining key knowledge, skills, and abilities for inclusion in a job analysis. Properly documenting and combining related competencies ensures alignment with job requirements and informs position classification.
Key Insights
- List and evaluate each KSA by ranking its importance, determining whether it is essential for the job, and noting if it should be combined with another competency.
- Create a final, refined list of five core KSAs by merging overlapping competencies, ensuring they are measurable and job-relevant for the vacancy announcement.
- Use the results of the job analysis to inform position management and classification, ensuring that grade levels and job structures align with organizational mission needs.
This lesson is a preview from our Federal Position Management Course and Certified Federal HR Business Partner (cFHRBP) Level III Certificate Program. Enroll in a course for detailed lessons, live instructor support, and project-based training.
Let's look at the KSA Competency Analysis Worksheet. And so you want to list all of the competencies and their ranking. And you want to identify whether or not they are essential to bring to the job.
And you want to list whether or not you need to combine that KSA or competency with another KSA or competency that was already identified. And so, as you can see, under-documenting your analysis, you must fairly document all of the KSAs and competencies that you identified. You must identify what ranking they hold.
You must identify if they are essential to bring them to the job when selected for the job. And then you want to list whether or not that KSA or competency is complete, or if it needs additional rewording, or if it needs to be in combination with another KSA or competency. And so there's a list of all of the KSAs that were identified in exercise 4-1.
And so you want to be able to look at those, identify the ranking order in all of them, and so you can understand the process. And so once you've had those KSAs and competencies listed, you want to take another look at them and put them in a final list. And so that final list will have them listed in rank order, already combined from the KSA competency analysis sheet, you want them to already be combined and list them in rank order.
And so the initial list of KSAs, one, the ability to interpret and apply regulations, two, the ability to communicate in writing, three, the ability to communicate orally, and we combine that with the ability to meet and deal, four, knowledge to navigate, knowledge of navigable waters, ability to meet and deal, ability to make decisions, we're going to combine that with the ability to work closely with associates, the ability to plan and organize work, we're combining that with the ability to analyze, the ability to remain calm and effective under pressure, there's no way to measure that. And so you want to list it, but you want to indicate that there's no way to measure it. Number nine, the ability to work closely with associates, and we've already combined, we're going to combine that with the ability to make decisions.
Number 10, the ability to analyze, and we're going to combine that with the ability to plan and organize work, the ability to accept added responsibility, the minimum requirement, which is the minimum requirement for all. Number 12, knowledge of construction, and that knowledge can be gained during the first year on the job. And so that's the initial list of the KSAs and what we need to do with them.
And then our final list of the KSAs, once we narrow them down and combine them, so that we can have a good, solid five KSAs to put in the job analysis, and that will eventually get included in the vacancy announcement. One, the ability to interpret and apply regulations; two, the ability to communicate in writing; three, the ability to communicate orally with both coworkers and agency clients and contractors; four, the ability to make decisions both independently and cooperatively within a team; five, the ability to analyze, plan, and organize work. And so those are the steps and the process needed for preparing a job analysis, all right? And so next, we're going to move on to position management and classification.
And so when you're using the classification process in the position management process, you want to consider the grade levels and correct occupations for positions involved. Look at the grades because they should be commensurate with the work necessary to accomplish the mission. And you never want to change one position without considering its impact on others.
