Position management reviews serve as a critical tool for assessing the alignment between an agency’s workforce structure and its operational needs. These reviews promote accountability, ensure accurate position descriptions, and guide organizational consistency with classification standards.
Key Insights
- Position management reviews aim to verify that agency review processes align with departmental policies and evaluate the match between organizational workload and grade structure.
- Reviews focus on the accuracy of position descriptions, managerial accountability, classification consistency, and identification of positions that support career progression.
- Targeted areas of review include evaluating high-grade non-supervisory roles, recently established positions, series classification accuracy, span of control, and the actual duties being performed compared to official position descriptions.
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 talk a little bit about position management reviews. Position management reviews are intended to check the health of an organization's position management program. Every agency should develop its own review process in line with any policies or guidelines established at a departmental level, normally in the headquarters.
And so, you want to make sure that you check to make sure that your agency has developed a review process according to the policies and guidelines that they have established. And so, I want to talk about the primary goals of these reviews. And so, these position management reviews provide for periodic management monitoring of the match between workload and grade structure and redesign positions accordingly.
They enhance management's awareness of the importance of the accuracy of position descriptions, ensuring the existence of a current, adequate, and accurate position description for each employee. Ensures managerial accountability for accuracy in assigning work commensurate with assigned position descriptions. Identifying bridge positions for career progression purposes.
Maintaining consistency of position classification with appropriate standards. Identifying problem areas or positions requiring classification action. Increasing understanding of managers' employees of the principles, uses, and objectives of position management and position classification.
And eliminating questionable positions and structures. When conducting a position management review, there are some specific targeted areas that you must look at. And so, these are very important when conducting a position management review.
And so, it should be a wide-ranging review. You should look at the number of GS-14s and 15s that are non-supervisory positions within that organization. Are they functioning at their current grade levels? You want to look at series 301 and 343 positions.
Are they properly classified into these series based on the current work being performed? Unusual or precedent-setting positions. Are they performing the duties and responsibilities outlined in the position description? You want to look at deputy and assistant chief positions. Are they really necessary and functioning as originally established? You want to look at positions established within the past 12 months.
Are the position descriptions accurately described? Are the position descriptions accurately describing the actual work being performed? You want to look at the span of control. Are spans of control too narrow, or are they in compliance with established guidelines and ranges? You want to look at the impact of the person on the job. This talks about an incumbent-only position.
Are the incumbents performing any additional high-level duties or tasks as described in their position description? You want to look at management official positions. Are the incumbents actually determining, influencing, or formulating the policy of the agency? You want to look at the overall grade structure. Does the current approved grade structure match the grade level of work being performed? And you also want to look at the areas of special interest, including test organization, current studies or projects, anything that is unique or special in the area of classification. You want to look at specific position management practices by examining average grades, the impact of current or proposed policies or procedures.
