How to conduct a functional job analysis

Functional job analysis, developed by the Employment and Training Administration of the United States Department of Labor, is concerned with qualitative analysis of a job role and worker that produces unique information based on the employee’s behaviour and actions.

FJA breaks down job roles into seven areas: things, data, worker instructions, reasoning, people, maths and language. Analysis of worker actions within these areas plays a key part of the Functional Job Analysis process.

Better understanding of the employee and the role are positive benefits of FJA, but it can be harder to standardise the analysis across an organisation due to the emphasis on qualitative rather than quantitative

Functional job analysis is a process for obtaining detailed information about the tasks, duties, and responsibilities associated with a particular job. The purpose of this analysis is to identify the specific skills, knowledge, and abilities required to perform the job successfully. This information can then be used to develop job descriptions, performance standards, and training programs.

Functional job analysis is usually conducted by interviewing incumbents or subject matter experts and observing workers as they perform their jobs. The resulting data are then analyzed and compiled into a report that includes a task list, a description of the skills required to perform each task, and a list of the knowledge and abilities required for the job as a whole.

This type of analysis is particularly helpful in identifying the training and development needs of employees. It can also be used to assess the suitability of candidates for specific positions and to determine whether current employees have the necessary skills to assume new responsibilities.

Functional job analysis is a method to gather specific data about job information. A job description is created using the unique information produced based on the employee’s behaviors and actions. 

The United States Department of Labor fabricated the functional job analysis method of job analysis (DOL). It is used to examine a job’s requirements, assign the right candidate for that job, examine the candidate’s education and skills, and assign them the correct job position. This strategy entails a thorough analysis of a person’s talents and general qualifications concerning the needs and expectations of their specific job in a broader framework. 

This sort of job analysis is used in both the private and public sectors to assure that job candidates and present workers can perform their jobs in a safe and productive manner.

The information to be collected during functional job analysis includes duties and tasks, tools and equipment, work environment, and so on.

The requirements and responsibilities of a job position are recorded in a document called ‘functional job description.’ The document also mentions the tasks to be performed and how they are assessed.

Purpose of functional analysis

Employees are the most important resources of a company. Employers know this, and they want to hire the right people. A thorough job analysis makes sure that the company invests in the right kind of employees. Evaluating a person’s job skills, experience, education, and ability to perform the job helps choose the right employees for the organization. Functional job analysis also informs employees on the task at hand as well as the qualifications required to accomplish it successfully.

This method focuses on the unique abilities and limitations of the employees. This makes it a valuable tool for employers to assess how each position in their company affects overall operations. Companies and organizations may examine almost every facet of a profession and how an individual’s unique blend of physical, mental, and social talents affects their performance in that capacity by conducting evaluations from this perspective. According to the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, functional analysis can also be used to manage the transition of injured employees returning to work with their healthcare professionals.

Different job analysis methods –

There are different methods to conduct a functional job analysis, such as-

  • Survey method
  • Interview method
  • Record method
  • By observation
  • By test

How to perform a functional job analysis?

There are 5 main steps to performing a functional job analysis.

  1. Determine the goal of the job position
  2. Determine the analysis method
  3. Collect relevant data
  4. Examine the data
  5. Analyze the data and understand the impact.

7 related areas from which the job analysis gathers information

  1. Things
  2. Data
  3. Worker instructions
  4. Reasoning
  5. People
  6. Math
  7. Language

How to build a functional job analysis?

The first step in building a functional job analysis is to identify the duties and responsibilities of a particular role. The next step is to group these duties into specific functions. Then these functions have to be analyzed to write a job description.

What is the functional job analysis technique?

Functional Job Analysis is the practice of examining either a job's requirements and assigning the right candidate for that job or examining the candidate's qualifications and skills and assigning the right job to that candidate. It also functions in reverse by not matching the wrong candidate to a job or vice versa.

What is a functional job analysis and example?

What is a Functional Job Analysis? A functional job analysis is a process that is used to identify the essential functions of a job. This information can then be used to create a job description and determine the skills and abilities that are needed for the job.

What are the steps in conducting a job analysis?

STEP 1: COLLECT INFORMATION ABOUT THE JOB. A good place to start is by reviewing materials that describe the work performed on the job. ... .
STEP 2: LIST THE TASKS. ... .
STEP 3: IDENTIFY THE CRITICAL TASKS. ... .
STEP 4: IDENTIFY THE CRITICAL COMPETENCIES..

What are the three 3 approaches of conducting a job work analysis?

Three methods of Job Analysis are based on observation. These are- Direct Observation; Work Method Analysis, including time and motion studies and micro-motion analysis; and critical incident method.