Task-Oriented Job Analytic Techniques in More Detail:
You don't need to know a lot of detail about all of these, so some descriptions will be kept intentionally short. We will focus on the techniques that tend to be used most commonly or have been in the past.
T1: Time and Motion Studies (from Branick & Levine, 2002)
Job analytic method that focuses on measuring the time and sequence of steps involved in different tasks on the job with the aim of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of work.
T2: Task Inventory Approach
- Task statements are generated by SME.
- A separate set of SMEs examines the task list, put a check by the statements that describe their job, and rates each task they check off according to (a) the importance of the task, (b) the frequency of completing the task, and (c) the difficulty in completing the task.
Here’s an example of what a task inventory for the job of head restaurant chef might look like:
Task Statement |
Do you perform this task on your job? (Check this box if Yes) |
Relative other tasks, how much time do you spend on this task? (1 = much less time; 5 = much more time) |
Importance of the task to the job.
(1 = Not important at all; 5 = Extremely important) |
How difficult is the task?
(1 = not difficult at all; 5 = extremely difficult) |
1. Develop menus |
√ |
4 |
5 |
5 |
2. Clean tables |
|
|
|
|
3. Manage other cooks |
√ |
5 |
4 |
3 |
Etc… |
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The key thing to keep in mind here is the focus on the dimensions of task importance, difficulty, and time spent performing the task. Information like this can be very useful when trying to make decisions about how much to pay someone, for instance.
T3: Critical Incident Technique (Flanagan, 1954)
This technique involves interviews or open-ended surveys of SMEs that ask them to provide examples of really good or really bad performance. SMEs recall specific instances of work behavior on the job along with statements about the context (what led up to the behavior) and consequences of that behavior.
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