Functional Job Analysis - Definition, Template, & Examples for Students

Functional job analysis, also known as FJA, is an approach that creates standardized information about the performer and the work performed. The tool was developed by the Employment and Training Administration of the US Department of Labor. Companies apply this method to determine the fundamental duties of a job position, identify the skills and competencies required, and create a constructive job description.

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🔤 What Is Functional Job Analysis?

A functional job analysis is a system that seeks to identify all job characteristics and evaluate their importance to the job. For instance, it assesses such characteristics as the level of instruction and supervision required and the intensity of training needed to do the job correctly.

Functional job analysis applies to all organizational positions due to its completeness. It helps recognize the necessary personnel changes and improve the motivation system. Also, using job analysis allows to determine the effectiveness of every individual and team.

Purposes of a Functional Job Analysis

Although conducting a functional job analysis is the task of the HR department, its outcomes generate value for the entire organization. Here are some purposes that job analysis helps companies to achieve:

1. Identifying personnel requirements. HR managers can use the results of the functional job analysis to establish the minimum qualifications for positions inside the company.
2. Promoting career mobility. The method allows for the development of job mobility programs to retain high-performing employees by offering them new career opportunities within the company.
3. Improving efficiency. Functional job analysis helps organizations enhance workplace efficiency by evaluating activities and optimizing how employees do their job.
4. Complying with laws and regulations. Using this approach, HR managers can ensure that all job-related factors, such as working conditions, salary, and safety, comply with federal and state regulations.
5. Developing employee training. Having identified the knowledge, abilities, and skills needed for a particular job, HR managers can determine skill gaps and develop appropriate training programs.
6. Ensuring workers’ health and safety. The analysis can detect risky behaviors and hazardous working situations with an increased likelihood of accidents and injury. By addressing the identified threats, the company can create a safer workplace.

📊 What Is Analyzed in a Functional Job Analysis?

Functional job analysis examines three types of work data:

• Work activities: information about specific actions that constitute a job.
• Work attributes: data on the employee’s qualifications needed to perform the job.
• Work context: information about the external and internal environment of the job.

When performing an analysis, HR managers divide the job into smaller work units, including job, position, duties, tasks, activities, and elements. The first unit — the job — is an umbrella term for a set of similar positions, for example, a receptionist. Subsequent units add details to the job description, making it more precise. For instance, duties include general activities expected of an employee, such as hospitality activities for visitors. Meanwhile, job elements include the smallest identifiable work units, such as answering the phone.

📋 Functional Job Analysis Template

The framework of functional job analysis consists of 5 practical steps:

1. Identify your purpose. Understanding the reason why you want to conduct the analysis is vital. It will determine the focus of your inquiry, the budget, and the stakeholders.
2. Determine the particular job responsibilities. You can accomplish this by observing or interviewing employees or administering job analysis questionnaires. A work log with a record of employees’ daily activities can also be helpful.
3. Group the information. The next step is categorizing the job responsibilities into distinct functions and highlighting the crucial ones.
4. Conduct the analysis. HR managers compile the collected information to create a comprehensive job description. Statistical analysis methods can be used if much quantitative data has been obtained.
5. Examine the impact of the results. Use the analysis outcomes to achieve the set purpose, for example, develop job specifications or make compensation decisions.