OPM's Classification and Qualification Systems: A Renewed Emphasis, A changing Perspective

In this report, the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board MSPB assesses some of the significant actions recently taken by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management OPM. Specifically, the report reviews OPMs stewardship of the Federal Governments position classification and qualifications rating systems, with a special focus on the development and use of generic classification and qualification standards. Position classification is a basic building block upon which much of the Federal personnel management system is built. It provides a means to identify, describe, and evaluate the work which Government employees perform. Decisions about who is qualified to do a job and how much they should be paid for their efforts inexorably flow from the classification. Once the classification of a job has been determined, action can be taken to fill it, either through the recruitment of a new employee, or through the placement or promotion of a current employee. The qualifications rating system is central to this latter process, as it governs who may be considered eligible to fill the job.