Job Inventory

Eduity is built on the idea that everyone can do better and make more by planning and developing together. Our goal is to make this inherently complex undertaking easy. Job inventorying is the starting point.

What is a job inventory?

A job inventory identifies everything that is supposed to be done in all parts of an organization, the competencies and skills involved in doing those jobs, and the number of employees needed to do them. Job inventorying has to be collaborative because everyone has different ideas and information about jobs. Indeed, one of the main purposes of job inventorying is to “get everyone on the same page,” to establish a shared understanding about what needs to be done, how, when, and where. Our goal is to make job inventorying easy and useful.

Is job inventorying just for open jobs?

A complete job inventory contains all jobs in an organization. If you identify a job only when it is open, it can take months to fill it, and literally takes years for someone to prepare for it. Inventorying all jobs allows you to reduce if not eliminate the lag. And, when a job needs to be filled, the job inventory contains a description and requirements that has consensus of key personnel, and makes it easy to get the right people get hired quickly, with less cost, and less turnover.

Does a job inventory help with organizational design and planning?

Yes! A job inventory contains not just what personnel think is done currently, it can also contain contingencies for changing market conditions, plans for changes and improvements, such as implementing Agile or Lean, and even competing views about what jobs are or should be. Job inventories make it easy for executives to identify areas of disagreement, conflicting or duplicate roles, and uncertainty that can hamstring organizations. It also enables them to pose “what if” questions and get clear answers about how the organization might respond.

What about really important jobs… or jobs that really aren’t important?

Job inventories should include all jobs. Eduity job inventorying enables everyone to identify jobs’ importance. The goal is to tap collective, practical knowledge about what needs to get done and about what jobs really are. A fundamental issue in organizations is that the executives and managers often have different ideas about what jobs are—and how important jobs are—than those who depend on and do those jobs. This issue can torpedo performance and lead to frustration for everyone.

Job inventorying lets workers see where they stand, and where they might create more value. This improves employee retention and development by empowering people to achieve better fit between their abilities and interests and their jobs. Thus, job inventorying helps employers save a lot of money while improving performance.

Who controls the job inventory?

Eduity users who “own” a job inventory can control who else can see, rate, contribute to, and comment on particular jobs—and on components of jobs, for that matter. Job inventory owners identify basically the ideal for the job, or what future jobs will be. Owners can delegate these rights to other “contributor” users or let them edit the jobs, and they can give users “reviewer” rights to jobs. These rights can also be assigned for organizational units (departments, divisions, etc.) and sub-units (centers, groups, plants, regions, teams, etc.).

Does job inventorying show who actually does a job?

Nope, that’s capability mapping, which will be added in the near future. A capability map captures what person can do, does, has done, and would like to do in the future. It’s both a career plan and a resume but also more. A capability map literally maps a person to jobs and to any kind of educational, personal, or voluntary experience. It also provides a way to connect and collaborate with others to do better and make more.

How do I get involved or get more information?

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