Definitions of Terms Used in Class Specifications

These terms used in class specifications and are defined here to ensure consistent understanding of the terms so that positions can be properly allocated.

• General Terms
• Information Technology Terms

General Terms

Administrative

Duties which are generally carried out in support of work in a program area/unit and which specifically relate to the direction and/or control of that program area/unit or function within an area/unit. For example, hiring new employees would be administrative, but making hiring policy decisions would not necessarily be. Examples of duties include conducting complex research, monitoring policy and procedure implementation and compliance, completing special projects, and acting as a liaison between offices.

Administrator

An individual assigned to a class in the Professional Management, Professions, or Administration group, or a faculty administrator.

Automotive

Of, relating to, or concerned with automotive vehicles or machines.

Clerical

Duties which involve office operations and communications. Common clerical duties include greeting and routing visitors, answering telephone calls, composing routine “form” correspondence, operating office equipment, maintaining files, ordering office supplies on approval of higher level supervisor, and sorting and distributing mail.

Full-service postal facility

A postal facility that provides all of the following services: pick-up, sorting, deliver, and, through contracts with the U.S. Postal Service, stamp sales, metered, bulk, insured, certified, and registered mail.

Maintaining

Duties which involve preserving, repairing, renewing, storing, keeping, securing, caring for, controlling, and/or sustaining.

Managing

Duties which involve guiding the operation of a program area or work unit. Managers generally have broad authority for making policy decisions regarding the program area, personnel policies or procedures, and/or budget preparation or administration.

Paraprofessional work

Work that supports a profession with detailed work processes specific to that profession.

Partial-service postal facility

A postal facility that provides some but not all services included in a full-service facility.

Professional

Work performed by incumbents who possess a specific body of knowledge generally representative of a specific occupational field. Duties involve making decisions related to work in the occupational field. Minimum qualifications normally require a degree in the occupational field.

Professional accounting

Work requiring the application of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).

Professional personnel functions

Activities in the areas of employment, training, classification and pay, benefits, and labor/employee relations requiring advanced training and/or specialized education.

Secretarial

Duties serving as a personal assistant to one particular supervisor/manager and clerical duties as described above. Personal assistant duties include maintaining the supervisor’s calendar, making travel arrangements for the supervisor and preparing requests for reimbursement, composing routine correspondence, taking and transcribing dictation, screening the supervisor’s telephone calls and mail, and arranging the supervisor’s meeting.

Sophisticated

Term refers to equipment which is advanced, complex, and complicated and requires functional training provided by the manufacturer or other comparable source.

Specialized

Term used to describe work equipment, materials, etc., that have a particular character or function requiring distinct knowledge or usage unique to a specific environment.

Supervising

Duties which involve planning and directing the day-to-day work activities of at least two other employees. Supervisory duties include the authority to hire, transfer, suspend, promote, discharge, assign tasks, reward, evaluate, approve salary increases, discipline, or to effectively recommend such action. Supervisory duties must be the primary responsibility of the position. The incumbent must spend more than 50 percent of the time engaged in supervisory duties.

Technical

Work which requires a particular skill, ability, or practical knowledge, usually in a scientific or mechanical occupational field and which may require the use of specialized equipment or machinery.

Information Technology Terms

“Addressing Intangibles of Organization Sensitivities”

Able to work effectively with internal politics. Expected to work with diverse constituencies. High level of diplomacy required.

Complex Technical Applications/Business Applications/Application Systems

In general, overall numbers of personnel involved, length of time for development and implementation, and/or number of units affected are part of determining the complexity of IT activities. Large-scale projects or applications tend to be considered as complex. Projects tend toward development of new systems.

Creativity

Original works, new systems, and applications not existing previously. Example: Converting a network operating environment from Novell to Windows.

Innovation

Derivative works, incremental change, and new uses for existing systems. Example: Upgrading server for new software release.

Major Technology Area or Discipline

Disciplines are defined to reflect the market changes in IT specialty areas and provide an initial focus for the job classification efforts. The concept of discipline is intended to meet the university’s need to categorize information technology personnel by the general nature of their work. Multiple working titles can exist within each discipline and are defined via the job description:

Applications

Creates and maintains user-oriented applications. Develops user interfaces, application functions, and interfaces between applications. Integrates database development. Focused a level above the operating system and system utilities and the network. Applications should implement prescribed security policies. Application requirements come from users or technical support specialties.

Business

Business specialists and technology generalists. Align technology with business strategies, communicate and clarify business needs, contribute to development of long-range system plans, and ensure products and services are aligned with business needs. Conduct business process analysis, needs assessments, and preliminary cost/benefit measurements. Broker other IT services and communicate trends and requirements between customers and IT.

Data

Designs and maintains database systems and data. Develops applications using the DBMS standalone or integrated with a larger application. Supports development and query environments. Focused a level above the operating system and system utilities and the network. Data solutions should implement prescribed security policies. Data requirements come from users or technical support specialties.

Network

Designs and maintains the connections between systems. Specifies cable types, network configuration, and switching/routing devices. Configures and tests network devices. Works with application developers and system administrators to ensure the network will support the needs of the systems. Works with technical support to troubleshoot network problems. Implements network-level security.

Research

Research specialists and technology generalists. Conduct research in IT-related areas. Align technology with high-level research strategies, communicate and clarify research needs, contribute to development of long-range department plans, and ensure products and services are aligned with the needs of the research unit.

Support

Emphasis is on helping users fully utilize existing IT tools. Escalation procedures will be site- or organizationally-based and may be vertical within a title or horizontal across IT disciplines. These positions may require a skill or perform a function found in another family, but that should not constitute the principal responsibility of their job. Additionally, trains IT personnel on techniques, technologies, and tools. Develops curriculum and support material. Requires strong technical and presentation skills.

Systems

Focused on the operating systems, file systems, and system utilities. Maintains system configurations. Applies patches and upgrades to OS as necessary. Integrates hardware, OS, and applications to optimize system. Implements system security and access controls. Supports applications development, content development, technical support, and network engineering.

Moderately Complex IT Projects

In general, overall numbers of personnel involved, length of time for development and implementation, and/or number of units affected are part of determining the complexity of IT activities. Small-scale projects or applications tend to be considered as moderately complex. Projects may tend toward enhancements and extensions of existing systems.

Non-Supervisory “Managerial and/or Administrative Responsibilities”

This includes strategic planning and budgeting and participation on university-wide committees and projects.

“Output Produced or Result Accomplished Cannot be Standardized in Relation to a Given Period of Time”

Cannot predict precisely how long a project will take or what precise methods will be used to complete the project. Each project presents unique challenges and the time required to complete it is difficult or impossible to predict.

“Perform Primary Design and Interface Responsibilities for Organization-Wide Systems”

The employee’s sphere of influence or job responsibilities are larger than the immediate unit.