The historical problem with the spread of responsible and sustainable job and occupational analysis has been threefold.
In other words, occupational analysts couldn't do for themselves what they strived to do for other job families - structure jobs to empower workers to get the job done. A dedicated occupational analyst was the key element and as soon as he or she moved or was promoted - internal occupational analysis programs dried up and blew away.
When Sensible Systems, Inc. (SSI) introduced the IBM PC-compatible version of the Comprehensive Occupational Data Analysis Programs (CODAP) system, all the dynamics changed. For $1500 in hardware, an occupational analyst can "line up" all the computer resources that are required. With SSI's "atCODAP" system, either as a service bureau (i.e., a NO HARDWARE solution for $7K TO $10K per job family) or as an end-user license ($50K menu-driven software) an occupational analyst can be the master of his or her own OA program.
Making hardware and software available, however, has never been sufficient to ensure successful change. Sensible promoted their "SAFETI" checklist approach. "SAFETI" stands for Scenario Analysis For Effective Technology Integration -- a method based on visualizing how new work flows would evolve if the technology were properly used. In some cases, this is as easy as finding a model organization where the technology (or something very similar) is currently working. The challenge is to determine how to translate the work flow from one organizational setting to another. The SAFETI checklist method instructs one to find the largest model organization possible. In large organizations the workflow would have already been broken into the most manageable, natural divisions. Smaller organizations would not adopt the same breakouts -- but combine functions to be performed by fewer, more multi-skilled individuals. If the new organization needs to expand in the future, a strategy for expansion is already available. During the initial technology insertion, however, a stepwise process is recommended. Transitional stages are constructed to facilitate stepwise movement from current work patterns to new, optimal work patterns integrating the implanted technology.
For integrating Sensible's occupational analysis products, potential users were encouraged to use the Service Bureau for the first several projects to ensure end-products could be used as expected. If management found the occupational products - job descriptions, job requirements profiles, career path maps satisfactory for a given occupational area, then they would be encouraged to take the technology totally in-house for future projects.
Educating Occupational Analysts and Training atCODAP Users
All that remains is to train occupational analysts. A cooperative program with the Ohio State University served that purpose for several years under the direction of Dr. James E. Sage. With his move to private consulting (he's in China as this page is being developed), SSI has decided to move training both into face-to-face formats and on-the-web accessibility. Being a small company which views itself as a major "technology platform provider", the more training we can provide for free on the web, the more potential customers we'll have. This site will contain all handout materials used in our training course: "atCODAP 101 - An Introduction to Occupational Analysis for the Twenty First Century".
Samples used for training in this web site draw on data from the 1991 international survey (Australia, Canada, & United States) of "CODAP Practitioners" initiated by the Network of Occupational Analysts (NOA) in Australia and processed by Sensible Systems, Inc. This same data set was used in "A Study of Occupational Analysis Practitioners" at the Eighth International Analysts Workshop in 1993.