Expert Panels
Expert Panels have been established for each of the 20 job functions and will assist in the redesign project by helping to define job families, job classifications (jobs) and job family progressions within their specific function.
Role of the Expert Panel
Selection Criteria and Membership
Expert Panel Process
Expert Panel Examples
University Evaluation Criteria
- Assist in defining job families, job classifications (jobs) and job family progressions within their function
- Support career development by grouping jobs with similar responsibilities, forming career progressions
- Work collaboratively with their fellow expert panel members and consult as needed with others within the function and across the University to identify positions which are found across multiple departments within the University
- Identify jobs that are outliers; that is, jobs that do not fit within a job family
- Complete a three phase process. The work of the expert panels began in late January and is expected to be complete by April 15, 2009.
Selection Criteria and Membership
Approximately 200 individuals were selected to participate in the expert panel process because of their professional, management or technical knowledge, skills and experience for the specific function.
Selection Criteria
- Individuals identified to serve on an expert panel were selected from a list of nominations from Senior Human Resource Leaders and Staff Council, because of their breadth of knowledge about a specific job function and the job families within that function and/or their management responsibility (performance evaluations, promotions) for employees within the function. Individuals selected to serve on expert panels bring the following characteristics:
- management, professional, or technical expertise in the specific function
- demonstrated understanding of jobs and job responsibilities in one or more job families within the function
- current or previous responsibility for activities such as recruiting, performance evaluation, career development, work flow analysis or position mapping etc.
- excellent communications skills – can articulate ideas
- understands group dynamics – present concepts in an effective manner, builds consensus
- is well connected and maintains good working relationship within their function – to be able to seek input on/research job responsibilities within the function
Expert Panel Composition and Time Commitment
- The panel for each function included a mix of individuals who represented central vs. non-central (i.e. colleges, divisions, departments etc.) functions.
- The size of the expert panels varied depending on the scope of the job function, with a typical size of an expert panel being between 5 and 7.
- The estimated time commitment for an individual serving on an expert panel typically exceeded 20 hours over the course of 8-10 weeks. The work of the expert panels began in late January and completed April 30, 2009.
Membership
- List of Expert Panels
- First Phase
- Review of proposed function
- Create purpose statement for the function
- Identification of potential job families
- Second Phase
- Create purpose statement for the function to develop and define job family progressions
- Identify cross-functional considerations and outliers
- Third Phase
- Review job family progressions across a function
- Review final product
Off-Campus Job Family Example: Restaurant and Chef (pdf)
On-Campus Pilot Process Example: Marketing and Communications Group
The Marketing, Communication and Outreach (MCO) function was chosen to pilot the expert panel process. The purpose of piloting the expert panel process was to evaluate the usefulness and effectiveness of the expert panel guide and workbook in accomplishing the role of the expert panel. We learned a lot during the pilot process and many areas for improvement were identified and adjustments were made to the process and tools (guide and workbook). The work of the MCO expert panel began in late October and was completed by mid December.
The MCO expert panel completed their work by identifying six job families and defined job family progressions for each (typically 2-3 job family progressions). Examples of the job families identified for the Marketing, Communication & Outreach job function are media relations, marketing, strategic communications, writer, editor, creative media production and support, and public relations.
Interview with panel members from Marketing and Communications Pilot in FYI