by Mark McClanahan
My last two articles focused on clearly defining an employee’s position using a performance agreement and defined the why and what for the position. We will now wrap this up with how the role should be performed plus identify expected outcomes of the work.
The how is provided in the performance agreement by a list of ways a person should spend the bulk of his or her time working in the position. This is represented by four to six high-level statements. For instance, a production manager’s agreement might state, for example, that he or she should regularly 1) ensure the profitability of work being performed, 2) visit job sites to uphold the quality and safety of work being performed, 3) oversee effective training programs for the field, and 4) nurture a healthy culture within the team. These statements are a great way to check in on the production manager’s efforts.
When inspecting what you expect in the position, you should be looking at not only the quantity of time being spent but also the quality of the output. To define this, the performance agreement includes a short list of statements indicating successful outcomes. A production manager’s list may have results such as “projects are highly profitable,” “clients are greatly satisfied with the work performed” and “field employees feel engaged, happy and fulfilled in their careers.”
From top to bottom, the performance agreement portrays a clear picture of a position to all interested parties within an organization. It spells out the why, what and how of the role, as defined by the view of success from the outside looking in. With this tool, alignment between the person in the role, the supervisor and rest of the organization is achieved.
Mark McClanahan (mmcclanahan@callmosb.com or 314.909.1800) is the president at Mosby Building Arts.
Submitted 7 years 241 days ago