A few months ago I
tilted against a particular question, specifically: "How we build a
curriculum." One of the things that tripped me up was the whole issue of
job analysis. I realized that there were some standard resources from HRIDC,
etc. but I could find a definite resource.
At the same time, I
was exploring the issue of certification and information governance. In
particular, I looked into ARMA's Information Governance certification program.
There wasn't a lot of information but the structure of the program but I did
find an interesting table showing competencies, etc. I operationalized this
table as a WBS for Information Governance projects and then promptly forgot
about it.
Yesterday, I had a
conversation with one of my colleagues and he reminded me of this mysterious
document. I found it again and noticed that the original file name had a
strange title including the acronym "DACUM". What the heck is DACUM?
Apparently DACUM is an acronym for Developing A CUrriculuM. Nice.
- Competency based education
- Curriculum development
- Job analysis
- Occupational information
All of these would
have been good starting points.
Hmmm…. Apparently we
need DACUM training before actually using the process. Let's see what we get
from the manual.
- The program was developed at
Ohio State University but seems to be popular in Canada. Good!
- A "DACUM analysis
workshop" involves a facilitator and a committee of 5-12 expert
workers. It takes two days and results in a "DACUM Research
Chart" demonstrating:
- Duties
- Tasks
- Knowledge and skills
- Worker behaviors
- Tools and equipment
- Future trends/concerns
- Premises:
- Expert workers can describe
their jobs/occupations
- A way of defining a
job/occupation is to describe the tasks that experts perform
- All tasks demand the use of
certain knowledge, skills, tools, and behaviors
- DACUM gets used in
conjunction with TQM and ISO 9000
- DACUM advantages:
- Group interaction
- Brainstorming
- Group synergy
- Group consensus
- Future oriented
- Employee/learner buy-in
- Comprehensive outcome
- Superior quality
- Low cost
- DACUM answers the question: What should
be taught?
- Common challenges:
- Failure to teach
what should be taught.
- Teaching what should not be
taught (i.e., outdated concepts, processes, technology, etc.).
- Important for
"competency-based education" or "performance-based
training"
- A training manager from a
large company: "This is critical information to have because in all
the DACUMs we have conducted -- what the supervisors think the employees
are doing and what the employees are actually doing were two very
different things. Once you have a clear understanding of what actually is
going on in the job, then you can make logical decisions in regards to
reengineering or restructuring the job. You can answer questions such as:
are all these tasks value added; should they be doing what they are doing;
what do we want them to be doing that they are not doing; why have they
had to take one these low value added tasks, etc. Given this detailed
information, you can redefine the job from the 'as is' to the 'to be', to
the benefit of the company."
- Other benefits of DACUM:
- Employee involvement and
buy-in
- Foundation for new program
development
- Basis for assessing
relevance of existing programs
- Accurate job descriptions
- Detailed information for
career counseling and training needs assessment
- Legally defensible basis for
competency and performance tests
- Descriptions of operations
and processes for TQM, ISO 9000, etc.
- Basis for performance
appraisals
- Basis for selecting training
materials, tools, and equipment
- ADA compliance
- Data for job efficiency and
assurance
- The guideline gives us
details on who should facilitate these things but it really is a generic
list of good facilitator qualities.
- DACUM is used for
researching:
- Competencies and
skills that should be addressed in the development of new education and
training programs
- Competencies and skills that
should be delivered by existing programs
- Common uses of DACUM:
- Curriculum development
- Curriculum review and
revision
- Training needs assessments
- Competency test development
- Worker performance evals
- Job descriptions
- Process descriptions
- Student recruitments
- Student counseling
- Student achievement records
- Training program review
- Curriculum articulation
- Tech prep program
- Job modifications
- Career development/planning
- Apparently there is a DACUM
Quality Performance Checklist
- DACUM charts should be
revised every 3-5 years. Ultimately it will come down to the advisory
committee.
- SCID process for
instructional development and five phases:
- Curriculum analysis.
- Needs analysis
- Job analysis (ideally
DACUM)
- Task verification
- Select tasks
- Standard task analysis
- Literacy task analysis
(optional): communication skills (reading, writing, speaking,
listening); computer skills; science skills; decision-making skills
(reasoning, problem-solving)
- Curriculum design.
- Make decisions
about training approach
- Develop learning objectives
- Develop job performance
measures
- Preparation of a training
plan
- Instructional development.
- Develop a
competency profile
- Develop learning guides or
modules
OR
- Develop a curriculum guide
- Develop lesson plans
- Develop supporting media
- Pilot-test and revise
- Training implementation.
- Activate the
training plan
- Conduct the training
- Conduct a formative
evaluation
- Document training
- Program evaluation.
- Conduct summative
evaluation
- Analyze and interpret
information
- Take corrective action
- So, what is DACUM? We aren't
getting very far here. Apparently, it's a process of using brainstorming
to assess DUTIES and TASKS:
- We also have to identify:
- General knowledge and skills
- Tools, equipment, supplies,
and materials
- Important worker behaviors
- Future trends and concerns
- We see some requirements for
facilities for conducting the workshop from a sample SOW:
- Room with a clear wall 10' x
25'
- Projector
- Flipchart + markers + paper
- 200 5" x 8" cards
- 40 sheets of 8.5" x
11" cover stock
- Someone to serve as recorder
- Meals
- Duty A -- Market the DACUM
process
- Present DACUM concepts,
rationale, and benefits
- Prepare DACUM promotional
materials
- Establish procedures for
providing DACUM services
- Promote DACUM services
- Consult with potential DACUM
customers
- Assess customer need for
DACUM
- Develop DACUM services
agreement
- Duty B -- Plan the DACUM
workshop
- Conduct job analysis lit
search
- Orient stakeholders to DACUM
- Involve staff: business
unit manager, training manager, internal customers, sponsors
- Develop committee member
profile
- Considerations:
- Gender mix
- Racial mix
- Geographic representation
- Levels of job
representation
- Size representation
- Worker's experience
- Full-time, part-time, etc.
- Size: 5-12, 7-10 ideal
- Arrange for workshop
facilities
- An unbroken wall surface of
30 feet
- Schedule workshop and
related activities
- Two full days
- 60-90 days ahead:
- Decide on the
job/occupation
- Establish dates
- Determine facilitator
- Determine cooridnator
- Prepare general written
description
- 30-60 days ahead:
- Identify
employers/departments
- Prepare written
explanation for employer and committee members
- Site visits to arrange
worker release
- Contact nominees
- Arrange the meeting room
- 20-30 days ahead:
- Confirm arrangements
- Arrange refreshments and
meals
- Identify a recorder
- 5-10 days ahead:
- Confirm, answer questions,
etc.
- Assemble equipment and
supplies
- Invite observers
- Identify a chair to open
the workshop
- Review workshop plans with
the sponsor/host
- Prepare an agenda
- Day before
- Check room, supplies,
materials, etc.
- Arrange for support services
- Projector, lecture pads,
screen
- Lunch and meals
- Decide whether to allow
observers
- Supervisors, training
directors, sponsors, etc.
- Select DACUM workshop team
- Facilitator; coordinator;
recorder; sponsor/host
- Prepare workshop agenda
- Obtain workshop materials
- Lecture pads
- U-HOLD IT putty
- Markers
- Unlined cards for task
statements
- Card-stock for duty
statements
- Note pads for participants
- Pencils for participants
- Masking tape
- Presentation
- Agenda
- Task statement criteria
handout
- Workshop evaluation form
- Participant name tents/tags
- Participant roster
- Prep room for workshop
- Duty C -- Recruit the DACUM
workshop committee
- Develop working definition
of job, occupation, process or function area
- Research sources of
committee members
- Advisory committee,
instructor contacts, former students, Chamber of Commerce,
business/industrial association, yellow pages, public employment service
office
- Develop expert worker
selection criteria
- Technical competence,
full-time employment, occupational representativeness, effective
communicator, team player, full-time commitment, freedom from bias
- Establish geographical area
to be represented
- Develop criteria for
industry representation
- Identify key contact persons
- Assess the need for
supervisor representation
- Assess need to involve
special interest groups
- Explain DACUM to employers
when recruiting
- What is DACUM; why want
their involvement; why you want the experts; why you want two days; why
you want them for free; who else is invited; how you will use the
results; WIIFM
- Invite committee members
- Assist committee members in
obtaining employer approval
- Accommodate special needs
- Conform participation of
DACUM committee members
- Duty D -- Orient the DACUM
Committee
- Greet committee members upon
arrival: parking permit; refreshments; coat service; name tent/tag;
answer questions
- Collect committee members
identifying data
- Conduct committee member
introductions: name, company/department, position, years in position.
Should facilitate proper name pronunciation. Also, introduce recorder.
- Facilitate ice-breaker
- "What little known,
interesting event in your life are you willing to share??
- "What would you do if
you anonymously received $50-million?"
- Review workshop agenda
- Distribute it at this point
- Discuss: phones, lunch,
restrooms, etc.
- Present rationale for DACUM
workshop
- Clarify roles of
facilitator, committee, recorder, observers, and curriculum developers
- Facilitator is DACUM
expert; group is the content
expert
- Present DACUM philosophy and
concepts
- Slides: actors; the gap
between what is taught and what happens; curriculum; what should be
taught; intro to DACUM; DACUM philosophy
- Review high quality sample
DACUM chart
- Front:
- Title of the job/occupation
- Names of experts, companies,
cities
- Name of facilitator
- Sponsor/developers
- Dates of workshop
- Outside:
- Back:
- General knowledge and skills
- Worker behaviors
- Tools, equipment, supplies,
materials
- Future trends/concerns
- Acronyms
- Definitions:
- Duties -- a cluster of job
related tasks. Usually 6-12 per job
- Tasks -- meaningful units of
work. 6-20 per duty; 75-125 per job
- Steps -- specific elements
or activities to perform a task; two or more steps per task
- Teach committee members to
compose duty and task statements
- Duty statements:
- One verb, an object, and a
qualifier
- Are general
- Stand alone
- Avoid references to
behaviors, tools, and required knowledge
- Task statement:
- Verb in first person
singular, active void
- Object is the thing being
acted upon
- Qualifier (e.g.,
"develop a plan" is a poor task statement. "Develop a floor plan" is much better)
- Job task criteria:
- Smallest unit of job
activity with a meaningful outcome
- Results in a product,
service, or decision
- Represents as assignable
unit of work
- Definite beginning and
ending point
- Oberservable, measureable
- Performed over a short
period of time
- Can be performed
independent of other tasks
- Two or more steps
- Task statements:
- Describe a task in
performance terms
- Should have a single verb
and an object
- One or more relevant
qualifiers
- Explicitly stated
- Are independently
meaningful
- Avoid references to worker
behaviors
- Avoid references to tools
and equipment
- Avoid reference to required
knowledge
- Present the DACUM procedural
steps
- Orient the committee
- Review the job/occupation
- Brainstorming
- Organizational chart
- Identify duties
- Identify specific tasks
- List:
- General knowledge and skill
requirements
- Worker behaviors
- Tools, equipment, supplies,
and materials
- Future trends/concerns
- Review/refine task and duty
statements
- Sequence the task and duty
statements
- Explain the Workshop Ground
Rules
- Seniority/rank is left at
the door
- Everyone equally
participates
- Freely share ideas
- One person speaks at a time
- Scaffold on each other's
ideas
- Provide constructive
suggestions
- All task statements
carefully considered
- Keep on track
- No references
- No observer participation
- Have fun
- Conduct a consensus seeking
exercise
- Describe panned follow-up
activities
- Duty E -- manage the group
process
- Control group pace
- Facilitator should:
- Encourage contribution
- Listen actively
- Control participants who
try to dominate
- Readily accept as many
contributions as possible
- Avoid criticizing
contributions
- Verbalize contributions
- Provide positive
reinforcement
- Repress your own biases
- Probe and encourage with
questions
- Maintain an enthusiastic
climate
- Resolve group
conflicts/concerns
- Direct the group's focus
- Enforce rules for observers
- Balance committee
participation
- Reinforce productive
behavior contributions
- Positive reinforcement:
- Praise
- Ask for personal reaction
- Acknowledge expertise
- Acknowledge progress
- Use first names
- Mentioning individual
contributions
- Demonstrating sincere
interest
- Negative reinforcement:
- Ignore critical comments
- Acknowledge only relevant
contributions
- Tactful interruptions
- Challenging a speaker to
put contribution into performance terms
- Body language
- Deal with disruptive or
unproductive committee members
- Probe with questions
- What would I see you doing?
- What did you do last week?
- What else do you have to
do?
- What do you do first each
day? Last?
- What work do you like most?
Least?
- Evaluate progress of
workshop
- Coordinate hospitality
functions
- Terminate unproductive
session
- Duty F -- Facilitate chart
development
- Conduct brainstorming of the
whole occupation
- Ask people: what do you do?
Go around the room a few times
- Conduct a job, occupation,
process or functional area review
- Determine what is to be
included and what should be excluded
- Use an organizational chart
to determine titles, and those that are higher, lower, or to the side
- Mind-map related roles,
etc.
- Elicit duty statements
- Use the brain-stormed
activities. Which are duties? Can you group activities? Use examples
e.g., Duty = maintain the yard; task = mow the lawn.
- Obtain consensus on initial
sequencing of duty statements
- Conduct brainstorming to
elicit task statement
- Ask: "What do you do
when working in this duty area?"
- Obtain consensus on task
statements
- Filter out verbs like
"know", "understand", "appreciate", etc.
- Ask about procedures.
Different procedures = different tasks.
- It is tough to distinguish
between tasks and activities.
- Guidelines:
- Keep statements short and
precise
- Statements should stand
alone
- Use occupation terminology
- Avoid double verbs (e.g.,
"remove and repair")
- Avoid statements of needed
knowledge
- Avoid flowery modifiers
(e.g., correctly, effectively, accurately, etc.)
- Avoid equipment or tools
statements
- Avoid statements about
worker behaviors
- List a task only once
- Reintroduce unresolved
contribution
- Elicit list of general
knowledge and skills
- These lists could be used
to change the pace or as a short period activity
- Elicit list of worker
behaviors
- Elicit list of tools,
equipment, supplies, and materials
- Elicit lists of future
trends/concerns
- Identify list of acronyms
and their meanings
- Review initial brainstorming
lists
- Refine duty and task
statements
- Is the action verb the most
accurate descriptor? What about the object? And the modifiers?
- Is the duty statement still
appropriate?
- Sequence task statements
- Most logical flow of
activities
- Order of task importance
- Order of task difficulty
- Sequence duty statements
- Priority to positive image
for the occupation
- What is the logical flow?
- Assess chart using DACUM
quality standards
- Conduct final review of
chart
- Identify entry-level tasks
- Revise occupation
definition
- Establish career ladder
profiles and common skills
- Code task and duty
statements
- Administer committee
evaluation of workshop
- Arrange for recognition and
publicity
- Group photo; small tokens
of appreciation (coffee mugs, etc.)
- Prepare news release
- Duty G -- verify DACUM
results
- Publish draft of DACUM
research chart
- Codes can be used to
coordinate learning guides, modules, media, checklists, etc.
- Make it look good!
- Develop verification
strategy
- Determine if verification
is necessary
- Useful for determining task
importance and learning difficulty
- Verification:
- Who will conduct it?
- What questions will be
asked?
- What instruments will be
used?
- What rating scales will be
used?
- How will verifiers be
identified and selected?
- How will the data be
collected and analyzed?
- How will task statements
be codified?
- Develop verification
instrument
- How important is the task?
- How difficult is it to
learn?
- Is it entry level?
- How critical is the
performance?
- How frequently do you
perform it?
- Select verification
respondents
- Collect verification data
- Survey; Delphi; interview;
observation
- Analyze verification data
- Refine DACUM chart based on
verification data
- Publish verification report
- Mean responses; percentage
and frequency tallies
- Statement write-ins
- Demographics
- Revised DACUM
- Copy of verification
instruments; cover and follow-up letters
- Duty H -- coordinate
post-DACUM activities
- Publish revised DACUM chart
- Maintain original DACUM data
- Distribute the revised DACUM
chart
- Managers, supervisors,
DACUM panel members, trainers, HR
- Include a cover letter
- Acknowledge contributors to
the DACUM process
- Consult on the application
of DACUM results
- Task analysis. Verify:
- Steps involved
- Performance standards
expected
- Tools and materials needed
- Related knowledge required
- Safety concerns
- Attitudes involved
- Decisions, cues, errors
- Identify customer need for
assistance beyond DACUM
- NOT tasks: qualifications,
behaviors, responsibilities, etc.
