RD Instruction 2048-B

Table of Contents

PART 2048 - POSITION CLASSIFICATION

Subpart B - Position Management

[Table of Contents]{.underline}

[Sec]{.underline}. [Page]{.underline}

2048.51 General. 1

2048.52 Position management objectives. 1

2048.53 Position management principles. 1

\(a\) Position design. 1

\(b\) Organizational design. 2

2048.54 Position management authority. 3

\(a\) Open or close Field Offices. 3

\(b\) Major organizational changes. 3

2048.55 Position management responsibilities. 3

\(a\) Managers and Supervisors. 3

\(b\) Human Resources Specialists. 4

\(c\) Other staff specialists. 5

\(d\) Employees. 5

2048.56 Position management committees. 5

\(a\) Define role. 5

\(b\) Define responsibilities. 5

\(c\) Designate chairperson and members. 5

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(08-18-04) PN 378

RD Instruction 2048-B

PART 2048 - POSITION CLASSIFICATION

Subpart B - Position Management

§ 2048.51 [General]{.underline}.

Position management is the assignment of duties and responsibilities to
individual positions (Position Design) and the structuring of those
positions to form organizations that effectively and economically
accomplish the goals in the mission area Strategic Plan (Organizational
Design). This policy supplements Office of Personnel Management (OPM),
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) position management policies and principles.

§ 2048.52 [Position management objectives]{.underline}.

The primary objective of position management in Rural Development is to
make the best use of resources in accomplishing the mission. Management
must establish and maintain positions to provide high quality customer
service, foster employee satisfaction, and achieve the performance
targets in the mission area Strategic Plan. Management must establish
and maintain organizational structures that are adaptable in size and
composition. Such organizational structures must accommodate changes in
mission, technology, and labor markets. Position management is not
static. It is a continuous process to ensure the organization has the
right number and type of positions as well as the appropriate structure
to accomplish the functional assignments of the organizational unit.
Incorporating position management principles in the planning process
will assist in establishing and maintaining a skilled, diverse, and
high-performing workforce to meet current and emerging work demands.

§ 2048.53 [Position management principles]{.underline}.

\(a\) [Position design]{.underline}. The following principles govern
position design in Rural Development:

\(1\) Clearly structure positions to avoid overlapping duties or
responsibilities.

\(2\) Assign as much of the same kind and level of work as possible to
individual positions. Concentrate higher level duties in as few
positions as practical.

DISTRIBUTION: WSAL Human Resources

Position Classification

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RD Instruction 2048-B

§ 2048.53(a) (con.)

\(3\) Structure positions to provide for career ladder progression.

\(4\) Establish bridge, trainee, and developmental positions to promote
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) objectives.

\(5\) Design positions that are satisfying and challenging.

\(6\) Design positions with labor market conditions in mind to minimize
recruitment problems.

\(7\) Write position descriptions (PD's) that accurately reflect
assigned duties and responsibilities.

\(8\) Properly classify positions in accordance with OPM position
classification standards and accepted classification policies and
principles.

\(b\) [Organizational design]{.underline}. The following principles
govern organizational design in Rural Development:

\(1\) Ensure that EEO objectives are incorporated into all
organizational planning initiatives.

\(2\) Establish the fewest number of positions as practical to provide
the highest level of customer service at the lowest possible cost.
Redistribute staff from higher organizational levels to front-line
service delivery.

\(3\) Optimize supervisor to employee ratios. Eliminate unnecessary
supervisory positions to avoid narrow supervisory spans of control.
There is no one ideal supervisor to employee ratio that fits all work
situations. For each work unit, carefully consider the number of
employees that can be effectively supervised by one individual. If
practical, avoid establishing supervisory ratios less than 1:8 or
greater than 1:15.

\(4\) Minimize the number of organizational levels. Flatten
organizational structures and emphasize delegation and decentralization
to the lowest possible working level.

\(5\) Limit the number of deputy, assistant, assistant to, and special
assistant positions, both in program and staff organizational units.

\(6\) Balance the workload of professional, administrative, and
technical positions with sufficient support positions.

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RD Instruction 2048-B

§ 2048.53(b) (con.)

\(7\) Control average grade and ensure there is strong justification for
increases in average grade.

\(8\) Comply with Full-Time Equivalency (FTE) and budgetary limitations.

\(9\) Abolish vacant positions if the duties can be redistributed or
eliminated.

§ 2048.54 [Position management authority]{.underline}.

Managers and supervisors have broad authority to establish positions and
structure organizations. They must exercise position management
authority within budget and staff year limitations. They also must
exercise position management authority within the limits of the
classification authority delegated in RD Instruction 2048-A, to their
servicing Human Resources Office.

At any given time, managers and supervisors may be subject to
limitations imposed on an ad hoc basis by others within the mission
area, USDA, other agencies (e.g., OPM or OMB), Congress, or the
President. There also are limitations for certain types of position
management actions:

\(a\) [Open or close Field Offices]{.underline}. State Directors must
follow procedures in RD Instruction 2021-A, to establish, close,
reclassify, or relocate State or field offices.

\(b\) [Major organizational changes]{.underline}. Major organizational
changes require approval at the Department level. Departmental
Regulation 1010-1, "Organization," provides the definition of major
organizational change.

§ 2048.55 [Position management responsibilities]{.underline}.

> \(a\) [Managers and Supervisors]{.underline}. Managers and supervisors
> must:

\(1\) Follow position management principles in establishing positions
and organizational structures.

\(2\) Certify the accuracy of duties and responsibilities in a position
description before a position is officially established.

\(3\) Assign work and ensure it is performed in accordance with duties
and responsibilities on the official PD.

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RD Instruction 2048-B

§ 2048.55(a) (con.)

\(4\) Use official details to address temporary needs. Follow
established merit promotion procedures when filling details to higher
grade positions or positions with higher promotion potential. Details to
lower grade jobs should not exceed one year. Details to unclassified
duties should not exceed 90 days. Exceptions must be approved by the
Assistant Administrator for Human Resources.

\(5\) Control unofficial details to avoid misassigning employees to
duties not covered in the official PD.

\(6\) Review the need for vacant positions and confirm accuracy of
classification prior to initiating requests to fill them. Where
possible, redistribute or eliminate duties and recommend abolishment of
vacant positions. If possible, initiate action to fill positions before
the actual vacancy to minimize work disruption. Short periods of
overlap, where two employees occupy the same position, are permitted to
allow for training and smooth transition. Such situations should not
exceed 30 days. Exceptions must be approved by the Assistant
Administrator for Human Resources.

\(7\) Periodically review the number and types of positions and identify
areas for improvement. Submit proposals for change through higher-level
management channels.

\(8\) Contact Human Resources (HR) and other staff specialists for
assistance on position management matters. Include EEO representatives
in organizational planning initiatives.

\(b\) [Human Resources Specialists]{.underline}. HR Specialists must:

\(1\) Provide advice and assistance to supervisors and managers in
position and organizational design.

\(2\) Classify PDs in accordance with published OPM position
classification standards.

\(3\) Ensure positions are classified and officially established before
employees are assigned.

\(4\) Review and provide input to mission area officials on proposed
organizational structures and other position management matters.

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RD Instruction 2048-B

§ 2048.55 (con.)

\(c\) [Other staff specialists]{.underline}. Other staff specialists,
such as budget analysts, management analysts, and program analysts can
provide advice and assistance to supervisors and managers on position
management matters. EEO representatives can provide advice and
assistance to supervisors and managers on any civil rights impact of
organizational proposals.

\(d\) [Employees]{.underline}. Employees should raise concerns about the
accuracy of assigned PDs. Employees may provide input to management on
design of individual positions and/or organizational structures.

§ 2048.56 [Position management committees]{.underline}.

Establishment of position management committees or review boards is
optional. Senior management, i.e., Under Secretary, Deputy Under
Secretary, Administrator, Deputy Administrator for Operations and
Management, and State Directors, may decide if such committees or review
boards are needed for their respective organizations. They also may
decide if the need is for a permanent or ad hoc committee or review
board. The following matters must be considered if a position management
committee or review board is established:

\(a\) [Define role]{.underline}. Be specific about what proposals a
committee will review. They can range from requests for individual
positions to major organizational changes. Requests for individual
positions may be restricted to certain grade levels or certain types.

\(b\) [Define responsibilities]{.underline}. Be specific about the scope
of responsibilities. Typical responsibilities include review of
proposals and recommendations for approval or disapproval. Committees
may also suggest alternatives to initial proposals. Committees may
determine what must be included in proposals and may provide guidance on
preparing proposals.

\(c\) [Designate chairperson and members]{.underline}. Be inclusive in
membership. Include wide representation and ensure diversity in
membership. Consider inclusion of EEO Advisory Committee representatives
as well as labor or employee association representatives.

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