Guidelines include agency regulations and directives, manufacturers' catalogs and handbooks, precedents, and files of previous projects. These guidelines are generally applicable, but the employee makes adaptations in dealing with problems and unusual situations. It is important to study the applicable FES standard before describing this factor because the kind of information needed differs from occupation to occupation. Characterize the work in terms of the nature and variety of the tasks, methods, functions, projects, or programs carried out. This factor level should illustrate how the employee applies the knowledge and skills described in Factor 1.
Some employees have little or no choice about how to perform the work.
Others may have to develop, analyze, or evaluate information before the work can progress. In some situations the work is mastered easily, and the employee takes the obvious course of action. The level of difficulty and originality increases as the employee considers differences in courses of action and refines methods or develops new techniques, concepts, theories, or programs to solve problems. The following examples show how descriptions for this factor level can differ depending on the occupation. Mail Clerk - The assignment involves opening, sorting, and routing mail by general subject matter to approximately 150 delivery points and by specialized subject matter to 70 or 80 points.