Job Aid Guidelines

CREATING Effective JOB AIDS

YOUR JOB AID

Your handout’s one-page job aid should

1.      address the edited learning objectives identified for your session. Please review the online description for the edited objectives (directions to access your session description and learning objectives)

2.      highlight the key themes, steps, or tasks that can be applied back on the job

3.      be a worksheet, list, table, chart, or graphic (as long as it conforms to handout requirements). 

THE WHATS AND WHYS OF JOB AIDS

What is a Job Aid?

You may be thinking that anything that helps a person do his or her job is a job aid.That’s not quite true. Although it is difficult to find a universally accepted definition, there are three primary components of a job aid:

1.      A job aid stores information or instruction external to the user.

2.      A job aid guides the user to perform the task correctly.

3.      A job aid is used during the actual performance of the task when the user needs to know the information or procedure.

We can’t always be expected to remember the specific steps necessary to complete a task when the task is not performed frequently or is very complex; we need a reminder. A job aid is something that may be consulted quickly, when needed. It provides specific, concise information to the user.

Advantages of Job Aids

Timeliness

Job aids are designed to be used when the need to know arises.

Transferability

Job aids help employees transfer new skills and knowledge from a training class to their job.

Reduction in Recall

Job aids reduce the need for individuals to remember so much information. Job aids are an efficient method to reduce problems associated with relying strictly on recall to perform in certain situations.

Types of Job Aids

Job aids can be as small as a template on an answering machine or as large as a procedural manual. Allison Rossett and Jeannette Gautier-Downes, authors of A Handbook of Job Aids, maintain that job aids serve to provide information, support procedures, as well as coach perspectives, decisions, and self-evaluation. Most tasks entail either decision making, following procedures or linear sequences, or a combination of the two. Some of the more common job aid formats are listed below. 

Steps

The step-by-step format presents information and directions in a specific sequence. The step format is most appropriate when the user must complete a series of linear procedures in which detail and sequence are critical to completing the task.

Forms and Worksheets

Forms and worksheets are similar to the step format in that they guide the user through a process in a specific sequence. They require user participation, however, and include blanks or spaces for the user to record responses. Forms and worksheets are most appropriate when calculations must be performed or when information is stored for future reference.

Checklists

Checklists are groups of items to be considered when planning or evaluating. They present guidelines for completing a task and are most commonly used to ensure consistency. Items are presented in a logical order but are not necessarily followed in that order by the user.

Decision Tables

Decision tables allow the user to make decisions and complete tasks based on a set of conditions. They are usually comprised of “if-then” statements that guide users to appropriate decisions. Decision tables are most appropriate when tasks or decisions are dependent on conditions that may vary.

Flowcharts

Flowchart job aids are similar to decision tables in that completing the task or deciding on a course of action is dependent on conditions that may vary. Unlike the decision table, however, questions in a flowchart can be answered with a “yes” or “no.” Each answer the user provides leads to another decision point, which again is answered by a “yes” or “no.” The user follows the flowchart until enough questions have been answered for an accurate decision to be made or until a task is completed.

Reference Sources

Reference sources primarily provide information required for completing a task. Unlike the other types of job aids, they do not provide information to be followed in a step-by-step manner nor do they coach the user in a decision-making process. Examples of reference sources include telephone books and parts catalogs containing detailed information such as product and price data.

A job aid can also be a combination of two or more of the formats listed above. The type of job aid that is designed should be contingent on the type of task being performed. For example, using a decision table job aid when the task entails completing specific steps without decision dependencies would not be the most effective type of job aid, just as using a step format job aid would not support a highly complex decision-making task.

DESIGNING A JOB AID

Analyzing a Job Aid’s Function

The Work

• What is typically done to complete the task?
• What is the order of steps, process, or decision making?
• What tools are used to perform the task?
• Are the same steps followed in the same order each time the task is performed?
• Are there times when the task is performed in a different order?

The Worker

• Keep in mind who will be using the job aid.
• What is the user’s experience level? If the user is new or has limited experience, you will need to include more detail in the job aid.

Determine the Job Aid Format

Decide what part of the task is being supported by the job aid. Will it provide the step-by-step procedures, guidelines to follow, or reference information? Visualize how the job aid will be consulted and how it should be structured. Consider the characteristics of the task and the user as you select the format to use. See What Type of Job Aid Should You Use? 

What’s In a Job Aid

Consider the following as you work on your job aid:

Content

Include only the necessary steps or information required by the user. Ask yourself if the step or content is relevant to the task at hand.

Keep the information as simple and concise as possible. Present the information in small pieces. Write short sentences and use short words to describe or list the steps, processes, calculations, or decisions that need to be made.

Leave out “nice-to-know” tidbits of information, they only serve to clutter the job aid. Remember that the job aid should be a quick reference for the user. Place critical information in the first and last parts of sentences or sections of the job aid.

Language

Use language that the user will understand. Avoid long, unfamiliar words and jargon unless appropriate to the task and the user. Use verbs and actions words at the beginning of sentences wherever possible.

Visual Elements

Use drawings or graphics when appropriate to clarify information or provide more detail than words would allow. Graphics and illustrations should be clear and simple. Be consistent in the type of visual that is used. If you use a drawing in one step, use one in any subsequent steps.

Highlight critical points or steps by using bold or italicized text. Colors can also be used to highlight and code items or sections of the task.

SAMPLES OF JOB AID FORMATS

Adapted or reprinted by permission from Infoline 9711 Effective Job Aids by Susan Russell. Copyright American Society for Training & Development.