Army Standard/Model Descriptions and How They Differ from Standardized Descriptions

Army standard/model position descriptions (PDs) are developed and released by the HQDA Office of the Assistant G-1 for Civilian Personnel (CP) for use throughout Army. These PDs are generally required by higher authority, developed in response to changed legislation, Department of Defense or Army policy, or deemed more practical than individual descriptions for assignment and classification purposes. Army standard/model PDs have a unique numbering system. They replace existing individual PDs and may be used across functional or organizational lines. They generally cannot be modified or amended by local management without HQDA approval. IDEF Task C-16 prescribes the process for establishing this type description.

Standardized PDs are different from Army-wide standard/model descriptions in that they are proposed and developed by HQDA Principal Officials, MACOMs, FOAs, DRUs, and/or Staff Support Agencies specifically for use within an identified function or organization. They are classified by managers with Delegated Classification Authority or by designated Civilian Personnel Operations Center classification specialists. After standardized PDs are reviewed and established, the initiating HQDA functional program manager, MACOM, or other organization generally releases the position descriptions for implementation. Standardized PDs are developed to consolidate, generically describe and replace a number of individual PDs that are similar or identical. Standardized PDs are not subject to review, approval or release by HQDA CP, although such review and concurrence is recommended. They may be uniquely numbered and may cover positions throughout the Army. However, their use is limited to positions within the functional or organizational purview of the initiating office, command, or agency. Within that population they are used in place of locally established individual descriptions, and usually may not be modified or amended without approval of the initiating office. The process for establishing standardized PDs is not prescribed in the IDEF.