NIC update.

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Does your agency have detailed job descriptions that clearly listduties for each position? If not, you
may find it difficult to retainnew staff, evaluate job performance, design training or justify
physicalrequirements for certain positions. A solution for these and otherissues is to develop job
profiles for each position within the agency.One of the best, most cost-effective job analysis
processes is calledDeveloping A Curriculum (DACUM).
Developed more than 30 years ago by a Canadian university team as a fast and reliable way to
identify job tasks for training curricula, DACUM has become one of the best-known and most-used
job analysis techniques, both in educational and work settings. DACUM was introduced to
corrections in the late 1980s and has since become the basis for human resource and training
functions in many federal, state and local correctional agencies. The National Institute of
Corrections (NIC) began working with DACUM in 1989 and today offers DACUM job
profiles, curriculum for training DACUM facilitators and technical assistance to correctional
agencies.
The word DACUM actually has two meanings. One is the job analysis process itself, as in "to
conduct a DACUM." The second is the chart that results from conducting the process, as in "a
DACUM of the correctional officer position." A DACUM chart displays the duties and tasks
performed and lists necessary employee traits, attitudes, skills and knowledge needed to
successfully do the work.
The DACUM process brings together a qualified DACUM facilitator and apanel of five to nine
workers in the occupation being analyzed. Thepanel members must be articulate, considered
outstanding in theiroccupation and possess highly developed technical knowledge and skills.The
facilitator, specifically trained in the DACUM process, is essentialfor valid and usable outcomes.
Within a few days, the team compiles acomprehensive list, or chart, of all duties and tasks associated
withthe position.
The validity of DACUM is based on three premises: 1) expert workers can describe their jobs better
than anyone else; 2) any job can be described in terms of the competencies or tasks that successful
workers in that occupation perform; and 3) the specific knowledge, skills and attitudes required by
workers to perform their tasks correctly can be defined. The DACUM process calls for verification of
the charts by other workers in the same job and by their supervisors or managers. The criteria for
verification usually depend on the uses of the chart. For instance, to use the DACUM chart to
develop a training curriculum, the specific tasks are identified on the basis of how critical they are
and how much training is needed.
DACUM charts also can be used in several other ways. Most importantly, they offer a unified
foundation for human resource and training functions by providing a single, self-explanatory
detailed description of key jobs in the agency. Recently, they have become important for meeting
the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements by identifying the physical work required in
correctional occupations. One of the key issues in many ADA disputes is whether the job in question
has been clearly defined in terms of tasks that must be performed, and how much physical labor is
expected. Correctional agencies that have accurate and detailed job descriptions have been able to
win more disputes because they can prove they have the job requirements in writing.
DACUM charts also are used to develop accurate job descriptions for recruiting new staff, to clearly

describe job expectations, to develop performance evaluations, and to enhance new

supervisors' understanding of what their employees should be doing. The charts can help identify
training needs and strategies and determine whether existing programs provide training for the
required competencies.
The NIC Academy has developed 18 DACUM charts for key correctional positions, including
wardens/superintendents, correctional officers, jail administrators and correctional trainers. NIC
also supports the creation and use of DACUM profiles by training DACUM facilitators; providing
technical assistance for planning and implementing the use of DACUM as a foundation for human
resource and training functions; and providing curriculum for training DACUM facilitators.
A list of the correctional positions profiled and copies of DACUM charts are available from the NIC
Information Center, as is a loaned copy of the facilitator training curriculum. For more
information, contact the NIC Academy at 1-800-995-6429 or the NIC Information Center at 1-80-877-1461.

Ida M. Halasz, Ph.D., is the former deputy

administrator of the NIC Academy in Longmont,
Colo.
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