Job Task Analysis and Taylor's Scientific Management

Job Task Analysis is the systematic examination of what people do, how they do it, and what results they achieve by doing it. JTA data are used in several ways: selection and promotion, career planning, performance evaluation, job design, organizational redesign, human resource planning and especially training. In the training field, JTA data helps to evaluate training needs, determine topic learning objectives, and to develop course content.

JTA is founded on Frederick Taylor's theory of scientific management. Frederick Taylor's theory consists of four principles:
1.Replace "Rule of Thumb" practices with methods based on scientific study.
2.Scientifically select, train, and develop employees.
3.Provide detailed instruction and supervision of each worker in performance of his task.
4.Divide work equally among managers and workers.
Job Task Analysis directly relates to the first three principles of Frederick Taylor's scientific management theory. Once the first three principles are met, than managers and workers can then focus on the equal division of work after tasks are documented and employees are trained sufficiently.

Scientific Study

Tasks are based on the job that the employee has to accomplish to perform his job. JTA may also be referred to as job analysis, such as in the following description of JTA from Strange (2003):

"Job analysis, the process of gathering information about a job in an organization, is one of these essential tools and is the foundation from which all personnel activities are built. Job analysis can be used to design instruments that predict an employee's performance on the job. It serves as a basis for developing performance appraisal instruments, support curriculum design and development, and help the organization to make numerous other human resource management decisions."