Questions · design a specific process
how to build job architecture
Maintain a coherent structure of job families, career tracks, levels, reference roles, and movement paths grounded in actual work. Give role design, hiring, pay, development, progression, and workforce decisions a shared operating language without forcing every job into titles or generic corporate ladders.
draft reference — not a fitted standard
Process steps
- 01
Charter the architecture decision
Define why the structure exists and which decisions it must support.
- 02
Inventory representative work
Build the structure from actual contribution rather than incumbents or titles.
- 03
Design families and career tracks
Group related work and make credible contribution paths visible.
- 04
Define levels and reference roles
Create distinguishable work levels using factors that can be applied consistently.
- 05
Map roles and test system effects
Evaluate the architecture against real roles, pay, careers, and operating consequences before approval.
- 06
Approve and publish the architecture
Create one authoritative structure and transition plan for connected processes.
- 07
Operate, govern, and improve the architecture
Keep the structure aligned with changing work without permitting title and level drift.
Related measures
outcome
Architecture decision utility
Does the architecture support more coherent role, career, hiring, pay, development, and workforce decisions?
quality
Role mapping evidence quality
Does each mapping have sufficient work and factor evidence?
cycle-time
Architecture request cycle time
How long do valid role and mapping requests take to receive an authorized disposition?
adoption
Authoritative architecture use
Are connected role, hiring, pay, development, and talent records using the current version?
exceptions
Architecture exception pattern
Where and why does the structure fail to fit current work?
guardrail
Career access, pay relationship, classification, and title guardrail
Do structure or mappings create unexplained disparities, blocked career paths, misclassification risk, misleading titles, or inconsistent treatment?