A "job description" is a specific detail of an individual employee's (i.e., Keri Snyder) duties and responsibilities. With approximately 16,000 employees, it would be extremely difficult to maintain active, current "job descriptions" for all 16,000 employees. DPS does not have staff to provide this level of service. Consequently, DPS does NOT officially maintain an inventory of job descriptions. However, departmental management may retain some of these documents as an aid for preparing job postings and designing job standards (for conducting performance reviews).

A "position classification" is a general overview of the essential functions (consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act) that describe the core, or "benchmark," activities for a particular class of work, without regard to its location. For example, a "secretary" is a "secretary" because the basic essential functions (providing administrative support to a manager, supervisor or a team of managers and supervisors; word processing; telephone call management; limited research and analysis; etc.), is the same whether the position exists at a department or school or elsewhere. DPS does officially maintain a position classifications.