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Implementation tool - quick guides

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About quick guides

The Place-based capability framework quick guides have been created for VPS managers and employees working with place-based approaches.

They are designed to help you use the Place-based capability framework in your day to day work.

There are five guides that align with each stage of the employee lifecycle:

  1. Job design
  2. Recruitment
  3. Performance management
  4. Learning and development
  5. Career development

Each guide contains:

  • an overview of how the capability framework relates to each stage of the employee lifecycle.
  • practical steps on how to use the place-based capability framework in each stage.

Quick guide: Job analysis and design

This quick guide provides information for managers on how to use the Place-based capability framework to support job analysis and design of place-based roles.

Job analysis and design determines the purpose of a role and the key accountabilities and capabilities required.

The Place-based capability framework can be used to support job analysis and design by:

  • determining the capabilities and proficiency levels required for a role.
  • creating a position description for the role using the capabilities as key selection criteria.

Using place-based capabilities in Job analysis and design

1. Job analysis

  1. Consider the purpose, accountabilities and capabilities (knowledge, skills and behaviours) required for the role.
  2. Review the Place-based capability framework and those capabilities relevant to place-based work in the VPS capability framework.
  3. Make a list of all of the capabilities that are important in the role.
  4. Rank the capabilities in order of importance.

2. Job design

  1. Select your top 3 to 4 capabilities from the place-based capability framework and/or the VPS capability framework. These are the key capabilities required for the role.
  2. Select the proficiency level required for each of the key capabilities identified.

3. Position description

  1. Develop a position description in line with your department’s recruitment guidelines, using the capabilities as the key selection criteria for the role.
  2. Work with your People and Culture team to determine the VPS grade for the role.

Key resources

  • Place-based capability framework and BARS.
  • VPS capability framework.
  • Your department’s recruitment and selection guidelines.
  • VPSC Getting Recruitment Right.

Quick guide: Recruitment

This quick guide provides information for managers on how to use the Place-based capability framework and the behaviourally anchored rating scales (BARS) to support the recruitment of employees for place-based roles.

Recruitment involves identifying the right person with the right experience and the right knowledge, skills and behaviours (capabilities) for a role.

The Place-based capability framework and the BARS can assist you in recruitment and selection by:

  • identifying the Place-based capabilities required by an individual for success within a role.
  • distinguishing between unsatisfactory, competent and outstanding behaviours, as reported by the candidate.
  • enabling fair and consistent appraisal by minimising interpretation and unconscious bias.

Using place-based capabilities in Recruitment

1. Advertise

  1. Review the key capabilities for the role identified in the job analysis and design stage.
  2. Develop a job advertisement, using your department’s templates, highlighting the accountabilities and the key capabilities (key selection criteria) you are looking for in a candidate.
  3. Work with your People and Culture team to finalise the job advertisement and advertise on the JSE and/or externally.

2. Shortlist

  1. Select the BARS that relate to the capabilities required for the job.
  2. Review the candidate applications, using the BARS to determine the level to which they meet the criteria:
    • 1 – unsatisfactory
    • 2 – needs improvement
    • 3 – meets expectations
    • 4 – exceeds expectations
  3. Rank the candidates based on the degree to which they meet the BARS for the role.

3. Interview

  1. Develop interview questions that relate to the key capabilities required for the role. Review your departmental recruitment guidelines or the VPSC Recruitment tools for support with this.
  2. During the interview use the BARS to determine the extent to which the candidates answers meet the key selection criteria.
  3. Select the candidate whose responses to the interview questions best meet or exceeds the expectations for the key capabilities required for the role, in line with your department guidelines.

Key resources

  • Place-based capability framework and BARS.
  • VPS capability framework.
  • Your department’s recruitment and selection guidelines.
  • VPSC Getting Recruitment Right.

Quick guide: Performance management

This quick guide provides information for managers on how to use the Place-based capability framework and the behaviourally anchored rating scales (BARS) to support the performance management of employees working in place-based roles.

Performance management supports the individual, team and organisation to achieve their goals in the most efficient and effective way.

The Place-based capability framework and the BARS can assist you in performance management to:

  • identify unsatisfactory, competent and outstanding behaviours, as observed by the manager and as reported by the employee.
  • compare an individual’s performance against specific examples of behaviour that are anchored to numerical ratings.
  • allow both positive and negative behaviours displayed to be incorporated into assessment and evaluation.
  • enable fair and consistent appraisal by minimising interpretation and unconscious bias

Using place-based capabilities in Performance management

1. Ongoing feedback and development

  1. Use the Place-based capability framework and BARS in ongoing discussions with your employee to identify the behaviours required for success in their role.
  2. Work with your employee to identify any capabilities that require development.
  3. Provide your employee with regular feedback on their performance and the behaviours observed using BARS.

2. PDP goal setting

  1. Following your department’s PDP guidelines work with your employee to identify any capabilities that require development.
  2. Develop SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound) goals to plan for the development of the capabilities required.

3. PDP review

  1. Work with your employee to review their performance using your departmental guidelines.
  2. Use the BARS to identify alignment between the behaviours observed and those required for the role, using the following ratings as a guideline:
    • 1 – unsatisfactory.
    • 2 – needs improvement.
    • 3 – meets expectations.
    • 4 – exceeds expectations.

Key resources

  • Place-based capability framework and BARS.
  • VPS capability framework.
  • Your department’s performance development process (PDP) guidelines.

Quick guide: Learning and development

This quick guide provides information for managers on how to use the Place-based capability framework and the behaviourally anchored rating scales (BARS) to support the learning and development of teams and individuals working in place-based roles.

Learning and development is about ensuring employees have the capabilities (knowledge, skills and behaviours) to succeed in their roles.

The Place-based capability framework and the BARS can be used in learning and development to:

  • identify the place-based capabilities required for development by an individual or teams.
  • develop learning outcomes for learning interventions.
  • track and monitor the development of capabilities.

Using place-based capabilities in Learning and development

1. Identify

  1. Work with your team member to identify the capabilities and behaviours they want to develop using the place-based capability framework and BARS relevant to their roles.

2. Develop

  1. Use the BARS to inform the development of learning outcomes.
  2. Focus on the capabilities that are critical or will have the biggest impact on the business.
  3. Create a capability development plan tailored to each employee’s needs and individual preferences to support them to develop their capabilities.
  4. Consider following the 70:20:10 model of learning where approximately :
    • 70% of learning is on the job in day to day work situations.
    • 20% is through social learning through interactions with others e.g. coaching or mentoring.
    • 10% is undertaken through formal learning and development programs.

3. Track

  1. Regularly track the development of your team capabilities, through the PDP process and regular one to one meetings. Remember – capabilities need to be used to be maintained.

Key resources

  • Place-based capability framework and BARS.
  • VPS capability framework.
  • Your department’s learning and development opportunities.
  • The place-based guide.

Quick guide: Career development

This quick guide provides information for employees and their managers on how to use the Place-based capability framework and the behaviourally anchored rating scales (BARS) to support career development in place-based roles.

Career development supports people to understand and develop their capabilities and preferences to manage their career. It also supports the retention of talent, employee engagement and succession planning.

The Place-based capability framework and the BARS can be used in career development to:

  • help your employees identify the place-based capabilities required for roles they aspire to move into.
  • develop plans to help your employees build their capabilities and realise their career ambitions.
  • ensure succession plans are in place for when employees leave the team.

Using place-based capabilities in Career development

1. Discover

  1. Meet with your employee to discuss their career ambitions, the capabilities they enjoy using and those they wish to develop further. Use the place-based capability framework and BARS to prompt discussion.
  2. Support your employee to identify potential opportunities and the capabilities required for this. Consider networking events, community of practice and career discovery conversations.

2. Plan and support

  1. Develop a Career Development Plan with your employee to help them stay on track with their career development goals. Consider including these in the PDP process.
  2. Support your employee to develop their capabilities in line with the BARS to achieve their career development goals. Consider on the job opportunities, social learning (e.g. coaching and mentoring) and through formal training where required.

3. Transition

  1. Support mobility within your team to provide opportunities for your employees to take on new opportunities, build their capabilities and realise their career ambitions.
  2. Plan for team transitions by creating succession plans ensuring others have the capabilities to move into vacant roles.

Key resources

  • Place-based capability framework and BARS.
  • VPS capability framework.
  • Your department’s learning and development opportunities.
  • VPSC Career Development plan.

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