The same seven steps run for a single position audit and for a department study. Only the number of positions, interviews and comparators changes, and the dates scale with them. Every step has an owner and a date in the task order, which is how the City's milestone metric gets measured.
Jelani House replies to the City's contract administrator, names the analyst who will lead, and proposes a 30-minute scoping call within the week.
Positions and classes in scope, comparators (City-named), data needed from the City, deliverables, milestone dates, and a fixed fee built from the contract rate card. Nothing starts until Human Resources approves it in writing (RFP 2.2.3: no payment without prior authorization).
Current specifications, organization charts, incumbent list, prior studies and any MOU language that drives the study. Questionnaires (PDQs) go out through Plumbline with a two-week window and completion tracking by unit.
Incumbent and supervisor interviews (virtual by default, on site when the work calls for it), essential functions documented, and each position compared with the current specification on duties, span of control, supervision received and minimum qualifications.
Where the class sits against related classes and supervisors (compression, ladders, confidential and non-career variants), then base salary or total compensation against the City's comparators, every datapoint carrying its agency, document and effective date.
Human Resources reviews before anyone else sees a recommendation. Questions are answered in writing and logged. Recommendations stay within the City's direction; implementation and bargaining remain the City's.
Method, sources, analysis and recommendations in Word; compensation data sheets in Excel with formulas intact; revised specifications in the City's format. Invoice by assignment name after acceptance.
| Study | Typical scope | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|
| Position audit | One position, one reclassification request: PDQ, two interviews, allocation memo | 15 business days |
| Class specification | One new or revised class, with internal salary placement | 15 business days |
| Class-family study | Up to 5 classes and 30 positions, with a light market check | 6 weeks |
| Base salary market study | 10 benchmark classes, up to 12 City-named comparators | 4 weeks |
| Total compensation study | One bargaining unit, 25 benchmarks: base, health, retirement, special pays | 8 weeks |
| Department classification study | About 40 classes and 200 positions, with internal equity and compression | 14 weeks |
| Citywide study | Scoped with the City as its own task order | per task order |
Plumbline is HSG's classification and compensation platform: PDQs with completion tracking and supervisor walls, position analysis with the evaluator's determination on record, market datapoints with provenance, pay structure, equity and cost scenarios, and a status report Human Resources can export. A fictional demonstration town, Riverbend, runs on the live platform at riverbend.plumbline-hr.com for guided walkthroughs. No City workspace is created and no City data is loaded before an award.
Current specifications and organization charts; an incumbent list with class, unit and hire date; any prior study on the same classes; the comparator list; a Human Resources reviewer for drafts; and help from department heads to get PDQs completed on work time. Small studies need little more than the PDQ and two interviews.