Writing Effective PDQ’s
A PDQ should be a simple, easy-to-read description of a job’s current duties and
responsibilities. Remember: A PDQ is not a description of the job holder, a procedure manual
or a prediction into the future of the position.
5 Tips
1. The General Purpose or Summary of the position should be clear, concise and limited
to one or two sentences. Finish the sentence, “This position exists to…” You will have
space to provide more details in the Essential Duties section, so no need to squeeze
them all in here! (Example: “Coordinate XYZ project including student recruitment,
project programming, grant reporting and event planning and execution.”)
2. Keep it simple in the essential duties section by stating the job duties clearly, concisely
and by using active voice. It is often helpful to group duties by those requiring like skill
sets.
3. Give equal attention to each section of the PDQ. Give yourself plenty of time to review
and complete each section accurately with a focus on what is required to perform the
job effectively.
4. Ask for help! Seek input from the employee in the position, an appointing authority
and/or your Classification and Compensation consultant on the PDQ.
5. When in doubt, contact Class/Comp- We’re here to assist you!
See our User Guide and our Dictionary of Action Words for PDQ’s.
Or contact us directly:
Mark Bercheni, Manager: 766-5606 mberchen@uwyo.edu
Ann Lyda, HR Specialist, Sr.: 766-5608 alyda@uwyo.edu
Jeremy Kuhn, HR Specialist, Sr.: 766-5057 jkuhn@uwyo.edu