Digest of Significant Classification Decisions and Opinions, No.
28, April 2002           


United States
Office of Personnel Management

Office of Merit Systems Oversight and Effectiveness
Digest of Significant Classification Decisions and Opinions
April 2002
Article No. 28-01


Standards: Computer Clerk and Assistant, GS-335 (February 1980)
   Administrative Work in the Information Technology Group,
   GS-2200 (May 2001)
   Information Technology Management, GS-2210 (May 2001)

Factor: N/A

Issue: Distinguishing between computer assistance and
  information technology (IT) administrative work


   Identification of the Classification Issue

OPM received appeals from two employees, in separate agencies.
In Case #1, the position was classified as Computer Assistant, GS-
335-9. The appellant agreed with the grade level, but believed
that her position was covered by the Information Technology
Management Series, GS-2210. In Case #2, the position was
classified as Computer Assistant, GS-335-7. The appellant
believed that the position should be classified as a GS-2210-09
using the Job Family Standard (JFS) for Administrative Work in
the Information Technology Group, GS-2200.
        
       Resolution

Case #1: The appellant provided technical support to computer
users linked to local area network (LAN) systems at two agency
installations within the serviced geographic area. She assisted
them in resolving operating problems involving network hardware
and software issues, installed external and internal devices and
peripherals, and set up software and parameters according to
systems specifications. She managed home pages for field sites
by monitoring the currency of information uploaded and correcting
routine technical problems. The appellant coordinated the overall
design and implementation of individual Web pages for placement
on the geographic area's Intranet, including determining how best
to display information on the Web page.

While the standard for the GS-2210 series includes specialized
positions in network, Internet, and customer support services,
the appellant's GS-9 position did not require an in-depth
knowledge of IT principles, concepts, and methods sufficient to
plan, analyze, design, develop, test, configure, implement, and
maintain the agency's network systems nor its Internet/Intranet
systems and activities. The work did not require knowledge
sufficient to furnish comprehensive customer support functions
and services to the extent described in the GS-2210 standard.
Typical of GS-335 work, the appellant used established methods
and procedures in the form of written technical guidance. If she
encountered a technical problem that could not be resolved by
applying standard operating procedures, she sought assistance
from higher graded specialists in the activity or from
computer/software vendors. OPM sustained the agency's series
determination as Computer Assistant, GS-335.

Case #2: The appellant primarily provided hardware support to a
team of IT specialists in a medical center. The activity used a
variety of commercially available personal computers (PC's) and
equipment in work areas that used commercial off-the-shelf
software. Typical tasks involved configuring and placing PC's,
including installing the operating system, peripheral devices
with their respective software drivers, and related equipment.
The work included handling requests for additional memory by
determining user needs, freeing up disk space by deleting
software and/or adding memory based on specific PC model
requirements. The appellant handled help desk problems, e.g., PC
is slow, and questions on standard software package functions
using established troubleshooting techniques. The work included
limited mainframe support duties, such as adding or deleting user
accounts.

Typical of the GS-335 series, the appellant's GS-7 position
assisted IT specialists in work requiring knowledge of hardware,
peripheral devices, and memory storage and provided computer
support to users through networks by discussing information
requirements with users and giving advice on how to access the
data. In contrast, GS-2210 equipment work focuses on system
architecture, including defining system hardware requirements.
These functions were performed by higher graded positions at the
activity and in the agency. OPM sustained the agency's series
determination as Computer Assistant, GS-335.

      "Back to the Basics"

While help desk and Internet/Intranet support services are
important functions, positions that assist customers and resolve
problems in accordance with established procedures do not meet
the paramount knowledge criteria for coverage by the GS-2210
series and are specifically excluded from the GS-2200. In
distinguishing between specialist and assistant work, it is
important to consider the characteristics, knowledge, and skills
requirements of the duties. When dealing with borderline
situations, one must consider management's intent in establishing
the position, the organizational relationships of the position
within the work unit, and the nature of the functions and
activities performed.

Link to C-0335-07-02
  C-0335-09-03