It's not easy writing job descriptions, although the Job Description Questionnaire helps. (Note that subscribers to ewin.com can request job descriptions.) It's even more difficult to have uniformity from department to department or even incumbent to incumbent. In order to help, I am listing the following verbs which should be useful in identifying and defining the job function. These definitions are important in the consistency in definition leads to standardization of job descriptions.
Administer: Manage or direct the execution of affairs.
Advise: Recommend a course of action; offer an informed opinion based on specialized knowledge.
Analyze: Separate into elements and critically examine.
Approve: Accept as satisfactory; exercise final authority with regard to commitment of resources.
Assign: Specify or designate tasks or duties to be performed by others.
Authorize: Approve; empower through vested authority.
Conducts: Carry on; direct the execution of.
Control: Measure, interpret, and evaluate action for conformity with plans or desired results.
Coordinate: Regulate, adjust, or combine the actions of others to obtain harmony.
Delegate: Commission another to perform tasks or duties that may carry specific degrees of accountability.
Develop: Disclose, discover, perfect, or unfold a plan or idea.
Direct: Guide work operations through the establishment of objectives, policies, rules, practices, methods, and standards.
Evaluate: Determine or fix the value of.
Expedite: Accelerate the process or progress of.
Implement: Carry out; execute a plan or program.
Maintain: Keep in an existing state.
Negotiate: Confer with others with an eye to reaching agreement.
Operate: Perform an activity or series of activities.
Perform: Fulfill or carry out some action.
Plan: Devise or project the realization of a course of action.
Recommend: Advise or counsel a course of action; offer or suggest for adoption.
Schedule: Plan a timetable.
Supervise: Personally oversee, direct, inspect, or guide the work of others with responsibility for meeting standards of performance.
Task: Ask someone to do something that you don't want to do, although this really isn't a verb.
Train: Teach or guide others in order to bring up to a predetermined standard.
Verify: Confirm or establish authenticity; substantiate.
Did you know that, as a member, you can request job
descriptions, get the Job Description Questionnaire, or ask personnel questions
by email and get a response within an hour (8-6 Pacific Time).