CHAPTER 1: General Guidance |
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1-1. Purpose
This Guide assists managers and personnel specialists in the classification of CIPMS General Schedule (GS)
positions. It provides answers to most technical questions about the evaluation of positions in CIPMS. Its purpose,
however, is not to train either personnel specialists or supervisors to be position classification specialists. The
Guide is an aid, but not a substitute, for formal classification training and experience.
The integrity of the CIPMS classification program is conditioned on the integrity and skill of managers and personnel specialists who classify CIPMS positions. The Guide explains the basic principles and procedures used to implement and administer the classification program. Successful administration of the program requires an ethical responsibility from all of its users. Instances of abuse or error can result in misclassification: .0vergrading positions results in the misuse of public funds; undergrading results in poor morale and a host of other personnel problems.
1-2. References
1-3. Explanation of abbreviations and terms
Terminology used through all classification guides is sometimes misinterpreted or interpreted so differently as to
affect the classification of positions. The following definitions were agreed to by DoD for use in the PGS and
should be followed consistently in interpreting AOGs. The definitions are not all inclusive; exceptions, such as
Joint organizations, must be evaluated in terms of alignment with the definitions. Further terms specific to an
AOG are defined in that AOG.
1-4. Background
The Intelligence Authorization Act of FY 1987, codified at 10 USC 1590, authorized DoD to develop a classification system
for CIPMS positions. The law specifically exempts CIPMS from coverage under other position classification laws and
regulations. The CIPMS classification system reflects the best efforts of managers and personnelists within the intelligence
community to create and to adapt, where possible, several of the features found in the classification systems used
by the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency and other intelligence agencies. For users familiar
with the Office of Personnel Management's Factor Evaluation System (FES), the CIPMS classification program contains
a similar point rating system although the factors, definitions and rules are not the same.