Position Description Questionnaire (PDQ): What It Is, What's in It, and How to Use It

Position Description Questionnaire (PDQ): What It Is, What's in It, and How to Use It

A position description questionnaire, or PDQ, is a structured form that captures what a job actually requires: the duties, the decisions, the contacts, the working conditions, and the knowledge needed to do the work. You use it as the raw material for job evaluation. If the PDQ is thin, vague, or inflated, every score built on top of it inherits the flaw.

Most comp teams meet the PDQ the hard way. They start a classification or job evaluation project, ask employees to "describe your job," and get back forty documents in forty different formats. Some run three lines. Some run six pages. Some describe the person instead of the position. You cannot score jobs fairly against each other from that pile.

This guide walks you through what a PDQ is, the sections a good one contains, who fills out which part, how long it takes, and how the answers feed a point-factor evaluation. It also covers where PDQs go wrong, so you can design yours to avoid it.

TL;DR

• A PDQ documents the job, not the incumbent's performance, and it is the data-collection step that feeds job evaluation.
• A strong PDQ has a clear split: HR or the supervisor completes the identifying section, the incumbent describes the work, and the supervisor reviews it.
• Budget roughly 45 to 60 minutes for the incumbent and 20 to 30 minutes for the supervisor review, and require all three signatures.
• Percent-of-time duties, decision authority, and contacts are the fields that move scores the most, so make them specific.
• The PDQ collects facts. The evaluation committee, not the questionnaire, assigns points.

What is a position description questionnaire?

A position description questionnaire is a standardized form that gathers structured information about one position so that HR can classify it, evaluate it, or review its pay grade. Public-sector agencies and universities use it heavily. The University of Maine System describes its PDQ as a form that describes a position's specific duties and minimum requirements so the position can be measured against what it requires, and it stresses that the focus is the position, not the person in it.

That distinction is the whole point. A PDQ is not a performance review, a résumé, or a wish list. It records what the job demands today. If your best analyst does extra work because she is capable and eager, the PDQ should describe the job's assigned scope, not her personal overachievement. Otherwise you will pay for a person and call it a position.

You will also see it called a job analysis questionnaire. The two terms overlap. "Job analysis questionnaire" is the broader label for any form that collects job data. "PDQ" usually means the specific form that an employee and supervisor complete, with a structure built for evaluation. If you want the wider picture of how organizations collect job data, read our guide to job analysis methods.

PDQ vs job description vs job evaluation questionnaire

These three documents get confused constantly. They do different jobs.

Think of the PDQ as the fact-gathering stage. The job description is a polished summary you write afterward. The evaluation step then scores the facts. We cover the scoring-focused side in our job evaluation questionnaire guide, so this article stays on the PDQ as a document and a process. For the difference between analysis and the description itself, see job analysis vs job description.

The 14 sections of a standard PDQ

Forms vary, but a complete PDQ for a point-factor project usually covers the same ground. Here is a standard 14-section structure, grouped by who completes it.

Section 1 is completed by HR or the supervisor (identifying data):

1. Position identification. Job title, job code, department, location, FLSA status, and reporting line. Pre-fill what you already know so the incumbent does not guess.

Sections 2 through 12 are completed by the incumbent (the work itself):

2. Position purpose. One or two sentences on why the job exists.
3. Organizational setting. Where the job sits, who it reports to, and its direct reports.
4. Major duties with percent of time. The core of the form. List the main responsibilities and estimate the share of time each takes, totaling 100%.
5. Education and experience. The minimum a new hire needs to perform the work, not the incumbent's own credentials.
6. Knowledge, skills, and abilities. Technical and professional knowledge the work requires.
7. Licenses and certifications. Required credentials, separate from "nice to have."
8. Complexity and problem solving. What kinds of problems arise and how new or unusual they are.
9. Decision authority and independence. What the incumbent decides alone, what they recommend, and what they escalate.
10. Contacts. Who the incumbent deals with inside and outside the organization, and why.
11. Supervision and leadership. People managed, work directed, and hiring or disciplinary authority.
12. Resources and impact of error. Budget, assets, data, or safety exposure, and what happens if the work goes wrong.

Sections 13 and 14 close the loop:

13. Working conditions and physical demands. Environment, hazards, travel, and physical effort.
14. Certification and signatures. The incumbent certifies the answers are accurate, the supervisor reviews and approves, and a third signature (a manager or HR) confirms receipt.

Notice how these map to the compensable factors you score later. Education, knowledge, and complexity feed skill. Decisions, resources, and supervision feed responsibility. Physical demands and environment feed working conditions. If you are still deciding which factors to use, start with our guide to compensable factors.

Who fills out what

The cleanest PDQs split ownership so no single person carries the whole form. This matters because each person has a different blind spot.

Those times are planning estimates from practice, not a published standard. Treat them as a starting point and adjust after your pilot.

The incumbent knows the work best, so they describe it in their own words. Public-sector guidance backs this up. South Dakota's Bureau of Human Resources, for example, has employees complete their own section and supervisors complete a separate review section, including confirming the employee's statements and noting critical duties. Employees there estimate percent of time and make the percentages total 100.

The supervisor review is not a rubber stamp. The supervisor checks that the duties are real, that nothing is inflated, and that nothing important is missing. Where supervisor and incumbent disagree, the PDQ should record both views so the evaluation committee can resolve it, rather than quietly overwriting one side.

How to use a PDQ in a job evaluation

The PDQ is step one of a longer chain. Here is how the data flows into a point-factor evaluation.

1. Collect. Incumbents and supervisors complete the PDQ for each job or for a set of benchmark positions.
2. Review. HR checks each form for completeness and flags contradictions, such as a "manager" with no direct reports.
3. Normalize. Where several people hold the same job, combine their PDQs into one representative position record.
4. Score. The evaluation committee reads the facts and assigns a degree on each compensable factor, then converts degrees to points.
5. Group. Total points place each job into a grade, which then connects to a pay range.

The key rule: the PDQ supplies evidence, and the committee supplies judgment. If a form says the job "makes decisions," that is not evidence. If it says the job "approves purchases up to $25,000 without review," that is evidence. Push your design toward the second kind of answer. For a full rollout view, see our job evaluation implementation plan.

What makes a PDQ good: design principles

You can write the best evaluation framework in the world and still fail at the form. These principles keep the data usable.

Ask for facts, not adjectives. "Complex" and "significant" mean different things to different people. Ask what kinds of decisions, how much money, how many people, and how often.

Use structured prompts with room to explain. Pure free text produces rambling answers. Pure checkboxes strip out context. Mix both: a checklist for contacts or physical demands, plus a short box for "describe an example."

Force percent of time to total 100. This single rule exposes most inflated forms. If the duties add up to 140%, the form is not finished.

Separate the job from the person. Say so on the first page. Add a line such as "Describe what the position requires, not how well the current employee performs it." Our guide on how to write a job description that holds up in job evaluation applies the same discipline.

Limit the length. A PDQ that takes three hours gets answered badly. Aim for the 45 to 60 minute range for the incumbent, and cut any question that does not change a factor score.

Give examples. Show one completed sample so employees know the level of detail you want.

When to use a PDQ

The PDQ earns its keep in a few situations:

• Launching a job evaluation or classification project. You need consistent data on every job in scope.
• Reclassification requests. When a manager argues a job has grown, the PDQ gives you a structured record to compare against the current grade.
• Mergers and reorganizations. Two organizations describe the same work differently. A common form puts them on the same footing.
• Pay equity and internal equity reviews. Documented job content gives you a defensible basis for comparing roles. Remember that internal equity (fairness within your organization) is a different concept from pay equity (a regulatory requirement), though good job documentation supports both.
• Periodic re-evaluation. Jobs drift. A fresh PDQ every few years catches it. See our post on job re-evaluation.

Common problems to avoid

Even a well-designed PDQ can go wrong in the field. Watch for these patterns.

• Inflation. Employees know pay follows grade, so some overstate. Supervisor review and a clear "describe the job, not yourself" statement reduce it.
• Under-reporting. Quiet high performers sometimes describe too little. Interviews or a short follow-up conversation fill the gap.
• Copying the old job description. If answers match the current description word for word, the incumbent probably skipped the thinking. Ask for examples.
• Skipped supervisor review. The approval signature becomes a formality. Make the supervisor's confirmation a required, timed step.
• Inconsistent percent of time. Estimates that do not total 100 signal a rushed form. Reject and return it.

We will cover the five most damaging mistakes in detail in a follow-up article, including how to catch them in review.

Example: a short PDQ excerpt

Here is a fictional example of Section 4 for a payroll specialist, to show the level of detail that works. This is an illustration, not real data.

Compare that with "handles payroll and related duties." The first version lets a rater see volume, frequency, and consequence. The second tells them nothing.

FAQ

What does PDQ stand for in HR?

PDQ stands for position description questionnaire. In HR, "PDQ" almost always refers to this form. It collects structured information about a position's duties, requirements, and conditions so the position can be classified or evaluated.

Who should complete the PDQ, the employee or the manager?

Both, in different parts. The incumbent describes the work in their own words, because they know it best. The supervisor then reviews the answers, confirms or corrects them, and approves. HR or the supervisor usually pre-fills the identifying section.

How long does a PDQ take to complete?

Plan on roughly 45 to 60 minutes for the incumbent and 20 to 30 minutes for the supervisor review. Those are practical planning figures, not a published standard. If your pilot shows people needing much longer, shorten the form.

Is a PDQ the same as a job description?

No. A PDQ is a data-collection form that captures detailed, raw information. A job description is a polished summary written afterward. You write the description from the PDQ, not the other way around.

Does a PDQ evaluate the employee's performance?

No. A PDQ documents what the job requires, not how well the person performs it. Job evaluation is a separate process from performance evaluation, and mixing them contaminates your pay structure.

How does a PDQ connect to the point-factor method?

The PDQ supplies the evidence. Raters read it, assign a degree on each compensable factor such as skill, effort, responsibility, and working conditions, and convert those degrees to points. The points place the job in a grade.

Do I need a PDQ for every job?

Not always. You can use PDQs for benchmark jobs and slot related jobs against them. For smaller organizations or a first pass, start with benchmarks and expand as you gain confidence.

Can I automate any of this?

Yes. Software can guide employees through structured questions and flag inconsistencies, such as percent of time that does not total 100. People still need to review the facts and make the scoring decisions.

Where to go next

The PDQ is the foundation of a defensible evaluation, and a clean one saves you weeks of rework downstream. Start with a short pilot on five or six benchmark jobs, watch where people stumble, and tighten the form before you roll it out.

If you want to see how a structured intake feeds scoring, start free with PointFactors and we will walk you through evaluating a job from questionnaire to grade. You can also review pricing to see how teams of different sizes get started.

Justin Hampton, founder and CEO of PointFactors, writes about job evaluation, pay structure, and compensation strategy for HR leaders and compensation analysts.