BASIC (03-86)

Workpower analysis forms the heart of the annual State agency budget request as it provides the narrative justification for all personal services funding requests and, in turn, forms the base for determining all other nonpersonal and indirect cost funding requests. Workpower analysis submissions are required of all DDS having 10 or more professional employees. Each year the State agency receives and processes a variety of disability cases and utilizes a certain amount of workpower to accomplish this feat. The operation of receiving, developing, and disposing of cases is an activity that changes. Any change can result in the use of more or less workpower and each change can be the result of one or several factors. Workpower analysis identifies each known change by one of six change factors: count, mix, substance, procedures, indirect, and other. A thorough understanding of what is meant by each of these factors is essential to the preparation of valid analysis of workpower use and needs. The effective communication of this analysis from the DDS to the regional office can best be accomplished through careful documentation of workpower changes categorized under one of the change factors below:

A. Count (DI 39503.810 C.1.)

A change in the count factor simply depicts the amount of workpower needed because of a change in the number of case dispositions from one year to the next. This may be reflected as either a plus (+) factor or a minus (-) factor, depending on whether the succeeding year's workload is greater or less than the year before. The disposition difference (whether plus or minus) is divided by the prior year production per year for that agency to convert the factor into a workpower figure. That workpower figure is then placed on the analysis work sheet under item 3A.

B. Mix (DI 39503.810 C.2.)

A mix change is a change in the composition of the agency's workload. Such activity can cause a substantial plus in workpower needs. To calculate the magnitude of the workpower requirement, the agency needs to maintain sufficient data of changes occurring during the fiscal year so as to predict as accurately as possible the added time or savings in time (in minutes) per case required by the mix change. A mix change results when the percentage of one type of claim in the workload varies significantly from the base year. If there has been no actual experience with the mix change, then a carefully studied estimate of additional or fewer minutes per case needs to be prepared. Document fully the assumptions made by calculating changes in case time. It is possible to experience time savings in minutes per case, however, most mix changes usually result in additional time per case.

C. Substance (DI 39503.810 C.3.)

A change in the substance factor is generally a plus in terms of workpower because it usually is a change in the nature of the workload. Here again, to calculate the magnitude of the workpower requirement, the agency must estimate the added time (in minutes) per case and the number of cases requiring such added activity.

D. Procedures (DI 39503.810 C.4.)

A change in procedures can be a plus or minus in terms of workpower but generally is a minus as procedural changes are usually implemented for purposes of streamlining the processing of a case or of improving quality of the product.

E. Indirect Time (DI 39503.810 C.5.)

A change in the indirect time factor can be a plus or minus in terms of workpower. Indirect workpower consists of those agency employees whose work responsibility is not directly related to case processing. The agency director, administrative specialists, and training specialists represent categories of indirect workpower. Because of the growing size and complexity of State agencies, many are developing specialized staff organizations to optimize their operations. All such staff people are considered additions in indirect workpower. The biggest single factor in indirect time is the training factor. Major program changes generally require more training and affect indirect time calculations.

F. Other Productivity (DI 39503.810 C.6.)

A change in the other productivity factor can be a plus or minus in terms of workpower. This category is used when an operation is forced into doing something on the basis of external considerations that cost or save workpower. Forced productivity improvement is brought about when an administrative decision is made to employ expedients in case processing in order to move backlogged claims. Some illustrations of productivity change factors are: productivity improvement as people become familiar with new procedures, one-time or nonrecurring costs, or retraining of personnel formerly engaged in other work.