Military Civilian Grade 7 Admin key terms

The formal line of authority running from the highest level of an organization down to each subordinate position, defining who reports to whom and who may issue lawful orders.

The principle that each employee should receive direction from and be accountable to only one supervisor, preventing conflicting instructions and unclear accountability.

The number of subordinates who report directly to one supervisor. Narrow spans allow closer oversight; wide spans require more delegation and stronger standard procedures.

The supervisor's assignment of decision-making power to a subordinate for specific tasks while the supervisor retains overall accountability for the results.

A written statement of the duties, responsibilities, supervisory relationships, and qualification requirements of a specific job, used for recruitment, classification, and performance planning.

The official criteria that define a job series, grade levels, and qualification requirements, used to place positions in the correct occupational category and pay grade.

The ongoing review of how positions are structured and used so that duties match the assigned grade and the organization's mission, staffing, and budget.

A staffing measure in which one FTE equals one full-time position; part-time positions are converted to fractions so total workload can be compared and budgeted.

The number and mix of personnel needed to accomplish a stated workload or mission, usually expressed in positions or FTEs and validated against workload data.

An authorization document that prescribes the organizational structure, personnel positions, and equipment items a unit is permitted and required to have.

A periodic, documented evaluation of an employee's work against established standards, used for feedback, development, and personnel decisions such as retention or promotion.

A trial period during which a newly appointed supervisor's performance is evaluated before the appointment becomes final, with simplified removal procedures if standards are not met.

A graduated response to a performance or conduct problem, ranging from counseling through formal reprimand and suspension, intended to correct behavior before stronger discipline is imposed.

A structured sequence of increasingly severe penalties for repeated misconduct, giving the employee notice and an opportunity to improve before removal is considered.

The formal process by which an employee may challenge an agency action affecting working conditions, with defined steps, time limits, and decision levels for review.

The statutory rules requiring hiring and personnel decisions to be based on ability and performance, with fair treatment, equal opportunity, and protection against prohibited personnel practices.

An action that improperly interferes with merit-based employment, such as retaliation for whistleblowing, nepotism, or influencing a hiring decision outside authorized procedures.

A statutory authorization that permits an agency to incur obligations and make payments from the treasury for specified purposes, amounts, and time periods.

A binding commitment to pay money for goods or services, such as a signed contract or purchase order, that reduces the unobligated balance available in a fund.

The law that prohibits obligating or spending funds in excess of an appropriation, before funds are available, or beyond an apportionment, and requires reporting violations.

The internal system of allotments, suballotments, and spending limits that keeps obligations within available appropriations and assigns responsibility for each budget line.

A distribution of appropriated funds by period or activity, issued by the central budget authority, that limits how much may be obligated during a given part of the year.

The phase of the budget cycle in which approved funds are apportioned, allotted, obligated, and expended, with spending compared against plans and adjusted as needed.

A government-issued charge card that lets authorized employees make small purchases directly, within a stated single-purchase and monthly limit, with required documentation and reconciliation.

The obligation of assigned personnel to keep accurate records of government property, safeguard it, and account for it through inventories, hand receipts, and reports of loss or damage.

A signed document acknowledging that a person has accepted responsibility for specific property items and will account for them or report their loss or damage.

A documented correction to property records after a discrepancy is investigated and approved, such as writing off losses or recording found items.

The coordinated planning and control of requisitioning, receiving, storing, issuing, and transporting materials so that needed items arrive on time without excess stock.

A formal request for supplies or services that authorizes the supply system to issue items or begin procurement, identifying item, quantity, priority, and delivery point.

The running account of quantities on hand, received, and issued for an item, used to trigger reorder, detect shrinkage, and support inventory reconciliation.

A plan listing record series and how long each must be kept before destruction or transfer to an archive, based on legal, fiscal, and administrative needs.

The final handling of records at the end of their retention period, either destruction according to approved methods or transfer to an archival authority.

A systematic survey of the records an office creates and holds, capturing volume, location, format, and use, which forms the basis for retention and disposition decisions.

A public request for agency records under disclosure law, which starts a process of search, review, and release of nonexempt material within statutory time limits.

Legal limits on collecting, maintaining, using, and disclosing personal information held in agency systems of records, including notice and access rights for the individual.

The tracking of incoming and outgoing written communication through a log or system so that each item is assigned, answered, and closed within required timeframes.

An internal written note that documents a decision, conversation, or action for the file when no external recipient is addressed, preserving an official account.

The assembled set of documents, background, and routing slips submitted to a decision maker so a request or issue can be reviewed and acted on.

A documented plan that identifies essential functions and the staff, records, systems, and alternate locations needed to keep them running during a disruption.