A job description is important as a baseline for employee development.
I must admit, I have never been much of a fan of job descriptions. I think it is because I did not want to take the time to write them. I did not fully understand how to use them and why such communication was so important with employees. I also suspect somewhere in the back of my mind, I had attributed them to some type of legal mumbo jumbo required to satisfy the lawyers of the world. I have come to believe that a job description is important as a baseline for employee development.
A job description specifies what an employee should be doing at this point in his or her career. Over time, we can use this job description to take the employee's job to the next level. It can expand, or skills and production goals can be built into it. It is a living document, not a one-time attempt to put details on paper. A job description should reflect your overall long-term business objectives. A job description outlines an employee's duties, responsibilities and role within your business. It should specify the requirements and abilities an employee must possess to succeed in the position. Since business objectives change, job descriptions have to be rewritten from time to time.