A Performance Audit
A Classification Compliance Audit Report on Information Technology Positions at Business and Economic Development Agencies
January 2020
Summary Analysis
A total of 306 (52.0 percent) of the 589 employees tested were correctly classified in accordance with the State's Position Classification Plan. Employees tested included those performing information technology work at the following five business and economic development agencies (Article VII of the General Appropriations Act, 86th Legislature):
- Department of Housing and Community Affairs (Department): The Department correctly classified all but 5 of the 18 employees classified in the Information Technology occupational category.
- Texas Lottery Commission (Commission): The Commission correctly classified all but 2 of the 39 employees classified in the Information Technology occupational category.
- Department of Motor Vehicles (Department): The Department did not correctly classify 43 of the 70 employees classified in the Information Technology occupational category.
- Department of Transportation (Department): The Department did not correctly classify 148 of the 208 employees classified in the Information Technology occupational category.
- Texas Workforce Commission (Commission): The Commission correctly classified 169 of the 254 employees classified in the Information Technology occupational category.
The agencies have taken or asserted they will take action to address the 283 total misclassifications.
Information technology careers at state agencies cover a broad range of jobs. Employees who work in the information technology field perform duties such as computer programming, database administration, software development, preventing and detecting cybersecurity threats, analyzing and maintaining computer systems, and designing and maintaining Web sites.
In fiscal year 2019, the State employed 4,599 full-time and part-time classified employees in a job classification series within the Information Technology occupational category.
A total of 306 (52.0 percent) of the 589 employees tested at the 5 business and economic development agencies (Article VII of the General Appropriations Act, 86th Legislature) were correctly classified in accordance with the State's Position Classification Plan. The agencies reported that of those 589 employees tested:
- 582 were in a job classification series that fell within the Information Technology occupational category.
- 7 were performing information technology-related work but were in a job classification series located within another occupational category.
The Department of Housing and Community Affairs (Department) identified 18 employees who were classified in the Information Technology occupational category; all but 5 employees were correctly classified in accordance with the State's Position Classification Plan. The five misclsasified employees were performing duties that did not align with their current job classification series. For example, an employee classified as a Systems Analyst was performing the job duties and responsibilities consistent with that of a Systems Support Specialist.
The Texas Lottery Commission (Commission) identified 39 employees who were classified in the Informational Technology occupational category or performing information technology-related work; all but 2 of those employees were correctly classified in accordance with the State's Position Classification Plan. The two misclassified employees were performing duties that did not align with their current job classification series. For example, an employee classified as a Program Specialist was performing job duties consistent with that of a Business Analyst.
The Department of Motor Vehicles (Department) identified 70 employees who were classified in the Informational Technology occupational category or performing information technology-related work. Of those 70 employees, 43 (61.4 percent) were not correctly classified in accordance with the State's Position Classification Plan. The majority (74.4 percent) of the 43 misclassified employees were in an incorrect job classification series, including 12 employees who were also in an incorrect occupational category. For example, one misclassified employee will be reclassified from a Systems Analyst to a Data Analyst to better align with the employee's duties. The Data Analyst job classification series is in the Planning, Research, and Statistics occupational category and not in the Information Technology occupational category.
The Department of Transportation (Department) identified 208 employees who were classified within the Information Technology occupational category; of the 208 employees, 148 (71.2 percent) were not correctly classified in accordance with the State's Position Classification Plan. Of the 148 misclassified employees, auditors noted the following:
- The majority (93.2 percent) of misclassified employees were in an incorrect job classification series, including 121 employees who were also in an incorrect occupational category.
- The Department's internal classification plan did not fully align with the State's Position Classification Plan.
The Texas Workforce Commission (Commission) identified 254 employees who were classified in the Information Technology occupational category; of those 254 employees, 169 (66.5 percent) were correctly classified in accordance with the State's Position Classification Plan. The remaining 85 employees were performing job duties that did not align with their current job classification series.
Specifically, the majority (67.1 percent) of those 85 misclassified employees were in an incorrect job classification series, including 15 employees who were also in an incorrect occupational category. For example, one misclassified employee will be reclassified from a Systems Analyst to an Accountant to better align with the employee's duties. The Accountant job classification series is in the Accounting, Auditing, and Finance occupational category and not the Information Technology occupational category.
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