The Office of Financial Management maintains a classification plan for all positions in the classified service, i.e., employees who are subject to the civil service statute.  The classification plan consists of the titles, definitions, typical work, legal requirements, and desirable qualifications for all categories of jobs within the State of Washington. 

The classification plan must be based on a review and analysis of the duties and responsibilities of each position, and it must include a description of each class.  The plan is prepared and revised in consultation with employers, employee organizations, and other interested parties. 

By statute, the classification plan must:

• be simple and streamlined;
• support state agencies in responding to changing technologies, economic and social conditions, and the needs of the state's citizens;
• value workplace diversity;
• facilitate the reorganization and decentralization of governmental services;
• enhance mobility and career advancement opportunities; and
• consider rates for other public employment and private employment in the state.

The classification plan may not require a two-year or four-year college degree as the only way to demonstrate qualifications for a role unless that degree is required by law.