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A task is the most behaviorally detailed unit of work that is typically contained in a job analysis . It describes a work activity that produces a single, meaningful work product or outcome. Tasks are implicitly or explicitly composed of even more behaviorally specific “elements” that do not produce a meaningful work product or output when considered in isolation (e.g., “turn power switch to ‘on’ position,” “insert pencil into electric sharpener,” “remove sharpened pencils from sharpener”). When these elements are combined, however, a meaningful task statement is produced, e.g., “Prior to each scheduled course evaluation, sharpen a sufficient number of no. 2 pencils using an electric sharpener to provide each student with two pencils (at least 3 inches in length) for use in completing course evaluation questionnaires, exercising discretion regarding the colors of pencils used.” Various criteria have been advanced for defining the kinds of content that should be present in a task statement. At a minimum, task statements should include: (1) an action verb (e.g., “sharpen”) that describes what the worker does, using as behaviorally specific language as possible; and (2) the object of the action (e.g., “no. 2 pencils”). Often, task statements include supplemental information, such as: (3) the context in which the task is performed (e.g., “prior to scheduled evaluations”); (4) ... log in or subscribe to read full text