This paper outlines the job competence/functional analysis methodology that is used widely within the UK workforce and throughout the world. This outcomes-based approach to competence focuses on the description of the outcomes of work performance and is not concerned with job or professional titles. The four stages of functional analysis are outlined and illustrated with a functional map developed for the ophthalmic sector. The nature, purpose and format of occupational standards are described and illustrated, along with common errors in developing occupational standards. The knowledge and understanding of requirements that are described with the occupational standards can be used for curriculum development, but the de-linking of standards, learning and assessment means that qualifications can be awarded that are independent of any one learning process, and formal learning programmes are no longer the only access route to the qualification. This approach to competence can support meaningful discussions about how work may be shared between healthcare professions without compromising standards.