How to Create a Skills Matrix That Drives Organizational Success

A step-by-step guide to developing a skills matrix

Mapping the skills of your employees is essential to successfully complete your projects and stimulate growth within your organization. Knowing the core skills your staff is lacking can help you create an action plan for the future and make meaningful changes. However, this modern era of business requires employees to learn a large number of skills, making it difficult for leaders to keep up. In this article, we will see how you can overcome this problem by using skill matrices. Read on to find out how to create a skills matrix tailored to your needs in 4 simple steps.

What is a skills matrix?

A skills matrix refers to a visual representation of the level of competence demonstrated by your employees at the collective or individual level. Matrices can take the form of a grid, table or graph and are particularly useful because they can present a wealth of information in an easily understandable way. For example, you can create a skills matrix chart that contains all the skills available in your company, the number of people who have them, and an assessment of their skill level expressed as a percentage or score out of ten. Having this data readily available makes it easier to effectively manage and develop your workforce, as well as decision-making at an organizational level.

Skills matrix vs. Skills matrix: are they the same?

Since the terms “skills matrix” and “skills matrix” are often interchangeable, let’s take a moment to discuss their differences. Although both matrices are designed to identify and present employee skills and competency levels, there is a difference in how they are used. Simpler skills matrices are better suited to operational tasks, such as identifying skills gaps for specific projects, guiding task assignment, and modifying personalized training pathways. On the other hand, deeper skill matrices consider not only skills but also overall knowledge, attitude, and experience. Therefore, executives use them to collect data and make decisions regarding higher-level strategic planning and management.

4 steps to create a skills matrix

Now let’s look at how you can develop a skills matrix that meets the specific needs of your organization.

1. Identify the desired skills

The first step is to identify the skills you need. This might involve writing down the skills needed for a certain project, a new hire, or a specific department. It all depends on why you created a skills matrix in the first place. Remember that all skills have their place in the matrix, whether they are soft or difficult. If you’re not sure where to start, you can conduct research within your organization, asking more experienced employees for their opinions on non-negotiable skills in different scenarios.

2. Create a rating system

Once you have a list of skills, it’s time to decide how you want to assess your employees’ abilities in each one. Again, you can decide what works best for your business. Some companies use grades or percentages. Whatever you choose, we suggest keeping it simple. An example of a simple rating system would be the scale of 0 to 3, which would look like this:

0 = Consciousness: basic knowledge and understanding of the skill
1 = Beginner: a good understanding of the skill but minimal practical application
2 = Professional: possesses the skill in question and uses it to solve everyday problems
3 = Expert: has a lot of experience applying the skill and can mentor others

Depending on your business needs, you can use a similar rating system or something completely different. If necessary, you can also implement different levels for different departments or projects.

3. Evaluate employee skills

The next step in the process of creating a skills matrix is ​​to assign a rating to each employee or department. And for you to do that, you of course need to assess their skills and performance. There are different review techniques you can use, from traditional self-assessments and online reviews to 360 reviews and customer reviews. Each method has its pros and cons, so it’s best to combine a few to get more accurate results.

4. Visualize the data on the matrix

Although a skills matrix doesn’t necessarily require a visual representation of data, it’s always a good idea to get started. Putting all the information you have collected into a table or graph will help you uncover valuable insights or patterns that would otherwise remain obscure. For example, a chart could easily show you which departments have concentrated the most highly qualified employees and which are lacking. Or, you may be able to improve a problematic team dynamic by easily identifying team members who have performed poorly on teamwork.

Once you’ve completed these steps, you’re ready to make the most of your skills matrix to improve recruiting, learning and development strategies, resource allocation processes for your next project or any other goal you you are fixed or that you have fixed for your organization. All it takes is careful planning and the possibilities for change and advancement become endless.

Conclusion

Skills matrices are one of the most valuable tools you can use to assess the skills and competencies of your workforce. They provide you with essential information that can be used to uncover skills gaps, highlight potential leaders, improve decision-making and planning, and drive innovation and success in your organization. In this article, we’ve walked you through 4 simple steps to creating a skills matrix so you can achieve these goals and move your business forward.