Skills Matrix explained: Basics and a Template

The skills matrix immediately shows which knowledge and skills are present in a team and where gaps still exist. This is useful when tasks aren’t properly distributed, development remains too vague, or you don’t know exactly who can be assigned to which tasks. With this overview, you can more quickly identify someone’s strengths, where training is needed, and which competencies are missing to achieve goals.

In this article, you’ll discover what a skills matrix is and how to assess competence and willingness in a practical way. You’ll also receive a step-by-step plan for mapping out job competencies, individual skills, and development needs. In addition, you can use a downloadable skills matrix template to get started right away. Enjoy reading!

What is a Skills Matrix?

The Skills Matrix is a visual tool that helps you to clearly see the skills and competencies of individuals within an organisation, group, or team. The Skills Matrix is part of skills management. The primary goal of skills management is to offer support for understanding, developing, utilising, and tracking people and their skill levels.

The matrix is generally used for small groups of people, but can be expanded. The left side shows specific skills or knowledge areas that are required for a specific project, for instance. Next, two variables have to be entered for every name: proficiency regarding the skill in question, and interest to use the skill.

If used correctly, the Skills Matrix offers a reliable overview of the knowledge and skills available within a team. It can tell you if you have the skills necessary to carry out specific tasks and complete a project.

If the team is lacking in certain necessary skills, we call this a skills gap. This makes it an important tool for any data driven human resource manager.

Proficiency & Interest

Two central aspects when making and using a Skills Matrix are proficiency and interest. The level of proficiency indicates how proficient the employee in question is when it comes to carrying out the activity. The interest shows to what extent an employee is interested in applying their skills and to develop them further.

A high level of proficiency is a positive indicator, but doesn’t tell you everything you need to know. The employee also has to be interested in applying and developing their knowledge or skills. It is a good sign that an employee really wants to continue to develop.

A distinction is made between the following levels of proficiency and interest:

Proficiency level 0

The employee does not have any knowledge or skills in the field in question. They cannot be used for the activity. It’s important that an employee with a proficiency level of 0 is introduced to the basic concepts of the activity or field that will be used in the organisation or project team.

Proficiency level 1

Level 1 is assigned to people in the Skills Matrix who have basic proficiency regarding the field or activity in question. Basic techniques and concepts have been acquired, and the focus for these employees should be on training and development.

Proficiency level 2

Level 2 is assigned to employees with some experience in a certain field or activity. They have had the opportunity to join professionals in practice a few times, or as a trainee during their studies. Level 2 means that the employee understands terminology and can talk about it. The person is also aware of relevant concepts, principles, theories, and problems. These employees also have to focus on development and gaining new experiences.

Proficiency level 3

Level 3 is average expertise. These employees have the skills and the abilities to successfully carry out the activities. It’s possible that they sometimes still need expert input from a professional, but in general they can carry out the tasks on their own.

These employees are good at what they do, but there is still room for development by focusing on expanding their skills and knowledge through experience. They’ve acquired all relevant knowledge, as well as on policy and complex procedures.

Proficiency level 4

Employees with proficiency level 4 are advanced in their field and don’t need any help when doing their work. Within the organisation, they are known as people who you can turn to with questions if you don’t know something.

These employees should focus on broader management issues or professional matters and regularly offer ground-breaking ideas or suggestions about problems in their field of expertise. In reality these employees often taken on the role of coach and share their knowledge and skills with others.

Proficiency level 5

The highest scores for the proficiency criterion Skills Matrix is 5. These employees are experts in what they do. They can effectively resolve issues, coach others, and answer any questions related to their expertise.

These employees work mostly on the strategic level of their field and have displayed excellent skills in the past. Proficiency level 5 is only awarded to employees who can come up with uniquely creative solutions for complex questions.

Interest

Interest can be given a value of either 0 or 1. A value of 0 means the employee is not interested in making good use of their knowledge and skills or develop them. A value of 1 means that the employee is sufficiently motivated and interested to use their skills and is willing to learn.

How do you reliably determine the score in a skills matrix?

A skills matrix is most valuable when the scores are fair and recognizable. That’s why it’s important to clarify in advance what each competency level means. This prevents one employee from overestimating their abilities, while another scores too conservatively.

Ideally, combine self-assessment with an evaluation by a manager, project leader, or experienced colleague. Use concrete examples from work, such as completed projects, training courses taken, certifications, client cases, or situations in which someone has applied a skill independently.

Always discuss borderline cases together. It is precisely in these situations that the best conversations about development, employability, and learning needs often arise. For example, someone might be technically strong but still have little experience with customer contact. Or someone might have a good command of a skill but would rather not use it on a daily basis.

Also update the skills matrix regularly. Skills evolve through new projects, training, work experience, and coaching. By reviewing the matrix every six months, for example, you ensure it remains up-to-date and useful for task allocation, development, and workforce planning.

Skills Matrix step-by-step plan

Follow the step-by-step plan below to generate the data you need to create a Skills Matrix for your project group or team.

Step 1: identify project competencies

Each project has different requirements regarding knowledge and skills. Define which aspects are important, which competencies are required, and which specific skills still need to be acquired. Divide these competencies and put them on the left side of the Skills Matrix.

Step 2: identify individual competencies

Now interview all the members of the team or group. Discuss their skills, knowledge, and interests related to the project or task objectives. Explain that you’re looking for the right level of competency for the job in order to link the right people to the right tasks.

Step 3: establish employee interest

When establishing the individual competencies, it’s important to also determine whether employees would be interested in taking on a variety of responsibilities. Try to find out if a person isn’t interested in doing a certain task, so you can change the task to make it more interesting for them.

Step 4: incorporate all data in the Skills Matrix

Collect all the information from the preparation phase of making the Skill Matrix and copy the data into the template.

Step 5: respond to the results

Now go over each team member’s part of the Skills Matrix with them and determine a score while the tasks are carried out. Give all the employees a chance to add information or offer suggestions.

This evaluation allows you to verify if the information is correct, and if the right person has been linked to the right tasks. Make changes if the data shows that you haven’t put the right people on the right tasks.

If an employee shows interest in developing themselves, try to make sure there are sufficient opportunities and support for this.

Skills Matrix Example in Practice

A skills matrix becomes clearer when you link it to a recognizable work situation. Suppose an organization wants to develop a new customer portal. The project team needs various skills, such as project planning, customer communication, data analysis, UX design, and technical knowledge.

The project leader can then assess, for each employee, who possesses which skill and who is willing to apply that skill to the project. This quickly provides an overview—not only of what the team can already do, but also of what’s still missing.

In this example, the first number represents competence. The second number represents willingness. A score of 4 / 1 therefore means that someone is strong in this skill and is also willing to use it. A score of 1 / 0 indicates that someone has little experience and is not currently willing to take on this task.

The skills matrix thus immediately shows how the team can be deployed. For example, Anna excels at project planning. Bas is well-suited for client communication. Chantal has a clear role in data analysis. Daan is well-suited for UX design and technical issues.

At the same time, the matrix also highlights potential risks. If only one person scores high on technical knowledge, the project becomes vulnerable in the event of illness, leave, or departure. In that case, it may be wise to have a second employee shadow the lead or provide targeted training. In this way, the skills matrix becomes not only an overview but also a practical tool for task allocation, development, and risk management.

Skills Matrix template

Use this Skills Matrix template to create a reliable overview of the knowledge and skills available within a team.

Skills Matrix as a tool

It’s not just easy for the group’s manager to know the division of skills within the group to assign resources; the Skill Matrix can also help improve the organisation’s and the individual’s performance in several ways.

A Skills Matrix for employee development

Developing the Skills Matrix and discussing its results with the employees helps them gain insight into their own competencies.

This skills based approach makes employees more aware of the skills that the team needs as a whole to deliver a strong performance. It also shows what they can contribute to do their job well, and where they’re still lacking. That’s a perfect starting point for learning and development opportunities.

Group effectiveness

First of all, the Skills Matrix is very suited as a tool to help understand the team as a whole. Because it offers quick insight into the skills that are present and lacking in a team, you can quickly recruit the right people.

The group also becomes more aware of their individual weaknesses, leading to an open work environment where employees aren’t afraid to ask for help.

Using a Skills Matrix helps customers

Eventually, more efficient and proficient employees also benefit the customers. The clients, both for external projects or clients within the organisation, want the project to be handled professionally and efficiently.

Recommended books and publications on the Skills Matrix

The Skills Matrix helps provide a clear overview of skills, knowledge, and development needs within a team. This makes it easier to identify which competencies are present, where skill gaps exist, and which employees can be further developed. The books and publications listed below provide additional insight into competency management, skill management, team skills, strategic workforce planning, learning, development, and employability.

1. Barnes, T. (2010). Novel derivation and application of skill matrices: The q-matrix method. In C. Romero, S. Ventura, M. Pechenizkiy, & R. S. J. d. Baker (Eds.), Handbook of Educational Data Mining (pp. 159–172). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. → Barnes discusses the q-matrix method, which can be used to systematically map skills and knowledge elements. This ties directly into the Skills Matrix, as both methods help identify which skills are present and which are still missing.
2. Becker, B. E., Huselid, M. A., & Ulrich, D. (2001). The HR Scorecard: Linking People, Strategy, and Performance. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. → This book demonstrates how HR can be linked to strategy and performance. This is relevant to the Skills Matrix because skills are not only recorded administratively but can also be linked to organizational goals, team results, and future staffing needs.
3. Campion, M. A., Fink, A. A., Ruggeberg, B. J., Carr, L., Phillips, G. M., & Odman, R. B. (2011). Doing competencies well: Best practices in competency modeling. Personnel Psychology, 64(1), 225-262. → This article strongly advocates for the careful development of competency models. This is important for the Skills Matrix, because a matrix only becomes useful when skills are described in a clear, recognizable, and measurable way.
4. Draganidis, F., & Mentzas, G. (2006). Competency-based management: A review of systems and approaches. Information Management & Computer Security, 14(1), 51-64. → Draganidis and Mentzas provide an overview of systems and approaches to competency management. This aligns well with the Skills Matrix, as the matrix is often part of a broader HR approach to development, assessment, and workforce planning.
5. Hockemeyer, C., Conlan, O., Wade, V. P., & Albert, D. (2003). Applying competence prerequisite structures for eLearning and skill management. Journal of Universal Computer Science, 9(12), 1428-1436. → This article demonstrates how competence structures can be used for e-learning and skill management. This aligns well with the Skills Matrix, as skill information is particularly valuable when used for targeted development and appropriate learning paths.
6. Le Deist, F. D., & Winterton, J. (2005). What is competence? Human Resource Development International, 8(1), 27–46. → This article helps to clarify the concept of competence. The authors demonstrate that competencies are more than just individual skills. This is relevant to the Skills Matrix because knowledge, attitude, experience, and behavior often collectively determine whether someone can perform a task effectively.
7. Noe, R. A. (2020). Employee Training and Development. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education. → Noe provides a broad foundation for training and development within organizations. The book is relevant to the Skills Matrix because the results of a matrix often lead to learning objectives, training programs, coaching, mentoring, and personal development plans.
8. Rothwell, W. J., & Kazanas, H. C. (2003). Planning and Managing Human Resources: Strategic Planning for Human Resources Management (2nd ed.). Amherst, MA: HRD Press. → This book establishes the connection between workforce planning, competencies, and strategy. This is important for the Skills Matrix because organizations want to know not only what skills are available now, but also what skills will be needed in the future.
9. Rothwell, W. J., Hohne, C. K., & King, S. B. (2018). Human performance improvement: Building practitioner performance. New York, NY: Routledge. → This book helps link performance, skills, and development interventions. The resource aligns well with the Skills Matrix, because a skills gap typically only becomes meaningful once its causes, support, and improvement are specifically examined.
10. Sandberg, J. (2000). Understanding human competence at work: An interpretative approach. Academy of Management Journal, 43(1), 9-25. → Sandberg demonstrates that competence is strongly linked to how people understand their work. This is valuable for the Skills Matrix because skill levels should not only be assessed technically but also in relation to practical experience, work context, and understanding of the task.
11. Stevens, M. J., & Campion, M. A. (1994). The knowledge, skill, and ability requirements for teamwork: Implications for human resource management. Journal of Management, 20(2), 503-530. → Stevens and Campion describe the knowledge, skills, and abilities that are important for teamwork. This aligns well with the Skills Matrix, because teams need not only technical skills but also collaboration skills, communication, and problem-solving abilities.
12. Ulrich, D., Brockbank, W., Younger, J., & Ulrich, M. (2012). HR from the Outside In: Six Competencies for the Future of Human Resources. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. → Ulrich and colleagues describe the competencies HR needs to deliver value to the organization. This is relevant to the Skills Matrix because HR professionals with a good matrix are better able to steer development, employability, and strategic staffing decisions.
13. Whiddett, S., & Hollyforde, S. (2003). A practical guide to competencies: How to enhance individual and organizational performance. London, England: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. → This book offers practical guidance for working with competencies in organizations. It helps to describe competencies in concrete terms, assess them, and link them to performance. This makes it highly useful for setting up or improving a Skills Matrix.

How to cite this article:
Janse, B. (2019). Skill Matrix explained: theory and template. Retrieved [insert date] from Toolshero.com: https://www.toolshero.com/management/skills-matrix/

Original publication date: June 20, 2019 | Last update: June 23, 2026

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