How to create a competency framework

An important function of many company's CPD programmes is to have employees create PDP's that focus on the needs of the company, as well as the needs of the individual. In this article we'll look at how companies create competency frameworks, with a view to managers assessing employees against those competency behaviours, then employees crafting their individual PDPs to show how they plan to develop the skills and abilities needed by the company.


In subsequent articles we'll look at how to perform assessment of employee ability against defined competencies, and how managers then view the competency dashboard to identify strengths and weaknesses within the overall workforce and track progress over time.


What is a competency framework?

A competency framework is a set of statements that describe required behaviours and abilities needed by the company. The statements are typically grouped in levels, reflecting the experience and expected behaviours and abilities - perhaps new employees, those with some experience, senior employees, managers, and so on.

For example, a communication skills framework for managers might include statements like those below. A new 'Level 1' manager might be expected to 'Ask questions to clarify and exhibit interest in having a two-way communication', 'Demonstrate openness in sharing information in a timely manner'...  whilst a senior 'Level 4' manager might be expected to 'Act as a seasoned advisor, providing independent opinions...', etc.

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​Competency frameworks often focus on a particular job role or skill. Companies can have

  • multiple competency frameworks. Each framework can have
  • multiple competencies. Each competency can have
  • mutliple levels. Each level can have
  • multiple statements



1. Create a competency framework

A manager or administrator creates a competency framework from home page > toggle to Admin > My Account > Competencies > + Add Framework


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2. Add a competency

Add a competency to the new framework.

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3. Add competency behaviour statements

Add statements to the new framework that describe behaviours and abilities expected of an employee operating at each level of experience. 

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Repeat step 3 to populate the framework with statements that describe required behaviours and abilities for each of your experience levels. Your completed competency might look like the example below. 


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Repeat steps 1, 2 and 3 to create additional competencies, frameworks and statements required by your organisation.



Next steps

Having created your competency frameworks, the next step is to assess each individual employee, comparing their behaviours and abilities against the relevent competency statements. Assessments can by conducted by the individual them self, by the line manager, or perhaps both discussing together.

That done, the dashboard displays competency data from which management can identify strengths and weakness and make informed decisions about training and development priorities.