Keeping track of your operators' skills and versatility is an effective way of achieving operational excellence. However, it's not always an easy task, and many managers struggle to manage the skills of their teams. Yet there is an effective tool: the multi-skills matrix. Traditionally used in Excel, this matrix has now been digitized to go far beyond its original function.
The skills matrix, also known as the "poly-skills matrix", represents a team's skills at a given point in time. Its main purpose is to map available skills against production needs.
In concrete terms, it's a table that crosses several data points:
To build this matrix, it is first necessary to estimate the skill requirements of each of the company's processes.
Once established, it provides valuable information on the versatility of teams, as well as on training needs.
It's not just used for operational purposes. It also plays an essential role from an HR point of view. For example:
Managers sometimes struggle to identify which skills need to be developed, whether at team, departmental or even company level. This challenge is greatly facilitated by the skills matrix, which maps the know-how of all operators.
Gestion Prévisionnelle des Emplois et des Compétences is a legal requirement for companies with over 300 employees. It is a strategy designed to help organizations meet the agility challenges posed by the accelerating pace of digital transformation. In practical terms, this means answering the question: "How can we make sure we have the right skills in the right place at the right time?
For some years now, recruiters have been struggling to attract talent. As a result, it's vital to build employee loyalty by upgrading their skills. Internal mobility also aims to offer them development opportunities in line with the company's strategy and their personal aspirations.
On a strategic level, the skills and versatility matrix helps plants toremain competitive.
In 1998, Gérard Vergnaud defined critical skills as "those skills acquired by an individual through experience, which make him or her irreplaceable in certain tasks". In this way, the multi-skills matrix can be used to check that the company has the resources it needs to successfully implement its strategy.
The skills and versatility matrix can also be used to easily visualize the authorizations and certifications held by operators. Managers can consult the obsolescence dates for each of these authorizations, and ensure that they never fall below the regulatory threshold for each activity.
Last but not least, keeping an up-to-date skills and versatility matrix is a plus for any company aiming for ISO 9001 certification, as it is the sign of quality management.
More than just a tracking chart, the skills matrix plays a strategic role in helping companies maintain their competitiveness. However, this matrix is not fixed in time, and is no longer valid if an operator leaves or arrives. The same applies when a team member acquires a new skill. It must therefore be kept rigorously up to date.
After the theory, let's get practical! A little research is all it takes to understand how to create a skills and versatility monitoring matrix from scratch. Does this mean that you have to use a standard Excel spreadsheet?
Let's compare the two options. Excel is a highly effective tool for anyone who has mastered the basics. The first option may be suitable for small companies with a relatively stable workforce. On the other hand, for larger organizations, effectively tracking the skills of each operator can become a real headache. In such cases, it may be wise to use a dedicated skills management solution.
An example of a multi-skills matrix in Excel
Specialised software offers significant advantages over spreadsheets:
A multi-skills matrix built with a tool like Excel will quickly become obsolete if it isn't updated regularly. On the other hand, with a specialized solution, the question no longer arises, as everything updates automatically.
Managing operators' skills with dedicated software makes the information accessible to all, and facilitates decision-making, particularly at the time of annual appraisals.
Finally, a specialised solution enables data to be mapped directly from the field. This data is then shared with the support functions and helps to manage the production sites.
Monitoring operators' skill levels is a strategic issue for several reasons. On the one hand, having an accurate view of this indicator helps to develop operators' overall level of versatility (and, by extension, the company's degree of agility). In this way, managers are better equipped to deal with unforeseen events, such as the departure of an operator.
On a strategic level, companies that are able to accurately map the know-how of their teams can better anticipate the transformation of professions and be competitive in the Factory 4.0 era.This monitoring is carried out via tools such as the polycompetency matrix, which can now be digitized thanks to dedicated solutions.
