5 methods for conducting a skills audit
There are various options available for conducting a best-practice skills audit. Selecting your method is a matter of balancing costs with the quality of what you want to achieve. In this article, I’ll look at five methods of conducting a skills audit to help you make an informed decision about the method that will suit your organisation best.
1. Competence-based self-assessment with validation by direct manager or supervisor
Participants are presented with a list of the competencies, identified by job analysis, which are relevant to their positions. The competencies are defined in terms of the outcomes required as well as the level of proficiency required for the position.
Your employees conduct a self-assessment of their proficiency levels in terms of stipulated criteria. The employee’s direct manager or supervisor also provides an assessment, which constitutes the validation portion.
This is the most cost-effective method in terms of direct and indirect money spent as employees spend the minimum time out of the workplace. The method is applicable to all levels of the organisation and you can achieve your best spread of information using this method.
2. 360 ° Reviews
The basis for this method is the same as for the first point. The only difference is that the validation and feedback the employee receives is much wider as this method includes input from:
- The employee’s direct manager or supervisor,
- Peers,
- Internal and external clients,
- Subordinates, and
- Other categories as identified per position.
A 360° review (also called 360° feedback) is a very powerful tool for ascertaining your employees’ proficiency levels and providing them with developmental feedback. This method is more work intensive and means employees will spend more time out of the workplace. From experience, this method can be recommended to all levels of the organisation on condition that best practices are followed for implementation. You will get an excellent depth and spread of information.
3. Focus groups
This method is a ‘quick win’ in terms of time and resources spent, but it can also be extremely one-sided with regards to the quality of data gathered. The data gathered is based on the perceptions of the representatives, not the actual data provided by all members of staff. Practical problems such as group think can skew the value of data obtained.
4. Assessment centres
Assessment centres offer a set of tests , for example:
- Psychometric tests,
- Work sample tests such as an in-basket,
- Observed group discussions,
- Role plays,
- Presentations, and
- Interviews.
Because of the nature of the above-mentioned tests, these may only be administered by registered psychology professionals.
Assessment centres are ideal measuring managerial and behavioural competencies. The assessment method requires that participants are taken out of the work environment into a laboratory environment where the individual is assessed in a simulated work environment.
The method is very expensive and best suited to managerial levels. Conducting skills audits in assessment centres requires participants to be outside the work place for a period of time, e.g. between six and 24 hours.
5. Assessment by subject matter experts
This is most probably the most desirable option in terms of the quality of the results you will achieve but it is also the most expensive method. Finding suitable subject matter experts is also a dilemma as experts can also be your best employees who you will need to take out of service to conduct assessments.
