Glossary
Plain-English definitions of the terms used for skills and career levels at work. Each one comes with a real example from our public library of department frameworks.
Skills matrix
A skills matrix is a table that lists the skills a team needs and rates each one, either for each person on the team or for each job level.
Read the definitionCompetency matrix
A competency matrix is a table that maps the competencies a role needs, both skills and behaviors, against its job levels or its people, with the expected proficiency in each cell.
Read the definitionCompetency framework
A competency framework is a structured list of the skills, behaviors and knowledge an organization expects from its people, grouped into areas and described level by level.
Read the definitionCareer ladder
A career ladder is the ordered sequence of job levels in one line of work, from the entry-level role to the most senior one, with what is expected at each step.
Read the definitionCareer framework
A career framework is the set of levels, expectations and rules an organization uses to describe how people grow in their roles and get promoted.
Read the definition