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Skills matrix template: 393 skills by department
Updated
Every skill the 16 career ladders are rated on. Open any one to read what it means and the mastery expected at each rung.
What is a skills matrix?How to use this skills matrix template
Pick a department
Open its page from the list below. Its skills matrix lists every skill and the level expected at each career level. The skills in the first group here are in every department's matrix.
Download the matrix
Each department page has it as a CSV that opens in Excel or Google Sheets. Delete the rows for skills your team does not need.
Rate each person
In your spreadsheet, add a column for each person. Rate each skill for them, from Novice to Expert.
Read the gaps
Compare each rating with the level the person is at. The steps it falls short are the gap. The biggest gaps are where training, mentoring or hiring should go first.
Expected in every department 14 skills
Software engineering 25 skills
- Programming and Build
- Modern Development Standards
- Code Review
- Debugging and Diagnosis
- Refactoring
- Version Control
- API Design
- Test Design
- Test Automation
- Performance Optimization
- Accessibility Testing
- Systems Design
- Systems Integration
- Architectural Decisions
- Schema and Query Design
- Prototyping and Spikes
- Continuous Delivery
- Observability and Monitoring
- Production Incident Response
- Availability and Capacity
- Infrastructure as Code
- Application Security
- Secure Data Handling
- Dependency Management
- User Focus
Platform and DevOps 22 skills
- Cloud Landing Zone Design
- Infrastructure Provisioning Automation
- Network and Cloud Security Configuration
- Secrets and Credential Rotation
- Disaster Recovery and Backup Planning
- Infrastructure Vulnerability and Patch Management
- CI Pipeline Engineering
- Release Automation and Deployment Strategy
- Artifact and Package Registry Management
- Environment and Configuration Management
- Container Orchestration
- Container Image Build and Hardening
- Service Mesh Operations
- On-Call Incident Command
- Service Level Objective Management
- Alert Design and Noise Reduction
- Postmortem and Incident Learning
- Chaos Engineering and Failure Testing
- Cloud Cost Management
- Platform Self-Service Tooling
- Developer Platform Documentation and Enablement
- Systems Troubleshooting
Quality engineering 24 skills
- Exploratory Test Charters
- Risk-Based Test Prioritization
- Requirements and Acceptance Criteria Analysis
- Boundary and Equivalence Test Design
- Defect Management
- Automation Framework Design
- API Test Automation
- UI Test Automation
- Regression Suite Maintenance
- Test Code Review
- CI Test Pipeline Integration
- Test Data Management
- Test Environment Provisioning
- Flaky Test Diagnosis
- Test Reporting and Metrics
- Load and Performance Test Design
- Accessibility Conformance Testing
- Baseline Security Testing
- API Contract Testing
- Cross-Browser and Device Testing
- Test Strategy
- Release Readiness Assessment
- Quality Coaching and Enablement
- Quality Gate Definition
Cybersecurity 27 skills
- Security Alert Triage
- Threat Detection Engineering
- SIEM Monitoring and Tuning
- Incident Response Coordination
- Digital Forensics and Evidence Handling
- Threat Intelligence Analysis
- Vulnerability Scanning and Triage
- Vulnerability Remediation Coordination
- Penetration Testing and Exploitation
- Cloud Security Posture Management
- Asset Inventory and Attack Surface Management
- Secure Configuration and Hardening
- Cyber Resilience and Recovery
- Identity and Access Governance
- Privileged Access Management
- Identity Federation and Single Sign-On
- Security Architecture Design
- Threat Modeling
- Application Security Testing
- Secure Code Review
- Security Requirements and Design Review
- Security Risk Assessment
- Security Policy Management
- Supply Chain and Third-Party Security Risk
- Security Awareness Program Management
- Security Metrics and Reporting
- Security Control Testing and Assurance
Data and analytics 20 skills
- Analytical SQL Querying
- Dimensional Data Modeling
- Data Pipeline Development
- ETL/ELT Transformation Design
- Data Warehouse Architecture
- Data Quality and Pipeline Monitoring
- Metric Definition and Governance
- Data Lineage and Documentation
- Data Ethics and Privacy
- Statistical Analysis and Inference
- Experiment Design and A/B Testing
- Predictive Modeling and Machine Learning
- Feature Engineering
- Forecasting and Trend Analysis
- Dashboard Design
- Data Visualization Best Practice
- Data Exploration and Preparation
- Stakeholder Analytics Translation
- Analytics Storytelling and Reporting
- Programming for Analysis
IT support 26 skills
- Ticket Triage and Prioritization
- Service Restoration Coordination
- IT Problem Investigation and Trend Analysis
- Service Level Management
- Endpoint Provisioning and Configuration
- Remote Troubleshooting and Diagnostics
- Mobile Device Management
- Patch and Update Management
- Print and Peripheral Support
- Identity and Account Lifecycle Management
- Access Reviews and Permission Audits
- Directory and Group Management
- Password and Multi-Factor Authentication Support
- Network Connectivity Support
- SaaS Application Administration
- Cloud Storage and File Sharing Administration
- IT Asset and License Management
- Backup and Data Recovery Support
- Knowledge Base and User Enablement
- IT Vendor and Contract Coordination
- IT Operations Reporting and Metrics
- IT Shift Handover and Escalation Management
- IT Operations Planning and Capacity
- User Communication and Service Experience
- IT Change Management
- Endpoint Security Operations
Product management 22 skills
- Problem Discovery and Framing
- Applying User-Centered Insights
- Opportunity Sizing
- Competitor and Market Analysis
- Customer and Sales Feedback Loops
- Product Strategy and Vision
- Product Roadmap Prioritization
- Product Life Cycle Management
- Business Case and ROI Justification
- Specification and Acceptance Criteria Writing
- Agile and Lean Delivery Practices
- Backlog Refinement and Sprint Facilitation
- Technical Feasibility Collaboration
- Design Collaboration and UX Feedback
- Product Outcomes and Metrics
- Experiment Design and Interpretation
- Pricing and Packaging Input
- Launch and Go-to-Market Coordination
- Cross-Functional Stakeholder Alignment
- Executive and Board Communication
- Product Team Leadership and Coaching
- Cross-Team Portfolio Management
Product design 23 skills
- User Research Planning
- Qualitative User Interviewing
- Usability Testing
- Research Synthesis and Insight Reporting
- Competitive and Comparative Analysis
- Information Architecture
- Interaction and Flow Design
- User Journey Mapping
- Wireframing
- Interactive Prototyping
- Visual Design
- User Interface Design
- Design Systems and Component Libraries
- Responsive and Adaptive Layout
- Accessible Interface Design
- Inclusive Design Practice
- Assistive Technology Evaluation
- UX Writing and Content Design
- Design Strategy
- Design Critique Facilitation
- Design Rationale and Storytelling
- Engineering Handover and Specification
- Design QA During Build
Digital marketing 23 skills
- Paid Search Campaign Management
- Paid Social Campaign Management
- Campaign and Account Structure
- Programmatic and Display Advertising
- Audience Segmentation and Targeting
- Marketing Automation Workflow Design
- Lifecycle Email Marketing
- Email Deliverability and List Health
- Landing Page Design and Optimization
- Conversion Testing and Experiment Program
- Creative Testing and Iteration
- Brand Messaging and Positioning
- Ad Copywriting
- Marketing Attribution Modeling
- Web and Campaign Analytics
- Conversion Tracking and Tagging
- Marketing Reporting and Insight
- Channel Mix Strategy
- Marketing Budget Management
- Marketing Technology Stack Management
- Campaign Performance Forecasting
- Market and Customer Insight
- Organic Social and Community Marketing
Content and SEO 22 skills
- Keyword and Search Intent Research
- Competitor and Content Gap Analysis
- Content Strategy and Briefing
- Editorial Calendar Management
- On-Page SEO Optimization
- SEO Metadata and Title Writing
- Internal Linking and Architecture
- Technical SEO Auditing
- Site Speed and Core Web Vitals
- Structured Data Markup
- Crawl and Indexation Management
- Long-Form Editorial Writing
- Editorial Style Governance
- Copyediting and Proofreading
- Content Localization
- Digital PR Campaign Development
- Link Prospecting and Outreach
- Backlink Profile Analysis
- Organic Performance Analysis and Reporting
- Content Audit and Pruning
- Content Quality and Trust
- Content Management and Publishing Operations
B2B sales 27 skills
- Account Research and Targeting
- Outbound Prospecting
- Cold Outreach Messaging
- Discovery and Qualification
- Inbound Lead Handling
- Referral and Network Development
- Solution Demonstration
- Buying Committee Mapping
- Champion Development
- Sales Objection Handling
- Commercial Negotiation
- Proposal and Business Case Writing
- CRM Pipeline Hygiene
- Competitive Positioning
- Customer Onboarding Handover
- Account Relationship Management
- Renewal and Churn Prevention
- Upsell and Cross-Sell
- Territory and Account Planning
- Sales Contract Review
- Sales Forecasting
- Deal Coaching
- Sales Enablement
- Quota and Territory Design
- Product and Solution Expertise
- Closing and Purchase Agreement
- Sales Team Hiring and Performance
Customer success 24 skills
- Support Ticket Triage and Prioritization
- Product Troubleshooting and Diagnosis
- Support Queue and SLA Management
- Support Escalation Ownership
- Bug Reproduction and Reporting
- Multi-Channel Support Delivery
- Customer Incident Status Communication
- Customer Implementation Planning
- Product Training and Enablement Delivery
- Self-Serve Help Content Authoring
- Onboarding Milestone Tracking
- Time-to-Value Acceleration
- Customer Health Scoring
- Product Adoption Analysis
- Quarterly Business Review Facilitation
- Customer Success Plan Development
- Churn and Renewal Risk Management
- Expansion Opportunity Identification
- Customer Escalation Handling
- Product Feedback Routing
- Customer Reference and Advocacy Development
- Customer Community Engagement
- Customer Satisfaction Measurement
- Support Quality Review and Coaching
Human resources 24 skills
- Job Requisition and Role Scoping
- Candidate Sourcing and Screening
- Structured Interview Design
- Offer Management and Pre-Employment Checks
- New Hire Onboarding Delivery
- Employee Relations Case Handling
- Workplace Investigation Conduct
- Disciplinary and Grievance Procedure Management
- Employment Law and HR Compliance
- Absence and Leave Management
- HR Records and HRIS Administration
- Payroll Input and Benefits Administration
- HR Policy Writing and Maintenance
- People Data Reporting and Analytics
- Performance Review Cycle Administration
- Manager Coaching on People Issues
- Learning Needs Analysis
- Compensation Benchmarking and Pay Banding
- Workforce Planning
- Organizational Design and Change
- Employee Engagement, Wellbeing and Inclusion
- HR Business Partnering
- Learning Program Design and Delivery
- Talent and Succession Planning
Project management 22 skills
- Scope and Requirements Definition
- Work Breakdown Structure Development
- Schedule Building and Critical Path Analysis
- Resource Planning and Allocation
- Project Budgeting and Cost Control
- Progress Tracking and Status Reporting
- Change Control and Scope Management
- Delivery Methodology Selection
- Project Meeting and Workshop Facilitation
- Project Closure and Lessons Learned
- Project Risk and Issue Management
- Cross-Project Dependency Mapping
- Project Governance and Assurance
- Supplier and Contractor Delivery Management
- Deliverable Acceptance and Sign-Off
- Sponsor and Steering Committee Engagement
- Project Team Mobilization and Dynamics
- Business Change and Adoption Planning
- Business Case and Benefits Management
- Portfolio Prioritization and Capacity Balancing
- PMO Standards and Tooling
- Delivery Cadence and Flow
Business analysis 24 skills
- Business Analysis Planning
- Stakeholder Analysis and Mapping
- Requirements Elicitation
- Elicitation Workshop Facilitation
- Business Requirements Documentation
- User Story and Acceptance Criteria Writing
- Use Case and Scenario Modeling
- Business Rules and Decision Analysis
- Requirements Prioritization and Traceability
- Process Modeling with BPMN
- Current-State and Gap Analysis
- Root Cause Analysis
- Process Improvement Design
- SQL Data Investigation
- Spreadsheet Data Analysis
- Data Mapping and Entity Modeling
- Business Outcome and KPI Definition
- Low-Fidelity Mockups for Requirements
- User Acceptance Testing Coordination
- Solution Options and Vendor Evaluation
- Cost-Benefit Analysis
- Change Impact Analysis
- Business Capability Mapping
- User Experience Insight Analysis
Finance & accounting 24 skills
- Journal Entries and Accruals
- Account Reconciliation
- Accounts Payable Processing
- Accounts Receivable and Collections
- Fixed Asset and Depreciation Accounting
- Month-End Close Management
- Financial Statement Preparation
- GAAP and IFRS Application
- Revenue Recognition
- Consolidation and Intercompany Accounting
- Financial Controls and Segregation of Duties
- Audit Readiness and Auditor Liaison
- ERP and General Ledger Administration
- Chart of Accounts Design
- Sales Tax and VAT Compliance
- Corporate Tax Provision and Filing Support
- Cash Flow Forecasting and Treasury
- Annual Budget Building
- Rolling Forecasts and Reforecasting
- Budget Variance Analysis
- Financial Modeling
- Finance Business Partnering
- Financial Risk Management
- Management Reporting and Finance KPIs
Skip writing all of this
Create a free account, pick a department, and its skills land in your org with the mastery expected at each of your five career levels already filled in.