What is a competency matrix?

A competency matrix is a grid that maps roles or employees against a defined set of competencies, with each cell showing a proficiency level. The matrix serves three purposes: it makes promotion criteria visible to employees, surfaces development gaps for individual plans, and gives calibration sessions a shared reference point.

The template above gives you the structure immediately — you provide the competencies that matter for your job family and the behavioral descriptions that make the scale meaningful.

What is in the download?

The Excel file has three sheets:

  • Matrix sheet. The core grid — roles × competencies with required proficiency levels (1–5) already set per the example above. Cells are pre-formatted with dropdown validation; enter actual employee ratings in the adjacent column to auto-calculate gaps.
  • Competency Library sheet. Eight competencies with behavioral descriptions at each of the five levels. Use these as-is or adapt them to your organization's language.
  • Engineering Example sheet. A pre-filled matrix for a five-person engineering team (L1–L3 ICs) showing typical ratings, gap indicators, and how the data reads during calibration.

How to fill in the competency matrix — 5 steps

  1. Set required levels. In the Matrix sheet, review the required proficiency levels for each competency at each career level. Adjust them to reflect your organization's actual expectations — the defaults are a reasonable starting point for a mid-size tech team, not a universal standard.
  2. Collect employee self-ratings. Share a copy with each employee and ask them to rate themselves per competency. Self-ratings before manager ratings surface awareness gaps and make calibration conversations more grounded.
  3. Manager ratings. Rate each employee independently based on observed behaviors. The Competency Library sheet gives behavioral descriptions to anchor your ratings — "did this employee consistently demonstrate L3 ownership behaviors over the past 6 months?" is the question to answer.
  4. Calculate gaps. The template auto-calculates required minus actual per competency. A gap of 2 or more on any competency is a natural candidate for the employee's individual development plan.
  5. Use in calibration. Export the gap view to share in calibration sessions. When multiple managers discuss employees, the matrix makes disagreements specific — "I see her at L3 on ownership, you see L2 — let's discuss what evidence we're each drawing on."

3 competency matrix examples

Example 1: Engineering IC team (3 employees, L1–L3)

Available in the Engineering Example sheet. Covers eight competencies with typical ratings for a junior IC, a mid-level IC, and a senior IC. The senior IC shows slightly below requirement on Leadership — a common pattern for engineers who are ready for Staff but haven't yet had cross-team opportunities. This gap drives their stretch assignment for the next quarter.

Example 2: Manager track (L3–L5)

Management competency matrices add competencies that IC matrices omit: team development (does the manager actively grow their reports?), decision quality (does the manager make good calls under ambiguity?), and organizational effectiveness (does the manager remove blockers for their team?). The required levels for Communication and Leadership are set higher than IC track at equivalent numeric levels.

Example 3: Cross-functional use case (product, design, engineering)

For teams where IC and design roles collaborate closely, a shared core competency layer (communication, ownership, delivery) with role-specific functional competency columns makes cross-team calibration possible. The matrix shows how a Product Manager and a Senior Engineer can be evaluated against the same core layer while their functional requirements differ.

Competency matrix vs. framework vs. skills matrix

These three tools are related but serve different purposes:

  • Competency framework — the source document that defines competencies, their behavioral descriptions per level, and how they map to job families. See our competency framework guide.
  • Competency matrix — the operational worksheet derived from the framework; maps roles or employees to required/actual competency levels. This is what you are downloading.
  • Skills matrix — a current-state inventory of team capabilities; useful for staffing, training planning, and hiring gaps, but doesn't require level definitions or behavioral rubrics. Download our free skills matrix template separately.