Welcome to the third part in this series of implementing a skills audit. Part one covered ensuring that leaders, managers, and employees are aware of, and buy into, the importance of a skills audit. Part two showed how to implement a skills audit step by step.
In the third and last installment of this series I will go into the reporting analytics and output you should strive to achieve during a skills audit, and the questions that should be answered.
Skills Audit Results
The end result of a skills audit is to provide the tools to match a company’s strategic objectives with the skills of its people, to create training and development strategies, workplace skills plans, individual development plans, and performance management interventions, amongst others.
Reports must be stored in a manner that respects the confidentiality of individual employees. It is therefore important to agree on and communicate who has access to skills audit results, and how these people may use the results upfront.
Skills Audit Analytics
Below is a list of common skills audit analysis that we produce for our clients.
Common Skills Audit Reports
Company Talent Analysis
What are the talents of the company – the strengths and weaknesses? How many people have each skill and what is their level of skill?
Exit Analysis
Which people have key skills in the company? How can we plan for them possibly leaving?
Training Needs Analysis
How can we identify what our highest priority learning and development needs are?
Individual Skill Gap Analysis
How do we know which employees require development, which skills we should target for development, to meet the company’s strategic objectives.
Managers Team Gap Analysis
What skill gaps does a manager have on their team which would prevent them from meeting business goals?
Subject Matter Expert
How can we find out who does what in the company so that we can put the right people on the right project?
Role Analysis
How do we find out who is best suited for each role in the company?
At the end of the day a skills audit will help you execute your business strategies by defining what your core competencies are; and making sure your investment in your peoples’ skills and training, are aligned with your business goals and objectives. Second, you will be able to reduce your costs by identifying actual training needs, thus reducing contractor and recruitment costs. Next, you will be more competitive by developing and retaining a skilled workforce. Lastly, you will increase productivity and better retain employees by properly matching their skills to their job roles.