Skills Assessment
A skills assessment is a recorded judgment of a person's proficiency level on a specific skill, made by a stated method on a stated date so the result can be compared and defended.
What It Is
A skills assessment produces one data point: this person, this skill, this level, assessed this way, on this date. It differs from a performance review, which judges outcomes across a period, and from a pre-employment test, which screens candidates on a fixed instrument. Workforce skills assessment is ongoing and role-linked: the required level comes from the role profile, the assessed level comes from the method chosen for that skill, and the gap between them drives development and staffing. The method matters as much as the score. A self-rating and a practical test can both return a 3, but they carry different weight, so the record should state which produced it. Assessments accumulate into the skills inventory, and their dates drive the reassessment schedule that keeps perishable skills current.
Key Facts
- Six methods: self, manager, peer or 360, test-based, evidence-based, and inferred from work signals.
- Every record carries level, method, assessor, date, and reassess-by date; a score without a method is unusable.
- Self-assessment alone is a hypothesis; pair it with at least one verifying method for any skill that drives a decision.
- Calibrate assessors before the first cycle so a level 3 means the same thing across teams.
- Cadence is set per skill, not per person: safety-critical and perishable skills reassess on a fixed interval.
- Inference is for bootstrapping an inventory quickly; it is confirmed by assessment, not treated as a result.
The Six Methods: Evidence and Cadence
| Method | Evidence produced | Relative validity | Typical cadence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-assessment | A claimed level | Low alone | At onboarding and each planning cycle |
| Manager assessment | Observed-work rating | Moderate | Quarterly or at review |
| Peer or 360 | Aggregated behavioral ratings | Moderate to high for behavioral skills | Annually |
| Test-based | Scored result on a defined instrument | High for knowledge and tool use | On certification cycle or revision |
| Evidence-based | Dated artifact: certificate, sign-off, work sample | High when specific and dated | On expiry or procedure change |
| Inferred | Estimated level from systems and history | Low to moderate | Once, to seed the inventory |
How SkillsDB Models It
SkillsDB records each assessment against a skill from the library with its method, assessor, date, and evidence, so several methods can sit on the same skill and the strongest current one governs the level. Reassessment windows are set per skill and surface overdue entries. See Proficiency Assessment and Surveys.
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