Understanding and Creating Skills Mappings

Overview

Skill mappings are frameworks that define which skills employees should possess based on their positions and what proficiency levels are expected. They create a dynamic connection between positions and competencies, automatically displaying relevant skills on employee profiles.

What Are Skill Mappings?

Core Concept

A skill mapping is a competency framework that:

Links positions to required skills
Sets expected proficiency levels for each position level
Automatically assigns skills to employees based on their positions
Creates measurable performance standards

Benefits of Skill Mappings

Automatic skill assignment based on positions
Clear expectations for each role and seniority level
Scalable frameworks that grow with your organization
Gap analysis between current and expected proficiencies

Understanding Granularity Levels

Skill mappings can be created at different levels of specificity, and employees can have multiple mappings applied simultaneously:

1. Generic Mappings (IC/Leaders)

Purpose: Define core competencies for broad employee categories

Example Structure:

Individual Contributors
├── Communication Skills
├── Problem Solving
├── Time Management
└── Technical Expertise

People Leaders
├── Team Management
├── Strategic Thinking
├── Delegation 
└── Coaching & Mentoring

When to use: For company-wide competencies that apply across departments

2. Department Mappings

Purpose: Capture department-specific skills while maintaining some flexibility

Example Structure:

Engineering Department 
├── Junior Level
│ ├── Basic Programming
│ └── Code Review Participation
├── Mid Level
│ ├── System Design
│ └── Technical Documentation
└── Senior Level
  ├── Architecture Planning
  └── Technical Leadership

When to use: When multiple positions in a department share common skills

3. Position-Specific Mappings

Purpose: Define precise requirements for individual positions

Example Structure:

Backend Developer Positions
├── Junior Backend Developer
│ ├── Python: Intermediate
│ └── Database Basics: Beginner
├── Backend Developer
│ ├── Python: Advanced 
│ └── Database Design: Intermediate
└── Senior Backend Developer
  ├── Python: Expert
  └── System Architecture: Advanced

When to use: For specialized roles with unique skill requirements

💡Tip: Layering Multiple Mappings

Employees inherit skills from ALL applicable mappings:

A "Senior Backend Developer" might receive skills from:
- Generic "Individual Contributor" mapping
- Department "Engineering" mapping
- Position-specific "Backend Developer" mapping

Creating Your First Skill Mapping

Prerequisites

Before creating a skill mapping, ensure:

✅ Positions are created in the system
✅ Skills library is configured with proficiency scales
✅ You have HR Admin or Group HR permissions

Step 1: Access Skill Mappings

Navigate to Development > Skills mappings
Click on "Skill Mappings" tab
Click "Create New Mapping" button

Step 2: Define Mapping Type and Name

Enter a descriptive name:

Good: "Engineering Team Technical Skills"
Avoid: "Skills 1" or "New Mapping"

Step 3: Add Position Levels

Click "Add Level" for each seniority tier
Name each level clearly:
- Example: "Junior", "Mid-Level", "Senior", "Lead"
Levels represent progression within the mapping

💡 Tip: Reordering Levels:

Click on the arrows to reorder levels
Place them in logical progression order
Changes save automatically

Step 4: Connect Positions to Levels

For each level you created:

Click "Assign Positions" next to the level
Search and select relevant positions
Multiple positions can be assigned to one level

Example Assignment:

Junior Level → Junior Backend Developer, Junior Frontend Developer
Mid Level → Backend Developer, Frontend Developer
Senior Level → Senior Backend Developer, Senior Frontend Developer

Step 5: Add Skills to the Mapping

Click "Add Skills" button
Select skills from your library:
- Use search to find specific skills
- Select multiple skills at once
- Skills appear as rows in your mapping grid

Step 6: Set Expected Proficiencies

For each skill-level combination, set the expected proficiency:

Click on each cell in the skill/level grid
Choose from options:
- Not Required: Skill not needed for this level
- Proficiency Levels: Select expected level (e.g., Beginner, Intermediate, Expert)

Setting Proficiency Example:

Skill	Junior	Mid-level	Senior
Python	Beginner	Intermediate	Expert
Code Review	Not required	Beginner	Advanced
Design System	Not required	Intermediate	Expert

Step 7: Publish the Mapping

Review your complete mapping configuration
Click "Publish" to make the mapping active

⚠️ Important: Only published mappings affect employee profiles. Unpublished mappings can be edited without impacting current evaluations.

Managing Existing Mappings

Editing Mappings

Navigate to Skill Mappings
Click on the mapping name or "Edit" button
Make your changes:
- Add/remove levels
- Adjust skill assignments
- Modify proficiency expectations

💡 Changes are saved automatically

Unpublishing Mappings

To temporarily disable a mapping without deleting it:

Open the mapping
Click "Unpublish"
The mapping remains saved but won't affect employee profiles

How Skill Mappings Connect to Employees

The Connection Flow

Employee → Position → Skill Mapping → Skills on Profile

Employee has a position (e.g., "Backend Developer")
Position is in a mapping (e.g., "Tech Team Skills")
Mapping defines skills (e.g., Python, Database Design)
Skills appear on profile with expected proficiencies

Multiple Mappings Example

Sarah - Senior Backend Developer receives skills from:

Generic Mapping: "Individual Contributors"
- Communication: Advanced
- Problem Solving: Expert
Department Mapping: "Engineering Team"
- Code Quality: Expert
- Documentation: Advanced
Position Mapping: "Backend Developers"
- Python: Expert
- System Architecture: Advanced