Setting the Bar with a Technical Competency Framework for Your Engineering Team

Great engineering teams are more than the sum of their parts. It takes clear, consistent expectations to get everyone to row in the same direction and align their efforts around business value. One tool for achieving that alignment: a technical competency framework.

Yes, building and implementing that framework will take time and effort. Sometimes, it may not feel like the top priority. But it will help you not only avoid costly mishires and wasted team potential, which can translate into millions of dollars in losses. You’ll also be able to hire faster, train more effectively, and boost your operational effectiveness.

What is a technical competency framework & what does it do?

A technical competency framework defines and categorizes the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) employees, teams, and departments need to perform effectively. They function as a foundational tool for hiring, development, and performance management, and include the following elements:

• Clear descriptions of each KSA and what it entails
• Proficiency levels, often ranging from basic to expert
• Observable actions or indicators that demonstrate competency
• Role mapping, linking specific competencies to particular job roles or profiles
• Assessment tools and methods to evaluate proficiency
• Description of how the skill aligns with organizational goals

Technical competency frameworks help businesses in a number of ways. Here are the most notable benefits.

Align skills with business goals

Technical competency frameworks help to define the engineering skills that create the most value for the business. Not only does this help organizations make better hires, but also create roadmaps for evaluating and developing current employees.

Identify skill gaps (current and future)

By benchmarking necessary KSAs and current team competencies, technical competency frameworks can help to identify skill gaps within the organization. This can be critical information when engaging in strategic workforce planning, staffing assessments, and future expansions.

Remain relevant and flexible

Competency isn’t a fixed point. It’s a moving target. Given the rapid rate of change in technology, markets, government incentives, and consumer demands, skills that were a top priority last year may not be as high a priority next year. Technical competency frameworks don’t represent once-for-all decisions, but living, breathing documents that leaders can adapt as priorities change.

Support ongoing and continuous growth

Technical competency frameworks shouldn’t give a false sense of security, an idea that you’ve reached “good enough.” Rather, it’s a way to document and provide a clear path for continuous improvement.

Are technical competency frameworks worth the investment?

Building a technical competency framework isn’t a quick and easy project. It takes a concerted effort to build, refine, and implement across all teams and departments. Unless there’s a clear return on that investment, it can be difficult to justify that effort, especially in light of competing priorities.

Despite the upfront costs, however, technical competency frameworks do have a positive ROI, although the benefits aren’t immediately obvious.

First, the cost side of the ledger is fairly easy to calculate. Costs include time spent developing the framework, partners and consultants, software fees, and the time spent implementing and maintaining the framework. Calculating those costs requires careful time and expense tracking, but is relatively straightforward.

Summing up the benefits of a technical competency framework can be trickier. Some are easier to tally: reduced hiring costs, increased productivity, reduction in errors, and faster ramp up time for new hires. However, others are harder to quantify:

• Increased employee engagement due to clear expectations and consistent implementation
• More efficient workforce planning due to easier identification of skill gaps
• Stronger organizational culture, as these frameworks can help build a culture of competency and growth
• Higher capacity for innovation, as you’re able to hire for the right mix of skills

Any ROI analysis for technical competency frameworks should account for these indirect benefits on top of the more quantifiable numbers listed above. Otherwise, you’re not getting the full picture of its value, which makes it harder to justify its continued implementation.

How to build a technical competency framework for your team

Once you decide that a technical competency framework is worth the investment, here are the steps you need to follow to build one.

1. Align roles and skills with strategic objectives

Technical competency frameworks are built to support and enable business outcomes. Every role or skill listed in the framework should be directly mapped to a strategic objective, whether that be a particular project that demands a certain skill, or efficiency mandates that require a certain role to be cross-functional.

2. Identify competencies for each role

Once you identify the strategic objective for each role, it’s time to define the skills needed for competency in that role. A competency typically has the following attributes:

• Area. Is this a technical skill (e.g. coding languages, tool proficiency) or a soft skill (e.g. problem-solving, communication, leadership)?
• Skill. A brief description of the skill in question.
• Details. Information about what the skill entails, and how it contributes to business outcomes.
• Competencies. Different elements of the skill that can be evaluated individually.

For a technical competency framework, you could have a section for “Advanced Systems Thinking.” This would be a technical skill, which would contribute to the business outcome of leading and managing large projects to greater productivity and efficiency. Competencies associated with this skill would include holistic analysis, cross-discipline integration, system modeling, simulation, impact assessment, and more.

3. Define proficiency levels

For each skill and competency, define the proficiency levels you will use for evaluation (e.g. basic, intermediate, competent, advanced, and expert). Be sure to associate each level with a KPI or series of KPIs so you can quantify competency with specific, observable behaviors.

4. Gather feedback on your framework

The more eyes you can have on your framework, the better. There are sure to be blind spots you miss, or nuances that your technical team will spot. Additionally, it’s a good idea to evaluate your framework for potential biases. For example, a role that may have required a college degree in the past may be just as well served by someone who can pass a skills-based evaluation. This can open the door to candidates you may not have previously considered.

5. Embed & operationalize the framework

A technical competency framework does no good if it’s just sitting in a folder on someone’s computer. For it to be worth the investment, you need to integrate it into your recruitment, development, workforce planning, training, and other processes.

6. Track progress & adapt over time

Remember: competency isn’t a destination. It’s a moving target. The skills and roles you need today may not be the same ones you need tomorrow. You may also find as you track your workforce that certain competencies are less important to overall success than others, especially on teams where synergies can compensate for any one person’s shortcomings.

Final thoughts on technical competency frameworks

Technical competency frameworks are excellent tools for closing skill gaps and improving your hiring processes. But they’re just that: tools. Without the expertise and experience in building or implementing them, they could end up being a waste of time. Or worse, they could direct you to make poor hiring decisions.

That’s one reason why it’s helpful to have a workforce planning partner in your corner when engaging in these initiatives. You know your business, but we’ve worked for decades with companies across industries, filling technical, engineering, and professional roles across the nation.

Ready to build your competency frameworks that will support your long-term strategy? Contact PEAK today to learn more about our workforce solutions.