Competency Frameworks

Competencies are a useful tool, both for developing people or for assessing their performance.  They provide a common reference point for measuring people’s ability and give structure to many training courses and development programmes.  Ian has been involved in either creating or editing several different Competency Frameworks.

Craft Competency Framework

Our client’s organisation, a safety critical industry, had been formed through the combination of three separate legacy companies, each of which had slightly different ways of working.  Ian was asked to look at the activities carried out by craftspeople throughout the new company and to develop a framework of common craft competencies.  This would help ensure that there was complete clarity about the skills that were required by craftspeople which, in turn, would help keep people safe.  

Ian interviewed different types of craftspeople (overhead linesmen, underground cable jointers and fitters) from each of the three legacy companies and then, following further discussions with subject matter experts, developed a Craft Competency Framework which showed the common skills required by Craftspeople.

This framework is now being used to underpin many of the company’s technical training courses.  It has also been used to help review and refine the company’s Craft Apprentice Scheme.

"Throughout the whole project, Ian built effective relationships with our employees with his friendly, helpful and flexible approach.  His talent for crystallising the key points from unstructured, animated discussions
(and, conversely, for eliciting substance from seemingly unproductive meetings)
helped us to maintain focus and momentum."
Head of Training and Development

Engineering Competency Framework

Engineers make practical use of scientific and mathematical principles to produce working solutions.  These can include developing new or refining existing structures, processes, machines or systems.

Our client asked Ian to produce an Engineering Competency Framework, which could be used to help develop both new and existing engineers at all levels within the company, and which would harmonise with the existing frameworks used within the business.  

Ian interviewed engineers from all parts of the business to identify their common skills and developed a ten-step approach which included competencies from the following areas: Personal, Academic, Workplace, Electrical, Professional, Management, Network, Operational, Specialist Role and Business Leadership.

Retail Buying Competency Frameworks

Our client had carried out some work developing a competency framework for Buying Assistants and Merchandise Assistants within its Fashion teams.  However, this work was far from complete.  Ian was asked to review and edit the materials, to make them clearer and more user-friendly.  He carried out this work, provided a structure to the initial findings and then developed two separate booklets.

The booklets were then used, both by job holders and their managers, to review the skills of existing Buying and Merchandise Assistants and then to help develop them into more senior roles.

Operational Competency Framework

Our client had just reduced the number of competencies in its existing framework of Operational Competencies.  Ian was asked to review this new framework and to identify, report on and (where possible) resolve any errors, omissions or anomalies.

Ian carried out a comprehensive review of the new framework and held many discussions with subject matter experts to agree the refinements that were required.  The new framework has now been fully cross referenced with the old one and with the company’s training solutions.  

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Ian Woodward 
DLD Solutions Ltd
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