Building a design team with a skill matrix

Initial setup

While building the team, you will describe each position. Each team member must have clear expectations, responsibilities, and outcomes. The more actionable the description, the better, as it will be easy for you to assess candidates to meet expectations and develop team members’ skills for the future.

My approach was to connect each responsibility with a specific skill. This helped me prepare measurable requirements for each role and make expectations transparent for the team.

Each skill has a short description and a list of books, articles, and videos so team members can familiarize themselves with the topic.

Evaluation

I have used two approaches for evaluation: evidence-based scorecard assessment and individual assessment in a team workshop format.

Evidence-based scorecard assessment means having a table of all capabilities with rankings ranging from 0 to 4 and linking to the latest known internal project where the application of skill was observed and evident.

This approach’s limitation was leaving out all employees’ previous work experiences. However, it also meant we had proof of performance and could assess skill levels against real projects.

The team workshop format involved the team’s public assessment of each other’s performance. This was fun and enabled discussion about skill definitions within the team. However, as some of the skills were assessed only by individuals based on their prior experiences before joining our team, it became subjective and impossible to check. Some of the evaluations turned out to be too pessimistic, and some did not meet the requirements.

For now, I would opt for a mix of both: a table of skills with the individual’s assessment combined with the team’s and team lead’s evaluations, including projects. It is easier to guide each member’s growth for their benefit and that of the organization.

Team members sometimes feel anxious about being evaluated. The skill matrix works best when it is framed as a development tool, with self-assessment built into the process and space for open discussion about where each person wants to grow.

Updating

One of the approaches to staying up to date with the needed team capabilities is collecting input from the team. The most effective way is to ask them individually to think and prepare a list of skills for the following dimension.

• What skills are necessary for you personally to acquire in the following year?
• What capabilities must be developed within our team to stay relevant for the organization?
• What competencies must be added to the organization that may be important in the following 2-3 years to stay in the competition?
• What should you learn and develop to be a top performer in the industry?

After collecting the input, I run a workshop with the team to review and update the current skill matrix. Some input will not match the organization’s goals. Some skills will have become redundant. Both need to be addressed openly.

The industry dimension is where emerging skills enter the matrix – accessibility, voice interfaces, or new interaction paradigms relevant to the team’s work. These come from the team’s own input, not from a trend list.

Usage

As each team member’s tasks, interests, and tendencies are unique, the same applies to skills and capabilities. Collecting team feedback on each member’s performance makes assessing development needs more straightforward and less subjective. It helps the team lead set and agree on development plans. Skill dimensions (individual, team, organization, industry) are suitable for motivation and a clearer understanding of acceptable levels and how to evaluate this. OKR is one of the ways to nudge and track progress.

The matrix is a living document. It changes with every hire, every project, and every development conversation. That is what makes it useful.