Skills Matrix Template — build a defensible training matrix for AS9100 & ISO 9001

A skills matrix — also called a training matrix or competency matrix — is a grid: employees down one axis, skills or tasks across the other, with a proficiency rating in every cell. In skilled-trades shops — machining, welding, automotive, electrical, HVAC, plumbing — it's the document an AS9100, ISO 9001, or ITAR auditor opens first to test clause 7.2 (Competence).

Auditors don't grade you on the spreadsheet's looks. They grade you on four things:

• Coverage — every required skill for every role is listed.
• Currency — ratings are recent and dated; nothing is silently stale.
• Attribution — every rating names the verifier and the method (observation, test, sign-off, evidence).
• Defensibility — no self-attestation, no edits without history.

SkillCore (and most ISO-aligned shops) use these exact labels:

1. Novice — aware of the task, cannot perform unaided.
2. Developing — can perform under direct supervision.
3. Proficient — performs independently to standard.
4. Advanced — performs reliably on complex variants, troubleshoots.
5. Expert — can train and sign off others.

Avoid vague labels like "none / foundational / intermediate" — they don't translate cleanly to an auditor's evidence test.

1. List every job title in your shop.
2. For each job title, list the skills, qualifications, and equipment required to perform it safely and to spec.
3. For each employee in that role, fill in a proficiency level using the 5-level scale above.
4. Add the date verified, the verifier's name, and the method (observation, written test, sign-off, evidence file).
5. Add a next review date — most shops use 12 months for skills, sooner for safety-critical or regulated work.
6. Calculate recency: Current (under 12 months), Refresh Recommended (12–18 months), Overdue (over 18 months).
7. Review monthly. An out-of-date matrix is worse than no matrix in an audit.

A CSV is fine for a 5-person shop. Past that, recency tracking, verifier attribution, role-based access, and audit-pack export start eating an entire person's week. That's the problem SkillCore exists to solve: the same skills matrix model, but with automatic recency status, leader verification flows, append-only history, and a one-click audit binder export with full attribution.