Competency
Every skill on the floor, on one matrix.
ForgeSpex replaces the skills spreadsheet. Set the level each post needs, record what each person holds, and read the gaps in one grid. Every level is granted through a review, so it carries the evidence behind it and the date it runs out.
| Person | TIG weld | MIG weld | CNC setup | Forklift | First Aid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Novak | Trainer | Mastering | Practicing | Practicing | Not required |
| J. Alvarez | Gap | Mastering | Training | Expired | Mastering |
| R. Chen | Training | Practicing | Mastering | Practicing | Practicing |
| M. Okafor | Opp | Practicing | Trainer | Not required | Mastering |
| S. Patel | Not required | Training | Practicing | Mastering | Practicing |
| Qualified | 1 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
- GapThe post requires the skill. The person does not hold the level.
- ExpiredA lapsed qualification stops counting on the day it expires.
- Single point of failureOne qualified person. If they are off, the weld cell stops.
- View
- Skill matrix
- Site
- Plant 2
- Scope
- Weld cell
- Levels
- 1 Opp to 5 Trainer
The skill library
Five levels, and what each one means here.
A skill is defined once for the whole workspace: the points it carries, how long a level stays valid, and whether it needs a certificate. The five levels never change, so a matrix reads the same way on every site. What each level means for one skill is yours to write, in that skill's evaluation instruction, and the instruction is versioned: every decision records the version it was made under.
- 1OpportunityNamed for the skill. Not started.
- 2In TrainingLearning it, with somebody watching.
- 3PracticingDoes the work without help.
- 4MasteringTakes the difficult cases.
- 5Authorized TrainerTeaches it and signs other people off.
01 / Required skills
Set the bar on the post, not the person.
A requirement says that everybody in one place must hold one skill at one level or higher. The place is a site, a department, a job title, a team or a work center. People inherit what their places ask for, so moving somebody changes what is expected of them without anybody editing their record.
- One skill can be required by several places. The strictest level wins.
- Every gap says what it is: missing, expired, or a number of levels short.
- A person can be excused from a skill. The exemption goes through a review, so it is on the record rather than a quiet hole.
- SitePlant 21 of 1 met
- DepartmentFabrication0 of 1 met
- Job titleWelder1 of 2 met
- Work centerWeld cell0 of 2 met
| Skill | Minimum | State |
|---|---|---|
| TIG weldWeld cell, Welder | Practicing | Missing |
| ForkliftWeld cell | Training | Expired |
| Blueprint readingFabrication | Practicing | 1 level short |
| MIG weldWelder | Practicing | Met |
| First AidPlant 2 | Training | Met |
- Set on the place, not the personGive a site, department, job title, team or work center its skills. Everyone in it inherits them.
- The strictest level winsThe weld cell asks for Practicing TIG and the job title asks for Training. Practicing applies.
- Every gap says what it isMissing, expired, or a number of levels short. Each one needs a different fix.
- View
- Required skills
- Person
- J. Alvarez
- Scopes
- 4 reach this person
- Rule
- Strictest level wins
02 / Risk analysis and Expert Finder
See where one absence stops the line.
Risk analysis turns the matrix on its side. It counts how many people meet each requirement in a scope, flags the skills that hang on one person, and puts the worst first. The Expert Finder answers the other half of the question: who could step in, and what each of them still needs.
- Under 40 percent coverage reads as broken, under 70 percent as fragile.
- An expired level stops counting on the day it expires.
- Candidates are ranked by what it would take: a sign-off, a renewal, or training.
Risk analysis
Machining · Plant 2
- 5-axis programming1 of 3 qualifiedbroken · single point of failure
- CMM inspection2 of 4 qualifiedfragile
- CNC setup4 of 6 qualifiedfragile
- First Aid5 of 5 qualifiedcovered
Who could step in on 5-axis programming
- R. ChenOne level short. Needs an evaluation, not training.One step away
- S. PatelQualification expired last month. Needs a renewal.One step away
03 / Training records
File the evidence. Nothing moves yet.
A training record is what happened: the course, the provider, the completion date and the paperwork. Filing one changes nobody's level. It becomes a level when you send it for review, and a reviewer decides what it is worth.
- Every record gets a number at create, and keeps it.
- A certificate carries its printed expiry date, and that date wins over every other rule.
- A skill that needs a certificate cannot be granted until the paperwork is attached.
Training records
Plant 2
- 3Awaiting review
- 5Not sent
- 2Renewal due
- 41Qualified
| Training | Status / level | Valid until |
|---|---|---|
| 5-axis programming refresher | Awaiting review | 14 Aug 2026 |
| Forklift licence | Not sent for review | — |
| TIG weld certificate | Trainer | 11 Aug 2028 |
| First Aid at work | Mastering | 22 Oct 2026 |
| CMM inspection course | Nothing granted | — |
- Counters that filterSelect a tile to see only its rows. Renewal due catches every level that has expired or expires soon.
- Two states on every rowHow far the evidence got, and whether the level is still valid. A renewal in progress shows both.
- Evidence, not a levelFiling a record changes nobody's level. Send it for review, and a reviewer decides.
- View
- Training records
- Numbers
- TR-####
- Paperwork
- On the record
- Warning
- 60 days out
04 / Qualifications
A level moves only through a review.
The review holds the evidence on one side and the decision on the other. A reviewer takes one skill at a time, approves or rejects it, and writes the reason when the verdict differs from what was proposed. Approval writes a new revision. Nothing is ever edited, so the chain of revisions is the audit trail.
- The expiry date is stamped at the grant: from the certificate, the skill's validity, or the workspace default.
- An expiring level tells the person and their manager, 60 days out by default.
- The history drawer shows every level change, with who decided it and why.
S. Patel
1 skill · filed 3 Sep 2026 by the training coordinator
Evidence · Training record
TR-01425-axis programming refresher
- Provider
- Machining Skills Centre
- Completed
- 2 Sep 2026
- Supporting doc.
- TR-0142_certificate.pdf
5-axis programming
- Evidence firstA level only moves through a review, and every review starts from evidence: a training record or a self-assessment.
- One decision per skillThe reviewer approves or rejects each skill. A verdict that differs from the proposal needs a written reason.
- Expiry set at the grantFrom the certificate date, the skill's validity, or the workspace default, in that order.
- View
- Qualification review
- Evidence
- Training record
- Writes
- A new revision
- History
- Never edited
05 / Self-assessments
Ask people what they can do.
A supervisor asks from a cell of the matrix. The person reads what each level means for that skill, rates themselves, and sends it. The rating becomes the evidence for a review, and the reviewer sets the level that counts.
- The claim and the decision are both kept, so you can see who rates high and who rates low.
- Nobody can claim a level below the one they already hold.
- A decision that differs from the claim needs a written reason.
5-axis programming
Asked by A. Novak · 2 days ago
What each level means here
- OppKnows the machine's axes and its safety rules.
- TrainingEdits a proven program under supervision.
- PracticingPrograms routine parts without help.
- MasteringPrograms new parts and proves them out.
- TrainerTrains others and signs off their programs.
NoteI have programmed and proved out the new pump housing since June.
- Rated against the rubricEach skill says what every level means. The decision records which version of the rubric applied.
- Claim and decision, side by sideBoth levels are kept, so you can see who rates themselves high or low.
- Sending files the reviewThe rating goes to a reviewer as evidence. The reviewer sets the level.
- View
- Self-assessment
- Person
- R. Chen
- Asked from
- Matrix or path
- Decided in
- Qualification review
06 / Qualification path
Show one person what is left.
Name a person and a post. The page lists every skill that post requires, worst first, and says what each one needs: a renewal, a sign-off, or training. The Career path tab turns the question around and ranks every post on the site by how close the person already is.
- A level that expires soon still counts as qualified: the person can work today.
- Any open skill can be sent straight to a self-assessment.
Qualification pathCareer path
- Tool presettingExpiredRequest self-assessment
- 5-axis programmingOne level shortSelf-assessment pending
- Fixture designMissingRequest self-assessment
- CMM inspectionExpiring in 24 daysRequest self-assessment
- CNC setupMeets
- First AidMeets
- Meets2
- Expiring1
- One level short1
- Expired1
- Missing1
- Two questions, one personQualification path lists what one post still needs. Career path ranks every post on the site by how close the person is.
- The post sets the barIts required skills are the rules, whatever job the person holds today.
- Worst first, cheapest firstAn expired level needs a renewal, one level short may need only a sign-off, and a missing skill needs training.
- View
- Qualification path
- Person
- R. Chen
- Target
- 5-axis cell
- Expiring
- Counts as met
ISO 9001
What an audit asks for, clause by clause.
Clause 7.2 asks four things about competence. Each one has a place in ForgeSpex, and the evidence stays where the record is.
| Clause | What it asks for | What ForgeSpex keeps |
|---|---|---|
| 7.2 a | Determine the competence needed for the work. | Required skills, set on the site, the department, the job title, the team or the work center. |
| 7.2 b | Make sure people are competent, on the basis of training or experience. | Qualifications, each granted through a review from a training record or a self-assessment. |
| 7.2 c | Where there is a gap, act, and check that the action worked. | The matrix and the qualification path name the gap. The training record is the action. The review is the check. |
| 7.2 d | Keep documented information as evidence of competence. | Every revision, decision and attachment stays on the record, next to the audit trail of who changed what. |
ForgeSpex keeps the records. It does not certify anybody, and an auditor still judges what you keep in it.
Questions
Competency, answered.
What buyers ask before they move off the spreadsheet.
- Can we import our existing skill matrix?
- Your lists import from CSV: skills, departments, job titles, teams, work centers and projects, and your people come in from CSV when the workspace is set up. Levels are not imported in bulk, because every level is granted through a review that carries its evidence and its expiry date.
- Can we change the five levels?
- The five levels are fixed, so that a matrix reads the same way everywhere. What each level means for a given skill is yours to write, in that skill's evaluation instruction.
- How does a qualification expire?
- The date is set when the level is granted: the printed date on the certificate, or the skill's validity period, or the workspace default. If none of those applies, the level does not expire. A daily scan warns the person and their manager before the date, 60 days out by default.
- Who can see an employee's records?
- That depends on the reach of each person's role. A role can be limited to the holder's own records, the people who report to them, their site, or the whole workspace. Somebody without the key sees only their own records.
- What if a skill does not apply to somebody?
- Mark it as not applicable. The request states the reason and goes through the same review as a level, so the person leaves the coverage figures for that skill instead of counting as a permanent gap.
- Does it work across several sites?
- Yes. People, requirements and reports are scoped by site, and you pick the site you are working in. A requirement set on the whole workspace reaches everyone in it.
Start with the people and skills you already track.
Import your lists, set what each post needs, and the first matrix draws itself.