Session Focus: A case study capacity study using lean methods to develop a skill matrix analyzing the processes used to do the actual work.

In the session "Creating a Skill Matrix | Identification of Skills Needed To Do the Work", presenter Azizeh Constantinescu shared a case study on how she conducted a capacity analysis that revealed powerful insights into mapping employee skills to the granular work tasks and processes within her organization.

The core takeaway, as quoted in the session, is that "Skills-based organization is really about unlocking skills from jobs and that happens across a number of dimensions - it's not just a talent thing, it's not just a learning thing, it is a business thing."

Through careful observation of work processes and dialogue with employees actually performing the tasks, Aiza was able to deconstruct high-level activities like "conducting product testing" into detailed step-by-step processes. For each granular task step, she mapped out the specific skills an employee would need to have mastery over.

This skills mapping exercise yielded three critical takeaways for participants:

1. Map employee skills directly to the granular tasks and processes involved in the actual work being done, not just high-level job descriptions.

2. Use this granular skills mapping to facilitate knowledge transfer between employees, identify skills gaps, inform training, and enable dynamic staffing of work based on employee skill inventories.

3. Get leaders and stakeholders aligned on consistent skill definitions and taxonomies across the organization to allow true skills transferability and mobility between roles/departments.

By taking a bottoms-up, lean approach to analyzing work at the process level, organizations can "unlock" employee skills from traditional job roles and titles. This enables much more agility in workforce deployment, skills development, and strategic capacity planning aligned to business objectives.

The session provided a compelling case study on how analyzing skills through the lens of actual work processes, rather than just job descriptions, can transform an organization into a truly skills-based operating model.