A skill matrix template for industrial machinery makers (free download)

In most machine shops the answer to 'who can set this?' already exists. It lives in the lead fitter's head and in remarks such as 'only the old fitter sets backlash on that gearbox'. It turns into a crisis when that lead fitter goes on leave during a trial. Or a new order needs three people who can mount linear guide rails to a tight parallelism, and only one can.

A matrix moves that answer onto paper where the owner can read it. The general method is in our step-by-step guide to building a skill matrix. This post gives a version laid out for builders of machines and equipment, the kind of unit described on the machinery and equipment hub.

Sheet header: bay or product line, matrix owner, date of last update.
Columns A to F: name, grade, bay, joining date, mentor, date last assessed.
From column G: one column per task below, grouped by build stage.
Stage 1, structure: frame levelling and squaring; base plate and pad drilling; guard and panel mounting.
Stage 2, motion: linear guide rail mounting; ballscrew and motor coupling alignment; bearing fitting with press or heater; gear backlash setting; chain and belt tensioning.
Stage 3, fluid power: pneumatic tubing and valve terminal; hydraulic powerpack and hose routing; leak test.
Stage 4, electrical: panel termination and ferruling; field cable routing; sensor and limit switch setting; I/O loop check.
Stage 5, controls: PLC program upload and backup; HMI recipe set-up; safety interlock and emergency stop proving.
Stage 6, proving: dry cycle; trial on the customer's sample; fault finding during trial; trial report.
Stage 7, dispatch and site: match-marking and dismantling; crating; re-levelling and grouting at site; operator handover.
Rating in each cell: 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4, followed by the month last used, such as 3 / Aug.
Bottom row per task: count of people at 3 or 4.
Flag row: RED if that count is below two; AMBER if no one has used the skill in the last two builds.

• 0, not trained. Has not done the task and has not watched it closely.
• 1, has watched. Has stood beside the task on a real build and can name the tools and checks it needs.
• 2, does it with a check. Carries out the task while a senior checks each critical step, such as the dial reading on a coupling.
• 3, does it alone. Completes the task to drawing and passes inspection with no senior present.
• 4, can teach and sign off. Has brought someone else to level 3 and is trusted to assess others on this task.

Only levels 3 and 4 count towards cover. A shop with five people at level 2 on backlash setting still hangs on one pair of hands if only one person is at 3. Keep the scale identical across bays, so a wireman's 3 means the same standard as a fitter's 3. The grade ladder in how to pay assemblers and fitters can then read straight off the matrix.

1. 1

   Edit the task list to your product

   Sit with the lead fitter and the senior wireman for an hour. Delete tasks you never do and add the ones that make your machines different, such as cam timing, sealing jaw parallelism or rotor clearance.

2. 2

   Rate people against evidence, not memory

   For each 3 or 4, name the build where the person did the task. If nobody can recall one, the rating is a 2 until the next chance to prove it.

3. 3

   Add the month last used

   A fitter who set backlash three builds ago may need a refresher. Recency turns a list of skills into a list of skills that are current.

4. 4

   Read the flag row together

   Every red task gets a learner, a mentor at level 4 and a target build. Write those three things beside the task.

5. 5

   Link it to training and pay

   The red tasks become the training plan, and a move to level 3 feeds the next grade review. This is where learning and development work starts for most builders.

Whenever someone is signed off, the lead fitter or bay supervisor changes that cell before the shift ends. HR guards the master file and checks that every new rating names an assessor. The plant head looks only at the flag row, monthly, and again when each project closes. A full re-rating once a year catches drift.

New joiners get a row on their first day, with zeros and a mentor named, which ties the matrix to the first-week checklist for new operators. Leavers' rows stay visible for a month, greyed out, so the gap is seen rather than forgotten.

• Rating people on goodwill, so everyone is a 3 and nothing turns red.
• Listing departments instead of tasks, which hides the one adjustment only one person can make.
• Updating it once a year, so it describes the shop as it was last spring.
• Keeping it in HR's folder where the bay supervisor never sees it.
• Using it only to blame people after a failed trial, which teaches everyone to inflate their scores.

Our machine tool builders' training page traces how a matrix feeds a long scraping and spindle apprenticeship.