Competency and talent management for Quality consulting: a grid of methods, sectors and levels
A quality consulting firm sells methods in the hands of named people. A competency grid records who can lead which method, so the next project is staffed on proof and not on the partner's memory.
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Share your requirementsWhy competency and talent management matters in quality consulting
Most quality consultants carry their skills in their heads. One partner knows who led a process capability study at an auto supplier, another remembers a consultant who ran a supplier development programme. When the partner is away, project teams are chosen by whoever answers the phone, and weaker matches slip through until the client notices.
A grid fixes this by being plain. Methods and sectors run across the top, consultants down the side, and each cell shows a level such as has seen it, has assisted, leads with review or leads alone. It also shows where the firm depends on one person, which is a retention risk, and where juniors are ready for a step up.
How to set it up
1. List the methods you sell
Write the quality methods, tools and sector areas the firm offers, in the words clients use. Keep to about twenty rows so the grid can be filled in one sitting.
2. Define four levels in plain terms
Describe what each level looks like on a real project, such as has led a workshop alone or has coached a client team through a first cycle.
3. Fill it in with the consultant and a senior
Each consultant proposes their own level, a senior reviews it with a project example, and both sign. Self ratings alone tend to run high.
4. Mark single points of failure
Circle every method where only one person is at lead level. These are the places where one resignation or illness stops a line of business.
5. Use it for staffing and pay
Check the grid before every proposal and every appraisal. It also feeds compensation benchmarking when you set pay bands.
Check these first
Before changing anything, find out what is true today. These take an afternoon and use your own records.
- Pick the last three proposals and ask which named people were chosen and from what evidence.
- Count methods where only one consultant is at lead level.
- Ask two associates which skill the firm expects them to reach next and how it will be judged.
- Check when each consultant's grid entry was last reviewed with a senior.
GullyHR can do this with you. Read how we approach competency and talent management in general, or share your requirements and we will tell you where to start.
Questions owners ask
Detailed enough to staff a project, and no more. Around twenty methods and a few sector areas with four levels is workable. A larger grid will not be kept up to date.
Less than you fear if they fill it in themselves and a senior agrees the level with a project example. Resentment comes from ratings handed down without evidence.
Twice a year is usual, and after any big project. A consultant who led a new method for the first time should see the entry change soon after.