These two modules are fundamental to ensuring that relevant personnel possess the knowledge and skills required to meet the demands of your management system and to support your certification process towards chosen ISO standards.
In other words, the position register and competency register are the first steps you take in AmpliFlow to establish a solid foundation for your ongoing competency management.
This guide aims to help you:
- Understand the purpose of the position register and competency register and how these two registers are interconnected.
- Effectively set up, customize, and use the module in AmpliFlow that supports position and competency management.
- Ensure a clear process that meets relevant ISO requirements for competency management.
- Lay the groundwork for later creating a "competency matrix," which will be used to demonstrate how you ensure the right competencies within your organization.
The position register and competency register are closely linked: The position register describes the roles and responsibilities within the organization, while the competency register defines the various competencies that can be assigned to these roles. By following the steps and recommendations presented here, you will ensure that you meet the ISO standards' requirements for planned and measurable competency development within the organization.
Basic Understanding
Before you start working in AmpliFlow to set up positions and competencies, it is important to have a basic understanding of what competency management entails, as positions and competencies are a fundamental part of this area. You can read more about this in the article "What is Competency Management".
Competency management is about systematically identifying, developing, and monitoring the knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed for the organization to achieve its goals and meet the requirements set by ISO standards.
The position register and competency register are central components in this work, because:
- The position register outlines the roles required in the business and can describe responsibilities, authorities, and expected behaviors associated with each role.
- The competency register defines the competencies (knowledge or skills) that the organization needs and how the company defines different levels of competency within a specific skill.
By assigning roles to employees and combining these registers, you gain a clear picture of which employees have which competencies, where the gaps are, and eventually, when you are also finished with the competency matrix and training plans: how you should plan to fill the gaps that arise when requirements, regulations, or strategies change.
How Should It Be Done?
Here we focus on the practical steps in AmpliFlow to set up and use the position register and competency register.
Much of the work is already prepared in AmpliFlow: there are standard templates imported into your environment for how different positions can appear and how competencies can be defined. However, it is crucial that you adapt everything to your own business.
Below is a general step-by-step list to guide you through the process:
- Assign permissions in the AmpliFlow tools to the employees who will work on creating and managing positions and competencies.
- Analyze and update existing lists/documents concerning your positions:
- Map out which positions currently exist. In some companies, there is already a position manual or document describing roles and responsibilities.
- Add any new positions that are missing (such as entirely new roles for digital development, sustainability issues, or quality coordination).
- Remove outdated or irrelevant positions that no longer exist.
- Analyze and update existing lists/documents concerning competencies:
- If you already have a list of core competencies, specialized competencies, or other types of competencies, review these.
- Add new competencies (based on new legal requirements, new market demands, or internal strategies).
- Remove outdated items.
- Add these positions and competencies to AmpliFlow:
- Enter relevant details and descriptions (e.g., responsibilities, authorities, expected behaviors, competency requirements, etc.).
- Update the information page in AmpliFlow where you describe how you work with positions and competencies, as well as who is responsible and involved in the process:
- This is important for auditing and for having clear internal routines.
- Specify who owns the process for managing the position register and competency register.
- Go through and check off all control points in the checklist:
- In AmpliFlow, there is likely a checklist to ensure you don't miss any important steps in securing correct positions and correctly defined competencies.
- By following the checklist, you can be confident that you meet the ISO requirements for documentation and updating of these registers.
- If you have hired a consultant from AmpliFlow, notify them that the work is ready for review:
- The consultant can then review and verify that the completed work meets the requirements of, for example, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, or another standard you aim to certify against.
Explanation of Each Column
In both the position register and competency register in AmpliFlow, there are several columns (fields). Below, we explain the most important columns and their purpose, making it easier for you to input and structure information correctly from the start.
Position Register
In the position register, not only the title and overall responsibility are described, but also expected behavior and typical tasks. You can clarify how a role contributes to the organization's goals and how you ensure the right person holds the role.
A well-designed position register can also be a significant asset in recruitment and staff development. When creating a job specification for a new employee or assessing the need for further training for a group, you can quickly see which positions are affected and what competency gaps exist.
- Name (English field) / Namn (Swedish field) Purpose: This is the title designation of the position. The correct language will be displayed for the user based on their language choice in AmpliFlow. Example: "Business Developer" / "Affärsutvecklare".
- Description (English field) / Beskrivning (Swedish field) Purpose: This is the text field where you comprehensively describe the position's mission, responsibilities, authorities, expected behaviors, and more. The description helps everyone understand the scope of the role and its contribution to the organization. Tips: Be as specific as possible and include relevant examples.
- Competencies (Select from a list of competencies) Purpose: Here, you can specify which competencies are relevant for this position. This can range from communication skills to specific technical knowledge, project management skills, or industry knowledge. Tips: Keep the competency list appropriately detailed. It is better to define and maintain 50 well-thought-out competencies than 500 vague ones.
When selecting competencies in the position register, you refer directly to the entries created in the competency register. Through this connection, you can later see which individuals in the organization meet the competency requirements linked to a specific position.
In many cases, you also include any legal or industry requirements in the description. For example, if you need to meet certain environmental requirements and therefore need a person with knowledge of ISO 14001, or if the occupational safety law requires certain roles to have relevant training.
Competency Register
The competency register has the same columns as the position register (Name/Namn, Description/Beskrivning, etc.), but the content represents competencies. Below, we explain how you can effectively fill in the columns in the competency register.
The competency register is, as the name suggests, a systematic list of all competencies that you have identified as relevant to the organization. This can include general competencies like "Communication and Presentation" but also very specific competencies such as "Production Knowledge in the Chemical Industry."
Creating a competency register often requires a joint discussion within the organization about which competencies are valued or needed. This is also where you lay the foundation for your "competency matrix" – that is, a map of which roles (or individuals) need which competencies and to what extent.
- Name (English field) / Namn (Swedish field) Purpose: This is the designation of the competency. It can be "Strategic Planning and Vision," "Communication and Presentation," or more technically oriented competencies like "ISO 9001" or "C++ Programming." Tips: Try to be consistent in naming competencies and avoid duplications.
- Description (English field) / Beskrivning (Swedish field) Purpose: Here, you provide a more detailed description of what the competency entails in practice. For "Strategic Planning and Vision," you might include the ability to analyze market trends, develop business plans, and set clear goals. For "ISO 9001," you can indicate that it involves basic knowledge of the standard's requirements and the ability to implement these in the organization. Tips: Also describe why the competency is important for the organization.
- Competency Categories or Areas (sometimes in the form of tags) Purpose: Depending on your AmpliFlow configuration, you may have the option to tag different competencies to group them more easily. For example, "Leadership," "Regulatory," "Technical Competency," "Administrative Competency," etc. Tips: This makes it easier when you later want to filter and compile an overview of who possesses leadership competencies within the organization.
- Competency Levels (optional) Purpose: In some cases, you might want to differentiate between basic, advanced, or expert-level competencies. This can be done either in the competency register or in a separate matrix. Tips: Avoid having too many classification levels. Three to five levels are usually sufficient (e.g., "Beginner," "Able to Apply," "Advanced," and "Expert").
A common challenge when building competency registers is determining how detailed they should be. On one hand, you want to be specific enough to make it clear what competency is required, but on the other hand, you don't want to overwhelm yourself with unmanageable lists. The key is to find a structure that works for your organization, allowing you to update and specify as the business or environment changes.
Example
As inspiration, below is a more detailed example of a position taken from a "Business Developer."
- Name: Business Developer / Affärsutvecklare
- Description:
- The Business Developer is responsible for identifying and creating new business opportunities for the company. The role involves analyzing the market, building relationships with potential customers, and developing strategies to increase the company's revenue and growth. The Business Developer works closely with management to formulate and implement business strategies.
- Responsibilities:
- Identify and evaluate new business opportunities and markets.
- Build and maintain relationships with potential customers and partners.
- Develop and present business strategies and proposals.
- Analyze market data and trends to inform business decisions.
- Coordinate with other departments to ensure effective implementation of business initiatives.
- Participate in negotiations and close deals with customers and partners.
- Report on business results and recommend improvements to management.
- Authorities:
- Develop new proposals for business strategies and marketing initiatives.
- Approve business cases and project budgets.
- Represent the company in meetings with customers and partners.
- Implement changes in business strategies based on market analysis.
- Expected behavior: Strategic, proactive, and relationship-oriented, with the ability to think critically and solve problems.
- Competencies (from selectable list):
- Strategic Planning and Vision
- Budgeting and Financial Planning
- Networking and Partnerships
- Project Management
- Communication and Presentation
When entering this position into the position register in AmpliFlow, it is important that the chosen information reflects reality. You also need to assess whether certain competencies should be "mandatory" (an absolute requirement for the job) and which are more "desirable."
Conclusion
Before notifying your consultant or other internal stakeholders that the position register and competency register are ready for review, ensure that you have checked off the implementation checklist in your AmpliFlow environment that ensures you meet the requirements and have done everything necessary.
You are warmly welcome to contact us for more information, questions, and possibly further advice. Thank you for using AmpliFlow, and good luck with your competency management work!
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