Data-Driven Skills Management: From Mapping to Action

Employee skills and expertise are a key driver of business growth. But capabilities are constantly evolving, which is why accurately mapping them is essential.

As a strategic tool, skills mapping provides a clear view of key knowledge areas – whether technical, operational, or behavioural – and helps identify gaps to address. It supports informed HR decisions around training, mobility, and talent management.

The various stages, from data collection to action, are not always straightforward. In this article, we explore the methodology needed to turn a skills map into a driver of performance.

Collecting relevant data, combined with clear skills mapping, enables you to manage your teams more effectively. With a dedicated skills tracking tool, you gain a precise and comprehensive view of capabilities across your organisation.

Having this data centralised in real time significantly improves decision-making in talent management. With continuously updated insights into team strengths and development areas, managers can adapt training programmes and drive professional growth.

The interconnected dashboards within these tools give each employee access to the right information to grow and develop their skills.

HR professionals are navigating multiple challenges linked to agility. For 74% of HR directors, establishing an organisation focused on agility and innovation is seen as either ‘extremely important’ or ‘very important’.

The changing needs of both businesses and employees are pushing HR to adopt more agile methods. The goal? To retain talent and enhance organisational performance.

Modern skills tracking tools have significantly simplified the skills mapping process. These solutions are transforming skills management by placing the employee at the heart of the approach.

Once you’ve defined the objectives of your skills mapping, create a skills framework. This will serve as the foundation for assessing current capabilities and building your map. For effective data collection, we recommend that you:

• Bring together your working group (HR professionals, managers, etc.);
• Define the list of key skills and the expected proficiency levels for each role;
• Assess the skills of the relevant employees.

The evaluation scale must be clear and agreed upon by all stakeholders.

The analysis and interpretation of collected data help identify the key skills available within your organisation. This process also reveals potential gaps and emerging trends.

The traditional Excel file with radar charts by role is now outdated. Artificial intelligence can reduce HR data entry time by up to 80%. AI-powered data visualisation tools provide a clear, actionable overview of your organisation’s skills landscape.

Training handbooks, personalised development plans, skills frameworks… Centralise all your tools for skills analysis.

Data visualisation turns even the most complex information into clear, actionable insights. The final step in skills mapping is to create clear visuals that highlight both the competencies each employee has mastered and those they still need to develop.

With Klara’s skills matrix, you can track your employees’ progress in real time. Adapt their training journeys and clearly visualise the skills to be developed. Our solution also simplifies the implementation of a scoring system to evaluate training and strengthen professional growth across your workforce.

Here are the three key areas to focus on to get the most value from skills mapping:

The skills management module in your HR software provides detailed insight into the gap between an employee’s current skills and the requirements of a specific role. Use this mapping to pinpoint the most critical gaps, then prioritise training to close them.

Skills mapping analysis leads to an actionable HR plan. Use the available visuals to list and prioritise the following actions:

• Adjust your professional training plan
• Recruit new talent
• Develop an internal mobility programme
• Phase out roles that no longer align with your organisational objectives

Clearly communicating the final action plan ensures managers and employees have full visibility.

Regular assessment of capabilities helps prevent key skills from becoming obsolete in any role. HR dashboards support this ongoing management by providing an up-to-date, shared view of talent development. With these tools, managers can quickly identify gaps and adjust training plans or recruitment strategies accordingly.