Does your skills matrix tie in with your ERP system?
Do you use a skills matrix in your organisation?
Most times, when I see a skills matrix in a business, it is a relic. The skills matrix that was done at some point in time, because it was requested, but never looked at again. This is quite normal.
I also observe that skills matrices are limited in their view of the organisation. They are often directed at the operative level of the organisation and that is quite understandable. At the lower levels of a business' hierarchy it can be easy to spell out what needs to be known and to what level of skill. Welding, assembling, processing, machining etc...
When you get into supervisory, managerial and leadership levels, you might argue that it becomes more difficult to manage a skills matrix. Whilst the simple answer here is 'generic skills' there is a very interesting parallel with ERP systems...
If you map out the main functions of your ERP system and then profile the skills profile required by each main user group in your business then you suddenly have an approach that can shorten the time it takes to train new recruits.
If you want to put this idea into an even higher gear, you can link your Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to the skills matrix so that you have a clear standard to evaluate each user against. If you opted for the profiling of each user group in the skills matrix you will also have a clear expectation of whether that user is at the right level for their role within the business.
This doesn't have to take long to organise and manage either. The key point is that having a skills matrix can be a useful management ally rather than an document that gets completed under duress (ahead of an audit or inspection). Applying this idea to an ERP system is a really good opportunity for improvement for many businesses. After all, if your ERP system is working like a dream then there is a good chance that your business operations are following suit.
Of course, there is another consideration - having an ERP system that is easy to use in the first place! If your ERP system doesn't fit this bill then let us know and access a free (no obligation) demo of Fraction ERP. We built it to avoid the frustrations of unnecessarily complicated business processes.