The five behavior levels decide whether a competency framework is usable or not. Write them well and two raters scoring the same employee will arrive at the same score. Leave them blank and the whole system becomes little more than color-coded gut feeling.
Where the five levels live
In the Add skill dialog (or Edit on an existing skill), scroll down to the LEVELS section. The system provides five blocks, numbered 1 to 5, each with two fields:
| Field | Content |
|---|---|
| Title | A short name for the level, e.g. Can perform under supervision |
| Description | The observable behavior at this level |
The number of levels is fixed at five and cannot be changed. Do not skip any level — if level 2 is left blank, raters won't know what separates level 1 from level 3.
How to interpret the five-level scale
| Level | General meaning | Check question |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Just learning. Needs step-by-step guidance from others | Can this person do it with someone closely coaching them? |
| 2 | Handles familiar tasks under supervision | Given routine work, with someone checking afterward, is it fine? |
| 3 | Handles common tasks independently | Once assigned, are you comfortable not checking it again? |
| 4 | Handles difficult and unusual situations | When things go off script, can this person sort it out on their own? |
| 5 | The company benchmark, able to teach others | Do others learn the craft from this person? |
Level 3 is the most important milestone: it is usually the required level for someone who performs well in their current role. Write level 3 first, then work down to 2 and 1 and up to 4 and 5.
Four writing rules
- Write observable behaviors, not adjectives. "Closes the POS shift and balances the cash drawer correctly on their own, with a discrepancy under 0.5%" can be scored. "Careful with money" cannot.
- Each level differs from the one below it in one clear way — the degree of supervision, the difficulty of the situation, or the scope of impact. Don't let two levels differ only by the words "does better".
- Use the language of practitioners, not HR language. The raters are department heads.
- One to three sentences per level. Anything longer won't be read during scoring.
Example — the skill "Store operations and POS shift closing"
| Level | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Observes and follows along | Can perform basic POS operations with someone standing by to guide them. Does not yet close shifts alone |
| 2 | Works under supervision | Closes regular-day shifts on their own, with a manager re-checking the cash count before closing |
| 3 | Works independently | Opens and closes shifts alone, balances the cash drawer correctly, and handles refunds and exchanges per policy |
| 4 | Handles difficult situations | Handles cash discrepancies, POS machine errors, and peak holiday shifts without stopping sales |
| 5 | Benchmark and coaching | Rewrites the store's shift procedures and coaches new employees up to level 3 |
Who writes them and how long it takes
- Writer: the department head or the best performer in that role. HR acts as editor to keep the tone consistent, and does not write the professional content itself.
- Time: writing all five levels for one skill takes about 20 to 30 minutes the first time. A job title with 8 skills takes about half a working day.
- Shortcut: write the first skill really well, then use it as a template for the rest.
Don't try to be perfect on the first attempt. Run a real review cycle, listen to where raters complain levels are hard to tell apart, then fix exactly those spots. Editing level descriptions does not erase scores from cycles that have already been completed.
