3 Tips for Developing a Competency Plan and Managing your Competency Project

Implementing competencies into your HR applications may seem like an overwhelming process. However, with the right competency plan and project management, it doesn’t have to be.

To start your competency plan, you need to define your project goals, project governance structure, and develop a project plan to manage the achievement of your goals. Let’s explore 3 tips for how to plan and manage your competency project with ease.

1. Define your Project Goals

One of the first steps for integrating competencies into your HR applications involves setting measurable goals for what a successful initiative will look like. Project goals describe what will be accomplished as a result of your initiative. They must meet time, budget, and quality constraints. These goals should be defined at the start of the competency plan and in consultation with relevant stakeholders and senior leadership. Setting clearly defined goals for the project is important because it allows for the creation of a long-term vision and creates a shared focus for the project. When setting goals, focus on your current state, your future state and try to make them as specific as possible.

2. Define a Project Governance Structure

It is important to establish a project governance structure at the start of your competency plan that outlines the roles and responsibilities of the various working groups and individuals. This governance structure should outline who will lead the project, who is on the project team as well as who you will need to consult as you plan, roll out, and maintain your program. It is important that someone takes ownership of the project as a whole.

3. Develop and Manage a Competency Plan

A competency plan defines the project scope, goals, assumptions and constraints, methodology and deliverables, resources, roles and responsibilities, and timelines. This competency plan serves as an agreement between the project lead, project team, and the project sponsor. Elements of a good project plan include the tasks or activities that need to be completed, the deliverables, roles and responsibilities, start and end dates, estimates of days required, and measures of project status.

To learn more about project planning and management and incorporating competencies into your HR programs, check out our Using Competencies in HR Toolkit!