- Owner
- Training Manager
- Effective date
- September 15, 2026
- Review cycle
- Every 12 months
1.Purpose
To identify real skill and knowledge gaps across roles and teams, prioritize them against business needs, and turn the findings into a specific, approved training plan.
2.Scope
Applies to periodic and ad hoc assessments of training needs across departments. Delivering the resulting training is covered by the employee training SOP.
Definitions
- Skill gap
- The difference between the skill or knowledge level a role requires and what an employee currently demonstrates.
- Role profile
- The documented list of skills, knowledge and certifications expected for a given role.
- Training plan
- The prioritized list of training needed, with target groups, timelines and estimated cost or resourcing.
3.Responsibilities
- Training Coordinator
- Runs the assessment process, collects data and drafts the training plan.
- Department Manager
- Provides input on team performance gaps and priorities and reviews the resulting plan for their area.
- HR Business Partner
- Shares relevant performance and role data and helps prioritize needs against business goals.
- Employee
- Provides honest input on their own skill gaps and development interests through surveys or discussions.
RACI matrix
| Activity | Training Coordinator | Department Manager | HR Business Partner | Employee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collect performance and skill data | R/A | R | C | C |
| Survey employees and managers | R/A | C | I | R |
| Compare skills against role profiles | R | C | R/A | I |
| Prioritize training needs | R | C | R/A | I |
| Approve the training plan | R | R/A | C | I |
R = Responsible, A = Accountable, C = Consulted, I = Informed
4.Materials and PPE
Materials, tools and systems
- →Role profiles or job descriptions
- →Performance review data
- →Employee and manager survey templates
- →Skill gap matrix
- →Training plan template
5.Procedure
- 5.1
Define the scope of the assessment
Training CoordinatorThe training coordinator agrees with department managers which teams, roles or business changes the assessment will cover, such as a new system rollout or annual skills review.
- 5.2
Gather role requirements
Training CoordinatorThe training coordinator collects current role profiles or job descriptions to establish the skills and knowledge each role is expected to have.
- 5.3
Collect performance and skill data
HR Business PartnerThe HR business partner shares relevant, non-confidential performance review themes and the department manager shares observed skill gaps on the team.
- 5.4
Survey employees and managers
Training CoordinatorThe training coordinator sends a survey to employees and managers asking about confidence in key skills, desired development, and any tools or processes causing difficulty.
- 5.5
Build the skill gap matrix
Training CoordinatorThe training coordinator compares survey and performance data against role profiles to build a skill gap matrix showing where the biggest gaps exist by team or role.
Checkpoint: Gaps are based on actual data from multiple sources, not a single manager's opinion.
- 5.6
Prioritize the identified needs
HR Business PartnerThe HR business partner and training coordinator rank the identified gaps by business impact, urgency and number of people affected, in discussion with department managers.
- 5.7
Map gaps to training options
Training CoordinatorThe training coordinator identifies whether each priority gap is best addressed with existing courses, new content, on-the-job training or an external program.
- 5.8
Draft the training plan
Training CoordinatorThe training coordinator drafts a training plan listing priority needs, target groups, delivery method, timeline and estimated cost or resourcing.
- 5.9
Review and approve the plan
Department ManagerDepartment managers review the draft plan for their area and the training coordinator finalizes it once feedback is incorporated and budget is confirmed.
Checkpoint: The final plan has an accountable owner and target date for every priority item.
- 5.10
Communicate the plan
Training CoordinatorThe training coordinator shares the approved plan with department managers and affected employees so expectations for upcoming training are clear.
- 5.11
Hand off to delivery
Training CoordinatorThe training coordinator schedules the approved training items following the employee training SOP and tracks them through to completion.
6.Quality checks
- →Every identified gap is supported by data from at least two sources.
- →The training plan assigns an owner and target date to each priority item.
- →Department managers sign off on the plan for their own team before it is finalized.
- →Prior assessment findings are reviewed for progress before a new assessment begins.
7.Records
- →Survey results and performance data summaries
- →Skill gap matrix
- →Approved training plan
- →Department manager sign-off on the plan
8.KPIs
- →Percentage of identified gaps addressed within the planned timeline
- →Survey response rate from employees and managers
- →Number of priority gaps closed per quarter
- →Manager satisfaction with the resulting training plan
9.Common mistakes
- →Basing the assessment on one manager's opinion instead of broader data.
- →Skipping prioritization and trying to address every gap at once.
- →Building a training plan with no owner or timeline attached to each item.
- →Never revisiting the plan to check whether gaps were actually closed.
10.Revision history
| Revision | Date | Description | Reviewed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | September 15, 2026 | Initial release | Alexa Uskova |
This is a template. Adapt it to your organization, equipment and local regulations before use.
