The value of KnowledgeSmart - Where do we want to be?

This blog follows on from my first two blogs talking about “The value of KnowledgeSmart”, where I explained:

• Why skills assessment is so important
• Why you should provide focus to your employees
• The importance of finding out your current position and where your talent lies - Where are we now?

Also, during these blogs, I introduced KnowledgeSmart, the skills assessment and survey tool, specifically designed for the Architecture, Engineering and Construction industry.

In this blog, I will focus on Where do we want to be?

A skills assessment is a great way to identify the current technical level of individuals, the team as a whole and compare this information against the industry. This could highlight any visible areas of strengths and weaknesses and identify any trends. Without understanding where you currently are, how can you measure and manage where you need to be?

You shouldn’t just look at the assessment results in terms of score in order to gain a full picture of where your organisation is. Other data gathered via KnowledgeSmart needs to be taken into consideration, including:

• The learning methods the team have taken
• Years of experience
• Self-rating of capability, indicating confidence in ability
• Frequency of using KnowledgeSmart

These results, combined with research on future trends and competitor analysis, enables you to work towards establishing a benchmark. You can then use this to measure where you currently are and track where you need to be. This can lead to formulating realistic, achievable goals and objectives. There will be no more guesswork.

Staff can sometimes be reluctant to embrace skills testing and assessments, feeling they can have a negative impact on their career. By aligning KnowledgeSmart assessments with Personal Appraisals or Personal Development plans, you show you’re investing in your employees and providing them the tools and structure to develop their abilities.

You can use your assessment results to:

• Identify your star users and retain them through additional development and recognition
• Develop areas where employees are currently lacking and provide a structured path to where you need them to be
• Align those with skills gaps to the rest of the team
• Restructure according to the skills identified and increase productivity

When you know more about your team, their capabilities, and have a plan to progress, you will have confidence pitching for new projects.

My next blog will focus on: How can we get back on track?

But in the meantime, if you would like to find out more about KnowledgeSmart, get in touch with us.

Author

Ben Kernick

Ben originally started his career within Mechanical Design Engineering and throughout this time, progressed into management providing leadership to various design teams. Whilst working within the industry, he developed a comprehensive knowledge within product design, its manufacturing practices, and associated techniques. With a passion for the technology that underpinned the overall design lifecycle, his focus moved to thought leadership, becoming a technology specialist and educating the industry through the provision of specialist training and consultancy services. With over 20+ years of experience, he continues to develop and expand the Manufacturing portfolio whilst also providing commercial leadership and support within sales & business development.