Use the training matrix to show that required training happened and is still current. Use the skills matrix, which this guide also calls a competency matrix, to show that a person was seen doing the task to the standard. Read together, with your organization's authorization, they answer the question a supervisor asks on a short-staffed shift: who can run this station right now, alone or only under supervision?
- A training cell answers one question: did this person complete the required training, and is it still current?
- A skills or competency cell answers a different one: has this person shown they can do the task to the standard, and when must that be checked again?
- Course attendance alone may not show competence; record the practical assessment as its own entry, with the assessor and the date.
- A cross-training matrix reads both per station, so a station that only one person can run is visible before an absence exposes it.
Two matrices, two questions
| Matrix | What each cell answers, and the record behind it |
|---|---|
| Training matrix | Did the person complete the required course, and is it still current? Behind the cell: the completion date, the due or expiry date and evidence such as a signed attendance sheet or certificate. |
| Skills or competency matrix | Has the person shown they can do the task to the required standard? Behind the cell: the assessment outcome, the assessor, the date and when it must be repeated. |
| Qualification: both read together | May the person do the work now, alone or only under a condition? That needs current training, a current assessment where the task requires it, and the organization's authorization. |
Many plants keep one grid with both course and competency columns, as our how to build a training matrix guide describes. This guide separates the two kinds of cell, a completed course and a demonstrated sign-off, and covers what to add so the grid shows ability as well as attendance.
Why completed training alone is not proof of competence
Guidance written for ISO 9001 auditors makes the distinction directly. The ISO 9001 Auditing Practices Group (APG), an informal group of experts from ISO/TC 176 and the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), says in its competence paper that “participation at the course alone does not necessarily provide evidence that the trainee is competent” (edition 2, 2022, printed page 6). The APG paper is guidance for auditing ISO 9001:2015, not a requirement; our ISO 9001 training records guide covers the edition question.
OSHA's powered industrial truck standard builds the same distinction into the rule: the employer must ensure that each operator “is competent to operate a powered industrial truck safely, as demonstrated by the successful completion of the training and evaluation” the paragraph specifies (29 CFR 1910.178(l)(1)(i)). Training and evaluation are separate steps, and the forklift certification records guide covers the records each one needs.
Keep the assessment as its own entry beside the completion: what was observed, the outcome, who assessed it, when, and when it is due again. When an LMS completion is not enough audit evidence goes further into what an auditor asks to see.
Keep both on one task list
- Use one list of tasks for both grids. If the training grid says Press brake setup and the skills grid says Brake ops, nobody can tell whether they describe the same work.
- Write restrictions in words. “Supervised operation only” tells a supervisor more than a bare pass.
- Decide when each sign-off expires, and reassess after a procedure changes, not only on the calendar.
In TrainGrid, a course can require a competency assessment and set how many days a sign-off stays valid. An assessment is recorded on the completed training record, beside the completion, as one of six outcomes: Competent, Competent with conditions, Needs improvement, Not competent, Not assessed or Exempt. The competency assessment guide shows each step.
Cross-training matrix: who can cover each station
A cross-training matrix is the skills matrix read one station at a time. Put the stations or tasks across the top and the people who could cover them down the side. Give each cell one of four states: can run it alone, can run it only under a condition such as supervision, still in training, or not trained. Then read down each column. A station with one name that can run it alone depends on one person, and a station with none needs a plan before the next absence.
The chart also serves as a record. The same APG competence paper lists “charts that show cross-training so that risks from staff shortages can be mitigated” among the records that may document the actions taken to acquire competence (printed page 7).
Keep the trainee apart from the signed-off operator. OSHA's forklift rule attaches supervision to the learning period itself: a trainee may operate a truck only under the direct supervision of a person with the knowledge, training and experience to train operators and evaluate their competence, and only where that does not endanger the trainee or other employees (29 CFR 1910.178(l)(2)(i)). Until the training and the evaluation are complete, that person is still in training on a cross-training matrix, not signed off under a condition. A grid that shows a trainee in the same color as a signed-off operator invites the wrong assignment.
In TrainGrid, make each station a course that requires a competency assessment. The Training Matrix's Qualification view then works out each cell from the person's training record and assessment. It covers the training and assessment parts of a qualification, not your organization's authorization. The Training Matrix guide explains its Training, Competency and Qualification views.
Skill levels or assessment outcomes?
Some skills matrices grade each cell with a level. TrainGrid does not rate skills on a numbered scale such as 0 to 4: it records one outcome per sign-off and works out the qualification from the training record and the assessment. If your program depends on graded skill levels, compare a skills-management product as well, starting with our dated TrainGrid vs Skills Base comparison.