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Creating a Competency Framework

Learn how to build and structure competency frameworks, define clusters, and set proficiency levels.

Written by Mohamed Shantory

Before You Start

  • You must be a Super Admin or an Admin with Competency management permissions

  • Read [Competency Management Overview] to understand the framework structure before building

  • Your Company Profile should be complete the AI suggestion feature uses it as context

  • Frameworks go live immediately. There is no draft state, so plan your structure before you start

⚠️ Warning: Once a framework is live and competencies are linked to roles or used in assessments, changes affect all connected data. Build with intention from the start.

Overview

A Competency Framework is the structured set of skills and behaviors your organization uses to evaluate and develop its people. In Lumofy, a framework is made up of Clusters, which hold Competencies, each of which has Behaviour Indicators defined per proficiency level. This article walks you through building that structure from the ground up.

[IMAGE: Competencies → Framework page empty state showing the + Add New button and Ask AI button prominently]

Step 1: Create Your First Cluster

A Cluster is a named group of related competencies. It has no description just a clear, meaningful name that tells you and your team what kind of competencies live inside it.

  1. Go to Competencies → Framework from the left navigation

  2. Click + Add New

  3. Select Cluster

  4. Enter the Cluster name (e.g., Hard Skills, Soft Skills, Leadership, Company Values)

  5. Click Save

Repeat for all the Clusters you need before adding any Competencies.

💡 Tip: Plan your Clusters before you start. Common groupings are: Hard Skills, Soft Skills, Leadership Behaviors, and Company Values. Keep Cluster names short and self-explanatory.

Step 2: Add Competencies to a Cluster

Each Competency lives inside a Cluster. When you create a Competency, you define three things: its name, a description of what it means, and synonyms that help people recognise it under different labels.

  1. Click + next to the Cluster you want to add a Competency to

  2. Enter the Competency Name keep it concise (2–4 words)

  3. Enter the Description explain what this competency means in the context of your organization. One to three sentences is enough

  4. Add Synonyms alternative names or related terms for this competency (e.g., for "Communication": Presentation Skills, Verbal Communication, Messaging). Synonyms help with search and AI matching

  5. Select Mapping Scope in this step you need to select how this competency is connected in your structure, should it be linked to Legal Entities, Divisions, Departments so any role inside those level will have this competency linked to it or select to link to specific roles

  6. Click Add Competency

Repeat for all Competencies under each Cluster.

💡 Tip: Write descriptions in plain language. Avoid jargon. The description should be clear to a new employee who has never seen an HR document.

📝 Note: You can duplicate an existing Competency to use it as a starting point for a similar one. This saves time when building competencies that share similar Behaviour Indicators across levels.

Step 3: Add Behaviour Indicators per Proficiency Level

Behaviour Indicators are what make a Competency measurable. They describe exactly what the Competency looks like in practice at each of the five proficiency levels. Every Competency needs indicators at every level before it can be used in assessments or performance cycles.

The five levels are: Beginner → Knowledgeable → Capable → Skillful → Expert

  1. Open the Competency you just created

  2. You will see five sections one for each proficiency level

  3. For each level, write one or more Behaviour Indicators

  4. Each indicator should be a specific, observable action or behavior start with a verb (e.g., "Listens actively," "Adapts communication style," "Coaches others")

  5. Save after completing each level

💡 Tip: Write indicators that escalate in complexity across levels. A Beginner indicator describes awareness or basic application; an Expert indicator describes mastery and development of others. If your Capable and Skillful indicators sound the same, sharpen the distinction.

⚠️ Warning: A Competency with no Behaviour Indicators cannot be properly used in assessments. Make sure all five levels have at least one indicator before linking this Competency to a Role.

Step 4: Review Your Framework

Before linking competencies to roles, do a final review of what you have built.

  • Every Cluster has a clear, meaningful name

  • Every Competency has a name, description, and synonyms

  • Every Competency has Behaviour Indicators for all five proficiency levels

  • Indicators escalate in complexity from Beginner to Expert

  • No duplicate competencies across Clusters

💡 Tip: Ask a department head or team lead to review the competencies for their area before you move to Role mapping. They can confirm the indicators reflect real on-the-job behavior.

Using AI to Build or Complete Your Framework

If you prefer not to build manually, or want to fill gaps in an existing framework, Lumofy's AI can help. Click Ask AI on the Framework page. You will be offered two options:

Suggest missing competencies AI analyses your existing framework and your Company Structure (roles and job titles) and suggests competencies you may have missed, benchmarked against industry standards. It creates full competencies including descriptions, synonyms, Behaviour Indicators per level, and expected proficiency levels per role.

Rebuild framework from scratch AI builds an entirely new framework based on your Company Profile, your structure, and benchmark data. It generates everything: Clusters, Competencies, descriptions, synonyms, indicators, and expected levels per role.

After AI generates competencies, you choose how Behaviour Indicators are applied to roles:

  • Apply all as set — the same indicators are applied to every role as generated

  • Adapt to each role — AI takes your indicators and adjusts them to fit the context of each specific role

📝 Note: AI suggestions are a starting point, not a final answer. Review and edit before going live. See [AI-Powered Competency Suggestions] for the full walkthrough.

FAQs

Can I add a Competency to more than one Cluster?

No. Each Competency belongs to one Cluster. If a competency applies across categories, place it in the most relevant Cluster and use Synonyms to surface it in searches.

What happens if I add a Competency after assessments have already run?

The new Competency will appear in future assessments for any Role it is linked to. Historical assessment data is not affected.

Does the framework have a draft mode?

No. Frameworks are live as soon as they are created. Plan your structure before you start building to avoid publishing incomplete competencies.

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