Free skills matrix template

See who can open, close, run the till or take a delivery at a glance. This free skills matrix template puts your team down the side and the jobs across the top, marks each person's level, and flags any job that only one person can do. Start with the fictional team and change it for yours.

Build a skills matrix

1. List the skills that keep the shop running, such as opening, closing and the alarm, the till and cash-up, deliveries and stocktakes. Up to 12 fit on a printed page.
2. Add each person and, if you like, their role.
3. Select a cell to step through the levels: not trained, learning, trained, and can train others.
4. Read the cover list under the grid. A skill with nobody, or only one person, trained is marked as a gap.
5. Print the grid for the staff room, download a CSV, or save the file to update later.

Each level has its own mark as well as its own color, so a black-and-white printout still reads: ◐ learning, ● trained and ★ can train others.

Find the gaps

A job only one person can do stops when that person is ill or on holiday. Look first at the jobs that cannot wait, such as opening, closing and cashing up, and make sure at least two people can do each. Pair someone who is learning with a person who can train others, and plan those shifts together in the staff rota builder.

Update the matrix when someone finishes training, joins or leaves. The onboarding checklist helps plan a new starter's first week, and the interview scorecard helps compare candidates when a gap means hiring.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make a skills matrix without an account?

Yes. The matrix opens with a fictional team and works without a login or email address. Nothing you type is uploaded.

What is the difference between trained and can train others?

Trained means the person can do the job on their own. Can train others means they can also show someone else and check their work, which is who to pair with a person who is learning.

Can I keep the matrix up to date?

Save the matrix as a file and open it on this page later. The draft is held only in this browser tab: it survives a refresh, and closing the tab clears it.