You create a competency from Performance > Competencies > New competency in three steps: Competency (name, group and description), Levels (the proficiency levels) and Assignation (which jobs expect each level). A competency is a skill, behavior or piece of knowledge that people need to do their job well, for example Communication or Customer focus.

Before you start

• You need the Manage competencies permission to create competencies.
• To link jobs in the Assignation step, you also need Edit job catalog competencies (in Settings > Permissions). Without it, the wizard ends at the Levels step and you link jobs later.
• Jobs come from your job catalog. Set up your roles and their levels in the job catalog first, so you can link the competency to them.
• Prepare a short description for each level, for example "Basic – Clearly expresses ideas". Every level needs a name and a description.

Steps

Step 1: Competency (basic information)

1. Go to Performance > Competencies.
2. In the Company competencies tab, click New competency.
3. In the Competency details section, fill in:
   • Name (required, up to 255 characters).
   • Group (optional). Pick an existing competency group, or type a new name and click Create group.
   • Description (optional, up to 3,000 characters). Explain what the competency means and why it matters.
4. Click Next.

Step 2: Levels

1. Click Add level to add a proficiency level.
2. For each level, fill in Level name and Description. The description field suggests: "Describe what is expected from someone at this level of the competency."
3. Repeat Add level for each level you need. Levels are ordered from the first one you add (lowest) to the last one (highest).
4. To remove a level before saving, click the delete icon next to it.
5. Click Next (or Save if you don't have permission to link jobs).

You can also skip this step without adding any level. See "Rules and behavior" for what a competency without levels means.

Step 3: Assignation (link the competency to jobs)

1. In Jobs assignation, each level is shown as a card, for example "Communication / Basic".
2. In the Assign to field of each level card, click Select job(s) and choose the jobs that are expected to perform at that level. Jobs appear as role plus job level, for example "Product Designer Senior".
3. If the competency has no levels, a single card lets you link the whole competency to jobs.
4. Click Save.

After saving, Factorial opens the competency page on its Levels tab and shows "The competency has been created successfully."

Rules and behavior

• If the competency name already exists in your company, then the competency is not created and the name is reported as already taken.
• If a level has no Level name or no Description, then the wizard shows "can't be empty" and you can't continue.
• If two levels of the same competency have the same name (ignoring upper and lower case and spaces at the ends), then the second one shows "has already been taken".
• If you assign a job to one level, then that job is no longer offered for the other levels of the same competency: each job has exactly one expected level per competency.
• If the competency has no levels, then linked jobs are assessed on the competency as a whole, without an expected level. The wizard warns: "Your competency has no levels".
• If you don't link the competency to any job, then the competency exists in the library but nobody is evaluated on it in performance reviews.
• If you don't have Edit job catalog competencies, then the wizard has only the Competency and Levels steps and the last button is Save.
• A competency linked to jobs is included in the competency assessment of every review where Include competency assessment is on, for the people who hold those jobs.

Limitations

• You can't link a competency directly to individual employees; competencies reach people through their job in the job catalog.
• You can't link a competency to a whole role, function or family from this wizard; the Assign to field lists job levels. Use the job catalog to assign a competency higher in the tree.
• You can't attach files, links or examples to a competency or level; only text descriptions.
• You can't create a competency with AI from this wizard. AI suggestions are available when you add competencies from a job in the job catalog.
• There is no draft state: a competency is active as soon as you save it.

Troubleshooting

• Symptom: "I don't see the New competency button." → Cause: You don't have Manage competencies. → Fix: Ask an admin to grant it in Settings > Permissions > Competencies.
• Symptom: "The wizard has no Assignation step." → Cause: You don't have Edit job catalog competencies. → Fix: Save the competency, then ask someone with that permission to link jobs from the competency's Jobs tab, or request the permission.
• Symptom: "The Assign to field says 'No jobs found'." → Cause: Your job catalog has no roles with levels, or every job is already linked to another level of this competency. → Fix: Create roles and levels in the job catalog first, or move the job from the other level.
• Symptom: "I created the competency but it doesn't appear in my running review." → Cause: Competencies are added to reviewers' questionnaires based on the jobs linked to the competency. → Fix: Check that the competency is linked to the reviewee's job, that Include competency assessment is on in the review, and see Competencies in performance reviews for when changes reach a review.

FAQ

1. How many levels can a competency have?

There is no fixed limit when you create levels in Factorial. The import template supports up to 15 levels per competency.

2. Do all competencies need the same number of levels?

No. Each competency has its own levels. Communication can have 3 levels and Leadership 5.

3. Can I create a competency and link jobs later?

Yes. Skip the job selection in Assignation and link jobs later from the competency's Jobs tab or from the job catalog.

4. Is the level the same as the review score?

No. Levels describe what is expected for a job. In a review, reviewers give a score on your rating scale; Factorial shows the expected level next to the question as a reference.

5. Can I create many competencies at once?

Yes. Use Import competencies. See Edit, delete or import competencies.