Step 1 – Go to the Skills Tab and Create Your Matrix

Head to the Skills tab in GembaDocs and click Create Custom Matrix. Give your matrix a name. This is typically a department, a workstation, or a functional area – whatever reflects how your operation is organized.

Step 2 – Choose Your Display Method

Select how competency levels will be displayed on the matrix. Several options are available. The classic circle quadrant view remains a popular choice – it’s familiar, easy to read at a glance, and widely recognized in manufacturing environments.

Step 3 – Assign Matrix Owners

Add one or two matrix owners. Owners receive weekly reminders about:

• Expiring training records
• Planned training activities
• Any items on the matrix that need attention

This keeps your matrix current without relying on memory or manual chasing.

Step 4 – Set Your Training Level Text

Training level labels come pre-configured in GembaDocs, but you can edit them to match your organization’s terminology. If you use specific language on the shop floor – such as “Qualified,” “Signed Off,” or “In Training” – update the text here to reflect that.

Step 5 – Add Your Training Associates

Add the people who will appear on the matrix. You have two options:

• Add individually – suitable for smaller teams or one-off additions
• Bulk upload – use the bulk upload workflow when onboarding larger groups

Step 6 – Add SOPs or Training Items

Once your people are in place, add the SOPs or training items they need to be assessed against. If you’ve applied tags to your SOPs, this step becomes much faster. You can pull in a whole group of SOPs by tag rather than selecting them one at a time.

Step 7 – Enable Mandatory Signatures

Decide whether signatures will be required for future training updates. When enabled, both the trainer and the trainee must sign off each training record. This adds a clear layer of accountability and supports compliance requirements.

Step 8 – Set Target Competency Scores

You can set a target competency score for each SOP or training item on the matrix. This highlights gaps directly on the matrix view, making it easy to see at a glance where individuals or teams fall short of the required standard.