Progression frameworks are about conversations. The value in having a framework is the conversations they guide. No conversations, no value.
The reason we started Progression in the first place was from the realisation that just creating your spreadsheet framework is nowhere near enough. You need to be using it in conversations for it to even start to solve the problem you're looking to solve.
In fact in our podcast interview with Jessie Hayes, she goes into detail about the HR team taking on their pet project, spending months writing then rolling out only for the employees to look at it once a year.
We’ve built quick-start frameworks to get through your framework building at lightning speed and fast track your journey to these conversations.
These frameworks use the bare bones of what a role requires, and use your progression conversations with your team to decide how to grow the framework (if at all).
We know that progression conversations are most frequently stalled by the construction of frameworks, and by frameworks being too large. We want to help these conversations happen fast, and frequently.
How exactly do they work?
In each of our quick-start frameworks there are four positions - three individual contributor positions and one management position.
Crucially there are only five skills. Two craft skills, two human skills, and one leadership skill.
We know that roles have many more skills required than that. However, we also know that you can't (and shouldn't) track every single skill each role requires.
You can only know how many skills that you need to track for career development, from beginning progression conversations. So start with the bare bones, and go from there.
For example, in our Quick-Start Engineering team the only two engineer-specific technical skills we've included are Writing Code and Testing. We believe these to be the building blocks on which an engineer is assessed.
Once you've had a progression conversation you may get feedback that your engineers would like to track other skills, Security or Software Architecture perhaps. This is great, you can add those into Version 2 of the framework. The key is to let that come from them, it’s their career after all.
How do I get started?
- Start your trial on the Progression website, or sign into your account
- Go to the library and search for Quick Start to find the frameworks
- Choose the one you want and use it as a template
- Invite your team to the positions and get started with check-ins!
- Iterate and add skills from our library as it becomes clear that you need them
Good luck! And please let us know how you get on.
