Proficiency

Term Definition
Proficiency is the level of being capable or proficient in a specific knowledge, skill or domain expertise. Proficiency indicates a degree of mastery of knowledge and skills that allows one to function independently in the performance of that skill. For example, one who is proficient in C# (c-sharp) programming would have comprehensive understanding of information related to programming in that language and would be able to perform the C# programming tasks independently.

An important factor in allocating resources to a given project should be their proficiency in the skills required to perform the tasks. For example, a consultant or employee who is proficient in business analysis will be assigned to work on a fit to business task as opposed to being assigned to perform quality assurance. Organizations may assess the proficiency of employees in the pre-hire phase by testing and background checks. Once hired on-the-job proficiency assessment helps companies determine the training and development needs of their workforce.

In order to assess skill levels and increase job proficiency, organizations are increasingly relying upon an integrated approach to training and knowledge transfer that utilizes many different training tools and methodologies including classroom training for soft skills, e-learning for product updates, software simulations for IT training and knowledge-sharing for conveying tacit knowledge. The integrated approach ensures that companies are able to get the right information to the right person at the right time, thereby increasing employee proficiency, while driving increases to the bottom line. Resource Management & Scheduling software is used by companies with more than 5 to 10 project resources to track resource availability, skill set, proficiency levels (also referred to as the resource pool), and to be able to find, match, and book the most qualified, least expensive and available resources on various project mandates.

Related Terms
Skill
Resource Pool
Resource Management

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