How to identify skills gaps in your team

To identify skills gaps effectively, you must compare your team's current capabilities against the strategic goals of your organisation to pinpoint where specific expertise is missing.

Key takeaways

• Conducting a thorough skills gap analysis ensures your team remains competitive and prepared for future industry shifts.
• Mapping individual work personalities helps align natural strengths with required technical competencies for better performance.
• Data-driven insights allow HR leaders to move away from guesswork and prioritise targeted training and development.
• Regularly revisiting your skills matrix helps maintain a high-performing culture and reduces the risk of project delays.

The hidden cost of missing expertise

In today's workplace, the speed of change is relentless. You might notice that projects are taking longer than they used to, or perhaps your team is struggling to adopt new technology that seemed straightforward on paper. These are often the first signs of a skills gap – a disconnect between what your people can do and what your business needs them to do.

When you fail to identify skills gaps early, the pressure on your high performers increases. They often end up 'covering' for the missing expertise, leading to burnout and a dip in overall morale. It is not just about technical ability; it is about ensuring your organisation has the collective intelligence to navigate future challenges without losing momentum.

We have seen that many mid-market leaders feel the pinch when they realise their workforce planning is reactive rather than proactive. By the time a gap becomes obvious, you are already playing catch-up. Taking a structured approach to this problem allows you to turn a potential weakness into a strategic advantage for your entire team.

Step 1: Define your future state and goals

Before you can look at what you are missing, you need a crystal-clear picture of where you are going. What do the next 12–24 months look like for your department? Whether you are expanding into new markets or automating manual processes, every strategic shift requires a specific set of competencies.

Start by listing the core objectives of your business. If your goal is to improve customer retention, you might need advanced data analytics or enhanced soft skills in your support team. We recommend involving department heads in this phase to ensure the 'on-the-ground' reality matches the executive vision. This alignment is the foundation of any successful analysis.

At Compono, we believe that understanding the work activities required for high performance is essential. By categorising tasks into specific actions – such as Evaluating, Coordinating, or Pioneering – you can better understand the types of people and skills needed to drive those outcomes. This goes beyond a simple job description; it is about the DNA of your team's success.

Step 2: Audit your current team capabilities

Once you know the destination, it is time to take an honest look at your starting point. Auditing current skills can be tricky because people often have 'hidden' talents that aren't utilised in their current roles. You might have a The Auditor who is exceptionally methodical with data, but currently stuck in a role that requires constant The Campaigner style persuasion.

Use a mix of self-assessments, peer reviews, and performance data to build a comprehensive skills matrix. This matrix should track both 'hard' technical skills and 'soft' behavioural traits. Be careful not to just look at what people are doing now – look at what they are capable of doing with the right support. This is where you often find the most internal growth potential.

To get a deeper look at how your people naturally work, you can use the Compono Develop module. It helps you map out the natural work preferences and existing skills of your employees, making it much easier to see where people are thriving and where they might be stretched too thin. This data-driven approach removes the bias that often plagues manual skill audits.

Step 3: Analyse the gap and prioritising needs

Now comes the 'gap' part of the analysis. By overlaying your future needs with your current audit, the missing pieces will start to emerge. You might find that while your team is great at execution, you are missing the creative spark of The Pioneer to drive innovation. Or perhaps you have the vision, but lack the structured approach of The Coordinator to see it through.

Not all gaps are created equal. Some will be critical 'blockers' that stop you from achieving your primary goals, while others might be 'nice-to-haves' for the future. Prioritise these gaps based on their impact on your strategic objectives and the difficulty of filling them. This helps you decide whether you should 'build' the skill internally through training or 'buy' it through new hires.

For those critical gaps that require fresh talent, Compono Hire allows you to specify exactly the work personality and skills you need. Instead of just looking at a CV, you can rank candidates based on how well they fill the specific void you have identified in your team design. This ensures that every new hire is a strategic piece of the puzzle.

Step 4: Create a development and recruitment roadmap

With your priorities set, you need an actionable plan. For internal gaps, look at mentorship programmes, online learning, or 'stretch' assignments that allow staff to grow into new areas. People are often highly motivated when they see a clear path for their own progression that aligns with the company's needs.

If the gap is too large to bridge through training alone, your recruitment strategy needs to be laser-focused. Don't just hire for the role as it existed three years ago; hire for the role as it needs to exist tomorrow. This is how you build a resilient workforce that can adapt to market fluctuations without losing its core identity.

Regularly measuring the impact of these interventions is vital. Skills gap analysis isn't a one-off event; it is a continuous cycle of improvement. As your business evolves, so will the skills required to sustain it. Maintaining this pulse on your team's capability ensures that you are never caught off guard by industry shifts or internal turnover.

Key insights

Identifying skills gaps requires a proactive comparison between your future business goals and your team's current abilities. By using structured work personality assessments, you can uncover hidden strengths and ensure your team is balanced for high performance. Prioritising these gaps allows you to make smarter decisions about training and recruitment, ultimately future-proofing your organisation against rapid change.

Where to from here?

Explore: Compono Platform

Talk to an expert: Book in a 15-minute chat to get a walkthrough of Compono and see how we can help you identify and bridge your team's skills gaps today.

Frequently asked questions

How often should we conduct a skills gap analysis?

We recommend performing a deep-dive analysis annually, with smaller 'pulse' checks every six months or whenever there is a significant shift in your business strategy or team structure.

What is the difference between a skills gap and a talent gap?

A skills gap refers to specific missing competencies in your current staff, whereas a talent gap often refers to a lack of people in the pipeline or a missing personality type that is crucial for team balance.

Can soft skills be included in a skills gap analysis?

Absolutely. In fact, soft skills – or work personalities – are often more critical for long-term success. Understanding if you lack an Advisor or an Evaluator can be just as important as knowing you need a software developer.

How do I get my team on board with a skills audit?

Transparency is key. Explain that the goal is not to find fault, but to provide them with the right training and support to succeed in their roles and grow their careers within the organisation.

What is the quickest way to fill a critical skills gap?

The quickest way is often a combination of short-term external consulting and a targeted recruitment drive using intelligent hiring tools like Compono to ensure the new hire is a perfect fit for the gap.