Who may work on the press, who may drive the forklift, who may handle customer data? While a business is small, everyone knows by heart. By the tenth employee at the latest, with shift work or an audit, memory is no longer enough. A qualification matrix shows what each job title must be able to do and what people can demonstrably do. This guide shows how to build a qualification matrix, derive training from it and keep records so that gaps are noticed early.
What a qualification matrix is
The matrix is a table. The rows hold the people, the columns the qualifications, such as “forklift licence”, “first aid” or “fire safety briefing”. Each cell shows the status: is the evidence there, until when is it valid, is it missing? Two things distinguish a matrix from a mere attendance list. First, there is a target: for each job title it is set which qualifications are required or recommended. Second, it shows the actual, that is, the individual people’s evidence with its validity date.
The difference between target and actual gives rise to the training need. The matrix is thus not a document for the file but a management tool: you see at a glance where there are gaps and what expires in the next few weeks.
What ISO 9001 and the law require
ISO 9001. If your business works to ISO 9001 or wants to be certified, clause 7.2 (“Competence”) is the reference point. In substance, it is about determining the competence required of persons whose work affects the performance of the quality management system, ensuring competence on the basis of education, training or experience, taking action where necessary to acquire the competence, evaluating the effectiveness of that action and retaining evidence. As we understand it, this clause prescribes no particular form, such as a matrix. It is a widespread practical tool.
On the edition: The 6th edition, ISO 9001:2026, has applied since 16 September 2026 and replaces the 2015 edition. The clause number and description of content above come from the 2015 edition and have not been checked against the text of the 2026 edition. According to a Swiss certification body, the changes overall are moderate, without a fundamental new direction. Check number and wording in your edition; certified companies switch within the transition period set by their certification body. This guide does not reproduce the text of the standard.
Occupational safety. Irrespective of any standard, the Ordinance on the Prevention of Accidents and Occupational Diseases (VUV) obliges the employer: all employees working in the business must be adequately and appropriately informed and instructed about the hazards arising in their work and about occupational safety measures, including employees of another business working on site, such as temporary staff. This must happen when the job starts and on any significant change in working conditions, and be repeated where necessary (Art. 6 VUV, para. 1). Information and instruction must take place during working hours and must not be at the employees’ expense (Art. 6 VUV, para. 4). A matrix helps to prove these briefings and their repetition; which hazards are to be assessed is shown in the guide to hazard assessment.
Which further licences or authorisations are prescribed for your activity depends on the sector and the work. Clarify this with your industry association or your insurer. This guide does not deal with it.
Setting the target: requirements per job title
Start with the job titles, not the people. For each job title, note which qualifications it needs:
- Mandatory: Without this evidence the activity may not be performed, or not alone, for example the machine briefing for the machine operator.
- Recommended: Useful, but not a prerequisite, such as additional training.
Be strict about mandatory requirements and limit yourself to what is necessary. Nobody maintains a matrix with sixty columns. Also set how long evidence is valid and when you want to be reminded beforehand. A fire safety briefing is usually repeated; a completed apprenticeship is not. Always use the same designation for job titles so that assignment and analysis do not fail because of spelling variants.
Recording the actual and reading the matrix
The actual consists of evidence: date of issue, period of validity and, where appropriate, certificate number or filing location. A person’s cell is typically divided into five states:
- Met: The evidence is there and valid.
- Expiring: It is still valid, but the expiry date is within the advance warning period.
- Expired: It is no longer valid.
- Missing: A mandatory requirement is not evidenced.
- Additional: The person holds the qualification without their job title requiring it.
The metric is the fulfilment rate: the number of mandatory requirements met divided by the number of all mandatory requirements, as a percentage. Whether “expiring” still counts as met is a matter of opinion; in practice it counts as met for as long as the evidence is actually valid, and at the same time triggers training. Decide this once and record it, otherwise you will later be comparing apples with oranges.
Training, testing, proving
Gaps become training. A sequence of four steps has proved its worth: announce (content, duration, dates, places), register (employees themselves or through line managers), carry out and complete, then prove. For completion, depending on the subject, attendance, a test with a pass mark or a practical sign-off are suitable. Record who passed which training when, how long it is valid and who confirmed it.
Then comes the part that is often missing: effectiveness. Is the person, after the training, actually able to carry out the activity safely? Brief feedback from participants and an assessment by the line manager show whether the training achieved its goal. The finding belongs among the evidence and feeds into the choice of future training.
Data protection for competence data
For data about employees, Art. 328b CO applies first: the employer may process it only to the extent that it concerns the employee’s suitability for the employment relationship or is necessary for performing the employment contract; otherwise the DSG applies. Evidence about individual people is personal data, that is, information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (Art. 5 lit. a DSG). The Data Protection Act requires processing to be proportionate and the data to be used only for the recognisable purpose (Art. 6, paras. 2 and 3), and to be destroyed or anonymised as soon as they are no longer required (Art. 6, para. 4). In addition there are appropriate technical and organisational measures for data security (Art. 8, para. 1). In practice this means: record only qualifications relevant to the job title, and restrict access to those who need it for their task. Check how long evidence must be retained after a person leaves.
Practical example: Muster Metallbau AG
Muster Metallbau AG is a fictitious company. It distinguishes two job titles, each with two mandatory qualifications:
- Warehouse operative: forklift training (evidence) and fire safety briefing.
- Machine operator: machine briefing and fire safety briefing.
Three people work as warehouse operatives, two as machine operators. That gives 3 × 2 + 2 × 2 = 10 mandatory requirements. The position on the check date:
| Person | Mandatory qualification 1 | Mandatory qualification 2 | Met |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warehouse operative A | Forklift licence: valid | Fire safety: valid | 2 |
| Warehouse operative B | Forklift licence: expires in 40 days | Fire safety: valid | 2 |
| Warehouse operative C | Forklift licence: expired | Fire safety: missing | 0 |
| Machine operator A | Machine briefing: valid | Fire safety: valid | 2 |
| Machine operator B | Machine briefing: missing | Fire safety: valid | 1 |
“Valid” and “expiring” are counted as met: 2 + 2 + 0 + 2 + 1 = 7 of 10 mandatory requirements. The fulfilment rate is 70 per cent.
Three tasks follow. Warehouse operative C must repeat the forklift course and attend the fire safety briefing, machine operator B needs the machine briefing, and for warehouse operative B the renewal of the forklift licence is scheduled before the expiry date. Once the training of warehouse operative C and machine operator B is completed, the number of mandatory requirements met rises to 7 + 2 + 1 = 10 of 10, so the fulfilment rate rises to 100 per cent. The result feeds into the quality objective “Mandatory qualifications met” as a metric.
Checklist
- Job titles named consistently
- Mandatory and recommended set per job title
- Validity period and advance warning period determined per qualification
- Evidence recorded with date and validity
- Occupational safety briefing documented at job start and on significant changes
- Repetitions scheduled
- Training announced with date, places and completion criterion
- Effectiveness assessed after the training
- Access to competence data restricted
- Fulfilment rate analysed regularly and presented to management
How KMU | base helps
In QMS | base you find everything under Day to day › Training. Everyone sees the tabs My training and Catalogue; the people with the right to manage training see Qualification matrix, Training plan and Quiz.
Requirements per job title. You set which qualifications a job title requires, as mandatory or recommended. The qualifications come from the competence register; if no qualification type has been entered there yet, the matrix reports that qualifications must be entered first.
Qualification matrix. You see people against qualifications with target, actual, expiry warning and fulfilment rate, filterable by job title. The cells are colour-coded as met, expiring, expired, missing and additional. For assignment, the software compares the person’s job title with the job title of the requirement as text, ignoring upper and lower case. Spelling variants such as “Lagerist” and “Lagermitarbeiter” are therefore not merged. Only mandatory requirements appear as “missing”; recommendations are not counted as a gap. “Expiring” counts as met in the fulfilment rate, as calculated in the example above.
Training catalogue. You offer in-person, online and e-learning training, with dates, location, online link, places and leader. Employees register themselves; full sessions lead to a waiting list, training needing approval to a request. For a training you can set for which job titles it is mandatory.
Completion with certificate. On completion the person receives a certificate number, a certificate as a PDF and an entry in the competence register with validity. The entry is created if the training is linked to a qualification and the person is assigned to an employee; you set the validity in months for the training.
My training and training plan. Each person sees their attendance and outstanding mandatory training. The training plan shows who has not yet completed which mandatory training. When the validity of a completion expires, the training is due again (marked “Certificate expired”) and can be attended anew.
Feedback and effectiveness. Participants rate the training; the managers assess its effectiveness. Registered participants are reminded of their session the day before.
What the software does not do: QMS | base and HR | base maintain the competence register together; you record qualification types and evidence that do not come from training in HR | base under People › Permits & qualifications (in the menu under “More”). Job title and evidence come from the employee master data: anyone not linked there appears without a job title and without a target. The matrix in QMS | base shows people with an active user account; employees without an account do not appear there. You maintain qualification types, job titles and evidence outside training in HR | base; without HR | base the matrix cannot be built. The overview under People › Permits & qualifications shows all active employees with an expiry traffic light, but without a target per job title. Managers assess effectiveness by hand; the software does not measure it.
The guide to QMS | base explains how to use it. Take a look at the demo or open a trial account. If you have questions, the contact page will help.
Sources
- SNV: SN EN ISO 9001:2026, Quality management systems – Requirements, valid since 16 September 2026, replaces the 2015 edition (in German); accessed on 27.10.2026. The clause reference 7.2 comes from the 2015 edition and has not been checked against the 2026 text.
- ISO: ISO 9001:2026 (Edition 6), published on 16 September 2026; accessed on 27.10.2026.
- SQS: ISO 9001:2026 revision of the standard – all information, accessed on 27.10.2026.
- Ordinance on the Prevention of Accidents and Occupational Diseases (VUV, SR 832.30), Art. 6, paras. 1 and 4, as at 1 May 2018 (latest version available on Fedlex): fedlex.admin.ch (German original), accessed on 27.10.2026.
- Code of Obligations (OR, SR 220), Art. 328b, as at 1 October 2026: fedlex.admin.ch (German original), accessed on 27.10.2026.
- Federal Act on Data Protection (DSG, SR 235.1), Art. 5 lit. a, Art. 6, paras. 2 to 4 and Art. 8, para. 1, as at 7 July 2025: fedlex.admin.ch (German original), accessed on 27.10.2026.
The structure of the matrix, example figures and training procedure are editorial practical aids. They do not reproduce ISO standard text and do not demonstrate conformity for certification.
This guide does not replace legal or tax advice. Information as at 27 October 2026.