Skill Matrix Template: Rikiryo-hyo Japanese Customers Audit

Your plant makes parts for a Japanese customer, or you run a line at a Japanese-owned factory in Thailand, India, or the US. The audit plan arrives, and one item on the list of records is a rikiryo-hyo (力量表). Or your Japanese manager asks you to "update the skill map before the audit." Both mean the same thing: a skill matrix, a single sheet that shows who can do which job, and at what level.

Most plants already have something like it. Whether it holds up in an audit, and whether anyone on the floor actually uses it, comes down to two decisions: how finely you split the jobs, and what evidence you use to assign a level. Get those wrong and ratings drift from one supervisor to the next, and the sheet is useless for staffing and training plans.

This guide explains what Japanese customers and managers mean by a rikiryo-hyo, why they ask for it, and how to build one in five steps. It also covers how to read it for multi-skilling and skill transfer, and common mistakes. It ends with a skill matrix template you can copy, a training plan template, an audit-readiness checklist, and questions to ask the Japanese side.

Contents

1. What Is a Skill Matrix (Rikiryo-hyo)?
2. Why Japanese Customers and Managers Ask for One
3. How to Build a Skill Matrix in 5 Steps
4. Reading the Matrix for Multi-Skilling and Skill Transfer
5. Skill Matrix Template You Can Copy
6. Excel or Skill Management Software?
7. Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them
8. Audit-Readiness Checklist and Questions for the Japanese Side
9. Where This Guide Does Not Apply
10. Summary
11. FAQ
12. Sources

What Is a Skill Matrix (Rikiryo-hyo)?

A skill matrix is a table with workers down the side and jobs or processes across the top. Each cell holds a symbol or number for that person's proficiency on that job. Japanese plants call it by several names: rikiryo-hyo (力量表, "competence chart"), sukiru mappu (スキルマップ, skill map), gino mappu (技能マップ, skills map), or hoshitori-hyo (星取表, literally a "win-loss chart"). The idea behind all of them is the same: describe what the team can do in three dimensions, person × job × level.

You may know a similar sheet as a training matrix. In many plants a training matrix tracks which courses or work instructions each person has been trained on, while a rikiryo-hyo records the level each person has actually reached on each job. If you already keep a training matrix, a Japanese customer will usually ask how it shows level, not only completion.

Figure 1: Sample Skill Matrix (Machining and Assembly Area)

People down the side, jobs across the top; darker cells mean higher levels. The bottom row counts people who can work the job alone.

Worker

Lathe work

MC setup

Deburring

Assembly

Visual insp.

CMM

A (age 58)

4

4

3

3

3

2

B

3

2

3

3

2

–

C

2

–

4

4

3

–

D

1

–

2

3

4

3

E (new hire)

–

–

1

2

1

–

Level 2+

3

2

4

5

4

2

1 Can do with guidance2 Can work alone3 Can handle abnormalities4 Can teach others

Fictional example. MC = machining center; CMM = coordinate measuring machine. The orange cell marks a job where only one person can teach. This table alone shows that MC setup depends on worker A.

The same idea is built into Japan's public training framework. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) publishes Shokugyo Noryoku Hyoka Kijun (職業能力評価基準, Occupational Ability Evaluation Standards). They list the knowledge, skills, and expected behaviors for each job, by industry, and have been developed since fiscal 2002. Standards now exist for 56 industries, including manufacturing industries such as electrical machinery. For office jobs and 16 industries (in manufacturing, screw making), the MHLW also provides ready-made evaluation sheets, career maps, and an implementation manual. These materials are in Japanese, but a Japanese manager may have used them as the starting point for your company's form. Trimming an existing standard is faster than starting from a blank sheet, and you miss fewer items.

Why Japanese Customers and Managers Ask for One

Japanese plants face the same training problem as everyone else. In the MHLW's FY2025 Basic Survey on Human Resource Development (published July 2026), 80.1% of establishments reported some problem with skills development, led by a shortage of people who can teach (59.5%), trained staff quitting (51.6%), and no time for training (45.5%). Our guide to TWI Job Instruction and OJT looks at those numbers in more detail. When teachers and time are scarce, you need a tool that tells you who to teach what first. That is the skill matrix's job.

The same survey shows a gap. Only 54.5% of establishments evaluate their workers' job skills. Of those, 86.2% use the results as criteria for personnel appraisals (bonuses, pay, promotion, and transfers), but only 36.7% use them to set training goals. Many workplaces rate their people but do not turn the ratings into a training plan. In a factory, a skill matrix earns its keep in three situations.

ISO 9001 Clause 7.2: Evidence of Competence

For suppliers, this is where the word rikiryo-hyo usually comes up. Clause 7.2 (Competence) of ISO 9001:2015 requires an organization to:

• Determine the competence needed by people whose work affects the performance and effectiveness of the quality management system
• Make sure those people are competent on the basis of education, training, or experience
• Where needed, take action to build that competence and evaluate whether the action worked
• Retain documented information (records) as evidence of competence

A skill matrix is one of the most common ways to meet that last point. In Japanese companies, the department in charge of quality assurance or quality control often manages the form, while each work area keeps the contents up to date. When a Japanese customer audits you, competence sits in the quality system area, next to training and operator qualification on a typical supplier audit checklist. Auditors may compare the matrix with who is actually running each machine on the day.

A matrix built only for the audit quickly goes stale. Build it as a tool the floor uses, following the steps below, and it serves as audit evidence too.

Covering Absences

When someone calls in sick or quits, how long the line stays down depends on how fast you can find a replacement. If that knowledge lives only in the team leader's head, a night-shift supervisor or a manager covering from another area is guessing. Put it on the matrix and anyone can make the call.

Planning Multi-Skilling (Tanoko-ka)

A tanoko (多能工) is a multi-skilled worker who can run several processes or machines, and tanoko-ka (多能工化) is the effort to develop them. More multi-skilled workers make it easier to move people when volume shifts or someone is absent. Training everyone on every process is not realistic, though. Counting how many people can run each process shows which process to staff up first.

How to Build a Skill Matrix in 5 Steps

Figure 2: Five Steps to Build a Skill Matrix

Filling in the cells is only Step 4. The first three steps decide whether the sheet will be usable.

STEP 01Set purpose and scopeDecide what the sheet is for, which area, and who is covered

STEP 02List the jobsBreak processes into jobs at a level you can assess

STEP 03Define the levelsSet the number of levels and write a pass condition for each

STEP 04Assess current skillsCompare self and supervisor ratings; confirm by observing the work

STEP 05Link to a training planFrom the gap to target, decide who learns what, by when

After launch, review ratings every 6–12 months and add or remove jobs as processes change.

Step 1: Set the Purpose and Scope

First decide what the sheet is for: covering absences, planning multi-skilling, or serving as the ISO competence record. The answer changes how detailed the jobs need to be and how often you update it.

Start with one section or one line. Try to cover the whole plant at once and the job list balloons, and the people doing the ratings run out of steam before they finish. Build a small one, settle how you will run it, then roll it out to other areas. It ends up faster.

Also name an owner who keeps it current. A setup that works well: the area supervisor or team leader owns the content, and the training coordinator or ISO office controls the form and the review schedule.

Step 2: List the Jobs (Skill Items)

Next, list the jobs that will form the columns. Granularity is where most people get stuck. A column like "assembly" is too coarse to rate meaningfully. Go down to "tighten screws" and "load parts," and you end up with hundreds of columns that nobody can keep up to date.

The rule of thumb: one column per job you would decide to let someone do alone. The MHLW standards break work down in stages (occupation, duty, competency unit, competency element). Applied to a factory, that gives a hierarchy like the one below.

Figure 3: Breaking Work Down Into Skill Items (Assembly Area Example)

The matrix columns sit at the "job" level: the unit you would assign to one person.

Department / areae.g., Assembly Section, Line 2

Break down

Processe.g., Subassembly / Main assembly / Inspection and packing

Break down

Job (matrix column)e.g., Motor mounting, wiring and connectors, hipot test, final visual inspection

As needed

Task stepsSteps in the work instruction. Keep them in the instruction, not the matrix

Required knowledgeReading drawings, quality standards, safety rules

Licenses and mandatory traininge.g., forklift, slinging, low-voltage electrical work

Applies the MHLW standards' breakdown (occupation, duty, competency unit, competency element) to a factory work area.

Use the documents you already have: the process flow, the QC kotei-hyo (QC工程表, QC process chart or control plan), and the sagyo hyojunsho (作業標準書, work standard document). Where the steps are already fixed, as in Toyota-style standardized work, one work instruction per column is an easy rule.

Related: Standardized Work Instructions: Sagyo Hyojunsho Template

Add columns for work that legally requires a license or mandatory training; in Japan, forklift operation and slinging (tamakake, 玉掛け) are typical. That way, nobody gets assigned to them by mistake. Track these as "has / does not have," not as skill levels, and record the expiry or training date. Which jobs need a license depends on your country's rules.

In practice, keep one sheet to about 20–30 columns at most. If you need more, split the sheet by work area.

Step 3: Define the Skill Levels

The level definitions matter more than anything else on the sheet. A vague label such as "3 = mostly can do it" means each rater scores differently, and nobody trusts the result.

Three to five levels is common, and four tends to work well for shop-floor jobs. The MHLW standards also use four levels (1–4), set by the scope of responsibility and difficulty expected. Definitions like these are common for production work:

Figure 4: Four Skill Levels for Shop-Floor Jobs (Example)

Give every level a pass condition: what the person must show to earn it.

Level 1: Can do with guidanceWorks from the instruction with a trainer nearbyPass: followed the procedure with a trainer present

Level 2: Can work aloneWorks alone within standard time and meets quality standardsPass: completed the set quantity alone with no defects

Level 3: Can handle abnormalitiesDoes changeovers, first response to defects, and minor fixesPass: explained and demonstrated the response to an abnormality

Level 4: Can teach othersTrains others and proposes changes to instructions and improvementsPass: has trained a new hire to Level 2

Each area can set its own level names and pass conditions. Leave "no experience" blank or mark it "–".

Base pass conditions on facts a third person can check: standard time, defects, response to abnormalities. Impressions such as "experienced" or "can be trusted on their own" stop meaning the same thing as soon as a different supervisor does the rating.

You can also tie levels to outside qualifications. In Japan, the national trade skills test, Gino Kentei (技能検定), covers 133 trades. In fiscal 2025, 326,045 people passed, and more than 9.37 million passes have been recorded since the system began. A Japanese plant might decide that a Grade 2 certificate in machining satisfies part of the Level 3 condition, so the matrix is backed by an outside standard. Outside Japan, local trade certifications can play the same role. Ask your customer whether they will accept them.

Step 4: Assess Each Person and Fill In the Matrix

With the criteria set, rate each person. A practical method is to collect both a self-rating and a supervisor rating, then discuss only the items where they differ. The self-rating also gets people thinking about what they want to learn next.

For disputed items, and whenever you raise someone to Level 2 or higher, watch the person do the work. ISO 9001 guidance makes the same point: competence means being able to do the job, not just understanding it.

The first round takes time. Limit each interview to about 15–30 minutes and plan to finish the area within a few weeks. Record the assessment date and the assessor; that makes the next review, and any ISO audit, much easier to explain.

Step 5: Set Targets and Build a Training Plan

A matrix that only records today's levels is half finished. Set a target for the area, such as "in six months, three people at Level 2 or higher on this process." Daily training starts to move only when you turn the gap between target and current state into a plan.

Figure 5: Turning Gaps Into a Training Plan (Area From Figure 1)

One line per plan: who, which job, to what level, how, and by when.

Plan 1

Plan 2

Person / job

B / MC setup

E / Visual inspection

Current → target

Level 2 → Level 4

Level 1 → Level 2

Reason

Only A can teach it; a successor is needed before A retires

Not enough inspectors; overtime piles up in peak season

Method

Does the same setups as A twice a week (OJT); setup steps recorded on video

Practice judging with boundary samples; works next to D

Deadline / verifier

By next March / section manager checks on the job

In 3 months / D gives a judging test

Keep it to about 3–5 plans per area and review progress at a monthly area meeting.

Read the trainer's load from the matrix too. If too much teaching falls on your Level 4 people, production suffers. A shortage of people who can teach is the most common training problem in Japanese surveys, so the number of trainers is often the real bottleneck. For how to teach each job once the plan is set, see our TWI Job Instruction guide, which also explains when to sign someone off to work alone.

Check results at the next review: did the level go up? That review also gives you the record of "evaluating the effectiveness of actions taken" that ISO 9001 asks for.

Reading the Matrix for Multi-Skilling and Skill Transfer

What you see depends on which way you read the matrix. Read down a column for how many people cover each process. Read across a row for each person's range. Add age or planned retirement and you see which skills to pass on first. Japanese plants call this gino densho (技能伝承, passing skills on to the next generation).

Figure 6: Three Ways to Read a Skill Matrix

The same table shows different problems depending on how you read it.

Down (by process)How many people can run this process alone? Processes with few people stop when someone is outFigure 1: MC setup and CMM have 2 each

Across (by person)How many processes can one person run? Shows multi-skilling progress and what each person learns nextFigure 1: shows E's next target

With attributesAdd age, planned retirement, or employment type to see which skills are at riskFigure 1: only A can teach MC setup

On phones the cards stack vertically. Add total rows and columns at the bottom and right edge of the table to see the counts at a glance.

Multi-Skilling: Work Back From Headcount per Process

The realistic goal is not "everyone can do everything." It is a minimum number of qualified people on every process. Some plants set an internal rule such as "at least three people at Level 2 or higher and two at Level 4 on every process."

Processes below that line come first. Then read across the rows and pick people who would cover more ground by learning the next process over. You get more out of limited training time, and people who know the processes before and after their own understand how setups and quality connect.

Skill Transfer: Ask Whose Skills Leave, and When

Manufacturing takes skill transfer seriously. In the same MHLW survey, 92.9% of manufacturing establishments had some skill-transfer measure in place, against 83.7% across all industries. Across all industries, the most common measures were hiring more mid-career people (56.2%) and re-employing retirees as trainers (54.7%). Only 12.4% said they narrow down which skills and know-how must be passed on and transfer those deliberately.

Add age or planned retirement to the matrix and jobs where only people retiring within a few years hold Level 4 stand out immediately. Those are the skills to target. Name a successor and plan the handover, including any period when a retiree is re-employed to teach.

Related: Skills Transfer in Japanese Plants: Shokunin to Ginou Kentei

The harder it is to hire, the more valuable it is to widen what your current people can do. A skill matrix is a basic tool for strengthening the team without relying on hiring.

Skill Matrix Template You Can Copy

This template combines the elements above: jobs at a decision-making level, a four-level scale, license columns, attributes for skill-transfer planning, and the assessment record auditors ask about. Replace the job names with your own and keep to about 20–30 job columns per sheet. Rows are fictional examples.

Name	Job 1: Lathe work	Job 2: MC setup	Job 3: Visual inspection	Job 4: …	License: forklift (expiry)	Jobs at Level 2+	Planned retirement / notes	Last assessed / assessor
Worker A	4	4	3		Yes (2028-03)	3	Within 2 years	2026-09-15 / J. Smith
Worker B	3	2	2		No	3		2026-09-15 / J. Smith
Worker E (new)	–	–	1		No	0	Joined 2026-06	2026-09-16 / J. Smith
People at Level 2+	2	2	2		1 licensed
Target (Level 2+ / Level 4)	3 / 2	3 / 2	3 / 1		2 licensed

In Excel, add conditional formatting to color each level, and use COUNTIF formulas for the "People at Level 2+" row and the "Jobs at Level 2+" column. Pair the matrix with a short training plan, one line per gap:

Person	Job	Current → target level	Reason	Training method	Trainer	Deadline	Verified by / how	Result
Worker B	MC setup	2 → 4	Only A can teach; A retiring	OJT with A twice a week; setup video	Worker A	2027-03	Section manager / observed setup

Excel or Skill Management Software?

You can build a skill matrix in Excel or in dedicated skill management software. Neither is right in every case; choose by the size of the operation and the effort of keeping it current.

For one work area with a few dozen people and up to about 20–30 jobs, Excel is the easy place to start, and it prints well for posting on the floor. Excel starts to show its limits when:

• Each area keeps its own file, and plant-wide totals take manual work
• You cannot trace rating history (when, by whom, and why a level changed)
• Staff check license expiry and training dates in a separate log every time they assign someone
• Several sites are supposed to use the same form, but the versions keep drifting apart

At that point it is time to look at a dedicated system. The jobs and level criteria from Steps 2 and 3 carry over as its foundation. Install software before the criteria are settled and you just digitize a sheet nobody uses. Run it in Excel first, then migrate.

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Keeping a skill matrix alive is harder than building one. These are the four most common failures and their fixes.

Figure 7: Common Skill Matrix Mistakes and Fixes

The root cause is the same in every case: treating the sheet as done once it is built.

Never updatedUpdated only before audits, so the sheet drifts away from realityFix: schedule a review every six months, and update the jobs whenever processes change

Ratings depend on the raterThe same skill scores higher under a lenient supervisor than a strict oneFix: write pass conditions as facts; have two or more people confirm Level 3 and above on the job

Too detailed to maintainTask steps become columns; hundreds of items nobody can fill inFix: merge columns to the unit you assign to one person; keep detail in the work instructions

Used only for HR ratingsScores tie directly to pay, so self-ratings swing too high or too lowFix: announce first that it is for training and staffing; link it to pay only gradually

Build Updates Into the Calendar

The main reason updates stop is that nobody decided when to do them. Attach the review to something that already happens, such as the semiannual one-on-one or the annual training plan, and it will not be forgotten. Also set a rule to add a column whenever new equipment or a new process arrives.

Reduce Rating Drift With Observation and More Than One Rater

You cannot remove rating differences completely, but writing pass conditions as facts and having more than one person rate the higher levels shrinks them a lot. Even a once-a-year session where team leaders compare each other's ratings helps them spot where their standards have drifted apart.

Link It to Pay With Care

As the MHLW survey shows, most establishments that evaluate skills use the results for personnel decisions. Tying matrix levels to allowances or promotion can motivate people to learn.

The downside is that once scores drive pay, workers and raters both start bending the ratings. Use the matrix for training and staffing first, and consider linking it to pay only after the criteria have settled in. How you do this also depends on local employment rules and practice.

Related: Plant Manager Role in a Japanese Plant: Duties and KPIs

Audit-Readiness Checklist and Questions for the Japanese Side

Before a Japanese customer's audit, or before you send the matrix to your Japanese parent company, run through this list.

• Every job that affects product quality has a column, including inspection and rework
• Each level has a written pass condition based on observable facts
• Every rating has an assessment date and an assessor
• The people running each machine today hold Level 2 or higher on that job
• Licenses and mandatory training are tracked as "has / does not have," with expiry dates
• Temporary, agency, and newly transferred workers are included
• Processes with only one qualified person, or one person who can teach, have a training plan
• The training plan shows results, so you can show the training worked
• The jobs on the matrix match the current process flow, QC process chart, and work instructions

Expectations differ by company, so confirm these points with your customer or parent company:

• Do you want us to use your rikiryo-hyo form, or is our own skill matrix or training matrix acceptable?
• Which level counts as "qualified to work alone"? Is that the level you will check during the audit?
• Do you require more than one assessor, or observation of the work, for certain levels?
• How often should the matrix be reviewed, and do you need the rating history?
• Are there jobs (special characteristics, final inspection) that you require only certified workers to perform?
• Will you accept local trade certifications as evidence for a level?

Where This Guide Does Not Apply

• The levels and pass conditions are examples. Number of levels, names, and pass conditions vary by company and industry. Your customer's or parent company's form takes priority.
• Industry standards add requirements. Automotive (IATF 16949), aerospace, and medical device customers may add competence or qualification requirements beyond ISO 9001 clause 7.2. Check your customer-specific requirements.
• Licenses and mandatory training follow local law. Forklift and slinging are Japanese examples. Which jobs require a license where you are is set by your local regulations.
• Linking skills to pay is a local HR decision and depends on employment law and practice in your country.
• This guide uses ISO 9001:2015 clause numbers. If your certificate is to a later edition, check the clause numbers in that edition.

Summary

A skill matrix is not paperwork for an audit. It is a tool for deciding who to train and where to put people. Start small on one line, and run it through to the first six-month review.

FAQ

What is a rikiryo-hyo?

Rikiryo-hyo (力量表) is the Japanese term for a skill matrix or competence chart: a table showing which jobs each person can do and at what level. Japanese plants also call it a skill map (sukiru mappu) or hoshitori-hyo.

What is the difference between a skill matrix and a training matrix?

In many plants, a training matrix records which training each person has completed, while a skill matrix records the level each person has reached on each job. Japanese customers usually expect the level, backed by an assessment date and assessor. Many plants combine both on one sheet.

How many skill levels should a skill matrix have?

Three to five is common, and four works well for shop-floor jobs: can do with guidance, can work alone, can handle abnormalities, and can teach others. What matters more is a written, checkable pass condition for each level.

Does ISO 9001 require a skill matrix?

No. ISO 9001 clause 7.2 requires you to determine the competence needed, make sure people have it, evaluate the effectiveness of training, and keep records as evidence. It does not prescribe a format. A skill matrix is one of the most common ways to show that evidence.

How often should a skill matrix be updated?

Review ratings every six to twelve months, and update the job columns whenever a process or piece of equipment is added or removed. Tying the review to an existing event, such as a semiannual one-on-one, keeps it from slipping.

Sources

• Training problems, skill evaluation, and skill-transfer figures: MHLW, FY2025 Basic Survey on Human Resource Development, press release (July 31, 2026, Japanese); summary of results (PDF, Japanese)
• Occupational Ability Evaluation Standards, industries covered: MHLW, About the Occupational Ability Evaluation Standards (Japanese); list of industries (Japanese); career maps, evaluation sheets, and manuals (Japanese)
• Structure and levels of the standards: MHLW, Structure of the Occupational Ability Evaluation Standards (PDF, Japanese)
• Trade skills test (Gino Kentei) trades and pass numbers: MHLW, FY2025 trade skills test results (August 17, 2026, Japanese); MHLW, About the trade skills test system (Japanese)
• ISO 9001:2015 clause 7.2 Competence: ISMS.online, ISO 9001 Clause 7.2 Competence; J-VAC, ISO 9001 7.2 Competence (Japanese)