Competency groups are categories, such as Soft skills or Leadership, that organize your company competencies; you create, rename and delete them from Performance > Competencies > Groups. Some teams call them competency categories or clusters. Each competency belongs to one group or to no group.

Before you start

• You need the Manage competencies permission (Settings > Permissions > Competencies).
• Competencies is part of Performance in the Business and Enterprise plans. If Competencies doesn't appear under Performance, check your permissions.
• Common group names: Soft skills, Leadership, Technical skills, Management, Values.

Steps

Create a competency group from the Groups tab

1. Go to Performance > Competencies.
2. Open the Groups tab.
3. Click New group.
4. In the New competency group window, type the group Name.
5. Click Create. The message "The competency group has been created successfully." confirms it.

Create a competency group while you create or edit a competency

1. Go to Performance > Competencies and click New competency (or open Edit competency on an existing competency).
2. In the Group field, type the name of the new group. The placeholder reads "Select or type to create".
3. Click Create group. The new group is selected for that competency.

Rename a competency group

1. Go to Performance > Competencies > Groups.
2. Open the row actions (...) of the group and click Edit.
3. In Edit competency group, change the Name.
4. Click Save.

Delete a competency group

1. Go to Performance > Competencies > Groups.
2. Open the row actions (...) of the group and click Delete.
3. Confirm in the Delete competency group dialog.

Rules and behavior

• If you delete a competency group that has competencies, then the competencies are kept and become ungrouped (their Group column shows "-").
• If you delete a competency group, then no competency, level, job assignment or past assessment is deleted.
• If you type a group name that already exists (the check ignores upper and lower case), then the group is not created and the name is reported as already taken.
• If a user does not have Manage competencies, then the Group field only lets them pick an existing group and shows "No groups found" instead of offering Create group.
• A competency can belong to only one competency group at a time.
• Competency groups are flat: a group can't contain another group.

Limitations

• You can't nest groups or create sub-groups.
• You can't assign one competency to several groups.
• You can't reorder groups manually; the Groups list is sorted by name.
• You can't give a group a description; only a name.

Troubleshooting

• Symptom: "I can't see the Groups tab." → Cause: You don't have the Manage competencies permission, so the whole Competencies area is hidden. → Fix: Ask an admin to enable Manage competencies in Settings > Permissions > Competencies for your permission group.
• Symptom: "I get 'Name has already been taken' when I create a group." → Cause: A group with the same name exists, even with different capital letters. → Fix: Use the existing group or choose a different name.
• Symptom: "After deleting a group, some competencies show '-' in the Group column." → Cause: Deleting a group ungroups its competencies. → Fix: Open each competency with Edit competency and pick a new Group.

FAQ

1. Do I have to use groups?

No. Groups are optional. A competency without a group works the same way in jobs and reviews.

2. If I delete a group, do I lose the competencies inside it?

No. The competencies stay in Company competencies; only the grouping is removed.

3. Can I filter competencies by group?

Yes. In Performance > Competencies, use the Group filter of the Company competencies table.

4. Can I import groups?

Yes. When you import competencies, the Group column creates any group that doesn't exist yet. See Edit, delete or import competencies.