Why completions mislead
A completion tells you someone reached the end of a course. It doesn't tell you whether they understood it, whether they can use it, or whether they do. Organizations with near-perfect completion rates still find their people can't do what the course taught.
Leaders know this, which is why completion reports rarely change a decision.
What a level is
A level describes what a person can do with a skill. Six levels, from remembering to creating, grouped in three master levels: Foundation, Practitioner and Proficient.
Each level is described in plain terms for the skill in question. For negotiation, Practitioner means running a negotiation with a clear plan and a walk-away point. For data privacy, it means handling client data correctly in daily work.
Evidence at each level
At Foundation, evidence comes from questions answered in the person's own words, not multiple choice. At Practitioner, it comes from practice: sandboxes, simulations and roleplays, where decisions show what the person can do.
At Proficient, the evidence is the real work. A mission in the person's own week, done and debriefed.
The manager's confirmation
A level is held when the evidence says so and, at the top, when the manager confirms it. The manager doesn't grade from memory. They get a short check-in with the evidence in front of them.
This turns the manager from an observer of development into part of it.
Reporting upward
Report levels by team, role and skill, and what moved this quarter. Leaders can act on that: who is ready for the AI rollout, who can step into the open role, where the gaps are before the strategy launches.