> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.skillsdb.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Manager Assessments
> Learn how to grade your direct reports' skill proficiency in SkillsDB — individually or in bulk — and use manager assessments to capture skill levels, set benchmarks, and apply skill flags.
**Quick Summary:** Manager assessments let you grade your direct reports' skill proficiency across their assigned roles. You can grade team members one at a time or work through your whole team skill by skill using batch grading. When both you and your team members complete your assessments, results appear side-by-side on each person's scorecard.
# Overview
A manager assessment is a formal evaluation cycle in which you grade the skill proficiency of your direct reports. Manager assessments run in parallel with employee self-assessments — while your team members grade their own skills independently, you assess each of them using your organization's grading scale (typically 1–5). When both are complete, the scorecard shows your grades and the employee's self-assessed grades side-by-side for comparison.
Manager assessments exist to provide an independent perspective alongside each employee's self-reported proficiency. Together, manager and self-assessments give your organization a more complete picture of skills across the team, which feeds into skills gap analysis, development planning, and workforce reporting.
Assessments are created and assigned by administrators. You receive manager assessments for the direct reports assigned to you in SkillsDB. You do not create assessments yourself — if you believe you should have an active assessment but cannot see one, contact your administrator.
**Note:** Manager and self-assessments are completed independently. By default, you cannot see your team members' self-assessed grades while you are grading, and they cannot see yours. Both sets of grades become visible on the scorecard once the assessment is complete.
***
# Navigating to Your Team's Assessments
To view your active assessments select **Assessments** from the **My Team** section of the left sidebar. The **My Team Assessments** page shows all assessments currently assigned to you. The list shows only Active assessments — Draft and Completed assessments do not appear here.
Each row in the table displays:
| Column | Description |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Assessment** | The title of the assessment |
| **Status** | The current status indicator (Not Started, In Progress, Completed, Ended) |
| **Progress** | Your grading completion percentage, shown as a number and a visual progress bar |
| **Deadline** | The manager deadline date for submitting your grades |
| **Action** | **Start**, **Continue**, or **View** depending on your progress |
Select an assessment title or its action button to open it.
***
## Opening an Assessment
Selecting an assessment opens its details page. This page is your home base for the full assessment — it shows overall progress, individual team member status, and your two grading options.
**Assessment metadata**
A card at the top of the page shows key information about the assessment:
| Field | Description |
| --------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Status** | The current status of the assessment |
| **Manager deadline** | The date by which you must submit your grades |
| **Employee deadline** | The date by which your direct reports must complete their self-assessments |
| **Employees** | The number of direct reports assigned to this assessment |
| **Last nudge sent** | The date you last sent a reminder to your team to complete their self-assessments |
**Batch grading card**
A prominent card shows your overall grading progress across the entire team, with a progress bar and a **Start** or **Continue** button. This is the entry point to batch grading. See Batch grading below for details.
**Direct reports table**
The table lists each of your direct reports with their current assessment status:
| Column | Description |
| ----------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| **Employee** | Team member's name |
| **Employee Assessment** | The employee's self-assessment progress |
| **Manager Assessment** | Your grading progress for this person |
Action buttons available for each employee:
| Button | When it appears | Action |
| ---------------- | --------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- |
| **Start** | Manager assessment not yet begun | Opens the individual grading flow |
| **Continue** | Grading in progress | Returns to where you left off |
| **Submit** | All skills graded but not yet submitted | Submits this person's assessment |
| **Scorecard** | Assessment submitted for this person | Opens the results scorecard |
| **View Profile** | Always | Opens the employee's Skills Profile |
You can search for a specific team member using the search input above the direct reports table. The table filters by first or last name as you type.
***
## Grading an Individual Team Member
Individual grading lets you work through one team member's skills at a time. This is best when you want to give each person careful attention, review skill-by-skill context, or add comments as you grade.
**Starting individual grading**
1. In the direct reports table, select **Start** or **Continue** next to a team member's name.
When opening an assessment for the first time, an intro modal appears before you begin grading.
**Step 1 — Keyboard shortcuts:** The first screen shows all available keyboard shortcuts.
| Key | Action |
| ------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| `1`–`5` | Assign a grade to the current skill |
| `N` | Toggle Not Applicable for the current skill |
| `→` | Move to the next skill |
| `←` | Move to the previous skill |
| `Enter` | Move to the next skill (or submit on the final skill) |
| `?` | Open the keyboard shortcuts reference |
| `Esc` | Exit the grading interface |
Select **Continue** to proceed.
**Step 2 — Assessment overview:** A summary screen shows key information before you begin.
| Card | Description |
| ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Deadline** | The manager deadline and how many days remain |
| **Total Skills** | The number of skills you need to grade for this person |
| **Est. Time** | Estimated time to complete (approximately 2 minutes per skill) |
| **Progress** | Your current completion percentage, if you have already started |
Select **Start Assessment** to begin. If you are returning to a partially completed assessment, the button reads **Continue Assessment**.
**Understanding the grading layout**
The grading interface is divided into three panels:
| Panel | Purpose |
| ----------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Left sidebar** | Skills list grouped by job role, with completion checkmarks |
| **Center** | The current skill being graded |
| **Right sidebar** | Activity feed for adding comments on the current skill |
The center panel displays:
* **Skill title** — Shown as "\[Section]: Skill Name" (for example, "Leadership: Team Management")
* **Skill description** — A collapsible description of the skill
* **Progress counter** — "X of Y graded" in the top right, updated after each grade
The grading table in the center panel contains:
| Column | Description |
| --------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Grade** | The grade you assign. Shows "Add Grade" until a selection is made. |
| **Benchmark** | The expected proficiency level for this skill in this role (read-only). |
| **Prior grade** | Your previous assessment grade for this skill, if one exists. |
| **N/A** | Toggle to mark the skill as Not Applicable. |
| **Skill flags** | Buttons to assign Focus, Expert, Mentor, or Interest flags to this person for this skill. |
**Note:** The Benchmark column only appears if a benchmark has been configured for this skill in the role. The Prior grade column only appears if this person was graded in a previous assessment cycle. Your administrator controls the grading scale labels (for example, "Beginner" through "Expert").
***
## Grading a Skill
To assign a grade to a skill:
1. In the **Grade** column, select **Add Grade** to open the grade selector.
2. Choose the grade that best reflects this team member's current proficiency. Each option shows a short description (for example, "Proficient") and a longer explanation.
3. Select your chosen grade. The grade saves automatically — there is no separate save step.
The grade selector highlights two reference points to help you calibrate:
* A **Benchmark** badge next to the grade matching the role's expected level
* A **Prior** badge next to the grade from the previous assessment cycle
After selecting a grade, the progress counter increments and the skill in the left sidebar shows a checkmark.
**Tip:** Use the keyboard shortcuts `1`–`5` to assign a grade instantly without opening the dropdown. This is the fastest way to move through a large skill list.
***
## Marking a Skill as Not Applicable
If a skill does not apply to a team member's current role or responsibilities, you can mark it as Not Applicable instead of assigning a grade.
To mark a skill as Not Applicable:
1. In the **N/A** column, toggle the switch on.
When a skill is marked Not Applicable:
* The grade is cleared and the Grade column shows an N/A indicator.
* Skill flag buttons are disabled for that skill.
* The skill counts as complete toward your assessment progress.
* The skill is excluded from the average grade calculation in the completion summary.
To reverse the Not Applicable status, toggle the switch off. The skill returns to an ungraded state and you can assign a grade normally.
**Important:** Marking a skill as Not Applicable removes any grade you had previously entered for that skill. If you toggle N/A off again, you will need to re-enter the grade.
***
## Adding Skill Flags
Skill flags let you designate a team member's standing or development status for a specific skill. Flags are visible on the team member's Skills Profile and in org-wide skills searches.
To add a skill flag:
1. In the **Skill flags** section of the grading table, select the flag you want to apply.
2. The flag is saved immediately. Select it again to remove it.
| Flag | Meaning |
| ------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Focus** | Marks this skill as a development priority for this person |
| **Expert** | Designates this person as a subject-matter expert for this skill |
| **Mentor** | Identifies this person as a mentor for this skill |
| **Interest** | Notes that this person has expressed interest in developing this skill |
**Note:** Skill flag availability depends on your organization's configuration. If flag buttons are not visible, skill flags may not be enabled for your organization. Flags cannot be added to skills marked as Not Applicable.
***
## Setting a Custom Benchmark
Each role has a default benchmark grade configured by your administrator. You can override this for an individual team member if their expected proficiency level differs from the role default.
To set a custom benchmark:
1. Select **Update Benchmark** next to the Benchmark value for a skill.
2. In the benchmark modal, select the grade that represents the expected level for this person.
3. Select **Save**.
The custom benchmark applies only to this person and does not affect the role-level default for other team members.
***
## Navigating Between Skills
You can move through skills in any order at any time during grading.
**Using the navigation buttons:**
* Select **Previous** at the bottom of the page to return to the preceding skill.
* Select **Next** to advance to the next skill. The Next button activates once the current skill has been graded or marked Not Applicable.
**Using the left sidebar:**
* Select any skill to jump to it directly, regardless of order.
* Graded and N/A skills show a checkmark in the sidebar.
**Using keyboard shortcuts:**
* Press `←` to move to the previous skill.
* Press `→` to move to the next skill.
**Tip:** You do not need to complete skills in order. Use the left sidebar to jump to any skill at any time. Many managers prefer to work through familiar skills first and return to skills requiring more thought.
***
## Submitting an Individual Assessment
You can submit your assessment for a team member once all their assigned skills have been graded or marked Not Applicable.
When you select **Next** on the final skill (or press `Enter`), SkillsDB checks whether any skills remain incomplete.
**If incomplete skills remain:**
A modal appears listing all skills that still need a grade or N/A, grouped by job role. Select any skill in the list to navigate directly to it and complete your input.
**If all skills are complete:**
A completion modal appears showing a summary of your grading:
| Card | Description |
| ----------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Deadline** | The manager deadline and days remaining |
| **Total Skills** | The total number of skills in this assessment |
| **Total Time** | Your estimated time spent grading |
| **Average Grade** | Your average grade across all graded skills (excluding N/A) |
To finalize:
1. Review the summary.
2. Select **Submit**.
Your assessment for this person is marked Completed and you are redirected to the scorecard. The **Submit** button in the direct reports table also submits a person's assessment once all their skills are graded.
**Important:** Once you select Submit, your grades for that person are locked and cannot be edited. If you need to make a correction after submission, contact your administrator.
***
## Batch Grading
Batch grading lets you assess all of your direct reports skill by skill — working through one skill at a time across your entire team simultaneously. This is the most efficient approach for large teams and makes it easy to compare your team's relative performance on each skill as you grade.
**Starting batch grading**
1. On the assessment details page, select **Start** (or **Continue**) on the batch grading card.
An intro modal appears with an overview of the batch grading interface and available keyboard shortcuts.
**Batch grading keyboard shortcuts:**
| Key | Action |
| ------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| `1`–`5` | Assign a grade to the currently selected person |
| `N` | Toggle Not Applicable for the selected cell |
| `→` | Move to the next person (within the current skill) |
| `←` | Move to the previous person |
| `Enter` | Confirm grade and advance |
| `?` | Open keyboard shortcuts reference |
**Understanding the batch grading interface**
The batch grading interface has three panels:
| Panel | Purpose |
| ----------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Left sidebar** | Skills list — select any skill to jump directly to it |
| **Center** | The current skill, with a grade cell for each direct report |
| **Right sidebar** | Remaining ungraded skills panel |
The center panel displays the current skill's name and description at the top, followed by a row for each of your direct reports. Select a person's cell (or use keyboard shortcuts) to assign a grade. Grades save automatically as you enter them.
**Moving between skills in batch grading**
After grading all team members for a skill, a confirmation prompt appears. Select **Continue** to advance to the next skill, or select any skill from the left sidebar to navigate directly to it. Use the right sidebar to see which skills still have ungraded cells.
**Submitting batch grading**
After grading all skills for all team members:
1. Select **Submit** in the final confirmation modal.
Your assessment is marked Completed for all team members at once. You are redirected to the assessment details page, where you can open individual scorecards for each person.
**Tip:** Use keyboard shortcuts `1`–`5` to grade without your mouse and `→` to move between people. Batch grading is the fastest way to complete assessments for large teams.
**Note:** You can switch between individual and batch grading at any time within the same assessment. Grades made in one mode are immediately reflected in the other.
***
## Viewing Scorecards and Results
After submitting an assessment for a team member, you can view their scorecard to see a side-by-side comparison of your grades and their self-assessed grades.
To open a scorecard:
1. On the assessment details page, select **Scorecard** in the team member's row.
The scorecard displays:
* Your manager-assessed grade for each skill
* The team member's self-assessed grade for each skill (if they have submitted their assessment)
* The benchmark grade for each skill in their role
* A visual comparison across all three data points
The scorecard is read-only. Grades cannot be changed after submission.
**Note:** If the employee has not yet submitted their self-assessment, the Employee Grade column will be empty. Employee grades become visible on the scorecard once the employee submits, or when the assessment period ends — depending on your organization's configuration.
***
# Common Questions
Yes. You can switch between individual grading and batch grading at any time. Grades made in either mode are immediately reflected in the other. A common approach is to use batch grading to move quickly through most skills, then switch to individual grading to review specific team members in more detail or add comments.
Yes. Grades are saved automatically as you select them — there is no manual save button. You can close the assessment at any time and return from the My Team Assessments page. Select **Continue** to resume from where you left off.
No. Once you submit an assessment for a team member, their grades are locked. If you need to make a correction after submission, contact your administrator.
If the deadline passes and the administrator has closed the assessment, you will no longer be able to access the grading interface. The assessment may appear as Ended in your list. Contact your administrator if you need an extension.
By default, no. Manager grades are not visible to employees during the active assessment period. Visibility is controlled by your administrator's configuration. When the assessment ends, both sets of grades typically become visible on the scorecard.
No. With individual grading, you submit each person's assessment separately and can do so in any order. With batch grading, submitting completes the assessment for all team members at once.
If a team member has no skills assigned through their role, their row in the direct reports table will show "No skills to be assessed" and no grading option will be available for that person.
Yes, but with some limitations. Batch grading supports adding Focus flags to multiple team members at once for a given skill. To assign Expert, Mentor, or Interest flags to specific individuals, use individual grading.
***
# Related Articles
How employees complete their own skill assessments
Overview of your team's skills profile and data
Review skills gaps and proficiency levels across your team
Adjust expected skill levels for individual team members
Understand what Focus, Expert, Mentor, and Interest flags mean
How skill gaps are calculated from assessment results
***
# Need Help?
If you run into any issues or have questions, reach out to your organization's SkillsDB administrator or contact [SkillsDB Support](https://www.skillsdb.com/support).