> ## 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.
# Quality Management
> Learn how to use SkillsDB to manage workforce compliance, track certifications, verify competency, and close skill gaps for ISO and quality-regulated industries.
**Quick Summary:** This guide walks through how to use SkillsDB as an end-to-end quality management system — from setting up your compliance framework to tracking certifications, running assessments, managing training records, and generating audit-ready reports.
### Overview
Quality management in a regulated industry depends on one thing above all else: knowing that the right people have the right credentials, competencies, and training — and that you can prove it. SkillsDB is designed to give quality managers, HR teams, and frontline supervisors a single platform to manage all of that in one place.
This tutorial walks through the full quality management lifecycle in SkillsDB. It covers five core workflows — certification compliance, competency assessments, training records, skill gap closure, and compliance reporting — and explains how each role in your organization uses the platform to keep your workforce audit-ready.
SkillsDB supports quality-focused organizations in industries including manufacturing, healthcare, life sciences, food production, logistics, and any environment where workforce competency and compliance documentation are regulatory requirements.
***
### Who This Guide Is For
This tutorial is written for three audiences:
| Role | Primary Use |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Administrators** | Configure the system, manage certification and training libraries, define job roles and skill benchmarks, import and assign credentials at scale |
| **Managers** | Assign certifications and training, assess team competency, approve submissions, monitor compliance status, close skill gaps |
| **Employees** | Submit certification evidence, complete assessments, track training progress, and build learning plans |
The sections below are organized by workflow. Each section calls out which roles are involved and what actions each can take.
***
### Step 1: Build Your Quality Compliance Foundation
Before tracking compliance, your administrators need to configure SkillsDB to reflect your organization's structure and requirements. Think of this as defining the rules your workforce needs to comply with.
#### Define your job roles and skill requirements
Job roles in SkillsDB link positions to the specific skills and proficiency levels required to perform them. When roles are configured correctly, SkillsDB can automatically calculate skill gaps and surface compliance shortfalls.
**What administrators do:**
1. Navigate to **Library > Careers** in the left sidebar.
2. Create a career (job role) for each position in your organization (for example, "Quality Inspector," "Line Supervisor," "QA Auditor").
3. Add skills to each role with a **benchmark grade** — the minimum proficiency level required for that role on your organization's grading scale.
Once roles are configured, assign your employees to the appropriate job role in their people profile. SkillsDB then uses that role to calculate each person's skill gap automatically.
**Note:** Your grading scale (for example, 1–5 or Beginner–Expert) is configured by your administrator in **Settings > Grading**. All benchmark and assessment grades are based on this scale.
#### Build your certification and training libraries
Your certification and training libraries are the master records your team works from. Admins create entries here; managers and employees interact with them throughout the compliance cycle.
**What administrators do:**
1. Navigate to **Library > Certifications** and add each required certification — for example, "Forklift Operator License," "ISO 9001 Lead Auditor," or "Food Handler's Permit."
2. Navigate to **Library > Training** and add training courses your organization uses — including training provider, format (online, in-person, hybrid), and course level.
**Tip:** Use consistent naming conventions from the start. If your certifications and training records are imported from another system, SkillsDB supports bulk CSV import. Navigate to **Import** in the left sidebar to upload existing records.
***
### Step 2: Assign and Track Certifications
Certification tracking is the backbone of most quality compliance programs. SkillsDB manages the full lifecycle: assigning requirements, collecting evidence, processing approvals, tracking expiration dates, and flagging renewals.
#### How certification statuses work
Every certification assigned to an employee moves through the following stages:
| Status | What it means |
| --------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Assigned** | The certification is required; the employee sees a **Submit Details** button |
| **Awaiting Approval** | The employee submitted their evidence; a manager or admin reviews it |
| **Approved** | The submission was accepted; the certification is active |
| **Denied** | The submission was rejected; the employee must resubmit |
| **Expiring Soon** | The certification expires within 30 days |
| **Expired** | The certification's expiration date has passed |
#### Assigning certifications to your team
Managers and administrators assign certifications from an employee's profile.
1. Navigate to **People** (from the **Team** section in the left sidebar) and select the employee.
2. Go to the **Certifications** tab on their profile.
3. Select **Assign Certification** and choose the relevant certification from your library.
To assign certifications to large groups at once, use the **Import** function in the left sidebar. A CSV import lets you assign certifications to hundreds of employees in a single step, which is particularly useful when onboarding a new team or rolling out a compliance initiative.
#### How employees submit certification evidence
When an employee has been assigned a certification, they navigate to **Certifications** in the left sidebar under the **Profile** section. Their page shows all assigned certifications.
1. The employee selects the certification with **Assigned** status.
2. They select **Submit Details**.
3. They fill in the certification details — including the issuing authority, ID or license number, issue date, and expiration date.
4. They attach supporting documentation (up to 5 files; accepted formats: .jpg, .png, .pdf, .docx, .xlsx, .txt, .csv; maximum 10 MB per file).
5. They submit for approval.
The status changes to **Awaiting Approval** and a notification appears in the manager's **Inbox**.
#### Reviewing and approving submissions
When a certification is submitted, the assigned manager receives an inbox notification.
1. Select **Inbox** from the left sidebar.
2. Select the certification notification to open the submission.
3. Review the employee's submitted details and attached documents.
4. Select **Approve** or **Deny**.
If you deny a submission, the employee is notified and can correct and resubmit their documentation.
#### Monitoring team certification compliance
To see your entire team's certification status in one view, navigate to **Team > Certifications** (the **My Team Certifications** page).
You can filter by:
* **Status** — Active, Awaiting Approval, Denied, Expiring Soon, Expired
* **Expiration** — See certifications expiring within specific timeframes
* **Name** — Search for a specific employee or certification
Select **Display** in the top right to choose which columns are visible in the table. Export the table to Excel for audits or offline reporting.
**Renewals:** When an employee renews a certification, SkillsDB creates a new record rather than overwriting the existing one. Full renewal history is preserved for audit purposes.
***
### Step 3: Verify Workforce Competency with Assessments
Certification tracking tells you who has credentials — assessments tell you whether employees can actually apply their skills on the job. SkillsDB's assessment module lets managers conduct structured, rubric-based competency evaluations and compare results against role benchmarks.
#### How assessments work
An assessment is a graded evaluation cycle where an employee rates their own proficiency (self-assessment) and a manager grades the same skills independently (manager assessment). Results can be compared side by side, and SkillsDB highlights where employee grades are below the role benchmark.
Managers can run assessments at any time — for a single employee, a group, or their entire direct reporting team.
#### Creating and launching an assessment
Managers create and manage assessments from the **My Team Assessments** page, accessible from **Team > Assessments** in the left sidebar.
1. Select **Create Assessment** (or the equivalent in your organization's current interface).
2. Name the assessment and set a deadline.
3. Select the employees to include and the skills to evaluate.
4. Configure when manager grades become visible to employees — options include immediately, after the assessment cycle ends, or after both parties have submitted.
5. Launch the assessment.
Employees receive an in-app notification and see the active assessment on their **Assessments** page.
#### How employees complete a self-assessment
Employees navigate to **Assessments** in the left sidebar under **Profile**.
1. Select the active assessment.
2. An intro modal shows keyboard shortcuts, total skills to evaluate, estimated time, and current progress.
3. The employee grades themselves on each skill using the organization's scale.
4. They can also mark skills as **Not Applicable** or flag skills they want to focus on.
5. They submit when all skills are graded.
#### Reviewing assessment results
Once employees and managers have submitted, managers access the **Scorecard** view to analyze results.
Navigate to **Team > Assessments > \[Assessment Name] > Scorecard**.
The scorecard shows each employee's grade on every skill, compared against:
* The employee's self-assessment grade
* The manager's grade
* The role benchmark
Use the scorecard filter to quickly isolate:
* **Variance** — Skills where the manager grade and self-assessment grade differ significantly
* **Below Benchmark** — Skills where the employee is performing below role expectations
* **Meets Benchmark** — Skills where the employee meets or exceeds the requirement
#### Using skill flags to recognize and develop talent
After an assessment, managers can apply **Skill Flags** to employees for specific skills. Flags serve as formal designations within SkillsDB:
| Flag | Meaning | Quality Use |
| ------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Expert** | Designated subject matter expert; unlocks training approval rights for that skill | Identify certified in-house authorities for audit interviews |
| **Mentor** | Qualified to coach others in this skill | Assign peer coaching for compliance knowledge transfer |
| **Focus** | Priority skill for development | Flag skills below benchmark for remediation |
| **Interest** | Employee wants to grow in this area | Support voluntary upskilling programs |
***
### Step 4: Manage Training Compliance
Training compliance is about knowing that every employee has completed the training required for their role — and that those records are current and haven't expired. SkillsDB's training matrix gives you a cross-referenced view of your entire team's training status.
#### Viewing the training matrix
The training matrix is the fastest way to see compliance coverage across your team. Navigate to **Team > Training** and select the **Training Matrix** tab.
The matrix displays each employee (row) against each required skill (column). Each cell shows:
* The most recent training date for that skill and person
* The training status (Approved, Awaiting Approval, Expired, or blank if no training exists)
* Color-coded status indicators: green for valid, yellow for expiring soon, red for expired, and a blank or "NA" indicator where the skill is not required for that person's role
#### How training records get into the system
Training records can enter SkillsDB in several ways:
1. **Employee self-report** — Employees log completed training from their profile. The record is submitted as **Awaiting Approval** until the manager confirms it.
2. **Manager entry** — Managers add training records directly for their team.
3. **Bulk import** — Use the **Import** page to upload past training history from CSV.
Training records include: training name, date completed, training format, provider, and expiration period. SkillsDB automatically calculates the expiration date from the completion date and the configured expiration window.
#### Approving training records
When an employee logs a training record, it appears in the manager's **Inbox** as **Awaiting Approval**.
1. Open **Inbox** from the left sidebar.
2. Select the training approval notification.
3. Review the record details.
4. Approve or reject the record.
Approved training records appear in the training matrix immediately. Rejected records are returned to the employee for correction.
#### Filtering and exporting for audits
The training matrix supports filters to narrow your view:
* **Region, Division, Department** — Focus on specific org units
* **Job Role** — See training compliance for a specific position
* **People with Training Dates Only** — Hide rows with no training history to focus on active records
Export the full matrix or filtered results to Excel for compliance documentation.
**Training expiration tracking:** When a training record is approaching expiration, the cell in the matrix turns yellow. When it passes the expiration date, it turns red and the status changes to Expired. Both the employee and their manager can see this change in real time.
***
### Step 5: Identify and Close Skill Gaps
In quality management, a skill gap is a compliance risk. If a required skill is below the benchmark for a role, that person may not be fully qualified to perform their job safely or correctly. SkillsDB surfaces these gaps automatically and gives managers the tools to close them.
#### How skill gaps are calculated
A skill gap exists when an employee's current grade for a required skill falls below the benchmark grade defined for their job role. SkillsDB calculates this automatically once:
1. Job roles have benchmark grades assigned to their required skills
2. The employee has a current grade (from self-assessment, manager assessment, or both)
3. The employee is assigned to the appropriate job role
Employees can see their own gaps. Managers can see gaps across their entire team.
#### Viewing skill gaps
**For employees:**
Navigate to **Skills** in the left sidebar. The **Upskilling** tab shows skills where your current grade falls below your role benchmark. Each gap entry includes the skill name, current grade, required grade, and recommended training or resources to close the gap.
**For managers:**
Navigate to **Team > Skills** to see a team-wide skills view. Use filters to identify which employees have gaps in specific skills, or which skills have the most gaps across the team. This is especially useful for planning group training interventions.
#### Assigning training to close gaps
Once you've identified gaps, the next step is assigning targeted training.
**Option 1: Assign a learning resource from the library**
1. Navigate to the employee's profile and select **Learning Plan**.
2. Select **Assign Learning** to add a resource from your organization's training library.
3. The resource appears on the employee's learning plan as a **Library** item with a status of **To Do**.
**Option 2: Employee creates a custom learning item**
Employees can add their own learning resources:
1. Navigate to **Learning Plan** in the left sidebar.
2. Select **Add resource**.
3. Fill in: Title (required), Description, Category (required), URL, and Duration in hours.
4. The item appears on the learning plan and can be tracked through to completion.
#### Tracking learning plan progress
Learning plan items move through a Kanban-style board: **To Do → In Progress → Completed → Archived**.
Employees update their progress by logging hours spent and a percentage complete. When an item is completed, SkillsDB records the completion date and total hours. Managers can assign resources and monitor completion status from **Team > Learning Plans** (accessible via the manager view of an employee's profile).
**Note:** Once a learning plan item reaches **Completed** status, it cannot be moved back to **In Progress** directly. It must first be **Archived**, and then restarted from there.
***
### Step 6: Monitor Compliance and Report
Ongoing monitoring is what separates proactive quality management from reactive crisis management. SkillsDB gives managers and administrators multiple views into compliance status at any time.
#### Your real-time compliance dashboard
The **Inbox** is your primary alert center. Badges next to the Inbox icon in the sidebar show the number of pending actions across all compliance categories:
* **Certifications** — Submissions awaiting your approval
* **Training** — Training records awaiting your review
* **Assessments** — Assessment cycles with incomplete responses
* **Skill Requests** — Employee requests to add skills to the library
* **Surveys** — Incomplete survey responses (if surveys are enabled)
Select **Inbox** to see a consolidated list of everything that needs your attention today.
#### Exporting compliance reports
Every major table in SkillsDB supports export to Excel. This is your primary tool for generating audit-ready compliance documentation.
| Report | Where to find it | What it contains |
| ------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Certification status** | **Team > Certifications > Export** | Employee, certification name, status, expiration date, approver, date approved |
| **Training matrix** | **Team > Training > Training Matrix > Export** | Employee, skill, training date, status, expiration date |
| **Assessment results** | **Team > Assessments > \[Assessment] > Export** | Employee, skill, self-grade, manager grade, benchmark comparison |
\| **Learning plan summary** | Employee's Learning Plan > Export | Resource, status, category, added by, rating |
All exports include only the rows and columns visible in your current view. Apply filters before exporting to produce a focused compliance report for a specific department, role, or time period.
#### Customizing table views with the column chooser
Every table in SkillsDB includes a **Display** button that lets you show or hide columns. This is useful for tailoring your view before exporting — for example, showing only expiration-relevant columns for a renewal audit.
**Tip:** Your column selections are saved per page. Set up your preferred view once and it persists across sessions.
#### Using labels to classify compliance priorities
Labels are custom tags your organization defines. Apply labels to certifications and training records to add a layer of qualitative classification:
* Mark certifications as "Safety Critical," "Regulatory Required," or "Annual Renewal"
* Tag training as "Mandatory," "Refresher," or "New Hire Required"
* Label employees with "Audit Eligible," "In Training," or any other custom status
Labels appear in table views and are included in exports, making it easy to filter and sort by compliance priority.
***
### Keeping Your Data Audit-Ready
SkillsDB maintains a full audit trail for all compliance records automatically. You don't need to do anything extra to preserve this data.
#### What the audit trail captures
Every record in SkillsDB includes:
* **Created by / Created at** — Who entered the record and when
* **Updated by / Updated at** — Who last modified it and when
* **Approval history** — Who approved or denied submissions and when
* **Deletion tracking** — Deleted records are soft-deleted and preserved in the database with a deletion timestamp and user attribution
This means that if an auditor asks "who approved this certification and when," SkillsDB has that answer.
#### Renewal history preservation
When a certification is renewed, SkillsDB creates a new grade record rather than overwriting the old one. The full renewal history — every submission, approval, and expiration — is preserved. This is essential for demonstrating continuous compliance over time.
#### Recommended quality management rhythm
| Frequency | Action | Who |
| ------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------- |
| **Daily** | Check Inbox for pending approvals | Managers |
| **Weekly** | Review certifications expiring within 30 days | Managers |
| **Monthly** | Export training matrix; review gaps with team | Managers, Admins |
| **Quarterly** | Run assessment cycle; review benchmark compliance | Admins, Managers |
| **Annually** | Audit certification renewal status; update job role benchmarks | Admins |
***
### Related Articles
Step-by-step guide to managing team certifications as a manager
How employees submit and track their own certifications
How to create, run, and review assessment cycles for your team
How to view and interpret your team's skill grades and gaps
How to work with the training matrix
How employees use the learning plan to track development
How SkillsDB calculates and surfaces skill gaps
How the training approval workflow operates
How training expiration tracking works
***
### Need More Help?
If you need additional assistance setting up SkillsDB for your quality management program:
* [Contact support](https://skillsdb.com/support)
* Use the in-app help chat
* Schedule a configuration session with your account manager