Ad-Hoc and Critical Competency Assessments for Capabilities Framework

Description

This release introduces a new ad-hoc and critical competency assessment experience as part of the July 2026 Early Adopter Release. The experience lets users evaluate only the competencies that matter in a given context, rather than relying on rigid, predefined competency assessment structures. Users can search and select one or more competencies on demand, complete evaluations at the behavior level using behavior-based ratings and comments, and immediately review a summarized outcome aligned against target levels.

The experience supports two primary assessment modes. Ad-hoc assessment enables dynamic, on-demand evaluation of any properly configured competency, while critical competency assessment focuses on high-priority competencies that are strategically important. For critical competencies, target levels and behaviors are auto-populated based on the targets that admins defined when linking competencies to a capability model. This functionality is available only for the new capabilities framework competency type and is not supported with legacy competencies.

Business Need

Previously, competency assessments depended heavily on predefined competency structures, which limited flexibility and forced evaluations to follow standard cycles regardless of actual business context. A manager wanting to evaluate an employee on a few critical competencies after a recent project or assignment had no efficient, targeted way to do so.

This enhancement addresses that gap by allowing assessments to be performed dynamically based on real-time business needs. Managers can focus on the specific or high-priority competencies that matter, complete evaluations quickly and efficiently, and gain immediate visibility into performance gaps. The result is improved assessment relevance, accuracy, and efficiency for admins, managers, and end users alike.

Key Features

• Users can dynamically search and select one or more competencies for on-demand ad-hoc assessment, keeping evaluations highly targeted instead of tied to predefined competency sets.
• High-priority critical competencies can be prioritized during selection, with target levels predefined by admins and not editable by the assessing user.
• Evaluations are completed at the behavior level, where users can provide ratings including zero or not-applicable values and add contextual comments wherever needed.
• Users can skip any behavior they do not wish to rate, as rating every behavior is not compulsory.
• The system generates a real-time summary showing the new rating alongside the target rating in a single view, clearly indicating outcomes such as below target, target met, and exceeds expectation, while excluding unrated behaviors.
• Each competency assessment is saved individually rather than as a group, allowing users to revisit or reassess one or more competencies as needed.

Deployment & Considerations

This feature is available in stage and preview environments ahead of general availability, and in production with the July 2026 release. It is applicable to customers using Cornerstone, LX, and single architecture environments. The functionality is enabled by default for customers who already have the competency type capabilities activated, and no new permissions are required.

The competency type capabilities are available only for customers licensed for legacy competencies. Activation is completed through the Performance Features Self-Activation page by navigating to Admin Tools > Performance Management > Performance Features Self-Activation and selecting the activation button. The activation option appears only for customers that have legacy competencies. Once activated, competencies as capabilities are enabled, which in turn makes the ad-hoc and critical competency assessment experience available.