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Example gallery · 17 examples · Standard work, SOPs and training

Training matrix examples: 17 filled in, by role and by rule

Seventeen training matrices for a manufacturing plant, with the rows and columns written out and one row read aloud. Seven are by role. Three track training that carries a date, and two of those are built on what the OSHA forklift and lockout standards say. Three define the levels, and four show how to read a finished matrix for cover and gaps. The crews, names and dates are illustrative.

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Want the long version? Closing Plant-Wide Skill Gaps in 90 Days: A Practical Framework: what to do about the gaps once the matrix has shown you where they are.

Each card says who the matrix is for, then describes it in four lines: what the rows are, what the columns are, one row read out in full, and what the matrix shows once it is filled in. Levels run from 1 to 4 and are defined in the scales section. Filter by department or by type of matrix.

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Type

Showing 17 of 17 examples

By role: who can do which job

Skills matrices for one team each. People are the rows, jobs or skills are the columns, and each cell holds a level from 1 to 4. The last line of each card is the gap the matrix makes visible.

    • Production
    • Skills by level

    Assembly operators by station

    A final assembly line with six stations and eight operators on day shift. The team leader keeps the matrix on the board at the line and updates it on the day someone is signed off.

    Rows:
    8 operators: Dana, Marco, Elena, Sam, Tomas, Aisha, Ben and Chloe.
    Columns:
    6 stations: sub-assembly, press fit, torque, leak test, final inspection and pack. Each cell holds a level from 1 to 4 and the date of the last sign-off.
    One row reads:
    Elena: sub-assembly 4, press fit 3, torque 3, leak test 2, final inspection 1, pack 3. She runs four stations alone and is partway through training on leak test.
    What it shows:
    Leak test has 2 people at level 3 or above against a minimum of 3. That is the next training to schedule.
    • Production
    • Skills by level

    CNC machinists: operate and set up, per machine

    A machining cell with two lathes, two mills and a coordinate measuring machine, run by six machinists over two shifts. Operating and setting up are separate columns, because someone who can run a job cannot always set it up.

    Rows:
    6 machinists, 3 on days and 3 on nights.
    Columns:
    Operate and set up for each of lathe L1, lathe L3, mill M2 and mill M4, then the measuring machine and first-piece sign-off. 10 columns.
    One row reads:
    Marco, nights: operates all four machines at level 3, sets up L1 and L3 at level 3, sets up M2 at level 2, and is not trained on M4 setup or the measuring machine.
    What it shows:
    Nights has nobody at level 3 for M4 setup. Until that changes, every M4 changeover has to be finished before day shift leaves.
    • Maintenance
    • Skills by level

    Maintenance technicians by skill

    A maintenance crew of five that covers three shifts with an on-call schedule. The columns are skills and equipment families, not single machines.

    Rows:
    5 technicians.
    Columns:
    Electrical fault finding, PLC diagnostics, pneumatics, hydraulics, welding, conveyor drives, the palletizer and the boiler house. Level 1 to 4 in each.
    One row reads:
    Tomas: electrical 4, PLC 3, pneumatics 3, hydraulics 2, welding 1, conveyor drives 4, palletizer 3, boiler house 2.
    What it shows:
    Two technicians reach level 3 on PLC diagnostics and they work the same shift. A PLC fault on nights means a call-out.
    • Warehouse
    • Skills by level

    Warehouse team by truck type and task

    A finished goods warehouse with seven people. Each truck type has its own column, because being trained on one type does not cover another.

    Rows:
    7 people: six operators and the dock lead.
    Columns:
    Counterbalance truck, reach truck, powered pallet truck, loading and securing, receiving and put-away, cycle counting, and dangerous goods paperwork.
    One row reads:
    Aisha: counterbalance 3, reach truck 3, pallet truck 4, loading 3, receiving 2, cycle counting 3, dangerous goods not trained.
    What it shows:
    Two people can sign dangerous goods paperwork and both work days. A late shipment of those goods waits until morning.
    • Quality
    • Skills by level

    Quality inspectors by method

    A quality lab with four inspectors over two shifts. The columns are inspection methods and gauges, plus the two decisions an inspector can be authorized to make.

    Rows:
    4 inspectors.
    Columns:
    Micrometer and caliper, height gauge, thread gauges, hardness tester, coordinate measuring machine, visual standard for paint, first-piece approval and complaint containment.
    One row reads:
    Ben: hand gauges 4, height gauge 4, thread gauges 3, hardness 3, measuring machine 2, paint visual 3, first-piece approval 3, containment 2.
    What it shows:
    One inspector is at level 3 on the measuring machine. When she is on vacation, measuring machine reports wait for her return.
    • All staff
    • Required training with dates

    New hires: the first 30 days

    Three people who started in production this month. The matrix lists what each must complete by the end of day 1, week 1 and day 30, and the supervisor reviews it every Friday.

    Rows:
    3 new hires, with their start dates.
    Columns:
    Day 1: site safety induction, emergency exits and assembly point, PPE issue, hygiene rules. Week 1: hazard communication, manual handling, the work instruction for the first station. Day 30: a second station, quality basics, first review with the supervisor.
    One row reads:
    Chloe, started 2 November: all four day 1 items done on 2 November, hazard communication and manual handling done on 4 November, first station signed off on 6 November, day 30 items due by 2 December.
    What it shows:
    One new hire is past week 1 with manual handling still open. That is the first line of Friday's review.
    • Production
    • Skills by level

    Team leaders by routine

    Four team leaders in one production area. The columns are the routines the plant expects every team leader to run, and the area manager signs each one off after watching it done.

    Rows:
    4 team leaders.
    Columns:
    Run the start-of-shift huddle, keep the hour-by-hour board, do a 5S audit, lead a 5 whys, train an operator from a job breakdown sheet, respond to a quality alert, and make the first report of an injury.
    One row reads:
    Sam: huddle 4, hour-by-hour board 4, 5S audit 3, 5 whys 2, training an operator 3, quality alert 3, injury report 2.
    What it shows:
    Three of the four are at level 2 on 5 whys. One workshop closes the largest gap in the area.

Required training with dates

Matrices where the cell holds a date, not a level, because the training expires or has to be repeated. Two are built on OSHA standards and link to them.

    • Warehouse
    • Required training with dates

    Forklift operators: training and evaluation dates

    In the United States, OSHA standard 1910.178(l) requires that powered industrial truck operators are trained and evaluated, that each operator's performance is evaluated at least once every three years, and that the employer certifies the training and evaluation. This matrix is laid out to show those dates. The crew is made up.

    Rows:
    9 authorized operators.
    Columns:
    For each truck type: training date, evaluation date, who evaluated, and next evaluation due, which is three years after the evaluation date at the latest. One more column records any refresher training and the reason for it.
    One row reads:
    Aisha, counterbalance: trained 14 March 2024, evaluated 15 March 2024 by the dock lead, next evaluation due by 15 March 2027. Refresher on 9 June 2025 after a near miss at dock 3.
    What it shows:
    9 of 9 current, with two evaluations due inside 60 days and shown amber. The refresher column gives the reason because the standard lists them: unsafe operation, an accident or near miss, an evaluation that shows unsafe operation, a different type of truck, or a change in the workplace.

    Source: OSHA 1910.178: Powered industrial trucks

    • Maintenance
    • Production
    • Required training with dates

    Lockout: authorized, affected and other employees

    OSHA standard 1910.147 sorts people into authorized employees, who apply the locks, affected employees, who work on or near the equipment, and other employees. It requires retraining when a job assignment, a machine or process, or the energy control procedure changes, and a periodic inspection of each procedure at least once a year. This matrix tracks all three. The names and dates are made up.

    Rows:
    24 people on one packaging line across three shifts, and the 4 maintenance technicians who cover it.
    Columns:
    Category, date trained, the machine-specific procedures each authorized person is trained on, date and reason for the last retraining, and the date each procedure was last inspected.
    One row reads:
    Tomas, maintenance, authorized: trained 12 January 2025 on procedures LO-C04, LO-W03 and LO-P07. Retrained 3 September 2026, when LO-W03 changed after a new infeed drive was fitted.
    What it shows:
    6 authorized and 22 affected. Procedure LO-P07 was last inspected 13 months ago, so its inspection is overdue and shows red.

    Source: OSHA 1910.147: The control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout)

    • All staff
    • Required training with dates

    Site-wide training with a renewal interval on every column

    The trainings every employee at this plant needs, with the renewal interval written at the top of each column so nobody has to remember it. Some intervals are set by law where you operate and others by the plant, an insurer or a customer. Check which applies before you copy one.

    Rows:
    62 employees, grouped by department.
    Columns:
    Fire extinguisher use, every 12 months. Evacuation drill, every 12 months. First aid for nominated first aiders, every 24 months. Hearing conservation, every 12 months. Food hygiene basics, every 24 months. Each cell holds the date completed and the date it expires.
    One row reads:
    Dana, packing: extinguisher 4 February 2026. Evacuation drill 18 June 2026. First aid not required. Hearing conservation 20 November 2025, which expires 20 November 2026 and shows amber. Food hygiene 9 May 2025.
    What it shows:
    The bottom row counts each column. Hearing conservation: 59 of 62 current, 8 of those due inside 60 days, and 3 expired. The three names go to their supervisors today.

Level scales and status codes

What goes in a cell. A level is only useful when it is defined by something a second person can observe, and a date is only useful when a written rule turns it into a status.

    • All staff
    • Scale definition

    A four-level scale with a definition for each level

    A level means nothing until it is defined by something a second person can observe. This is the scale the role examples above use.

    Level 1:
    In training. Works only with a trainer at the station.
    Level 2:
    Does the job to the work instruction with a trained person nearby. The output is checked.
    Level 3:
    Works alone. Meets quality and cycle time over a full shift and knows what to do when something goes wrong.
    Level 4:
    Can train others. Has taught at least one person to level 3 and can give the reason for each key point.
    Who signs:
    The team leader signs levels 2 and 3 after watching the job done. The supervisor signs level 4. Each sign-off has a name and a date.
    • Production
    • Scale definition

    ILUO: the same four levels as letters

    Some plants use the letters I, L, U and O in place of numbers. Each letter adds a stroke to the one before, so a cell can be updated without erasing it and the wall chart can be read from across the room. Definitions vary from company to company. This is a common version.

    I:
    In training. Knows the safety rules for the station and is learning the job.
    L:
    Does the job with supervision, to quality but not yet at the standard time.
    U:
    Does the job alone, to quality and at the standard time.
    O:
    Does the job and can train others to do it.
    When to use it:
    Letters suit a paper matrix on the wall. Numbers are easier if you also want to count or filter levels in a spreadsheet.
    • All staff
    • Scale definition
    • Required training with dates

    Date status: current, due soon, expired

    For training that expires, the cell holds a date and a rule turns the date into a color. The rule is written on the matrix so that everyone reads the colors the same way.

    Green:
    Current. The expiry date is more than 60 days away.
    Amber:
    Due soon. The expiry date is within the next 60 days. The person is still qualified and the retraining should be booked now.
    Red:
    Expired. The person does not do the task until retrained, and the supervisor is told the same day.
    Gray:
    Not required for this role. It is marked on purpose, so that an empty cell always means missing.
    Worked dates:
    On 11 November 2026, a certificate that expires on 20 November 2026 is amber, one that expires on 4 February 2027 is green, and one that expired on 30 October 2026 is red.

Reading the matrix: cover, gaps and reviews

What to do with a matrix once it is filled in: count cover by shift, find the tasks only one person can do, catch sign-offs on an old revision and keep a record of the monthly review.

    • Production
    • Cover and gaps

    Cover count: who can run each station on each shift

    The assembly matrix again, read down the columns and split by shift. The plant's rule is at least 3 people at level 3 or above for every station on every shift, so that a vacation day and a sick day can fall on the same date.

    Rows:
    The 6 stations.
    Columns:
    Day shift, afternoon shift and night shift. Each cell is the number of people at level 3 or above.
    One row reads:
    Leak test: days 2, afternoons 3, nights 1.
    What it shows:
    Of 18 station and shift combinations, 13 are at the minimum or above and 5 are below it. Leak test on nights, with one person, is the first to fix.
    • All staff
    • Cover and gaps

    The tasks only one person can do

    A filter you can run on any skills matrix: show every column where only one person is at level 3 or above. Each result is a task that stops when that person is away.

    The list:
    Labeler changeover on line 2: Ruth only. Boiler start-up: Tomas only. Shipping notices on the customer portal: Aisha only. Programs for the measuring machine: one inspector.
    The plan:
    One named trainee per task, a target date for level 3, and two hours a week of the trainer's time protected for it. The list is reviewed monthly until it is empty.
    What it shows:
    4 of the 41 tasks on the plant matrix have one qualified person. The target is none.
    • Production
    • Required training with dates

    Retraining after a document changes

    When a work instruction is revised, everyone signed off on the old revision needs to see the change. This matrix has a revision column for each document, and a cell turns amber when a person's sign-off is on an older revision than the current one.

    Columns:
    Document, current revision, and for each person the revision they were signed off on and the date.
    One row reads:
    WI-ASM-014, current revision C, issued 2 November 2026. Elena: rev C on 3 November. Sam: rev B on 14 May, amber. Ben: rev B on 20 May, amber.
    What it shows:
    7 of 9 operators were signed off on rev C within a week. The two still amber work nights, and their team leader has until 16 November.
    • All staff
    • Cover and gaps

    The monthly review: owner, date and actions

    A matrix nobody reviews is out of date within a quarter. At this plant the training coordinator owns the matrix, each supervisor updates their own rows, and the two go through it together on the first Tuesday of the month. The record of that review is four lines at the foot of the sheet.

    Reviewed:
    3 November 2026, by the training coordinator and the packing supervisor.
    Counts:
    Required training: 171 of 180 current and 9 expired. Of the current ones, 6 fall due inside 60 days. Stations below minimum cover: 5, down from 7 last month.
    Actions:
    Book the expired hearing conservation sessions by 14 November. Sign off two operators on leak test for nights by 30 November. Add the new wrapper to the matrix along with its work instruction.
    Between reviews:
    A new hire, a transfer, a revised document, a new machine or an incident updates the matrix the same day. It does not wait for the first Tuesday.

Illustrative examples. The crews, names, dates and counts on this page are made up to show what a filled-in matrix looks like, and none comes from a real plant or a LeanSuite customer. The two cards with a source link state what that OSHA standard says. Rules differ by country and by state, so check the ones that apply to your site.

Before you call a training matrix finished

Seven checks. A matrix that passes all of them can be handed to an auditor or a new supervisor without a covering explanation.

  1. 1Every level has a written definition that a second person can observe.
  2. 2Every training that expires shows a date, and the renewal interval is written on its column.
  3. 3An empty cell always means missing. Not required is marked on purpose.
  4. 4Every station or task has a minimum number of qualified people per shift, and the matrix counts against it.
  5. 5Behind every cell there is a record of who signed it off and when.
  6. 6The matrix names one owner and shows the date of the last review.
  7. 7The events that update it between reviews are written down: a new hire, a transfer, a revised document, a new machine, an incident.

How these examples were written

Pages that rank for this search mostly show a blank grid or a screenshot too small to read. Here each matrix is described in words, with one row read out in full, so you can see what goes in a cell and what the finished matrix tells you.

The forklift and lockout cards were written from the text of the two OSHA standards linked below, and they state only what those standards say about training, retraining, evaluation and records. OSHA rules apply in the United States. For other requirements, such as a customer's quality standard, read the wording of the standard itself before you build columns for it.

Sources checked

Go deeper

The cards are the short version. These guides explain the method and walk through examples in full.

All our articles on this subject are in the standard work, sops and training topic.

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Lean glossary

Doing this in LeanSuite

FAQ

Questions about training matrix examples

  1. A grid with people down the side and jobs or trainings across the top. For an assembly line it might have eight operators as rows and six stations as columns, with a level from 1 to 4 in each cell. Reading one row tells you what that person can do. Reading one column tells you how many people can cover that station. The first card on this page writes one out.

  2. People use the two names loosely. Where a plant keeps both, the skills matrix records how well each person can do each job, as a level, and the training matrix records which required trainings each person has completed and when they expire, as dates. This page has examples of both kinds.

  3. Four is the most common number: in training, works with supervision, works alone to standard, and can train others. More than four and people argue over the difference between neighboring levels. Whatever scale you choose, write a definition for each level that someone else can observe, and say who signs it off.

  4. In the United States, OSHA standard 1910.178(l)(4)(iii) requires an evaluation of each powered industrial truck operator's performance at least once every three years. Refresher training is required sooner after events the standard lists, such as an accident or near miss, or a move to a different type of truck. Other countries have their own rules.

  5. Update it on the day something changes: a sign-off, a new hire, a transfer, a revised document or a new machine. Then review the whole matrix on a fixed date, monthly in most plants, with one named owner. The review checks expired and soon-to-expire training, cover below the minimum and tasks only one person can do.

  6. No. The crews, names, dates and counts are made up to show what a filled-in matrix looks like. The forklift and lockout cards state what the linked OSHA standards require, and everything else on those cards is illustrative too.

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