You may have heard of job scorecards before but have no idea what they are or how to use them.
Job scorecards are one of the most valuable team management tools ever invented.
Your business should absolutely have them.
Here’s why and how you create them, and how you can use them in your business.
What Are Job Scorecards?
Job scorecards are documents describing:
- What a job role does.
- A job role’s responsibilities are.
- A job role’s specific KPIs.
- A job role’s expected competencies.
They are used to help you work out what each person on your team is doing.
They are used to help you manage your team effectively because their KPIs are well-defined and agreed upon ahead of time.
And they give you and your managers clarity over your business and team so that you can confidently grow and scale.
Job Scorecards Are For Roles, Not People
Creating job scorecards for the first time can be confusing.
Most business owners will be tempted to create job scorecards based on what a specific person is doing right now.
And there’s nothing wrong with that, because it will help you work out what each job role is supposed to do.
But.
It’s worth noting that many of your existing team members will be taking on multiple job roles — this is just a normal part of business.
But as you sit down and refine your job scorecards, you will want to structure them for a specific job role (or job title), rather than for a specific person.
For example, say Amanda is your Marketing Director, but also helps out with business development and sales occasionally.
The job scorecard you create for her should be for the Marketing Director position. Don’t include her sales responsibilities unless you are planning to create a combined marketing-sales role.
Job scorecards should be created with intent of what the role should be doing, not what the person is currently doing.
One simple question to help clarify this would be:
If Amanda left, would I hire someone to do just the marketing director parts, or would they be expected to do sales as well?
Another way to help clarify this distinction is to create an organisation chart for your company, and to note the job roles — then build job scorecards around that.
For example, you may be an agency with multiple account managers, but some accounts managers may also have other duties like managing freelance technical specialists. But you wouldn’t write that into the job scorecard for future account manager hires unless it was expected for all of them.
Why You Need Job Scorecards
Job scorecards let you work out exactly what each person in your company should be doing. They also make each team member aware of what they should be doing.
They allow you to create an objective basis for performance assessments — you simply look at the KPIs on the job scorecard and see whether they were met, or not.
Job scorecards are also extremely useful for recruitment, forming the foundation for:
- Creating job descriptions.
- Creating job ads.
- Being able to convey what a position is like to candidates during the interview process, so that you end up with the right person for the right job.
You’ll also be able to use job scorecards to coach and develop team members based on the competencies identified on the scorecard.
The Job Scorecard Format
Here’s our recommend job scorecard format.
Details:
- Job title.
- Location/hours.
- Compensation.
Company Description:
- What does the company do?
- What are your key culture aspects (mission, values)?
Role:
- What does the role do?
- What are they responsible for?
- What will the main challenges be?
- What is expected of them?
- What does the job actually look like, day-to-day?
Accountabilities:
- Pick up to 10 KPIs.
- Identify what it is and how it’s measured.
Competencies:
- List out your desired competencies.1Not every role needs every competency at a 5/5.
- List a minimum rating expected, and which are dealbreakers.
Want this job scorecard format as an easy-to-use template?
Grab our One-Click Job Scorecard Template for Notion here.
Using Job Scorecards In Your Business
Use your job scorecards to create your job descriptions and job ads when hiring.
Work the details into your interview process for each role, so that you can paint a realistic picture for candidates.
e.g., When you come in, we expect you to close $1m in business in the first 12 moths.
Use your job scorecards to help team members align with company expectations.
Show them the job scorecard, and ask them if they agree/disagree, and what needs to be changed.
This creates a collaborative approach to team management, and also encourages team members to self-manage to meet their KPIs.2Note the positive presupposition that team members are inherently good and hard working, rather than lazy.
Use the KPIs on the job scorecards for performance assessments. KPIs should be written in a clear, quantifiable manner, so you can simply ask — did this team member meet their KPIs or not?
Bonus: Having a set of job scorecards based on an organisation chart lets you show team members their career paths within their specialisation or up the management chain.
One-Click Job Scorecard Template for Notion
If you want to save yourself some time, download my recommended Job Scorecard template as a one-click template in Notion.
Just enter your name and email address here:
This template includes the full list of job scorecard competencies I recommend.
What To Do Next
Grab the job scorecard template from above.
Map out your organisation chart.
Then start creating job scorecards for each role, one-by-one.
Then sit down with existing team members and discuss with them the responsibilities, KPIs, and competencies listed in each scorecard.
Then refine the scorecards until you’re both in agreement.
If you need specific help implementing job scorecards for your team (or for recruitment), book a discovery call here — and watch your clarity around how your team works and how you manage them, skyrocket 🚀.
- Not every role needs every competency at a 5/5.
- Note the positive presupposition that team members are inherently good and hard working, rather than lazy.