Practice Levels
View your practice levels, assess your competencies, and track your professional growth.
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Practice Levels is your personal view of career progression within your assigned practice. Here you can see where you are, understand what's expected at each level, and self-assess your competencies.
Your Practice Dashboard
Navigate to Growth > Practice to see:
- Your Practice - The discipline you belong to (e.g., "Backend Engineering")
- Your Current Level - Where you are in the level progression
- Level Progression - The levels defined by your practice lead
- Competency Matrix - Your self-assessments compared to level expectations
Understanding Practice Levels
Your practice lead defines the levels for your practice. Each level represents a career progression tier with specific competency expectations. You can see all levels in your practice and what's required at each one.
Clicking on a level shows its description and the proficiency expected for each competency.
The Competency Matrix
The competency matrix shows all competencies for your practice and how your self-assessment compares to what's expected at each level. This helps you understand where you currently stand and what you need to develop to progress.
Self-Assessing Your Competencies
Self-assessment helps you reflect on your skills and identify growth areas.
How to Self-Assess
- Navigate to Growth > Practice
- Find the competency you want to assess
- Select your proficiency level (1-3)
- Optionally add notes explaining your rating
- Your assessment saves automatically
The Proficiency Scale
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | Developing - Not yet meeting expectations, building skills with guidance |
| 2 | Proficient - Meeting expectations, works independently |
| 3 | Advanced - Exceeding expectations, mentors others, handles complex cases |
Tips for Accurate Self-Assessment
- Be honest - Overrating doesn't help your growth
- Use evidence - Think of specific examples demonstrating each level
- Consider feedback - What do colleagues say about this skill?
- Compare to peers - How do you compare to others at your level?
Requesting Level Progression
When you believe you're ready for the next level, you can submit a self-assessment indicating your target level.
The Workflow
- Complete self-assessments - Rate yourself on competencies
- Submit your target level - Indicate which level you believe you're ready for
- Practice lead reviews - Your practice lead evaluates your assessments
- Manager decides - Your people manager makes the final level assignment
What Happens Next
Your practice lead will:
- Review your self-assessments
- Compare them to level expectations
- Potentially provide their own assessment
- Recommend approval or suggest areas to develop
If recommended, your people manager makes the final decision on level assignment.
If You're Not Ready Yet
If your request isn't approved:
- You'll receive feedback on gaps
- Focus on developing those areas
- Continue updating self-assessments as you grow
- Submit a new request when ready
This isn't failure - it's guidance on where to focus.
Viewing Assessment History
You can view how your competency ratings have changed over time. This helps you track your progress and remember context for past ratings.
Understanding Recommendations
Practice leads may provide their own assessment of your competencies or recommend level changes.
Lead Assessment vs Self-Assessment
| Type | Who | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Self-Assessment | You | Your view of your skills |
| Lead Assessment | Practice Lead | External calibration |
Both perspectives matter. Gaps between them are conversation starters, not judgments.
Level Recommendations
If your practice lead recommends a level change, the recommendation goes to your people manager who makes the final assignment decision.
Privacy
- Your self-assessments are visible to you, your practice lead, and your manager
- Your level history is visible to the same people
- Your notes are included in what they see
There's no anonymous self-assessment - this is about your professional development with your support network.
Frequently Asked Questions
I'm not assigned to a practice yet
Contact your organization administrator to be assigned. You need to be in a practice to use these features.
My competency isn't listed
Competencies are defined by practice leads. If you think one is missing, talk to your practice lead about adding it.
How often should I update self-assessments?
Quarterly is a good cadence, or whenever you have meaningful growth to record.
What if I disagree with my lead's assessment?
Use it as a discussion point. Different perspectives often reveal blind spots or miscommunication about expectations.
Can I change my self-assessment?
Yes, you can update ratings anytime. Previous ratings are preserved in history.
Related Documentation
- Individual OKRs - Personal objectives
- 1:1 Topics - Manager conversation prep
- Practices Overview - How practices work (for leads/admins)