Seniority Matrix: Forget counting years and creating intricate skill matrices!

A new framework for leaders to assess and visualize team members’ seniority and experiences for better planning.

Peter Daniel Muka
Bootcamp
Published in
6 min readJan 7, 2025

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Illustration: four designers using the Skill Matrix

The Seniority Matrix is an intuitive tool I designed for managers and leaders to evaluate the seniority level of their direct reports or other individual contributors. It provides an alternative to complex skill matrices and the less reliable method of counting years of experience.

The concept of the Seniority Matrix is based on a beautifully simple idea:

“The more independently someone can operate in ambiguous situations, the more senior they are.”

The matrix visualizes this concept through a radar graph combining the Cynefin framework with Michael Hyatt’s Five Levels of Delegation:

The four quadrants of the Cynefin framework display different levels of ambiguity in the background:

  • Simple/Clear: Simple problems where best practices apply
  • Complicated: Problems with multiple solutions, expert needed
  • Complex: Problems with unpredictable outcomes, experiments needed
  • Chaotic: Problems with no apparent order, stabilize it!

A diagonal scale in each quadrant represents five possible degrees of autonomy and independence granted to individual contributors (based on The Five Levels of Delegation by Michael Hyatt):

  • Level 1: Do as I say
  • Level 2: Research and report
  • Level 3: Research and recommend
  • Level 4: Decide and inform
  • Level 5: Act independently
Blank Seniority Matrix
Blank Seniority Matrix

This combination acknowledges that independence isn’t solely about individual capability or decisions, but is influenced by organizational context, team dynamics, and delegated authority.

How to apply the Seniority Matrix

Let’s examine four examples that illustrate the five levels of independence and authority in each quadrant of the Seniority Matrix.

For each quadrant, there’s a description of a use case familiar to any design leader. Each use case is paired with five levels of delegation. These levels show how independently the manager thinks a direct report can solve the problem and define the direct report’s authority in the situation. For each level, there is an example of how the manager might guide or instruct the direct report based on that level.

1. Simple/Clear quadrant

Use case: Creating a login form with well-defined requirements.

  • Level 1 — Do as I say: “Use the design system to create a login form with a username, password field, and ‘Log In’ button and submit it for review today EOD.”
  • Level 2 — Research and report: “Review the design system for login form components, compare them to the requirements, and report back with your findings.”
  • Level 3 — Research and recommend: “Identify the design system components for the login form and propose a solution. After my approval, you can proceed with the design.”
  • Level 4 — Decide and inform: “Based on the requirements and your understanding of the design system, design the login form. Update me during hand-off.”
  • Level 5 — Act independently: “The user needs to log in. Please find a solution.”

2. Complicated quadrant

Use case: Designing a dashboard with multiple data visualizations, requiring stakeholder consultation and technical expertise.

  • Level 1 — Do as I say: “Use this specific layout and data visualization styles for the dashboard. Follow these guidelines step by step.”
  • Level 2 — Research and report: “Research our stakeholders’ requirements and suggest which data visualization types fit best. Report back before starting.”
  • Level 3 — Research and recommend: “Analyze the data requirements and propose a dashboard design. Once I approve it, you can proceed.”
  • Level 4 — Decide and inform: “Review the stakeholder requirements and create a dashboard solution. Keep me in the loop on how things are progressing.”
  • Level 5 — Act independently: “Research indicates our solution needs a dashboard. Please deliver a solution from discovery to measuring impact.”

3. Complex quadrant

Use case: Designing the information architecture of a solution with unclear requirements and evolving user needs.

  • Level 1 — Do as I say: “Follow this user research report to update the navigation structure. Use these exact findings.”
  • Level 2 — Research and report: “Talk to the researchers and synthesize their findings. Return with key insights we can use for discussing the redesign.”
  • Level 3 — Research and recommend: “Develop a proposal for improving the information architecture based on user research. Once I approve it, proceed.”
  • Level 4 — Decide and inform: “Improve the solution’s information architecture and keep me in the loop.”
  • Level 5 — Act independently: “According to the data, our solution’s information architecture needs improvement. Please take charge of an initiative to address this.”

4. Chaotic quadrant

Use case: A sudden bug or critical design flaw occurs in a live product, with mounting customer complaints.

  • Level 1 — Do as I say: “Quickly revert to the old design to prevent customer complaints. Follow this step-by-step process.”
  • Level 2 — Research and report: “Investigate the issue and tell me what went wrong before taking action.”
  • Level 3 — Research and recommend: “Find out the cause of the issue and suggest a fix. Let me review the proposal before implementing it.”
  • Level 4 — Decide and inform: “Investigate and resolve the issue with a temporary fix. Update me on the impact of the solution.”
  • Level 5 — Act independently: “Diagnose the issue, collaborate with developers, and fix the flaw as soon as possible.”

Let’s see the matrix in action.

Based on the examples above here are two assessments from my team to help you evaluate your team members:

Strong associate-level designer

He can tackle straightforward problems independently but needs backup when dealing with a complex decision or a chaotic situation that touches multiple areas (like domain or business impact). He’s good at gathering info in tricky and chaotic conditions, though he still needs a senior designer’s eye to help avoid potential pitfalls. His best work comes with a seasoned PM and supportive engineers in his corner. To level up, he should dig deeper into domain knowledge and build his UX toolkit.

An associate UX designer’s Seniority Matrix
Seniority Matrix: Associate IC

Soon-to-be lead senior designer.

This designer has solid UX chops and knows her domain, which helps her make quick decisions and course-correct when needed. She usually needs a quick check-in on complex or urgent product issues before running with it. Her strong product and engineering know-how means she can work well with teams at any stage. To grow further, she should focus on sharpening her business sense and learning how to mentor junior designers effectively.

An seasoned senior UX designer’s Seniority Matrix
Seniority Matrix: Senior IC (almost lead)

When to use the seniority matrix

You might think, “Great, but when can I use this framework?” Here’s where I’ve found it invaluable:

  • 1. Personal Growth of Direct Reports: Use the matrix to spot exactly where your designers need to level up and craft tailored growth plans that align with each designer’s skills and aspirations.
  • 2. Finding Discrepancies in Assessment: The manager and the direct report independently assess the seniority level with the Seniority Matrix and then compare results to identify discrepancies. These differences can spark meaningful discussions, uncovering gaps and aligning expectations for growth and performance.
  • 3. Delegating Tasks Effectively: By visualizing delegation levels across various situations with different levels of ambiguity, managers can assign tasks based on each person’s abilities, ensuring responsibilities match appropriate skill levels. No more setting people up to fail or holding them back.
  • 4. Assessing Team Composition: The matrix allows managers to evaluate team dynamics and strengths, facilitating strategic decisions for building balanced and effective teams.
  • 5. Evaluating Designer Fit in Agile Teams: This framework clarifies how each designer’s experience and independence align with the needs of an agile team, optimizing collaboration and performance across different functions, such as product and engineering.

Give it a try and share your feedback!

Try out the Seniority Matrix and let me know your thoughts and experiences. I’m always looking to improve this framework with real-world insights.

If you’re curious about the framework’s story, check out my other article, where I share its origins.

Thank you so much for reading my article! For more articles like this, consider following me on Medium, or you can also connect with me on LinkedIn.

Text quality and grammar were refined using ChatGPT and Claude.

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Published in Bootcamp

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Peter Daniel Muka
Peter Daniel Muka

Written by Peter Daniel Muka

I am a hands-on design leader with extensive business acumen. I build high-performing teams, award-winning brands, and digital products from zero to hero.

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