What a competence level means
A level is not seniority and not years of experience; it states three things at once.
- Autonomy
- How much direction do you need?
- Context complexity
- How messy can the situation be before you stop being effective?
- Accountability
- What are you answerable for?
| Level | Autonomy | Context complexity | Accountability | Evidence floor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| e-1 Assisted | Works under direction | routine, well-defined tasks | own task, supervised | V1 |
| e-2 Independent | Limited supervision | defined problems with some variation | own work end-to-end | V1 |
| e-3 Professional | Works independently, guides others | complex problems in a known domain | own work and the work you direct | V2 |
| e-4 Lead | Sets direction for a domain | novel, ambiguous, cross-functional | a domain, a portfolio, or a control function | V3 |
| e-5 Principal | Sets direction for the organisation or field | strategic, unprecedented, high-consequence | organisational or field-level outcomes | V3 |
The evidence floor is the lowest evidence tier a claim at that level must reach before it may be shown as verified rather than merely claimed. A claim below its floor stays claimed however it is worded.