Traditional role-based structures in product and delivery practices often fail to deliver real value in the changing current landscape. Product Manager, Product Owner, Delivery Manager, Designer, Product Designer, UX, UI, Strategic Designer, Researcher…. These types of denominations and structures struggle to encompass the diverse skills and aspirations of individuals, getting in the way of personal growth, team collaboration, and organizational agility.

At Everest, we’ve embraced a value-driven, skill-based system that prioritizes individual value and empowers our teams to deliver exceptional results for our clients. This is why we did it and how it is working for our design, product and delivery practices

The problem with the roles

Traditional roles and career paths presented several challenges for us:

• Collaboration barriers: Cross-functional collaboration is essential for successful digital product development, but rigid roles can create silos and be in the way of effective teamwork.
• Underrepresentation of diverse skillsets: We want diverse skillsets and strengths in our workforces. But individuals with diverse skillsets often struggle to fit into narrowly defined roles, leading to a feeling of being undervalued and underutilized.
• Constraint career progression: Traditional career paths often focus on hierarchical advancement rather than recognizing and nurturing diverse skill development and career aspirations.
• The rise of AI: The increasing impact of AI in the way we work and the products we build demands adaptable skillsets and collaborative approaches that traditional roles may not accommodate.
• Lack of clarity: The absence of standardized role definitions, particularly in the Australian context, makes it difficult to establish consistent expectations and deliver optimal consultancy services.

The opportunity to change the system

Shifting to a value-driven, skill-based system unlocks numerous opportunities for individuals, teams, and the organization:

• Value-driven approach: Focusing on individual skills and their value contribution empowers teams to deliver exceptional results tailored to each client’s unique needs.
• Embracing diversity: A skill-based system allows for the recognition and celebration of diverse skills and interests, creating a more inclusive and engaging work environment.
• Common language: A common language around skills facilitates better communication and collaboration across teams and disciplines.
• Flexible career growth: Individuals can pursue diverse career paths based on their skills and interests, fostering continuous learning and development.
• Client-centric solution: Understanding and leveraging individual skills enables us to assemble the perfect team to tackle each client’s unique challenges, delivering superior service.
• Future-proofing in the era of AI: AI is transforming how we work and we believe the change will be exponential in the future. A skill skill-based system enables the flexibility and dynamism needed to adapt team structures and individual skillsets for this new era.

What it allows us to do

• For the individual: Provides a framework to describe and recognise their unique skills, fostering personal growth, continuous learning, and tailored development pathways.
• For our clients: Enables a deep understanding of their unique needs and the delivery of tailored solutions by teams with the right mix of skills, going beyond traditional role constraints.
• For Everest: Fosters a culture of value creation and continuous learning while ensuring we deliver exceptional service to our clients.

The skill-based system

At Everest, we view product, design, and delivery not as separate functions, but as a spectrum of interconnected skills. Individuals can specialize in a specific area or develop a broader skill set.

To facilitate this, each individual has a skill matrix encompassing:

• People skills (common to everyone)
• Branding
• Product Design (UX/UI)
• Strategic design
• Product
• Delivery
• Program management

Each skill has levels ranging from 1 to 5, based on impact and expertise:

1. Attending (Beginner)
2. Contributing (Contributor)
3. Driving (Practitioner)
4. Leading (Leader)
5. Innovating (Expert)

We have “minimum skill requirements” to ensure foundational expertise. For example, a Business Analyst needs to be at least driving (level 3) in Delivery and People skills. A designer needs to be at least driving (level 3) in Product Design (UX/UI) and People Skills. Beyond these basics, individuals can choose their own path and mix and match skills to create their unique profile.

Each team member maintains their skill matrix, which is used for growth planning and progress assessment with their coach. Coaches guide team members through their development journey. Twice a year, we hold sessions for sharing learnings, setting growth goals, and discussing individual value contributions.

We use insights from these growth sessions to create collective learning plans for our teams. We also continuously monitor our client’s needs and industry trends to adapt our internal learning plans accordingly, encouraging our team members to stay ahead of industry demands.

A System Built for Growth

The real magic of our skill-based system is that It’s all about growth. Sure, knowing what someone can do is important, but knowing what they want to do is even better. This helps us put people on projects where they can learn and level up their skills. And by being upfront about who’s ready to take charge and who’s keen to learn, we create a culture where everyone feels comfortable growing and communicating openly.

This “growth mindset” is baked right into our skill matrix, keeping things interesting and motivating. It also lets people branch out and try new things beyond their usual roles. This means more exciting career paths and keeps even our most senior people engaged — they can be “newbies” again in areas they’re curious about!

Coaches: growing together

At Everest, we truly value our senior people, and we want them to share their expertise. We encourage our senior practitioners to coach and support others, creating a distributed network of support that helps us support each other. This creates a culture where everyone is learning and growing together.

Practice Leaders: connecting clients and teams

Our practice leaders are the bridge between our clients and our teams. They work closely with clients to understand their needs right from the start, even before a deal is signed. Then, they use that knowledge to build the perfect team with the right skills for the job. It’s all about making sure our clients get exactly what they need.

What does this mean for our clients?

Our skill-based system is a win-win for our clients but operates behind the scenes. When a client comes to us with a goal, we hand-pick a team with the perfect skills to get it done. And if a client needs someone for a specific role, no problem: we speak their language, figure out exactly what they need, and then match it to our team’s skills. This means clients always get the right experts, no matter how they describe what they’re looking for.

The best part? We can clearly communicate the skills needed to our team, and our clients get a top-notch team tailored to their exact needs and goals.

Everest values and how they fit in all this

Everest’s core values aren’t just words on a wall — they’re built right into our skill-based system. This helps us guide both individual growth and how our teams work together.

“Learn how to learn” is at the heart of everything. It encourages everyone to keep developing their skills and explore new areas within the skill matrix.

“Bring others up” is all about our coaching and mentorship programs, where senior folks guide and support their colleagues.

“Diversity makes us better” is why our system is so flexible. It lets people build unique skillsets and bring their own strengths to the table.

And lastly, “Pick the fun way” means we try to make work and learning enjoyable and engaging. It’s about bringing your whole self to work and having a positive experience.

By weaving our values into our system, we create an awesome environment where people thrive, teams rock, and clients get amazing results.

How’s it Going So Far?

Here at Everest, we have 27 talented folks working across product, design, and delivery. Before, things were a bit messy with roles and career growth, people felt isolated and stuck alone in their projects. But this skill-based system has been a game-changer.

It’s given us a shared language to understand each other better and keeps us connected and engaged. Also, broadening the practices means that being a “designer” you’re no longer alone in the team because your “product” person is also part of your practice, shares the same language and is there to enable your growth.

We first tried it out with our design specialists. “Design” is a broad term for us, covering everything from branding to strategy, including UX and UI. The skill system helped us recognise everyone’s unique skills and make sure we matched the right designer to the right project.

When we brought our Business Analysts and Product Specialists together, it just made sense to use a similar system. It helps us see the mix of delivery and product skills each person has, so we can find the perfect project fit.

We quickly realized that product and strategic design skills overlapped, so we let people pick skills from other areas and add them to their mix. Some designers started taking on roles with delivery components, and some product folks were keen to try research and UX.

It became clear that this system could work for everyone in product, design, and delivery, so we rolled it out across the board.

Guess what? People love it. It clears up confusion and helps us navigate a complex and ever-changing landscape. Plus, it gives everyone the flexibility to explore new things or master in depth that skill they want to focus on. It helps us build awesome teams, communicate better, and learn together with renewed energy.

Wrapping it Up

At Everest, we’re doing things a bit differently. Our skill-based system ditches the old-school role-based structure and puts the focus on what really matters: the value that individuals bring to the table, teamwork, continuous learning, and adaptable skills.

By building a culture of collaboration, diversity, and growth, we empower our teams to deliver awesome work for our clients, even as the digital world (and AI!) throws us curveballs.

This approach is a win-win-win. It’s great for our people, great for our clients, and it puts Everest at the forefront of building agile, future-proof teams. We think this model can help other product teams out there who want to adapt and thrive in the ever-changing world of product innovation and delivery.

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