---
id: "concept-three-tiers-skills"
type: "concept"
source_timestamps: ["18:55:00", "19:00:00", "19:30:00", "20:30:00"]
tags: ["organizational-design", "knowledge-management"]
related: ["action-categorize-skills", "framework-three-tier-deployment", "question-enterprise-access-controls"]
definition: "A strategic framework for organizing company skills into Standard (Tier 1), Methodology (Tier 2), and Personal (Tier 3) categories."
sources: ["s43-file-format-agreement"]
sourceVaultSlug: "s43-file-format-agreement"
originDay: 43
---
# The Three Tiers of Skill Deployment

## Definition

A strategic framework for organizing company skills into **Standard (Tier 1)**, **Methodology (Tier 2)**, and **Personal (Tier 3)** categories. See [[framework-three-tier-deployment]] for the actionable framework.

## Tier 1 — Standard Skills

Universally applicable across the company:

- brand voice guidelines
- standard formatting rules
- approved templates
- compliance and disclosure language

These are easily provisioned to all employees by enterprise admins. Low ambiguity, high reach.

## Tier 2 — Methodology Skills (the Alpha)

The **high-value craft** of the organization. These encode how senior practitioners actually get work done, e.g.:

- how to structure a client deliverable
- how to analyze a specific type of financial model
- how a senior consultant turns a discovery call into a SOW

These are harder to extract because they live in the heads of experts, but they generate the most *alpha* when codified and shared. Sharing methodology skills is how organizations **multiply senior talent**.

## Tier 3 — Personal Skills

Individual workflow tools — scripts and helpers that sit *under the desk* to aid daily tasks. The speaker cautions against **hoarding Tier 3 skills**: if they are useful, they should be elevated and shared with the broader team (often promoted to Tier 2).

## Open Question

See [[question-enterprise-access-controls]] — how should orgs apply RBAC to Tier 2 skills that contain proprietary methodologies?

## Related

- [[action-categorize-skills]]
- [[framework-three-tier-deployment]]