timetocompetence

Time to competence (TTC) is a human resources and workforce development metric that denotes the period required for a new employee or trainee to reach a defined level of job competence. Competence is typically defined by a competency model or set of performance criteria that align with the job's duties, quality standards, and safety requirements. TTC is used to plan onboarding, allocate training resources, and evaluate the effectiveness of training programs. The endpoint is reached when the trainee consistently meets or exceeds the specified performance criteria, as measured by assessments, supervisor evaluations, or automated metrics.

Measurement and management: Measurement typically involves a defined competence model, objective performance criteria, and regular assessments over a specified period. Metrics may include task accuracy, error rate, time to complete tasks, adherence to procedures, safety compliance, and peer or supervisor ratings. TTC can be tracked as a hard metric (days or weeks) or as a milestone-based process.

Applications and strategies: TTC informs onboarding design, capacity planning, and budgeting. Reducing TTC often involves structured training, mentoring, on-the-job coaching, simulations, microlearning, and clear feedback loops. Competency-based approaches emphasize mastering each criterion before advancing.

Factors and limitations: TTC is influenced by task complexity, prior experience, training quality, access to tools, and organizational support. It can be sensitive to assessment methods and may conflate speed with quality. Critics warn against using TTC as the sole measure of a program's effectiveness or of a worker's capability across roles.

Related concepts: time to productivity, ramp-up time, learning curve, and competency framework.