TL;DR

A successful skills transformation requires more than just HR data—it demands business-wide insights. Half of the skills demonstrated in business data cannot be found in HR data, making it critical for organisations to integrate both sources for a truly skill-based workforce.

• HR data only tells half the story – It captures soft skills and career history but lacks real-time insights into functional expertise and technologies.
• Business data is the missing link – Operational systems, project tools, and documentation provide real-time skill intelligence at scale.
• Companies must act now – Integrating business data with HR insights enables more accurate workforce planning, better internal mobility, and strategic upskilling.

This guide explores why business data is essential for skills intelligence and how organisations can make skills-based work a reality.

The missing half of the skills equation

A skills-first approach is driven by HR but leveraged by the entire business. Relying solely on HR data creates blind spots, limiting an organisation’s ability to fully map and utilise workforce capabilities.

"If companies want a truly skill-based workforce, they need to look beyond HR data—business data holds the missing half of the equation." – Jeroen Van Hautte

To build a complete skills infrastructure, businesses must infer skill data from operational sources, not just HR records.

Skills are not just for HR

In discussions about skills strategy, the focus often shifts to HR. However, skills power every business function—just as finance teams manage company assets, HR oversees the organisation’s largest cost centre: its people.

Yet, a Skill-Based Organisation (SBO) should not be confined to HR. For skills-based work to thrive, the underlying skill infrastructure must integrate with business processes across all departments.

"Skills exist beyond HR systems. The best workforce decisions happen when business data and HR data work together."

The three layers of skill data

A complete skill intelligence strategy captures skills at different levels:

1. Soft skills – Leadership, communication, collaboration.
2. Functional skills – Industry and job-specific competencies.
3. Knowledge & technologies – Hard skills linked to tools and technologies employees use daily.

"Traditional HR data gives us a view of an employee’s past. Business data tells us what skills they are applying right now."

Relying solely on soft and functional skills enables companies to improve recruitment and talent mobility. However, to connect skills to business operations, knowledge and technologies must be accounted for—something only business data can provide.

Connecting Skills to Business Operations

Business data allows companies to go beyond skill profiles and connect skills to actual work. Integrating operational systems—such as Jira for software teams—enables businesses to:

• Identify which skills are needed for upcoming projects.
• Detect skill gaps before they impact business goals.
• Pinpoint bottlenecks—skills in high demand but held by only a few employees.
• Assess risks—individuals with unique skills who could create knowledge gaps if unavailable.
• Track adoption of new technologies across teams.

"If we treat skill data as a static asset, we miss the bigger picture. The real value comes from linking skills to ongoing work."

Capturing business data doesn’t just enhance employee skill profiles—it enables better planning, resource allocation, and workforce agility.

Skill data as a continuous journey

Expanding skills intelligence is not an overnight transformation. The process should be seen as an evolving journey, where value creation and data improvement go hand in hand.

A Three-Stage Approach to Building Skills Intelligence

1. Start with HR & Learning Data – This provides an initial skills foundation, supporting internal mobility and recruitment.
2. Layer in Business Data – By integrating project management, documentation, and collaboration tools, organisations create a more dynamic, real-time skill map.
3. Scale Data-Driven Workforce Decisions – With a full AI-powered skills infrastructure, businesses can move toward predictive workforce planning and strategic talent allocation.

"You don’t need perfect data to start. The key is to build your skills intelligence progressively, layering business data on top of HR insights."

Getting started with skills intelligence

At TechWolf, we work with enterprises to identify existing internal data sources, assess their quality and relevance, and integrate them into a comprehensive, real-time skill framework.

By working with existing tech stacks and adopting an API-first approach, we help companies operationalise skill intelligence at scale.

"Companies that integrate skills intelligence today will be the market leaders of tomorrow. The future of work is skills-based, and the time to act is now."
Jeroen Van Hautte
Co-founder & CTO