Migrating to a New Competency Management System

Last Updated: February 4, 2026

Overview

Template-level competencies (from here on referred to as “Legacy”) are transitioning to a new, centralized approach in Performance Reviews in 2026.

Let’s walk through what’s changing, how it impacts your existing reviews, and how to plan a smooth migration aligned with your review cycles.

Watch a Video

For a quick visual walkthrough on a simpler approach to competency management, check out the video below.

*Adjust the playback speed to your viewing preference in the top right corner of the video.

Current state

Legacy competencies were set up within individual Performance Review templates, which over time led to:

Duplicates across multiple templates
Inconsistent competency definitions
Extra work to keep competencies aligned across reviews

Centralized competencies will solve this by allowing you to define competencies once and reuse them.

What’s changing

Competencies are now managed in a centralized competency system
Competencies are no longer defined at the performance review template level
Admins can choose between:
- Org-wide competencies
- Role-based competencies*

*Role-based competencies require purchasing Growth, our employee development tool

Centralized Competencies

We’re moving from competencies defined at the template-level to a centralized competency management system.

This new competency management approach allows admins to define shared expectations once and reuse them across all Performance Review templates and other areas of Quantum Workplace, starting with Growth.

For a limited time, both legacy competencies and org-wide competencies will be available in the platform.

Important: Because legacy and centralized competencies use different data models, legacy competency data will not trend with centralized competency data.

Role-Based Competencies

For organizations who utilize Growth, role-specific expectations will also now be available. Learn more about role-based competencies here.

**What’s not changing**

To support a smooth transition:

Nothing will change to current cycles. Current and upcoming review cycles can continue as normal.
All historical data will stay the same. Past reviews will not be modified.
No immediate action is required. You can transition when it aligns with your review timeline. If you’d like to talk through the best approach for your organization, reach out to your Customer Success Manager.

Legacy competency questions will be phased out after June 30, 2026. Until then, you may continue using them while planning your transition.

Important limitations during migration

Legacy competencies and centralized competencies cannot be used together in the same Performance Review template.

If one type is added to a template, the other will be disabled.

A few more considerations:

Competency data from legacy and centralized experiences will not merge
Any changes made after participants are added to a cycle do not apply retroactively
All competency questions within a template must use the same scale

Recommended migration approach

Step 1: Define centralized competencies

Start by defining your org-wide competencies:

Navigate to Global Settings > Competencies
Create your org-wide competency definitions

Reminder: Org-wide competencies represent company-wide expectations and act as a single source of truth. When you add the org-wide competency question type to a Performance Review template, all active org-wide competencies will automatically be included in the review.

Step 2: Prepare new review templates

We recommend duplicating existing templates rather than editing templates already tied to historical data.

Duplicate your existing Performance Review template
Remove legacy competency questions from Review templates
Add org-wide competency question types
For any role or leadership-specific competencies:
- Create scaled questions
- Optionally, group these questions into categories within the template and match each category name to the corresponding legacy competency
Confirm the scale used across all competency questions

Duplicating templates preserves historical review data while allowing you to transition smoothly to centralized competencies.

Step 3: Launch future cycles using centralized competencies

Once your competencies and templates are updated:

Use the new templates for future review cycles
Avoid making competency changes after participants are added

If you’re launching a new review cycle soon, we strongly recommend using centralized competencies rather than legacy competencies.

Need help planning your migration?

Your Customer Implementation Manager can help:

Determine the best timing based on your review cadence
Decide whether to consolidate or refine competency definitions
Plan a clean transition aligned to upcoming cycles

Our support team at Quantum Workplace is also available to assist you along the way.

For more on understanding competencies, check out our detailed guide here.