A Pilot Project That Took Off: Competency Assessment of Specialists at SkyUp Airlines & Join UP! touroperator

Just like aviation safety doesn’t rely on assumptions but requires clear procedures, checks, and standards — such as the IOSA audit — the development of teams in a company today is impossible without a transparent approach to competency assessment. It’s no longer just a formal process or a checkbox item in a job description, but a valuable tool. It helps build strong, complementary teams, identify employees’ potential before it becomes evident through their actions, and make HR decisions based not on intuition, but on objective data. That’s why more and more companies are striving to implement competency assessments — making the process dynamic, coherent, and beneficial for the business. Tamara Perminova, Talent Development Head at SkyUp Airlines & Join UP! touroperator, shared with SMART business how this works in practice. Tamara has over 18 years of experience in HR, is a certified professional in human capital management, and teaches an HR management course on the Prometheus platform.

In the pilot competency assessment project for SkyUp & Join UP! touroperator, structure was reinforced by automation. A key role was played by the SMART HCM & LMS solution, which helped organize the process and enabled it to scale to a team of more than 1,500 people. And to learn more about the specifics of implementing competency assessments in the aviation industry — where large, multifunctional teams are spread across different countries and operate in diverse areas, from pilots and flight attendants to office and service departments — read on in this new success story!

When did the work on shaping competencies begin, and what role do they play in managing companies that have been under prolonged external pressure?

Ukrainian businesses have been operating under multi-level turbulence for years now. Tourism and air travel have been among the most vulnerable industries, first hit by the annexation of Crimea in 2014, then by the global COVID-19 pandemic, and since 2022, by the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine. Despite this, SkyUp Airlines and Join UP! touroperator have continued to develop their internal business processes and focused on building a systematic approach to competency assessment. Tamara Perminova explains how and when this became necessary.

We really do work in a very challenging industry. It’s an extremely volatile environment, where it’s hard to predict anything and companies are forced to be flexible, resilient, and quick to adapt in order to survive constant external pressure. Some of these pressures include political instability, global crises, war, rapidly shifting market restrictions, and other unpredictable events — like the pandemic. Having overcome many obstacles along the way, our team came to an important conclusion: that the foundation of a business — along with its vision and mission, which answer the questions “Why do we exist?” and “What value do we bring to our customers?” — also includes the company’s core values. These values became our anchor in the face of challenges. They helped us endure — and continue to grow.

Over the past few years, we’ve managed to expand into more than 10 new markets—and we’re not stopping there. Join UP! touroperator has been the largest tour operator in Ukraine’s package travel

segment for 15 years. Before the full-scale invasion, we actively brought foreign tourists to Ukraine. That part of the business is now temporarily on pause due to the closure of Ukrainian airspace for safety reasons.

Back in 2017, we realized that we needed “our own wings”, and that’s how SkyUp Airlines was born. Today, we’re unable to operate flights within Ukraine, but we’re scaling and adapting across European markets. This includes scheduled flights, work under ACMI contracts, and providing charter services.

Our values have become the foundation for building a strong corporate culture. Based on these values, we developed our first set of general (value-based) competencies:

1. Challenge Accepted — We don’t shy away from difficulties; on the contrary, we see them as opportunities for growth. We accept challenges with an open mind, look for solutions, and keep going — even when things get tough.
2. Energy & Love — Our team works with energy, drive, and love for what we do. We believe that sincerity and positive energy inspire the team and build a strong connection with our customers.
3. Work Responsibly — We take ownership of our work and results. We act with transparency, keep our promises, and don’t shift responsibility onto others.
4. Keep Costs Reasonable — We strive for efficiency, working with an awareness of the value of time, resources, and effort.
5. Play Together — We achieve results through collaboration. We believe in the power of teamwork, support, and mutual respect. Join UP! touroperator and SkyUp “play together” — and we expect the same from everyone on the team.

We finalized these competencies at the end of 2021, before the full-scale invasion, as part of an update to our company vision. We started with a deep discussion of our values with the company owners, CEO, and teams across all markets. Then we defined five core values, which we translated into competencies through behavioral indicators. For example: What does it mean to “accept challenges”? What does “energy and love at work” look like? What does it mean to “work responsibly”? As a result, we arrived at a set of competencies that reflect our readiness to be proactive, work flexibly, adapt quickly to change, and embrace challenges — even in the most difficult circumstances.

In 2022, after the start of the full-scale war, the company underwent many changes — diversification into foreign markets, strategic reorientation, and more. That’s when we recognized the need for a new level of leadership. This led to the development of the next set: management competencies, each with defined levels of demonstration:

1. Self-Awareness — About understanding yourself, your strengths, and areas for growth. It’s the ability to self-reflect, accept feedback, and work on yourself — not just to be an effective specialist, but also an effective leader.
2. Resultful Management — This competency is about managing with a focus on outcomes. It’s not only about meeting KPIs but also about being able to plan effectively, make decisions, mobilize the team, and see things through — even in difficult circumstances.
3. Innovation — A competency centered on openness to new ideas, the ability to find unconventional solutions, and to drive change.
4. Leadership & Social Influence — Leadership as the ability to inspire others and influence the team — not through formal authority, but through trust and shared values.
5. Visionary — The fifth competency is about strategic thinking — the ability to envision the future and lead others toward it. Our leaders create visions that resonate with people and know how to bring them to life.

These competencies are no longer directly rooted in values but rather describe the leadership qualities we expect from current managers and those aspiring to become leaders.

How is the competency management process structured at SkyUp & Join UP! touroperator?

We understand that competencies don’t appear out of nowhere. They are shaped by a person’s experience, environment, and personal values. So when a specialist joins the team, they already bring with them a set of “do’s & don’ts” — their own view of how things should and shouldn’t be done.

That’s why it’s important for us not only to communicate the company’s values but also to create an environment where each person’s existing potential can develop. And to ensure this development is systematic, we first asked ourselves a key question: What should we build our approach on — skills or competencies? We concluded the following:

1. For technical specialists, it’s more effective to focus on a clear set of skills needed for the role.
2. For back-office and creative teams, like those at Join UP! touroperator, where each business area has its own microculture, the concept of competencies turned out to be broader and more flexible. Competencies are not just about knowledge and skills — they also include values, priorities, and a way of thinking. That’s why we chose this approach.

We also asked ourselves another question: Why do we manage competencies in the first place? The answers were:

• To build a culture focused on delivering results.
• To develop a diversity of knowledge, skills, approaches, and ways of thinking to work effectively across different business areas.
• To create behavioral standards within teams that are aligned with achieving business goals.

This helped us clearly define the kind of culture we want to foster, the results we expect, and which behaviors we find acceptable — and which we don’t.

In our system, competencies play several important roles:

1. During candidate selection — through a competency-based interview stage.
2. In professional development — through competency assessments that help form a talent pool and guide decisions about career advancement.
3. Through individual development plans — automated in the SMART HCM & LMS system, these plans take into account employees’ strengths, potential, and critical competency levels.

Competency assessment is, first and foremost, a tool for the employee — to grow, discover new opportunities, and move forward. But it’s also a tool for the organization — to identify areas for development, build a talent pipeline, and plan team growth.

It’s also important to note that from the start, we decided not to draw radical conclusions or tie the results too rigidly to organizational decisions based on the first round of assessment. At the same time, we did link the results to non-material rewards as a form of encouragement and motivation for those already demonstrating a high level of competencies and leadership potential.

How did the pilot competency assessment go, and what was its purpose?

Before scaling any tool across the entire company, it’s crucial to take a snapshot and understand where we currently stand — and whether the tool actually works. That’s why, in 2024, we launched a pilot competency assessment among our management team. It was our first major attempt to get a full picture: Do we meet the stated expectations? Who exceeds them? And where are the development areas?

We have around 1,500 employees, more than 200 of whom are managers at various levels. For the pilot, we intentionally did not assess the entire team. We focused on those who have at least one direct report.

We defined four levels of competency development, ranging from basic to the “Challengers” — these are the people who drive change, lead others, take ownership of key projects, and care about the company’s brand. We identify them through an assessment score of 3.5 and above. One of the goals of the pilot was to see whether we have such people among us — and how many.

Another key challenge was teaching managers how to evaluate others, since for many, this was their first experience with such a process. We explained how to give feedback based on specific examples, how to support others, and how to foster a culture of mutual respect, responsibility, and results orientation. Even before the full-scale war, about 30 top-level leaders had already participated in a 360° assessment. However, that process was less automated, involved an external provider, and was based on an earlier version of our competencies. The goal back then was to demonstrate the value of the tool to senior leadership. It worked — our owners and leaders saw the potential of this approach. That earlier experience helped them make the decision to implement a company-wide competency assessment this time around, across the entire management structure, using an updated model through the automated SMART HCM & LMS system.

Overall, we learned a lot from this pilot — because throughout the process, we were all learning:

1. It was our first time assessing all our managers using a single scale. We were learning how to give constructive and balanced feedback, discuss it during one-on-one meetings, and create individual development plans (IDPs). It wasn’t easy, and not everything went smoothly the first time. We invested much more time than we had planned, but we’re already seeing the benefits of this kind of assessment and the potential it holds for future use.
2. A 360° assessment requires significant resources. Some managers had to dedicate a lot of time to evaluating their teams. Next time, we’ll consider the number of evaluations each respondent is responsible for, and the total time needed to complete all assessments.
3. Competencies can only be evaluated effectively by those who understand them well. That’s why training, communication about our competency model, and clear instructions on how to assess are all crucial. It was also challenging to select peers for evaluation, since the system only recognizes colleagues within the same department — not across the whole organization. At times, HR BPs and we lacked the full picture of who was actually in a position to provide meaningful feedback. Competencies can only be fairly evaluated by those who have worked closely and consistently with a person over time.

What’s important is that we explained right away: the assessment isn’t about what you did or didn’t do — that’s the domain of KPIs and OKRs. Instead, the assessment of value-based competencies and behavioral indicators is a way to understand how we work — how we communicate, show up, sell, and make decisions. This is how we define the behavioral models we expect — and, conversely, those we consider unacceptable. It’s a powerful tool that helps shape a team capable of reaching ambitious goals.

What can happen if competency assessments are not conducted?

The HR team also addressed this question during the internal communications about the manager assessment rollout. The company has specialists with 15+ years of experience, and it was only natural for them to ask: “If assessments weren’t necessary before, why are they now?”. Since the culture of our businesses is almost family-like or clan-based, we’re able to have honest and open conversations. So, our team candidly outlined the risks of not conducting regular competency assessments:

• Underestimating skill levels and misaligned expectations — Without a systematic assessment, it’s hard to understand how developed the team’s key skills really are, or whether the manager and employee share the same view of what effective behavior in the role looks like. This creates a gap between actual capabilities and what’s expected.
• Hiring mistakes and team retention challenges — We’ve seen firsthand that competency-based interviews at the hiring stage are a much better predictor of whether someone is a good fit for the role and for our culture. Without this, there’s a risk of making poor decisions and wasting valuable time.
• Reduced business productivity — The more projects you take on, the higher the cost of ineffective team collaboration, unclear roles, and “gray zones” of responsibility. This becomes especially critical in the context of our rapid scaling.
• Falling short of strategic goals — Without a unified set of behavioral standards, it’s difficult to build a team that can truly move in the same direction.

Why did you use both the “180” and “360” approaches for assessment, and how did you decide who would be evaluated by which method?

In fact, based on the results of the pilot, we concluded it would have been better to go with the “180” assessment approach across the board. When the process is new to the company and neither the respondents nor the managers have much experience giving quality feedback, this method allows everyone to focus on what matters most — an honest one-on-one dialogue: “What are the expectations?”, “How do I see myself?”, “Where are the growth areas in my specific role?” and so on.

In our case, some senior leaders already had experience with 360° assessments, so the format was familiar to them. Additionally, the company’s owners insisted on a full, multi-source assessment for those involved in executing strategic goals. So, for this group of managers, we immediately used the 360° approach. For the rest of the team, we started with 180° assessments. However, midway through the project, the line between the two methods began to blur. We gradually started adding some people to the 360° format — mainly because comparing results became difficult. For example, if one person receives a score of 4 in a 180° assessment and another receives the same score in a 360° assessment, these are not equivalent. The first may indicate potential, while the second reflects observed and consistent behavior as seen by the team.

Our conclusion: Start small. Begin by building the skill of open feedback in the ‘me and my manager’ pair. Only then move toward a full 360° evaluation.

Do you see any risks in using 360° assessments — specifically, the influence of personal relationships between colleagues on the results?

Of course, 360° assessments aren’t free of the risk of subjectivity. Personal relationships between colleagues can influence feedback. That’s natural, since the assessment is based on perception. We understand that sometimes low scores may be the result of conflict rather than a reflection of someone’s actual professional level. That’s exactly why we don’t ignore these signals — we look at them in a broader context. For a complete picture, it’s important to combine competency assessments with performance results, applying a full Performance Management approach. We give managers access to detailed feedback — this provides valuable data for objective analysis and well-informed decisions. Regular 1:1 meetings become the bridge between assessment and development.

To ensure this process is more than just a formality and becomes a consistent practice, SMART business is developing a convenient 1:1 tool integrated into Microsoft Teams and connected to the SMART HCM & LMS solution. Here’s how it works: the meeting takes place in Teams, and within it, an app opens where participants can log the key points of the conversation. This helps retain the essence, speeds up prep for future check-ins, and allows you to connect assessment, feedback, and development planning — all in one place.

How is employee anonymity handled in the assessment process?

Anonymity in 360° assessments is a delicate balance. At first, we considered making the assessment fully anonymous — without access to individual comments, only a summarized report. But a lot depends on the maturity of a company’s feedback culture. For example, at Netflix — as described in the book “No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention” — direct feedback is the norm: employees share feedback openly, at the same table. In Ukrainian business culture, however, feedback is still often perceived as criticism, so it requires a more cautious approach. At SkyUp and Join UP! touroperator, respondents’ answers remain anonymous. Employees don’t see each other’s comments — they only receive a summarized report. Meanwhile, managers do have access to all comments so they can hold constructive 1:1 conversations and make objective decisions based on their understanding of the context and the person involved.

What are the stages of your competency assessment process, and how does it work in the SMART HCM & LMS solution?

Today, the competency assessment process at SkyUp and Join UP! touroperator is clear, well-structured, and thoughtfully designed. Before launching it, we held training sessions with all managers and prepared step-by-step guides explaining how the assessment works in the SMART HCM & LMS system.

Employees are notified about the start of the assessment by email, or they can log into their personal account and see the task directly in their workspace. It’s immediately clear who needs to be assessed — whether it’s yourself, your manager, or your colleagues — along with the task deadline.

The process itself consists of several key steps:

1. Self-Assessment — It starts with employees evaluating their own competencies using specific indicators and leaving comments. This encourages deeper reflection on their strengths and growth areas.
2. Manager or peer assessment (180° / 360°) — Depending on the format, the employee is evaluated by their manager, subordinates, or colleagues. For each competency, respondents can leave written comments, provide examples of demonstrated behaviors, and give feedback by answering a set of targeted questions.
3. 1:1 meeting with the manager and creation of an IDP — After the summary feedback is collected, the employee sees a consolidated report. This becomes the basis for a constructive 1:1 conversation with the manager to review results, align perspectives, and develop an individual development plan (IDP).

The system also included a control mechanism: unless the employee completed their self-assessment, the evaluation task did not open for other respondents. This approach aimed to maintain a clear sequence. However, the team later realized that it slowed the process down, as some employees postponed self-assessments due to workload, leaving others with too little time to provide feedback.

In the next assessment cycle, the approach was revised. We allowed respondents to complete evaluations in whatever order was most convenient for them, without enforcing a strict sequence. The broad functionality of the SMART HCM & LMS solution gave us the flexibility to experiment with formats and build a process that is as convenient and effective as possible.

Did you face any challenges while using the SMART HCM & LMS module for employee assessment?

During the implementation and execution of the staff assessment process, the challenges we faced were less about the system itself and more about how it needed to be configured to reflect our organizational structure.

1. Defining the circle of “peers” — The first challenge was determining who should be considered a “peer,” i.e., a colleague at the same level. This turned out to be a flexible concept, depending on how our teams are structured: at which levels they form, which roles overlap, and who interacts with whom daily. So, at the system configuration stage, we had to define which roles would form the assessment circle for the 360° review.
2. Required comment fields — Initially, we made all fields mandatory, including comments under each competency. But in practice, not every respondent had enough examples or observations to provide meaningful feedback — especially when selecting a “neutral” rating. As a result, some people simply inserted emojis to move forward. In future iterations, we made only the final summary comment field required, where respondents had to leave general feedback.
3. Automated notifications — Although the system sends notifications automatically, it was still important to craft the right message. What kind of wording would actually work? What should we highlight? How do we ensure the person clicks the link and completes the task? We put special effort into refining this communication.

Overall, all these challenges highlight how important it is to thoroughly design the logic of the process before launch. The flexibility of the SMART HCM & LMS solution allows for automation across many stages of assessment — but knowing how to use those capabilities correctly is key.

Pilot Project Results in Numbers and Future Plans for Competency Assessment

The rollout began in mid-August, with the goal of completing the process by the end of September. However, the peak summer season in the travel industry significantly impacted engagement due to heavy workloads across teams.

Approximately 200 managers participated in the assessment. Due to some staffing changes — such as resignations and internal role rotations to positions without direct reports — the final number of participants was 179. Initially, 111 people completed the assessment in full, giving a response rate of 62%. Recognizing the importance of having a complete picture, the company initiated follow-up assessments to cover the rest of the team.

After analyzing the initial results in October, we identified several key insights:

• 7% did not complete the self-assessment. This signaled that either the importance of the process wasn’t communicated clearly to certain employees, or they weren’t engaged in their own development. The HR team, along with their managers, took additional steps to motivate these employees to complete the assessment.
• 32 employees confirmed “Challenger” status — these participants received the highest scores (3.5 or above on a four-point scale). This number was later adjusted, as some specialists initially assessed using the 180° method were later evaluated more broadly via 360°. For those who only went through the narrower format, we currently confirm their potential.
• 65% of managers met the expected competency level — meaning they aligned with the company’s management competency standards.
• 12% received ratings between 2 and 2.5. This group became the focus of the company’s efforts to create Individual Development Plans (IDPs) and foster further growth.

Additionally, we compared the average level of managerial competency across different leadership levels in the company. All scores came in above 3, indicating a high level of leadership potential across the organization.

Following the assessment analysis, the team conducted 1:1 meetings, identified key competencies for development, created IDPs in SMART HCM & LMS, and reviewed the results with managers to outline next steps.

The next step is to scale the assessment across the entire company — while taking into account the unique specifics of each department, such as flight crews, whose priorities and working formats differ significantly. Instead of a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, the company has chosen a smart, gradual strategy—expanding the coverage while respecting the needs of each role.

Want to learn more? You can hear the full story of how competency assessment was implemented at SkyUp Airlines & Join UP! touroperator directly from the source — request the webinar recording featuring Tamara Perminova and the SMART business vendor!