What is the AssessAll Capability Framework (AACF)?
The AssessAll Capability Framework (AACF) is the competency model behind every AssessAll score: 29 competencies in five domains, aligned to public frameworks like O*NET, ESCO, and the UK Civil Service Success Profiles. Here's how it works.
The AACF in one sentence
The AssessAll Capability Framework (AACF) is the competency model that sits behind every assessment on the platform: an original set of 29 workplace competencies, organised into five domains, that every score, report, and Skill Passport entry maps back to.
A capability framework in general is a structured answer to the question "what does good look like in this job?" — a named list of competencies with definitions and level descriptions. The AACF is AssessAll's answer, built so that results from different assessments accumulate onto one comparable profile instead of living as disconnected test scores.
The five domains
The 29 competencies group into five domains, ordered roughly from the inside out: Self & Identity (self-awareness, adaptability, learning agility — how you run yourself), Thinking & Judgment (analysis, decision-making, prioritisation), People & Influence (communication, coaching, motivation, negotiation), Execution & Change (accountability, delegation, delivering through change), and Commercial & Client (customer, market, and value focus).
Every competency has a plain-language definition and four scored bands — Developing (0–39), Emerging (40–59), Strong (60–79), and Exceptional (80–100) — each with a written anchor describing what someone at that band actually does, not just a number. Reports quote the anchor, so a 62 on Empowerment & Delegation reads as a behaviour description rather than a bare score.
Aligned to public frameworks, not copied from them
Each AACF competency carries a published crosswalk to five government and public competency frameworks: O*NET (United States), ESCO (European Union), the UK Civil Service Success Profiles behaviours, Australia's Integrated Leadership System, and Canada's Key Leadership Competencies.
The alignment runs per competency, not per domain — so an HR team that already runs on ESCO or Success Profiles can read an AssessAll report in their own framework's vocabulary. The AACF is aligned to these frameworks rather than derived from them: the competencies, definitions, and level anchors are original and written for assessment, which is what lets every item type on the platform score against them consistently.
How assessments map to the framework
Every assessment on AssessAll tags its items to AACF competencies. When an attempt is graded — by rules for objective items, by AI against a rubric for written and scenario answers — the points flow to those competencies, and each person's per-competency score is a rolling roll-up across everything they have taken.
That is what makes the Skill Passport possible: one profile per person, denominated in the same 29 competencies, with confidence growing as more evidence accumulates. Two candidates who took different assessments can still be compared on the competencies those assessments share.
Why a shared framework matters when choosing a platform
Without a framework, an assessment platform hands you a stack of unrelated test scores and leaves the interpretation to you. With one, every result lands in a common structure — so hiring screens, development diagnostics, and pre/post training measurement all speak the same language.
If you are evaluating platforms, ask three questions: does it have a published competency model you can inspect (AssessAll's is public), is that model mapped to a framework you already use, and do results actually roll up per competency across assessments rather than living per test?
Frequently asked questions
What is the AssessAll Capability Framework?
The AACF is AssessAll's original competency model: 29 workplace competencies in five domains (Self & Identity, Thinking & Judgment, People & Influence, Execution & Change, Commercial & Client), each with four scored level bands and written behavioural anchors. Every assessment score and Skill Passport entry on the platform maps to it, and it is published in full at assessall.com/framework.
What is a capability framework in general?
A capability framework (or competency framework) is a structured description of the skills and behaviours that make someone effective in a role — typically a named list of competencies, each with a definition and level descriptions. Organisations use one so hiring, development, and promotion decisions all measure against the same standard.
Is the AACF based on O*NET or ESCO?
No — it is aligned to them, not derived from them. Each of the 29 competencies carries a per-competency crosswalk to O*NET (US), ESCO (EU), UK Civil Service Success Profiles, Australia's Integrated Leadership System, and Canada's Key Leadership Competencies, so teams that run on those frameworks can read AssessAll results in familiar vocabulary, while the competency definitions and level anchors themselves are original and written for assessment.
Can we use our own competency framework instead?
Yes. Corporate organisations can map assessment results to their own competency model, and AssessAll's team builds custom instruments against a client's framework where needed. The AACF is the default spine that makes the catalogue comparable out of the box, not a constraint.
What do the AACF level bands mean?
Each competency is scored 0–100 and read through four bands: Developing (0–39), Emerging (40–59), Strong (60–79), and Exceptional (80–100). Every band on every competency has a written anchor describing typical behaviour at that level, and reports quote the anchor so the number always comes with its meaning.