SKEB (Skills, Knowledge, Experience, and Behaviours) is a framework used to systematically define, assess, and develop the attributes required for successful professional performance. In the specification context, it separates what one knows from what one can do, what one has seen, and how one acts.
In the field of technical communication and strategic specification, success is not just about what a product is, but what the specifier does and how they decide. This framework, often used in professional development, is a surprisingly effective lens for optimising your technical content. We’re looking at the architecture of competence itself.
1. Skills #
| Term | Acronym | Synonym |
| Skills | S | Applied Competence, Technical Fluency |
Definition and Explanation #
Skills are the demonstrable, practical abilities required to perform a task. They are the mechanisms of doing—the capacity to execute an action reliably and efficiently, often developed through repetition and practice. They are tangible and observable.
Most manufacturers focus on the architect’s Knowledge (i.e., the content of the CPD), but the real friction is often a deficit in Skills—specifically the skill of rapid information processing and decision hygiene. If your technical literature demands a high-level skill in cross-referencing three disparate documents to get one answer, you’ve introduced a fatal flaw: high cognitive load.
Practical Example: The “Calculation Friction”
A manufacturer provides a complex U-value calculation methodology. An architect knows (Knowledge) the regulatory target, but lacks the necessary Skill (Fluency in the product’s unique calculation tables) to apply the data quickly.
FRAKT removes this friction by embedding the calculation logic into a simple, friction-less tool, transforming a high-skill requirement into a low-skill Choice Architecture problem. We’re not improving the architect’s technical maths; we’re using behavioural leverage to circumvent the need for it.
2. Knowledge #
| Term | Acronym | Synonym |
| Knowledge | K | Conceptual Mastery, Subject-Matter Intelligence |
Definition and Explanation #
Knowledge is the body of information, facts, concepts, and principles acquired through learning and study. It is the what and the why—the intellectual foundation that underpins competence. Knowledge relates to understanding the system, the regulations, and the product’s place within the ecosystem.
Many technical documents assume a perfect transfer of Knowledge. The absurdity is that architects are not empty vessels waiting to be filled; they are overloaded filters. The failure is not a lack of facts, but a perception gap where the manufacturer’s ‘essential’ knowledge is perceived by the specifier as ‘optional’ noise.
Practical Example: The “Regulation Overload”
A technical document contains a comprehensive 50-page section detailing every clause of a building regulation the product complies with. This represents high Knowledge fidelity.
FRAKT Insight: The architect, facing an asymmetric payoff (high effort to read, low perceived immediate reward), defaults to skimming. We apply Simplicity Without Simplification by boiling those 50 pages down to 3 pages of Future Alignment—only the critical, decision-forcing facts presented with maximum clarity, structured around the questions the architect will ask, not the answers the manufacturer wants to give.
3. Experience #
| Term | Acronym | Synonym |
| Experience | E | Contextual Acuity, Track Record |
Definition and Explanation #
Experience is the practical wisdom or understanding gained from direct involvement in, or exposure to, events or projects over time. It is the capacity to anticipate unintended consequences and to understand the reality of installation and long-term performance, not just the laboratory results.
Experience creates a highly subjective filter. An architect with a negative past experience of a product category (e.g., a catastrophic installation failure) develops a deep cognitive load whenever a similar product is introduced. You aren’t just selling a product; you’re attempting to overcome a pre-existing, emotionally-charged heuristic.
Case Study: The “Veto from the Past”
An architect instantly vetoes a highly specified material because, five years ago, a competitor’s equivalent product caused a costly site delay. The decision is irrational but predictable.
FRAKT Insight: Technical content must directly address the ghosts of past failures. By using Integrity of Thought and Detail as a Discipline, we structure the narrative to pre-emptively detail installation risks, quality control mechanisms, and fail-safes. This isn’t selling the product; it’s signalling a high-trust, low-risk partnership, thereby using behavioural insight to disarm the memory of failure.
4. Behaviours #
| Term | Acronym | Synonym |
| Behaviours | B | Decision Heuristics, Professional Conduct |
Definition and Explanation #
Behaviours are the observable actions, habits, and attitudes that influence how Skills and Knowledge are deployed in a professional setting. This is the mechanism of choice—the tendencies and reflexes that dictate which option is selected, how risk is managed, and how information is processed.
Behaviours are where the real specification battle is won or lost. Architects don’t hate your CPD; they have a very sophisticated allergy to boredom and mental effort. The decisive behaviour is often the default choice or the path of least resistance (low friction). FRAKT aims to modify the incentive landscape so that specifying your product becomes the easiest and most professionally rewarding behaviour.
Practical Example: The “Last-Minute Specification Swap”
A product is specified early (Knowledge, Skill) but is swapped out late in the design process for a slightly inferior but more familiar product. The underlying behaviour is a desire to reduce perceived risk and time pressure before tender.
FRAKT Insight: We understand this is a context shift. We need a technical document that acts as an Authority Signal right up to the point of tender. This involves creating a highly structured, credible, and instantly searchable document that acts as the “go-to” truth source, reducing the anxiety of a last-minute choice. This is Clarity Over Noise applied as a psychological tool to reinforce the architect’s initial, correct decision.
Your product is perfect on paper; your communication needs to be perfect for the human brain. The next step is to audit your existing material against the SKEB framework—and eliminate the friction that makes specifying your solution feel like mental heavy lifting.
Stop designing CPDs that educate you on your product. #
Start designing CPDs that offer the architect an unambiguous professional advantage.
