Most people find out they were ready for a promotion months after they should have asked. Others ask too early and get a "not yet" with no explanation. A skills-gap check takes the guesswork out of it.
Step 1: describe the next level in your own words
Take the role you want and write down what a person in it does differently from you. Use verbs and situations, not adjectives. "Runs the planning for the whole team" is useful. "Is more strategic" is not.
If you cannot write this, that is the first thing to fix. Ask your manager, or someone who holds that role, to describe an ordinary week.
Step 2: score yourself honestly, skill by skill
For each skill that matters, pick the level that matches what you actually do, using these questions:
- Do I do this without help?
- Do I do this when the situation is new or messy?
- Do I teach others how to do it?
Most people overrate what they could do on a good day and underrate what they do every week. Think about the last quarter, not your best moment.
Step 3: compare with what the next level needs
Count the skills where you are already at the expected level, the ones where you are one step below and the ones where you are far below.
- Mostly at level, a few one step below: you are close. Talk to your manager and ask what evidence they would want to see.
- Many skills one step below: you are growing into it. Pick two skills and work on them on purpose for a quarter.
- A few skills far below: look at whether they are essential for the role. If they are, that is your plan. If not, you may be judging yourself too harshly.
Step 4: bring evidence, not feelings
When you talk to your manager, bring examples. "In March I led the migration, in June I trained two new people" will always beat "I think I am ready". It also gives your manager something to repeat when they argue for you.
A last note
A promotion also depends on things you do not control: budget, openings, how the company is organized. A gap check cannot fix that, but it tells you whether the part you control is ready.