I today helped a fellow LinkedIn member to answer the question on how to create a skills matrix.

Here is the questions:

How to Prepare Skill matrix?

My first answer:

Skills matrix are the result of some rather important work. I think what you really asking is the work that feeds the matrix, not the way to create one.
I recently wrote an article on this topic, maybe that can get you started? I found it hardest to have a first structure, filling in the pieces seems to flow from there.

A follow-up question:

Thanks for help, yes I was referring to what feeds in this matrix, actually what I could find out was that Skill Matrix includes all those skills which are necessary for tasks, and Competency mapping includes behavioral traits.
Should we take Job Profiles to identify skills? Would be obliged if you can help on this.

My second Answer

Let me speak from experience. I managed a rather diverse team of product developers, software engineers, hardware engineers, technicians and financial analysts. Rather broad range of skills, so there is a little bit of hands-on knowledge. This article gives you a little bit of the feel for such structure: http://www.sarjay.com/cms/welcome/our-articles/4-articles/44-the-magnificent-six.html
Starting with Job Profiles seems to me a little backwards. You define your team by your own definition that way.
Better place to start are your objectives as a team. Those need to be clearly written down (that is hard, mind you, as strange as that sounds), together with your supervisor and your customers. From those objectives come processes / activities that your team needs to be able to tackle, plus the level of proficiency.
Now you have a good handle on what needs to be done, which can be mapped rather directly into the skills required. I suggest you really do create this tree diagram first, listing objectives -> activities -> skills -> proficiency -then- aggregate back to a full view. It also helps to understand the level of commitment. Is this activity a half-day job or does it consume most of the week... gives you an idea of how many team members need to have it.
IF you really want to do a good job, take a long hard look at the future of your team. There will be obsolescence and emergence of skills. Plan for that as well, maybe by creating a needs profile for now and in 3 years. Helps with training and hiring, I have found, when you look at the tactical future.
Now you can collate that profile into the individual skills. Just list all skills, the proficiency and the commitment levels. Now you know what your department needs, and why.
I am not quite sure about your circumstances: are you trying to build up a team or are you trying to optimize an existing one? That determines your next step. I will assume that you optimize an existing structure from now on.
If you have proficiency shortfalls, I suggest training (always easier to boost an existing body than to try to find one, unless they have reached a performance ceiling). Intra-Departmental Communities of Practice have also shown promise in raising the bar for employees, you might give that a try as well.
If you have commitment level shortfalls, I suggest a mix of hiring and training. Hire strong players that lift the team, not infills you hope to train later.
Now, you also have a very sound tool to help people understand their developmental fit: where the department needs them now and in the future!
If you have skills that are necessary in a broad range of activities/deliverables, then you can think about embedding them into the departmental culture, measure them, track changes, that kind of thing. Celebrate them as the common thread that runs through all of your team. It is good to have something in common that all can talk about and work on.
Remember that you will need to have each skill with at least one failover resource, or you are rather exposed (and open for manipulation, if that skill threatens to leave and ups the ante). Know people that could fill in from the outside (department or company), and keep them involved. A community of practice is a great way to tap this kind of bench...

I guess, this one will definitely trigger a new article.