The Effective Use of Competencies in the Irish Civil Service explores the development of competency-based human resource management (HRM) in the Irish civil service. It builds on the research outlined in three previous CPMR discussion papers, on key HRM challenges facing the Irish public service, flexible working in the public service and the development of personnel management in the civil service. This paper examines current thinking and current trends in the development of competencies in other public administrations, with a view to informing thinking on how competency-based management (CBM) might be developed further in the Irish civil service.