What do reach for when we want to know the meaning of a word? Yes – a dictionary!
We use a dictionary so we have a common understanding of what something means.
SFIA, the Skills Framework for the Information Age, is the common language that describes the skills, competencies and activities we have in digital and technology-related specialisms. In effect it is the dictionary for our industry, giving some high-level definitions with supporting detail when needed. For example, we have the 121 professional skills in SFIA, which at the highest level gives us the skill name, short code, and a high-level overall description or definition of what that skills is about. If you click on the name of a skill, you get more detail – the detailed descriptions of the activities that people do when exercising this skill in the real world at different levels.
Title | skill_code | Description |
---|---|---|
Acceptance testing | BPTS | Validating systems, products, business processes or services to determine whether the acceptance criteria have been satisfied. |
Animation development | ADEV | Designing and developing animated and interactive systems such as games and simulations. |
Application support | ASUP | Delivering management, technical and administrative services to support and maintain live applications. |
Asset management | ASMG | Managing the full life cycle of assets from acquisition, operation, maintenance to disposal. |
Audit | AUDT | Delivering independent, risk-based assessments of the effectiveness of processes, the controls, and the compliance environment of an organisation. |
Availability management | AVMT | Ensuring that services deliver agreed levels of availability to meet the current and future needs of the business. |
Benefits management | BENM | Forecasting, planning and monitoring the emergence and effective realisation of anticipated benefits from projects and programmes. |
Business administration | ADMN | Managing and performing administrative services and tasks to enable individuals, teams and organisations to succeed in their objectives. |
Business intelligence | BINT | Developing, producing and delivering regular and one-off management information to provide insights and aid decision-making. |
Business modelling | BSMO | Producing abstract or distilled representations of real-world, business or gaming situations. |
Business process improvement | BPRE | Creating new and potentially disruptive approaches to performing business activities. |
Business situation analysis | BUSA | Investigating business situations to define recommendations for improvement action. |
Capacity management | CPMG | Ensuring that service components have the capacity and performance to meet current and planned business needs. |
Certification scheme operation | CSOP | Designing, developing and operating certification schemes, accreditations and credentials, including digital credentials or badges. |
Change control | CHMG | Assessing risks associated with proposed changes and ensuring changes to products, services or systems are controlled and coordinated. |
Competency assessment | LEDA | Assessing knowledge, skills, competency and behaviours by any means, whether formal or informal, against frameworks such as SFIA. |
Configuration management | CFMG | Planning, identifying, controlling, accounting for and auditing of configuration items (CIs) and their interrelationships. |
Consultancy | CNSL | Providing advice and recommendations, based on expertise and experience, to address client needs. |
Content authoring | INCA | Planning, designing and creating textual information, supported where necessary by graphical content. |
Content publishing | ICPM | Managing and continually improving the processes that collect, assemble and publish content. |
Continuity management | COPL | Developing, implementing and testing a business continuity framework. |
Contract management | ITCM | Managing and controlling the operation of formal contracts for the supply of products and services. |
Customer service support | CSMG | Managing and operating customer service or service desk functions. |
Data engineering | DENG | Designing, building, operationalising, securing and monitoring data pipelines and data stores. |
Data management | DATM | Developing and implementing plans, policies, and practices that control, protect and optimise the value of data assets. |
Data modelling and design | DTAN | Developing models and diagrams to represent and communicate data requirements and data assets. |
Data science | DATS | Applying mathematics, statistics, data mining and predictive modelling techniques to gain insights, predict behaviours and generate value from data. |
Data visualisation | VISL | Facilitating understanding of data by displaying concepts, ideas, and facts using graphical representations. |
Database administration | DBAD | Installing, configuring, monitoring, maintaining and improving the performance of databases and data stores. |
Database design | DBDS | Specifying, designing and maintaining mechanisms for storing and accessing data. |
Demand management | DEMM | Analysing and proactively managing business demand for new services or modifications to existing service features or volumes. |
Digital forensics | DGFS | Recovering and investigating material found in digital devices. |
Emerging technology monitoring | EMRG | Identifying and assessing new and emerging technologies, products, services, methods and techniques. |
Employee experience | EEXP | Enhancing employee engagement and ways of working, empowering employees and supporting their health and wellbeing. |
Enterprise and business architecture | STPL | Aligning an organisation’s technology strategy with its business mission, strategy, and processes and documenting this using architectural models. |
Facilities management | DCMA | Planning, designing and managing the buildings, space and facilities which, collectively, make up the IT estate. |
Feasibility assessment | FEAS | Defining, evaluating and describing business change options for financial, technical and business feasibility, and strategic alignment. |
Financial management | FMIT | Supporting the effective use and control of financial resources. |
Governance | GOVN | Defining and operating a framework for making decisions, managing stakeholder relationships, and identifying legitimate authority. |
Hardware design | HWDE | Specifying a hardware design model for a defined system architecture. |
High-performance computing | HPCC | Using advanced computer systems and special programming techniques to solve complex computational problems. |
Incident management | USUP | Coordinating responses to incident reports, minimising negative impacts and restoring service as quickly as possible. |
Information assurance | INAS | Protecting against and managing risks related to the use, storage and transmission of data and information systems. |
Information management | IRMG | Planning, implementing and controlling the full life cycle management of digitally organised information and records. |
Information security | SCTY | Defining and operating a framework of security controls and security management strategies. |
Information systems coordination | ISCO | Coordinating information and technology strategies where the adoption of a common approach would benefit the organisation. |
Innovation | INOV | Identifying, prioritising, incubating and exploiting opportunities provided by information, communication and digital technologies. |
Investment appraisal | INVA | Assessing the attractiveness of possible investments or projects. |
IT infrastructure | ITOP | Deploying, configuring and operating IT Infrastructure. |
Knowledge management | KNOW | Managing vital knowledge to create value for the organisation. |
Learning and development management | ETMG | Delivering management, advisory and administrative services to support the development of knowledge, skills and competencies. |
Learning delivery | ETDL | Transferring knowledge, developing skills and changing behaviours using a range of techniques, resources and media. |
Learning design and development | TMCR | Designing and developing resources to transfer knowledge, develop skills and change behaviours. |
Machine learning | MLNG | Developing systems that learn through experience and by the use of data. |
Marketing | MKTG | Researching, analysing and stimulating potential or existing markets for products and services. |
Measurement | MEAS | Developing and operating a measurement capability to support agreed organisational information needs. |
Methods and tools | METL | Ensuring methods and tools are adopted and used effectively throughout the organisation. |
Network design | NTDS | Designing communication networks to support strategic and operational requirements and producing network strategies, architectures, policies and related documentation. |
Network support | NTAS | Providing maintenance and support services for communications networks. |
Numerical analysis | NUAN | Creating, analysing, implementing, testing and improving algorithms for numerically solving mathematical problems. |
Organisation design and implementation | ORDI | Planning, designing and implementing an integrated organisation structure and culture. |
Organisational capability development | OCDV | Providing leadership, advice and implementation support to assess organisational capabilities and to identify, prioritise and implement improvements. |
Organisational change management | CIPM | Planning, designing and implementing activities to transition the organisation and people to the required future state. |
Organisational facilitation | OFCL | Supporting workgroups to implement principles and practices for effective teamwork across organisational boundaries and professional specialisms. |
Penetration testing | PENT | Testing the effectiveness of security controls by emulating the tools and techniques of likely attackers. |
Performance management | PEMT | Improving organisational performance by developing the performance of individuals and workgroups to meet agreed objectives with measurable results. |
Personal data protection | PEDP | Implementing and operating a framework of controls and management strategies to promote compliance with personal data legislation. |
Portfolio management | POMG | Developing and applying a management framework to define and deliver a portfolio of programmes, projects and/or ongoing services. |
Portfolio, programme and project support | PROF | Providing support and guidance on portfolio, programme and project management processes, procedures, tools and techniques. |
Problem management | PBMG | Managing the life cycle of all problems that have occurred or could occur in delivering a service. |
Product management | PROD | Managing and developing products or services through their full life cycle from inception, growth, maturity, decline to retirement. |
Professional development | PDSV | Facilitating the professional development of individuals in line with their career goals and organisational requirements. |
Programme management | PGMG | Identifying, planning and coordinating a set of related projects and activities in support of specific business strategies and objectives. |
Programming/software development | PROG | Developing software components to deliver value to stakeholders. |
Project management | PRMG | Delivering agreed outcomes from projects using appropriate management techniques, collaboration, leadership and governance. |
Quality assurance | QUAS | Assuring, through ongoing and periodic assessments and reviews, that the organisation’s quality objectives are being met. |
Quality management | QUMG | Defining and operating a management framework of processes and working practices to deliver the organisation’s quality objectives. |
Radio frequency engineering | RFEN | Designing, installing and maintaining radio frequency based devices and software. |
Real-time/embedded systems development | RESD | Designing and developing reliable real-time software typically within embedded systems. |
Release and deployment | RELM | Applying the processes, systems and functions required to make new and changed services and features available for use. |
Requirements definition and management | REQM | Managing requirements through the entire delivery and operational life cycle. |
Research | RSCH | Systematically creating new knowledge by data gathering, innovation, experimentation, evaluation and dissemination. |
Resourcing | RESC | Acquiring, deploying and onboarding resources. |
Risk management | BURM | Planning and implementing organisation-wide processes and procedures for the management of risk to the success or integrity of the enterprise. |
Safety assessment | SFAS | Assessing safety-related software and hardware systems to determine compliance with standards and required levels of safety integrity. |
Safety engineering | SFEN | Applying appropriate methods to assure safety during all life cycle phases of safety-related systems developments. |
Sales support | SSUP | Providing advice and support to the sales force, customers and sales partners. |
Scientific modelling | SCMO | Applying computer simulation and other forms of computation to solve real-world problems in scientific disciplines. |
Security operations | SCAD | Delivering management, technical and administrative services to implement security controls and security management strategies. |
Selling | SALE | Finding prospective customers and working with them to identify needs, influence purchase decisions and enhance future business opportunities. |
Service acceptance | SEAC | Managing the process to obtain formal confirmation that service acceptance criteria have been met. |
Service catalogue management | SCMG | Providing a source of consistent information about available services and products to customers and users. |
Service level management | SLMO | Agreeing targets for service levels and assessing, monitoring, and managing the delivery of services against the targets. |
Software configuration | PORT | Designing and deploying software product configurations into software environments or platforms. |
Software design | SWDN | Specifying and designing software to meet defined requirements by following agreed design standards and principles. |
Solution architecture | ARCH | Developing and communicating a multi-dimensional solution architecture to deliver agreed business outcomes. |
Sourcing | SORC | Managing, or providing advice on, the procurement or commissioning of products and services. |
Specialist advice | TECH | Providing authoritative advice and direction in a specialist area. |
Stakeholder relationship management | RLMT | Influencing stakeholder attitudes, decisions, and actions for mutual benefit. |
Storage management | STMG | Planning, implementing and optimising the technologies and processes used for data storage. |
Strategic planning | ITSP | Creating and maintaining a strategy to align organisational actions, plans and resources with business objectives. |
Subject formation | SUBF | Specifying, designing and developing curricula within a structured and systematic education environment. |
Supplier management | SUPP | Aligning the organisation’s supplier performance objectives and activities with sourcing strategies and plans, balancing costs, efficiencies and service quality. |
Sustainability | SUST | Providing advice, assistance and leadership to enable the organisation to minimise negative environmental impact. |
System software | SYSP | Installing, managing, controlling, deploying and maintaining infrastructure systems software, to meet operational needs and service levels. |
Systems and software life cycle engineering | SLEN | Establishing and deploying an environment for developing, continually improving, and securely operating software and systems products and services. |
Systems design | DESN | Designing systems to meet specified requirements and agreed systems architectures. |
Systems development management | DLMG | Planning, estimating and executing systems development work to time, budget and quality targets. |
Systems installation and removal | HSIN | Installing and testing, or decommissioning and removing, systems or system components. |
Systems integration and build | SINT | Planning, implementing and controlling activities to synthesise system components to create operational systems, products or services. |
Teaching | TEAC | Delivering and assessing curricula in a structured and systematic education environment. |
Technology service management | ITMG | Managing the provision of technology-based services to meet defined organisational needs. |
Testing | TEST | Investigating products, systems and services to assess behaviour and whether this meets specified or unspecified requirements and characteristics. |
Threat intelligence | THIN | Developing and sharing actionable insights on current and potential security threats to the success or integrity of an organisation. |
User experience analysis | UNAN | Understanding the context of use for systems, products and services and specifying user experience requirements and design goals. |
User experience design | HCEV | Producing design concepts and prototypes for user interactions with and experiences of a product, system or service. |
User experience evaluation | USEV | Validating systems, products or services against user experience goals, metrics and targets. |
User research | URCH | Identifying users’ behaviours, needs and motivations using observational research methods. |
Vulnerability assessment | VUAS | Identifying and classifying security vulnerabilities in networks, systems and applications and mitigating or eliminating their impact. |
Vulnerability research | VURE | Conducting applied research to discover, evaluate and mitigate new or unknown security vulnerabilities and weaknesses. |
Workforce planning | WFPL | Estimating the demand for people and skills and planning the supply needed to meet that demand. |
Most of us don’t really want to create a new language, new words, and definitions – we will just pick the language we want to speak, and learn the vocabulary and rules of speaking that language. Some companies attempt to create their own skills and competencies framework, but like a made-up language it won’t make sense to the majority of people, not unless you teach them the language. SFIA is globally recognised and adopted, available in several translations, and is maintained for you by a global community coordinated by the not-for-profit SFIA Foundation.
Don’t make up your own – just start using SFIA!