The Digital Skill Standards
ver.1.2

July 2024

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Contents
I.

Overview of the Digital Skill Standards

 Background and Aims of the Establishment of theDigital Skill Standards
 Approach to Revision of the Digital Skill Standards
 Structure of the Digital Skill Standards
 Human Resources for Whom the Digital Skill
Standards Is Intended
 General Applicability of the Digital Skill Standards
 How the Digital Skill Standards Can Be Utilized

II. Digital Skill Standards for DX Literacy (DSS-L)
1. Aim of the DSS-L and Formulation Policy
2. Structure of the DSS-L
3. Skills and Learning Subjects
a. Overview
b. Details
4. How the DSS-L Can Be Utilized

III. Digital Skill Standards for DX Promotion(DSS-P)

1. Aim of the DSS-P and Formulation Policy
2. Structure of the DSS-P
3. Human Resource Types & Roles(Definitions of types, responsibilities & work of eachrole, skills required in each role)a. Business Architects
b. Designersc. Data Scientists
d. Software Engineerse. Cyber Security
4. Commentary on the List of Common Skills
5. How the DSS-P Can Be Utilized

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I. Overview of the Digital Skill Standards

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I. Overview of the Digital Skill Standards

Background and Aims of the Establishment of the Digital Skill Standards
Increased importance of DX promotion at Japanese companies••

The evolution of data utilization and digital technology has resulted in the start of a shift toward an industrial structure that utilizes data and digitaltechnology both in Japan and overseas. In order for companies to ensure competitive superiority against the backdrop of such a shift, it is important for themto always stay abreast of the ever-changing challenges faced by society and by their customers, and achieve digital transformation (DXNote).
However, many Japanese companies are viewed as being late starters in their initiatives toward DX, and one of the main reasons given for this is a lack ofhuman resources with a grounding or expertise when it comes to DX.

The importance of human resources in DX promotion••

In order for a company to achieve DX, it is necessary for the company to raise its overall receptivity to transformation. As such, a situation must be
achieved whereby each individual who belongs to the company, including the company’s management, has a grounding in DX. That is to say, they should
understand and have an interest in DX, and treat it as their own work. And having increased receptivity to transformation, the human resources with therelated expertise need to play a key role in order for the company to actually put its DX strategy into effect.
All employees therefore need to treat it as their own work, and every business person must acquire DX literacy in order for a company as a whole toincrease its receptivity to transformation. A company also needs to recruit and develop human resources with expertise in order to concretely promote DX.

Establishment of the Digital Skill Standards•••

The Digital Skill Standards has been established to provide guidelines for individual learning and the companies’ recruitment and development of humanresources in light of the importance of human resources when it comes to the kind of DX promotion described above.
The Digital Skill Standards is comprised of two parts: The DSS-L that provides guidelines for all business people to equip themselves with the fundamental
knowledge, skills and mindset required for DX, and the DSS-P that provides guidelines for companies to recruit and develop human resources withexpertise to promote DX.
 The DSS-L: A standard for skills that all business people should equip themselves with
 The DSS-P: A standard for the roles and required skills for the human resource types who will promote DX
The knowledge and skills covered in the Digital Skill Standards are expressed in a general manner as far as possible, and the aim of this is to make themeasily transferable as a common indicator while avoiding the requirement for any knowledge concerning a specific industry or job type when it comes tounderstanding the content. As such, it must be kept in mind that when applying the standard to an individual organization or company, it must be
specifically tailored to the direction of the industry that the relevant organization or company belongs to, and the organization or company’s own business.

Note: The definition of DX: In order to handle a rapidly changing business environment, a company transforms its products, services and business model based on the needs of its customers
and society by utilizing data and digital technology, while also transforming its actual operations, organization, processes and corporate culture to establish competitive superiority (Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry [Digital Governance Code 2.0] (Revised September 2022))
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I. Overview of the Digital Skill Standards

Approach to Revision of the Digital Skill Standards （1/2）
Approach to revision•••

It is anticipated that technologies with a social impact will appear and become prevalent in the medium tolong term, and when they do, skills will need to be altered.
The standards for the skills that all business people should equip themselves with, as well as the roles
and required skills for the human resource types who will promote DX will continue to be reviewed in
response to new technologies, changes in the industrial structure, government policies, and other events
that affect DX. In doing so, consideration will be given to forecasts of their impacts in the short, medium
and long term, consistency with the existing Digital Skill Standards, and their effects on users.
More specifically, efforts will be made to popularize and utilize the Digital Skill Standards on the basis ofcollaboration with relevant ministries and agencies, and with the involvement of various private sector
players, including education providers. In addition, ongoing reviews will be conducted, while obtaining
feedback from users of the Digital Skill Standards, such as organizations/companies, individuals, andeducation providers.

Purpose of most recent revision (August 2023)•••

Rapidly spreading generative artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to accelerate the advancement ofdigital transformation (DX) in companies, and it has the potential to increase companies’ competitiveness.
At the same time, the skills required of business people are expected to change, and some aspects of theskills are assumed to become more important than before.
To address this situation, the requisite changes were made to the DSS-L.

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I. Overview of the Digital Skill Standards

Approach to Revision of the Digital Skill Standards （2/2）
Purpose of the most recent revision (July 2024)
 Revision on business architects (addition regarding the Product Manager job title, which is similar to
the Business Architect) Product managers, a job title similar to business architects, are becoming more common in
global standards and Japanese companies, especially those that provide digital services.
 In response to the above-mentioned circumstances, this revision defines a product manager as
one of the human resources who promote DX; additions to the business architect humanresource type have been made.
 Revision on generative AI Rapidly spreading generative artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to accelerate the advancement ofdigital transformation (DX) in companies, and it has the potential to increase companies’
competitiveness.
 Following the revisions made to the DSS-L (August of 2023) in order to reflect the changes that had
occurred in the skills required of business people, necessary changes (e.g., addition of
supplementary information) were made to the DSS-P about actions required of humanresources who promote DX.
 The necessity of attention to prevent incidents such as the infringement of rights, information
leakage and ethical issues when using generative AI was also included as supplementary
information.
 This revision was made based on the current situation of generative AI, and the Digital Skill
Standards will be reviewed on an ongoing basis as the situation around technological and legal
developments changes.
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I. Overview of the Digital Skill Standards

Structure of the Digital Skill Standards


The Digital Skill Standards is comprised of two standards: The DSS-L and the DSS-P. The former defines guidelines for all
business people and defines learning subject examples accordingly, and the latter defines the roles of the human resources
who promote DX and the requisite skills.

The Digital Skill Standards•

This defines the following guidelines and the content that is expected tobe learned in each guideline (learning subject examples).
 Learning guidelines for knowledge to be obtained as DX literacy
 Guidelines for individuals to reflect on their own actions, andguidelines for an organization or company to consider the mindset,
approach and actions required of the people who constitute it•

Defines the roles and required skills for each of the human resource
types required for DX promotion (business architects/designers/data
scientists/software engineers/cyber security).

The DSS-L

The DSS-P

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I. Overview of the Digital Skill Standards

Human Resources for Whom the Digital Skill Standards Is IntendedThe human resources for whom the Digital Skill Standards is intended are those who belong to companies and otherorganizations using digital technology to increase their competitiveness.
Of these, the DSS-L is intended for all business people, while the DSS-P is intended for human resources who have expertise
and will undertake DX initiatives at an organization or company (the human resources who promote DX).

All business people (inc. management)
Human resources who
promote DX<The DSS-L><The DSS-P>

Defines the skills that all business people
should equip themselves with

Defines the roles and required skills forthe human resource types who will
promote DX
Business architects/designers/
data scientists/software engineers/
cyber security

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I. Overview of the Digital Skill Standards

General Applicability of the Digital Skill StandardsThe knowledge and skills covered in the Digital Skill Standards are expressed in a general manner as far as possible,
and the aim of this is to make them easily transferable as a common indicator while avoiding the requirement for any
knowledge concerning a specific industry or job type when it comes to understanding the content.
As such, when applying the standard to an individual organization or company, it must be tailored to the direction of
the industry to which the relevant organization or company belongs, and to that of the organization or company’s
own business.
Must be tailored to the direction of theindustry to which the company/organization
belongs, and to its own business

The Digital Skill Standards
The DSS-L

Knowledge/skills required of all
business people

Knowledge/skills required ofhuman resources who deal
with specific situations• Common to all industries• Common to all job types and departments
The DSS-P•

Knowledge/skills required ofhuman resources who handle specific roles
in DX promotion••

Defined on the basis of thespecific situation (by industry,by organization/company, by
job type, etc.)

Common to all industries
Defined on the basis of the human resource
types who promote DX

Generally applicable

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I. Overview of the Digital Skill Standards

How the Digital Skill Standards Can Be UtilizedPromotion of DX by a company requires a cycle whereby the company undertakes initiatives for recruiting and developing humanresources based on the companywide direction of DX and reviews its direction on the basis of what is achieved through this. In thiscycle, the Digital Skill Standards provides support for undertaking human resource recruitment and development initiatives.
It is not mandatory for a company to arrange all of the roles for DX promotion set out in the DSS-P from the start, and it is assumed
that a subset of the roles will initially be established in accordance with the scale of business and progress of DX.

DX vision/strategy
Creation of a management vision to
be achieved through DX• Design a management vision and businessmodel in light of the impact of changes insociety and the competitive environment
due to digital technology• Strategy to achieve the above and therequired structure and organization, humanresource recruitment and development
policy, and policy for utilization of digitaltechnology and other such things for its
promotion

Digital Governance Code 2.0(Encourage s companies to undertake self-led andself-initiated DX initiatives)

Human resources
Clarification of requirements forhuman resources who promote DX

Consideration of human resource
recruitment and development measures•• What kind of knowledge and skills are
required of the human resources who will
promote a company’s DX?

What mechanisms and measures are required in order
to raise the level of the entire company and recruitand develop human resources who promote DX?
(e.g.: development and hiring measures, review ofthe personnel system to enable the required humanresources to perform to their full capability)

Raising the level of the entire company (employees treating DX as their own work)• What mechanisms and measures are required to raise the level of the entire company?
(ex: messages from management about the necessity of DX literacy, and companywide employee
development measures)

The Digital Skill Standards(Support for raising the level of the entire company, clarification of human resources
requirements, consideration of human resource recruitment/development measures)

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II. Digital Skill Standards for DX Literacy (DSS-L)

Chapter 1
Aim of the DSS-L and Formulation Policy

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Part II, Chapter 1 Aim of the DSS-L and Formulation Policy

Necessity of the DSS-L
To ensure that each and every business person can lead a better professional life at a time of environmental change andin a society where DX is being promoted, guidelines are required for the learning of knowledge and skills that also
include matters that differ from what was conventionally considered common sense for working members of society
Change in society
Amid increased awareness of the importance ofsustainable growth initiatives (increased interest in
the SDGs, ESG-focused investment, etc.), the value ofsolving various social issues is growing

Evolution ofdigital technology andadvances in data utilization

Changes in customer value
It is not sufficient for quality to begood; customers now demand a highlevel of added value andproducts/services that appeal to thepreferences of each individualDue to the evolution of digitaltechnology, a diverse array ofdata and technologies arebroadening the possibilities for
activities by business people,
while at the same time steppingup the pace of change in society,customer value and thecompetitive environment

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Changes in the competitiveenvironment
Various boundaries that hitherto
existed in business are being removed,
which will lead to the utilization ofdigital technology to enter sectors fromdifferent industries and the flourishingof cross-border business
12Part II, Chapter 1 Aim of the DSS-L and Formulation Policy

The Aim of the DSS-L
The Aim of the DSS-L
Enabling action toward transformation through each and every business person acquiring DX literacy andtreating DX as their own work

Examples of human resources who have gained DX literacy
I can now see thedirection of DX at ourcompany

60s Director

I now know why mycompany places somuch importance on
DX

40s Sales

It looks like I’ll beable to streamline andimprove my own work
using this technology

30s Administration

I think I’ll be able to takeon some kind of newchallenge by combining
my knowledge of workand the DX literacy I
have newly gained

50s Manufacturing/
Development

I think I’ll be able to play
an active role in society
by combining the digitalskills I learned atuniversity with myunderstanding of mywork and customers

20s New employee

DX is accelerating across society as a whole, mainly at organizations or companies, in order to respond to changes in the social
environment and business environment.
Against this backdrop, it is important for each and every business person to take it upon themselves to keep learning, regardless of theirorganization, generation, or job type, in order to survive in the age of the 100-year life.
The DSS-L is a set of learning guidelines that lays out the mindset and stance, knowledge and skills required for each and every
business person to participate in DX and make use of the results of DX in their work and daily life.
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Part II, Chapter 1 Aim of the DSS-L and Formulation Policy

Effects of Study in Line with the DSS-L (Individuals)
 Study in line with the DSS-L will enable individuals to tune their antennae into the latest technologies and DX
currently underway in society. By tuning their own antennae in this way, individuals will be able not only to acquirea knowledge of the content of the DSS-L, but also to develop an interest in related new topics and keywords thatare emerging every day.
 Individuals will need a willingness to use the content of the DSS-L as a starting point, and to investigate forthemselves the content and meanings of new technologies and words (including what are termed “buzzwords”)
that are being created every day.

Scope of the DSS-L’s focus

Learn/investigate

Try to use

Utilize Can learn about the necessity of DX, along withdata and digital technology, in line with the DSS-L,
and can tune their antennae for DX to include
content not covered in the DSS-L Actuallyencounters
accessible
technologies/tools Thinks about ways
to utilize them intheir own work andthen put them into
practice Regardless of whether or not a topic is covered in
the DSS-L, can expand their knowledge toencompass DX by investigating for themselves
any unfamiliar words they encounter
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Part II, Chapter 1 Aim of the DSS-L and Formulation Policy

Effects of Study in Line with the DSS-L (Organizations/Companies)
 By increasing the number of human resources who have gained DX literacy and have their antennae
tuned into DX, organizations/companies will be able to speed up DX.

Human resources who
have gained literacy

1 Management1

By finding out about technologies and approaches that are
useful in addressing social change and changes in thebusiness environment, management will be able toconsider the direction their company should take in
DX and present their vision to their employees.

2

Human resources who have a knowledge of thecontent of the business itself and the work involved
will gain literacy and tune their antennae into DX. This willassist in the discovery of DX possibilities within theorganization/company and facilitate cooperation withhuman resources who have a high level of DX-related
expertise (human resources who promote DX), thereby
promoting DX for the company as a whole.

3

Human resources in assorted organizations who areof various ages, ranks and job types will gain DX
literacy, which will increase their receptivity to thechanges that will occur within the organization as aresult of DX promotion by the organization/company.

Human resources who
promote DX

3

DX initiatives by
the organization
as a whole

2 Collaboration withhuman resources
who promote DX

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II. Digital Skill Standards for DX Literacy (DSS-L)

Chapter 2
Structure of the DSS-L

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Part II, Chapter 2 Structure of the DSS-L

Overview of the DSS-L
Aims of the Establishment of
the Standards

Enabling action toward transformation through each and every businessperson acquiring DX literacy and treating DX as their own work

Why

Background to DX
Define the knowledge
concerning society,customers and users,and changes in thecompetitive environment
required to understandthe importance of DX→ Use as learning guidelines
for knowledge to be acquired
as DX literacy


What

How

Data and technology usedin DX
Define knowledge
concerning data anddigital technology used inbusiness→Use as learning guidelines

for knowledge to be acquired
as DX literacy

Use of data andtechnology
Define knowledge
concerning how to use
data and digitaltechnology in business,
usage examples, andpoints for attention→ Use as learning guidelines

for knowledge to be acquired
as DX literacy

Mindset and StanceDefine the mindset, approach and actions required to produce new value against the backdrop of socialchange→Guidelines for individuals to reflect on their own actions, and guidelines for an organization or company toconsider the mindset, approach and actions required of the people who constitute it in order to promote DX
and achieve continuous growth
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Part II, Chapter 2 Structure of the DSS-L

List of Items
The Aim of the DSS-L
Enabling action toward transformation through each and every business person acquiring DX literacy and treating DX as their own work

Why Background to DX
Change in society

What Data and technology used in DX
Data

Example uses/
usage method

Data in society

Changes in customer value

Reading and explaining data

Changes in the competitiveenvironment

Handling data
Making judgments based on data
Digitaltechnology

How Use of data and technology
Example uses of data and digitaltechnology
Use of tools
Points forattention

Security
Moral issues

AI

Compliance

Cloud
Hardware/software
Networks

Mindset and StanceDesign thinking/agile working style
Mindset and stance as thefoundation for producing new value

Empathy with customers and users
Adapting to change

Out-of-the-box thinking

Collaboration

Flexible decision making

Iterative approach
Decisions based on facts

Will keep up with changes in the form DX takes going forward, and make the necessary revisions.
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Part II, Chapter 2 Structure of the DSS-L

Revision of the Digital Skill Standards <Summary> (August 2023)


Rapidly spreading generative artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to accelerate the advancement of digital transformation (DX) in companies, and it has thepotential to increase companies’ competitiveness. At the same time, the skills and literacy required of business people are expected to change, and some aspectsof the skills are assumed to become more important than before. In order to respond to this situation, necessary revisions were made to the DSS-L, one of thetwo sets of standards that constitute the Digital Skill Standards formulated at the end of last year.

Aims of the Establishment of the Standards
No revision
Why(Background to DX)
 Learning subject examples
related to human resource
development/education andchanges in the labor market,
etc. were added to “Changes
in society,” as generative AI isincreasingly used in industry,
government and academia andhas the potential to affect thesocial environment.

What(Data and technology used in DX)
 Learning subject examples related to AI ethics and technicaltrends of generative AI, etc. were added to “AI,” as generative
AI is rapidly spreading and being used in business.
 Learning subject examples related to network types andinternet services were added to “Networks” in light of thecurrent status of use of networks.
 Contents and learning subject examples related to methods
for inputting and maintaining easy-to-use data, etc. wereadded to “Handling data,” as data handled by individuals andcompanies, etc. will be used in digital technologies and services.
 Contents and learning subject examples related to theimportance of making judgments by using appropriate data,etc. were added to “Making judgments based on data,” asresults derived from inappropriate data could lead to erroneous
judgments and damage.

How(Use of data and technology)
 Learning subject examples related to usage examples ofgenerative AI were added to “Example uses of data anddigital technology” and those related to the outlines andprompting methods, etc. of generative AI tools were added
to “Use of tools,” as generative AI can be used in various work
scenes by using knowledge of tools, etc. and prompting
methods.
 Learning subject examples related to the risks, etc.
involved in data leakage were added to “Moral issues” andthose related to laws and regulations and terms of use,etc. were added to “Compliance,” as users are required touse generative AI while properly dealing with information
leakage, laws and regulations, terms of use, etc.

Mindset and Stance As the items in this section define more universal elements than items in other sections, they will also be important in using generative AI.
 The importance of appropriate data input and action examples, etc. were added to “Decisions based on facts” as decisions based on facts will only be valid throughthe use of appropriate data.
 As it will become increasingly important in the future for all business people to have a mindset and stance to appropriately use generative AI for productivity
improvement or business transformation, etc. by combining it with the skills of the business person, to understand the points to consider in use of generative AI,
and to be open to changes and continue to learn about the effects of generative AI, these elements were added as “Mindset and stance required in using
generative AI” separately from existing items.
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II. Digital Skill Standards for DX Literacy (DSS-L)

Chapter 3
Skills and Learning Subjects
a. Overview of Skills and Learning Subjects
b. Details of Skills and Learning Subjects(Contents, Action Examples andLearning Subject Examples of Each
Item)

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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, a. Overview of Skills and Learning Subjects

Item Content and Learning Subject Examples - Mindset and Stance
Goal of learning
To know the mindset and stance required to produce new value against the backdrop of social change and have the ability toreflect on their own actions
Item
Content
Learning subject examples
Adapting to change Accepts changes in the environment, work and working style, and undertakes self-directedstudy to adapt to them
 Equips themselves with new values, behaviors, knowledge and skills in response toenvironmental changes, while remaining aware of elements of their existing values or those of
their organization that should be respected

Collaboration

 Respects diversity and understands the importance of collaboration with people both within thecompany and outside it who have a variety of expertise, for the purpose of value creation

Empathy withcustomers and users

 Centers customers and users, and seeks to discover needs and challenges from the perspectiveof the customer/user

Out-of-the-box thinking

 Considers ideas for responding to the needs of and challenges faced by customers and users,
without being bound by existing concepts and values
 Self-questions the reasons for conventional methods of carrying out things and considers any
better methods

Iterative approach Undertakes new initiatives and improvements within a short cycle with a scope that tolerates
failure, and makes iterative improvements after gaining customer/user feedback Makes course corrections as needed in the event of failure, and is aware that having learned
lessons from failure also constitutes a positive outcome

Flexible decision making

 If necessary for the purpose of value creation, makes decisions adapted to the situation, even insituations where judgments on the basis of existing values are difficult

Decisions based on facts

 Looks at things and makes decisions on the basis of not only instinct and experience, but also
objective facts and data
 Understands that decisions based on facts and data are only valid when appropriate data isused, and makes a conscious effort to enter appropriate data
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 Examples of specificbehaviors or effects that theindividual should aim to
demonstrate in theenvironment in which they
have been placed
etc.

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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, a. Overview of Skills and Learning Subjects

Mindset and Stance Required in the Use of Generative AI(added in the August 2023 revision)Seeks to put generative AI to appropriate use in the improvement of
productivity and business transformation by combining it with skills required asa business person, such as “asking questions” and “formulating and verifying ahypothesis”
In using generative AI, understands that the output may contain unexpected
results and caution is required in regard to the infringement of copyright andother rights, information leakage and ethical issues, among others
Willingly continues to learn about changes while keeping their antennae tuned
in to the impacts on lifestyles and business of the emergence and spread ofgenerative AI, and to changes in familiar settings in the near future

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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, a. Overview of Skills and Learning Subjects

Item Content and Learning Subject Examples - Why
Goal of learning

To know how the values people regard as important and the socioeconomic environment are changing, and to understand theimportance of DX

Item

Content

Learning subject examples

 Understands the changes that are occurring around the world and in Japanesesociety, and knows that the utilization of data and digital technology is useful inorder to improve people’s lives amid change and to solve social challenges

 Megatrends/social challenges
and their solution using digitaltechnology (SDGs, etc.)
 Differences between Japan andother countries in terms of DX
initiatives
 Keywords related to social andindustrial change (Society 5.0,
data-driven society, etc.)
etc.

Changes incustomer value Understands the concept of customer value and knows how customers/users
have changed as a result of advances in digital technology (diversification ofaccess to information, products and services, and increased desire to fulfill
individuals’ varying needs)

 Behavioral change amongcustomers/users and responses
to change
 Digital services surrounding
customers/users
etc.

Changes in thecompetitiveenvironment

 Knows that, as a result of advances in data/digital technology and changes insociety/customers, the sources of the competitiveness of existing business arechanging, and that business is spreading beyond national borders andconventional industry boundaries

 Specific examples of changes in
the competitive environment
resulting from the utilization ofdigital technology
etc.

Change in society

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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, a. Overview of Skills and Learning Subjects

Item Content and Learning Subject Examples - What (1/2)
Goal of learning

To be able to gain deeper knowledge of the background to advances in data and digital technology as a means of DX
promotion after finding out the latest information about them
Item

Content

Data

Data in society

Learning subject examples

 Knows that there are various types of data, including not only numbers, but also characters,
images and sound, and knows how to store such data and utilize it in society

Data

Reading andexplaining data

 Understands data analysis techniques and how to read the results
 Comprehends the meaning of data analysis results and understands ways of explaining themappropriately that are tailored to the purpose of the analysis and the recipients of the
explanation

Data

Handling data

Data

Making judgments
based on data

 Understands data entry and maintenance techniques that are easy to utilize with digitaltechnology and services
 Understands that the use of data involves situations in which various data extraction andprocessing techniques, and technology such as databases are essential

 Understands the structures of operations/businesses and the purpose of analysis, and knows
about approaches to data analysis and use Understands that even if the analysis provides results that differ from the expected results,
this in itself is an important finding Understands techniques for identifying actions for the improvement of management andwork from analysis results, and techniques for monitoring what results these actions havehad

 Types of data Utilization of data in societyetc.

 Data analysis techniques (basic
knowledge of probability andstatistics)
 Reading of data (methods ofcomparison, overlap, etc.)
 Explanation of data (visualization,verbalization of analysis results)etc.
 Data entry
 Data extraction and processing(cleansing, aggregation, etc.)
 Data output
 Databases (database types,
structures, etc.)

 Data-driven decision making
process
 Analysis approach design
 Monitoring techniques

etc.

etc.

 Understands that decisions based on data are only valid when appropriate data is used
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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, a. Overview of Skills and Learning Subjects

Item Content and Learning Subject Examples - What (2/2)
Goal of learning
To be able to gain deeper knowledge of the background to advances in data and digital technology as a means of DX
promotion after finding out the latest information about them
Item
Content
Learning subject examples
Digital technologyAI Knows the background to the creation of AI and the reasons why it has
spread rapidly
 Understands the mechanisms of AI and knows what AI can and cannot do Understands the possibilities for utilizing AI and knows tips for increasing its
precision Knows about trends in AI models commonly used in organizations/society The history of AI Techniques and technologies for creating
AI The fields of strength and limitations of AI
 Social principles of human-centric AI, ELSI Latest technology trends (generative AI,
etc.)
etc.

 Understands cloud mechanisms and knows the difference between cloud andon-premise Knows about cloud service delivery models

 Cloud mechanisms (ways of holding data,
data protection mechanisms)
 Cloud service delivery models (SaaS, IaaS,
PaaS, etc.)
 Latest technology trendsetc.

 Knows the mechanisms by which devices such as computers andsmartphones operate Knows how the company’s internal systems and the like are made

 Hardware (constituent elements ofhardware, computer types)
 Software (software types, programming
thinking)
 Development and operation withincompanies Latest technology trends
etc.

Digital technology

Cloud

Digital technology

Hardware/software

Digital technology

Networks

 Knows the basic mechanisms involved in networks
 Knows the mechanisms of the internet and major internet services

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 Network mechanisms (LAN/WAN,
communications protocols) Internet services (e-mail) Latest technology trends

etc.
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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, a. Overview of Skills and Learning Subjects

Item Content and Learning Subject Examples - How
Goal of learning

To understand example uses of data and digital technology and learn how to use the basic tools for their utilization, and thento be able to actually use them in work, while also taking into account points for attention and the like
Item
Content
Learning subject examples
Example uses/usage methods

 Knows example uses of data and digital technology in business Understands that data and digital technology can be used in various work and canimagine situations in which they can be applied to their own work

 Example uses of data and digital technology inbusiness activities
 Examples of generative AI use
etc.

 Has a knowledge of ways to use tools and can select the appropriate tool for thesituation in everyday work

 Ways to use tools relevant to everyday work
 Ways to use generative AI (prompt techniques,etc.) Ways to use digital tools relevant to automationand streamlining
etc.

Security Has a knowledge of the mechanisms of security technologies and measures that
individuals should take, and can use data and digital technology with peace of mind The three elements of security
 Security technology
 Security measures that individuals should takeetc.

Points for attention

 Has the sense of morality required in an age in which individuals can freely exchange
information on the internet, and can communicate appropriately on the internet
 Knows about things that are prohibited in data analysis, such as fabrication,
falsification, and plagiarism, and can use data appropriately
 Can imagine the hazards and impacts of data leakage

 Examples of problems related to such matters
as online harm, social media and generative AI,
and measures to combat them
 Points for attention and things that areprohibited in the use of dataetc.

 Knows about privacy, intellectual property rights and copyright, along with laws fortheir protection and data regulations in other countries
 When using data or technology in their actual work, can check that there are no
problems with their work in light of laws, regulations and terms of use

 Definitions of personal information and laws
related to personal information, along withpoints for attention regarding these The focus of protection under copyright,
industrial property rights and other rights
 Data regulations in other countries
 Scope of data use in light of terms of use forservices
etc.

Example uses of data
and digital technology
Example uses/usage methods

Use of tools

Points for attention

Moral issues

Points for attention

Compliance

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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, a. Overview of Skills and Learning Subjects

DSS-L Usage Examples - Supplementary Information(The Difference between What and How)In the DSS-L, “What” and “How” are categorized from the perspective of the level at which the individual
can use their knowledge and skills in actual work—that is to say, whether or not they can be asked to put
their knowledge and skills into practice
What

How

• Knowledge that individuals should have,regardless of whether or not they utilize itin their work, including items that may notactually be directly necessary whenbusiness people who undertake study inline with the DSS-L actually perform theirwork Knowledge required to understandwhat kind of knowledge humanresources who promote DX actuallybring to their work and to facilitate
collaboration by those humanresources Knowledge required to better
understand articles and books about
DX in the world around them

• Items that constitute knowledge and skills
for use in their work that it is desirable forbusiness people who undertake study inline with the DSS-L to use when they
actually carry out tasks and makejudgments in their work
 Knowledge required for the selectionof appropriate tools in their work andfor use in such situations as making
operational improvements (Example
Uses / Use of Tools)
 Knowledge of which individuals must
be aware when actually using tools
and data (Security / Moral Issues /Compliance)

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II. Digital Skill Standards for DX Literacy (DSS-L)

Chapter 3
Skills and Learning Subjects
a. Overview of Skills and Learning Subjects
b. Details of Skills and Learning Subjects(Contents, Action Examples andLearning Subject Examples of Each
Item)

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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, b. Details of Skills and Learning Subjects (Contents, Action Examples and Learning Subject Examples of Each Item)

Contents, Action Examples and Learning Subject Examples of Each
Item
The pages that follow describe the content of each item in the DSS-L and also explain each one.
Illustration of descriptions in the pages that follow
Contents, Action Examples and Learning Subject Examples of Each Item

XXX

Content 
環境や仕事・働き方の変化を受け入れ、適応するために自ら主体的に学んでいるThe
top
section describes the content of each item,
自身や組織が持つ既存の価値観の尊重すべき点を認識しつつ、環境変化に応じた新たな価値観、行動
which is thesame as in the overview
様式、知識、スキルを身につけている
Explanation

—Action examples—

DXの背景に存在する社会や産業の変化、あるいはDXに伴う組織、仕事の進め方等の変化に適応していくためには、所属組織などが提供する研修等を受けるだけではなく、能動的に新たな知識を得るために行動する必要がある
The bottom
left section

 provides
社会や産業が変化する中で、変化に適応して業務
an explanation toを遂行したり判断するためには、これまでの社会人
supplement the content
経験の中で身につけた知識・スキルや、培ってきた経験則が古くなっていないか振り返る必要がある
section【主体的な学び】

新興の技術に関する書籍・新聞記事を読む
個人で登録可能なe-learningサービスを活用し、業務・業界に関わる知識を得る
自社の属する業界や自身がかかわる業務領域に関する勉強会に自発的に参加する【新たな価値観、行動様式、知識、スキルの習得】
勘・経験のみに頼らず、収集した顧客・ユーザーデータを用いて新規開拓先を決定した自身のデスクトップ上でデータ管理を行っていたが、同時編集できるクラウドツールが提供されたため、クラウド上で同時編集すべきデータを見極めて、クラウドにデータを移行した
情報はメールでやり取りをし、必要な人にCcを付けて共有していたが、コミュニケーションツール上でグループを作り、グループに情報が集約されるようにした

The content of the bottom
right section is as follows: In the case of items listed
as Mindset and Stance,“Action examples”
 For other items,“Learning subject

examples”


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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, b. Details of Skills and Learning Subjects (Contents, Action Examples and Learning Subject Examples of Each Item)

Mindset and Stance - Adapting to ChangeContentAccepts changes in the environment, work and working style, and undertakes self-directed study to adapt tothemEquips themselves with new values, behaviors, knowledge and skills in response to environmental changes, whileremaining aware of elements of their existing values or those of their organization that should be respected
Explanation—Action examples— To adapt to social or industrial changes that form thebackground to DX, or to changes in organizations orapproaches to work that arise from DX, for example,
business people need not only to undergo training
provided by the organization to which they belong, butalso to actively take steps to acquire new knowledge.
 Amid social and industrial changes, it is necessary forbusiness people to reflect on the knowledge and skills
that they have acquired and the empirical rules that they
have cultivated through their experience to date asworking members of society, to ensure that these are notoutdated, in order to execute their work and makedecisions in a manner adapted to those changes.

[Self-directed study]

Employees read books and newspaper articles about
emerging technologies



Employees use e-learning services to which they can
subscribe as individuals to gain knowledge about their workand sector



Employees voluntarily participate in workshops relevant to
the industry in which their company operates or to thebusiness segment in which they are involved[Acquisition of new values, behaviors, knowledge and skills]
Employees had been managing data on their own desktop,
but after being provided with a cloud-based tool that allows
real-time co-authoring, identified data that should be subject
to real-time co-authoring in the cloud and transferred thatdata to the cloudEmployees had been exchanging information by e-mail andincluded the requisite individuals in the cc line when sharing
it, but subsequently created a group on a communication tool
so that the information was gathered together for the group

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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, b. Details of Skills and Learning Subjects (Contents, Action Examples and Learning Subject Examples of Each Item)

Mindset and Stance - Collaboration
ContentRespects diversity and understands the importance of collaboration with people both within the company andoutside it who have a variety of expertise, for the purpose of value creation
Explanation—Action examples— To step up the pace of DX, business people with a variety
of expertise must pool their wisdom and think about thesituation they want to achieve and ways of bringing it to
fruition. To this end, business people need to proactively
collaborate with individuals who have diverse
perspectives and areas of expertise, including individuals
beyond the organization/company to which they belong.
 At a time when it is envisaged that, due to the utilizationof digital technology, members oforganizations/companies will increasingly work at
different times and in different locations from each other,business people must respect each and every individual’s
working style, regardless of sex or nationality.

[Collaboration with people who have a variety of expertise]When working on solving a problem in their own department,
employees discovered that the content also appeared to be
relevant to other departments and therefore established a crossdivisional team

Employees collaborated with specialist external human resources
outside the company to promote a project they had set up,
because there were no human resources with a high level ofexpertise relevant to the project within the company[Respect for diversity]

After being assigned to participate in a team that included manymembers with expertise that differed from their own, due to aninternal measure instituted by the company, employees expressed
their views from the perspective of their own expertise inlanguage that was easily understood even by those who did nothave that specialist knowledge

As a team member was only able to work during specific hours,
due to providing nursing care for a family member, employees
divided up roles in a way that took into account the hours theindividual could work and their expertise

As a team member from another country did not speak Japaneseas their native language, employees communicated in Japanesethat was as simple as possible and also incorporated
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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, b. Details of Skills and Learning Subjects (Contents, Action Examples and Learning Subject Examples of Each Item)

Mindset and Stance - Empathy with Customers and Users
ContentCenters customers and users, and seeks to discover needs and challenges from the perspective of thecustomer/user

Explanation—Action examples— To carry out the transformation of service models andproducts referred to in the definition of DX, businesspeople must perceive needs and challenges from theperspective of the customer/user, including being awarethat problems and needs include not only those that are
visibly apparent and those that are currently a problem,
but also dreams and aspirations for things that would benice to have.

[Discovery of needs and challenges from the perspective of thecustomer/user]

Employees identified unverbalized needs by analyzing not
only information submitted as user feedback, but also user
actions before and after the feedbackEmployees worked to improve the quality of products andservices, while regarding not only direct users, but also
partner companies (agents, suppliers, outsourced service
providers, etc.) as users

 Business people can drive improvements in internal
operations if they recognize that customers and users
include not only users of the company’s products andservices, but also users such as those who use thecompany’s internal services and one’s own next process.

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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, b. Details of Skills and Learning Subjects (Contents, Action Examples and Learning Subject Examples of Each Item)

Mindset and Stance - Out-of-the-Box Thinking
ContentConsiders ideas for responding to the needs of and challenges faced by customers and users, without beingbound by existing concepts and values
Self-questions the reasons for conventional methods of carrying out things and considers any better methods
Explanation—Action examples— Since various tools related to data and digital technology
are constantly emerging as means of DX, a businessperson needs to not only make improvements based onconventional methods, but also consider methods thatcompletely differ from conventional methods.
 If business people have an attitude to self-question thereasons and background for carrying out their work orservices by conventional methods, even if not from theperspective of customers and users, they can discoverparts that may or should be changed in their methods.

[Consideration of ideas without being bound by existing concepts
and values]

Employees provided in-house training on the company’s sales
know-how and, thinking that the training contents are also
applicable to other companies, took a video of the training
and sold it as an e-learning service.

[Review of conventional methods of carrying out things]
Employees had received customer inquiries at an inquiry
desk, but as inquiries could not be received outside officehours, they scaled down the work at the inquiry desk, anddeveloped an easy-to-read manual and a chatbot with whichusers could search for answers to their inquiries themselves.

Management-level employees had managed the shifts ofworkers at a plant, but they introduced an automatic shiftscheduling tool and reduced the work of management-level
employees.

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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, b. Details of Skills and Learning Subjects (Contents, Action Examples and Learning Subject Examples of Each Item)

Mindset and Stance - Iterative ApproachContent

Undertakes new initiatives and improvements within a short cycle with a scope that tolerates failure, and makes
iterative improvements after gaining customer/user feedback
Makes course corrections as needed in the event of failure, and is aware that having learned lessons from failure
also constitutes a positive outcome
Explanation—Action examples— As there are no precedents that guarantee success whentrying an approach that differs from the conventional
one, there is a possibility that things might not go well orthat the outcome might be something customers/users
are not seeking, even if a business person formulates aplan, develops a program or service in line with that planand carries out operational improvements. Accordingly,
business people must undertake development, planningand improvement within a short cycle that tolerates
failure, and carry this out while keeping an eye on
customer/user reaction.
 Even failure has the potential to provide seeds for thedevelopment of a new product or service, or for
operational improvements, if a business person makes
course corrections as needed, considers the root causesof the failure and learns from it.

[Iterative improvement on a short cycle]
Employees wanted to introduce a management tool, as sales
information was managed manually, but given that itconstituted a major change from the conventional approach,they decided to first introduce it experimentally at a single
branch, then identified which changes were hard for the
branch members to deal with and which changes
encountered resistance from them, and also clarified
measures to address these

As front line staff proposed the introduction of a tool that did
not cost a great deal and that had a short contract
cancellation period, employees introduced the tool on a trial
basis to see what effects it hadWhen the company trialed a new tool, employees noticed
that there seemed to be scope for modification and provided
feedback to the systems department[Perception of change as a positive outcome]

Although the trial implementation of a measure was halted
due to having failed to achieve the anticipated effect,
employees analyzed the results and discovered the root
cause of the failure, so they regarded the failure positively as
something that would lead to the next success

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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, b. Details of Skills and Learning Subjects (Contents, Action Examples and Learning Subject Examples of Each Item)

Mindset and Stance - Flexible Decision Making
ContentIf necessary for the purpose of value creation, makes decisions adapted to the situation, even in situations where
judgments on the basis of existing values are difficult
Explanation—Action examples— Although a business person might wish to make a
judgment on the basis of a precedent when trying to use
a different approach from the conventional one, there
may not be any examples that can serve as a precedent.
In this kind of situation, if a business person decides not
to undertake an action due to being unsure of whether itwill succeed, it will remain impossible to carry out
anything that has no precedent forever, so businesspeople must be willing to make decisions adapted to thesituation.

[Decision making adapted to the situation]
Management wanted to provide a new service in response tocustomer/user feedback, but as it would take time to gain
approval on a companywide basis, they began with a trial initiative
within a branch office

Following several rounds of customer interviews, management
discovered that there was a need for a service that had no similar
precedents within the company. As no similar service had been
provided previously, there were no standards within existing
internal regulations that could be applied in order to get the go
signal to launch the service. However, the service was at least notin breach of the law, so after deciding on the timing of thejudgment on whether or not to continue the service and thestandards to be used as the basis for this judgment, andinstructing the people handling the service to make it clear that it
was a beta version, management gave approval to launch theservice

As customer data also included sensitive information, the systems
department had previously been asked to extract it, but
management conducted a thorough examination of disclosable
customer data and put in place a system under which staff in
departments other than the systems department could extract
disclosable data themselves if they submitted an application that
included details of the purpose of use, etc.

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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, b. Details of Skills and Learning Subjects (Contents, Action Examples and Learning Subject Examples of Each Item)

Mindset and Stance - Decisions Based on Facts
Content

Looks at things and makes decisions on the basis of not only instinct and experience, but also objective facts anddata
Understands that decisions based on facts and data are only valid when appropriate data is used, and makes aconscious effort to enter appropriate data
Explanation—Action examples— Humans have a tendency to make judgments on thebasis of their own instinct, experience, or stereotypes,
but at a time of dizzying change in the world around us,
when a great deal of information and data that differ
from the facts are circulating, judgments made on thebasis of instinct or experience are not necessarily correct.
Accordingly, business people need to look at things andmake decisions that do not rely solely on their own
instinct and experience, but are also based on objective
facts and data.
 In addition, business people must understand thatdecisions based on facts and data are only valid whenappropriate data is used and that entering or saving
inappropriate data could invite erroneous judgments,
which could result in significant harm. As such, they must
be conscious of the importance of entering appropriate
data and act accordingly.

[Decisions on the basis of objective facts and data]When setting sales targets, employees set targets that took into accountthe market situation and efforts to take on the challenge of
discontinuous growth, rather than setting a level at around the same as
typical years



Rather than assuming that the factors contributing to a slump in sales atthe same time each year were seasonal, employees analyzed customer
data and store sales data to identify themWhen formulating a sales plan, employees identified difficulty in growing
sales in Region A, but rather than giving up, they analyzed sales data toidentify the root cause of sluggish sales and considered improvement
measuresWhen formulating a manufacturing plan, employees undertook
deliberations that skillfully combined objective facts with experience andinstinct cultivated to dateEmployees used output from generative AI after first checking objective
facts[Appropriate data entry]When responding to a questionnaire, employees gave responses thatmatched the questions and submitted the questionnaire by the deadline,
rather than leaving it until later and giving haphazard responsesWhen handling customer data in the sales management system,
employees entered and stored the data while taking care to ensure thatthe content and quantity were adequate, in line with internal rules. They
also did not make any arbitrary revisions to the data

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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, b. Details of Skills and Learning Subjects (Contents, Action Examples and Learning Subject Examples of Each Item)

Why - Change in Society
Content

Understands the changes that are occurring around the world and in Japanese society, and knows that theutilization of data and digital technology is useful in order to improve people’s lives amid change and to solve
social challenges
Explanation—Learning subject examples— To understand why DX is necessary in Japanese society,organizations and companies, business people must know
about the ways in which society is changing (major
trends and social challenges worldwide).



Megatrends/social challenges and their solution using digitaltechnology
 Sustainability: SDGs, sustainable development
 Economy: Traffic congestion, logistics capacity
 Demographics: Population decline, aging of the population
 Global environment: Zero-carbon society, climate change,
water resources, food supply and demand, measures tocombat and address natural disasters and infectious
disease Energy: Sustainability of energy supply Human resource development and education: Educational
disparities, recurrent education and reskilling Labor markets: Qualitative and quantitative changes in job
mobility and the supply and demand of workDifferences between Japan and other countries in terms of DX
initiatives

Keywords related to social and industrial change Fourth Industrial Revolution
 The society that Society 5.0 will create Data-driven society As disparities between one country and another are being
eliminated by factors including technological development
and increased mobility of human resources, businesspeople need to know about the status of initiatives inJapan and the initiatives of other advanced countries.
 The growing prevalence of the sharing economy,
including bike and car sharing, and various otheradvances in digital technology are beginning to have aneffect on our day-to-day lifestyles, so business people
need to have the prerequisite knowledge to use themwisely.

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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, b. Details of Skills and Learning Subjects (Contents, Action Examples and Learning Subject Examples of Each Item)

Why - Changes in Customer Value
Content

Correctly understands the concept of customer value and knows how customers/users have changed as a resultof advances in digital technology (diversification of access to information, products and services, and increased
desire to fulfill individuals’ varying needs)
Explanation—Learning subject examples— Thanks to the development of digital technology,
customers and users (including not only individuals, butalso companies) can access various information moreeasily than in the past. Accordingly, business people must
understand that there is a growing appetite for
information optimized for the individual, rather thanbeing optimized for as many customers/users as
possible.
 At the individual level, amid growing use of services thatutilize digital technology (e-commerce, video/musicstreaming, taxi-hailing apps, delivery services, e-books,etc.), business people must understand that companies
need to provide services that utilize digital technology
and that their own companies need to utilize existing
services as a user, in order to provide new value.

Behavioral change among customers/users and responses tochange Changes in purchasing behavior
 Advertising techniques tailored to change:
Recommendations, SEO, product listing ads,
influencers, OMO (Online Merges with Offline), LBM(Location Based Marketing) Examples of customer/user behavior analysis thatutilize data and digital technologyDigital services surrounding customers/users
 E-commerce Video/music streaming Taxi-hailing apps
 Delivery services
 E-books
 Internet banking
etc.

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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, b. Details of Skills and Learning Subjects (Contents, Action Examples and Learning Subject Examples of Each Item)

Why - Changes in the Competitive Environment
ContentKnows that, as a result of advances in data/digital technology and changes in society/customers, the sources of
the competitiveness of existing business are changing, and that business is spreading beyond national borders
and conventional industry boundaries
Explanation—Learning subject examples— To enable their own company to continue to grow amidchanges in society and customers, business people needto know that advances in digital technology havesubstantially lowered the barriers to new entrantscompared with the past, and that it is easier to buy andsell products and services across borders. Accordingly,
business people must understand how their company’scompetitive environment has changed as a result,compared with the past, or how it could potentiallychange.

Specific examples of changes in the competitive environment
resulting from the utilization of digital technology
 Environmental changes in the publishing and book
distribution industry (increase in the share of electronic
media, availability of information on the internet)
 Environmental changes in the market for buying andselling rare and secondhand books (emergence of CtoC
platforms)
 Environmental changes in the rental video and CD shop
market (emergence of video and music streaming
services)
 Environmental changes in the travel industry (travel
agents) (emergence of services that enable individuals
to easily make their own reservations foraccommodation and tours, both within Japan andoverseas)
 Environmental changes in music streaming services(shift from purchasing individual songs or albums to
subscription-based services)(Source) Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications,
Information and Communications in Japan White Paper 2021

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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, b. Details of Skills and Learning Subjects (Contents, Action Examples and Learning Subject Examples of Each Item)

What - Data in Society
Content

Understands that there are various types of data, including not only numbers, but also characters, images andsound, and knows how to store such data and utilize it in society

Explanation—Learning subject examples— As the utilization of big data progresses, business people
need to understand that data can include not only dataon the operational status of machinery and the like, butalso characters, sound, video and even their own activity
history.

Types of data
 Classification by acquisition method: Activity log data,
machinery operation log data, experimental data,
survey data, biometric data
 Classification by agent of acquisition: Primary data,secondary data
 Classification by the data’s own attributes: Structured
data, unstructured data (characters, images and sound,etc.), metadata

Utilization of data in society
 Big data and annotation
 Open data

 Rather than fearing big data and treating the unfamiliar
with suspicion, business people must know how big data
is used in order to make use of it in a convenient manner.

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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, b. Details of Skills and Learning Subjects (Contents, Action Examples and Learning Subject Examples of Each Item)

What - Reading and Explaining Data
Content 

Understands data analysis techniques and how to read the results
Comprehends the meaning of data analysis results and understands ways of explaining them appropriately thatare tailored to the purpose of the analysis and the recipients of the explanation
Explanation—Learning subject examples— To make management/work decisions on the basis offacts obtained from data, business people need to acquire
the basic knowledge of probability and statistics required
to read data, along with a knowledge of methods forcomparing pieces of data.

 To use hints gained from the reading of data for decision
making as an organization, business people need to know
techniques for the visualization of results.
Data analysis techniques (basic knowledge of probability andstatistics)
 Qualitative variables and quantitative variables
 Data distribution (histograms) and averages (mean,
median and mode) Data variation (variance, standard deviation, deviation
values) Correlation and causation
 Data types (nominal scale, ordinal scale, interval scale,ratio scale)Reading data
 Noticing duplication in data or phenomena
 Comparisons that satisfy the conditions
 Spotting exaggeration
 Identification of errors in tabulation or description
Explanation of data Visualization of data (preparation of bar charts, line
graphs, scatter diagrams, heat maps, etc.)
 Verbalization of the results of analysis

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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, b. Details of Skills and Learning Subjects (Contents, Action Examples and Learning Subject Examples of Each Item)

What - Handling Data
Content 

Understands data entry and maintenance techniques that are easy to utilize with digital technology and services
Understands that the use of data involves situations in which various data extraction and processing techniques,
and technology such as databases are essential
Explanation—Learning subject examples— Going forward, there is a possibility that data handled ina business person’s own work or by their department
could be utilized in numerous digital technologies andservices (e.g. AI training data input). Accordingly,
business people must know data entry and maintenancetechniques that make the data not only easy for humans
to understand, but also readily utilized in digitaltechnology and services.
 To gain a deeper understanding of data use, businesspeople need to know techniques related to data
extraction, processing and output.
 To gain a deeper understanding of data use, businesspeople need to know mechanisms related to databases,
which are a form of technology essential to data use.



Data entry
 Machine-readable data preparation and notation methods(Reference: Ministry of Internal Affairs andCommunications, Uniform Rules on Machine-Readable
Data Notation Methods)

Data extraction and processing Data extraction, data cleansing (outliers and abnormal
values), filtering and sorting, joining, mapping, sampling,aggregation/conversion/computation

Data output
 Downloading and saving data, file formats



Databases Database management systems
 Database types: Relational databases, key-value format
 Database structures: Tables, records, fields
 Database design: Overview of data normalization, ER
diagrams

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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, b. Details of Skills and Learning Subjects (Contents, Action Examples and Learning Subject Examples of Each Item)

What - Making Judgments Based on Data

Content Understands the structures of operations/businesses and the purpose of analysis, and knows about approaches to data analysis anduse
Understands that even if the analysis provides results that differ from the expected results, this in itself is an important finding
Understands techniques for identifying actions for the improvement of management and work from analysis results, and techniques
for monitoring what results these actions have had
Understands that decisions based on data are only valid when appropriate data is used

Explanation—Learning subject examples— Business people need to know the importance of theformulation of a hypothesis concerning the purpose forwhich the data will be used and what results are forecast
to be obtained, as a prerequisite for handling data.
 Results generated from inappropriate data can invite
erroneous judgments and, as a result, lead to significant
harm. Accordingly, business people must know that,when making judgments on the basis of data, it is vital touse appropriate data that satisfies both qualitative andquantitative requirements.

Data-driven decision making process Hypothesis formulation
 Revision of a hypothesis
 Verification of data using primary information
 Determination and disclosure of data integrity (e.g.
checking that the content has no errors or bias, that
there is an adequate volume of data, that the source anddate of last modification are clear, and that the data has
been handled on the basis of the organization’s rules)
 Decision making on the basis of the results of analysis

Analysis approach design Securing the requisite data Structural understanding of the analysis subject
 Business analysis techniques Design of data, analysis techniques and visualization
methodsMonitoring techniques Business people need to know techniques for designing
analytical approaches for the achievement of theobjectives of the analysis and also for designing mediumto long-term monitoring methods.

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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, b. Details of Skills and Learning Subjects (Contents, Action Examples and Learning Subject Examples of Each Item)

What - AIContentKnows the background to the creation of AI and the reasons why it has spread rapidly
Understands the mechanisms of AI and knows what AI can and cannot do
Understands the possibilities for utilizing AI and knows tips for increasing its precision
Knows about trends in AI models commonly used in organizations/society
Explanation—Learning subject examples— As AI is affecting our daily lives, due to the spread ofgenerative AI and wearable devices, among others,
business people need to understand why such changes
have occurred.
 As it is envisaged that the future will bring situations inwhich AI is also used at work, business people need toknow what AI can and cannot do.

The history of AI
 The definition of AI
 Transitions in the AI boom
 Studies and technologies at the heart of past AI booms(searches, inference, etc.)

Techniques and technologies required to create AI
 Specific machine learning techniques: Supervised
learning, unsupervised learning, reinforcement learning,etc.
 Overview of deep learning: Neural networks,
pretraining, fine-tuning, large language models,
foundation models, etc.
 Approaches to undertaking AI projects, etc.

Social principles of human-centric AI, ELSI (Ethical, Legal andSocial Issues), etc.



The fields of strength and limitations of AI
 Strong AI and weak AI, etc.

Latest AI-related technology trends
 Generative AI, etc.

 To gain a more concrete impression of what AI can do,
business people must know how AI processes things.
 Business people need to regularly obtain updated
information about AI that is attracting interest in theworld around them.

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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, b. Details of Skills and Learning Subjects (Contents, Action Examples and Learning Subject Examples of Each Item)

What - CloudContent

Understands cloud mechanisms and knows the difference between cloud and on-premise
Knows about cloud service delivery models

Explanation—Learning subject examples— As the cloud is a technology used in many services thatutilize data and AI that have become mainstream inrecent years, business people need to learn how data isheld in the cloud.
 As the number of business system services provided incloud form is also on the rise, business people must know
the mechanisms that make the cloud’s safe use possible,
to ensure they do not harbor excessive anxieties about
the cloud.







Cloud mechanisms
 The difference between on-premise and cloud Public cloud and private cloud Security measures in cloud services
Cloud service delivery models
 SaaS (Software as a Service) IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) PaaS (Platform as a Service)
Latest cloud-related technology trends

 As services that use the cloud are becoming widespread
not only in the field of business systems, but also inservices used in daily life, business people must know
which services use cloud technology.

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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, b. Details of Skills and Learning Subjects (Contents, Action Examples and Learning Subject Examples of Each Item)

What - Hardware and Software
ContentKnows the mechanisms by which devices such as computers and smartphones operate
Knows how the company’s internal systems and the like are madeExplanation—Learning subject examples— As the number of types of devices with computing
functions is increasing, business people must know whattypes of devices are used as computers.
 To use computers in daily life and work, business people
must know the fundamental mechanisms by which
computers work and the software mechanisms that makethem function.
 Business people must understand what the systems usedin their work can and cannot do, and, in order to facilitatecommunication with departments in charge ofdevelopment, must know about ways of thinking whengiving instructions to computers and what kind of work IT
departments and the like carry out.



Hardware Hardware components: Processor, memory, storage,
input-output devices
 Types of computers and input-output devices: PCs,servers, general purpose machines, smartphones,
tablets, wearable devices, smart speakers, sensors,
digital signage, drones
Software Software components: OS, middleware, applications
 Open source software Programming thinking: Basic concepts of algorithms,
features of programming languages

Development and operation within companies
 Overview of project management
 Overview of service management



Latest technology trends related to hardware and software

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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, b. Details of Skills and Learning Subjects (Contents, Action Examples and Learning Subject Examples of Each Item)

What - Networks
ContentKnows the basic mechanisms involved in networks
Knows the mechanisms of the internet and major internet services

Explanation—Learning subject examples— When using the internet and the like, business people
need to have basic knowledge about network
mechanisms and the mechanisms that support internet
technology.
 Knowing the types of internet technology that they will
frequently encounter in daily life will enable businesspeople to use them effectively.







Network and internet mechanisms
 Network systems (LAN, WAN)
 Connection devices (hubs and routers) Communications protocols
 IP addresses Domains Wireless communications (Wi-Fi, etc.)
etc.
Internet services
 E-mail 5G (mobile) Remote conferencing and other communication services
 Online payment and other financial services
etc.
Latest network-related technology trends

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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, b. Details of Skills and Learning Subjects (Contents, Action Examples and Learning Subject Examples of Each Item)

How - Example Uses of Data and Digital TechnologyContent Knows example uses of data and digital technology in business
Understands that data and digital technology can be used in various work and can imagine situations in which
they can be applied to their own work
Explanation—Learning subject examples— To develop the ability to imagine how they can use data
and digital technology in their own work and in theservices they handle, business people must know thatdata and digital technology are utilized in a variety ofbusiness settings and must come into contact withspecific examples.



Example uses of data and digital technology in business activities
 Services: Introduction of robot waiters, analysis ofpurchasing trends using customer information
 Sales: Virtual try-on services, unstaffed convenience stores Marketing: Recommendation functions tailored topurchasing history, product listing ads that use big data Manufacturing: Storage and analysis of manufacturing data(smart factories), automated management andprocurement of parts inventory
 Research and development: Switch to remote researchwork, construction of research data infrastructure systems
 Procurement: Introduction of electronic contract systems,
centralization of supply chain information
 Logistics: Blockchain-based production information
tracking, prevention of redelivery by using customer
information
Example uses of generative AI
 Use of large language models in such tasks as the
preparation and summary of texts, the collection of
information, the identification of challenges, andbrainstorming for all kinds of work
 Improvement of customer experience, business
transformation, etc.

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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, b. Details of Skills and Learning Subjects (Contents, Action Examples and Learning Subject Examples of Each Item)

How - Use of Tools
Content 

Has a knowledge of ways to use tools and can select the appropriate tool for the situation in everyday work

Explanation—Learning subject examples— In both day-to-day work and DX initiatives conductedwithin organizations, business people need to know about
ways to use various tools and generative AI, in order toselect and use the appropriate tool for the situation.
 Business people must gain a basic knowledge even ofdigital tools that are not frequently used in routine work,so that they can consider the introduction of appropriate
tools according to the situation.

Ways to use tools relevant to everyday work
 Communication tools: E-mail, chat, project management
 Office tools: Alteration of character size and font, basic
functions, creation of tables, handy shortcuts
 Search engines: Search tips

Ways to use generative AI Overview of image generation tools, text generation tools
and speech production tools
 Prompt techniques

Ways to use digital tools relevant to automation andstreamlining Basic knowledge about no-code/low-code tools Overview of tools for automation and in-housedevelopment of RPA, AutoML, etc.

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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, b. Details of Skills and Learning Subjects (Contents, Action Examples and Learning Subject Examples of Each Item)

How - Security
ContentHas a knowledge of the mechanisms of security technologies and measures that individuals should take, and canuse data and digital technology with peace of mind

Explanation—Learning subject examples— Rather than feeling pointless anxiety about data anddigital technology, business people need to know about
the mechanisms that protect information, in order to usethem appropriately.
 Business people must understand not only theenvironments and measures provided by theircompanies, but also the need for individuals to takesecurity measures and ways in which they can do so.



The three elements of security
 Confidentiality
 Integrity
 AvailabilitySecurity technology
 Encryption
 One-time passwords
 Blockchain Biometric authentication



Information security management systems (ISMS)Security measures that individuals should take ID and password management
 Setting access rights
 Prevention of screen viewing by others Vigilance in regard to e-mails with attached files
 Vigilance in regard to external e-mail addresses

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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, b. Details of Skills and Learning Subjects (Contents, Action Examples and Learning Subject Examples of Each Item)

How - Moral Issues
Content 

Has the sense of morality required in an age in which individuals can freely exchange information on the internet,
and can communicate appropriately on the internet
Knows about things that are prohibited in data analysis, such as fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism, and canuse data appropriately
Can imagine the hazards and impacts of data leakage
Explanation—Learning subject examples— As actions that would be perfectly unremarkable in daily
life can cause major problems in environments where
information can easily be exchanged via the internet,
business people need to equip themselves with anawareness of the moral issues involved in communicating
appropriately.



Examples of problems related to such matters as online
harm, social media and generative AI, and measures tocombat them Leakage of addresses via location information fromphotographs
 Account takeovers
 Online flaming Defamation rulings
 Leakage of information via data entered on social media
or into AI or search tools, etc.
 Use of training data for generative AI, etc.



Points for attention and things that are prohibited in the useof data Fabrication of results
 Plagiarism of experimental data Cherry-picking of results
 ELSI (Ethical, Legal and Social Issues)

 Business people need to use data appropriately, based ona full understanding of the fact that the illicit acquisition
and fabrication of data for the purpose of reaching their
desired conclusion is unacceptable.
 When using SNS and generative AI and the like, businesspeople need to understand how the input information isused, and to enter appropriate information.
 When using data, business people must bear in mind theperspective of ethical, legal and social issues (ELSI),
including ethical perspectives relevant to the accuracy of
information and respect for others, legal perspectives
associated with the understanding of copyright and the
Act on the Protection of Personal Information, and social
perspectives on the impacts of digital technology.

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Part II, Chapter 3 Skills and Learning Subjects, b. Details of Skills and Learning Subjects (Contents, Action Examples and Learning Subject Examples of Each Item)

How - ComplianceContentKnows about privacy, intellectual property rights and copyright, along with laws for their protection and data
regulations in other countries
When using data or technology in their actual work, can check that there are no problems with their work in lightof laws, regulations and terms of use
Explanation—Learning subject examples— To ensure they do not violate the Act on the Protection of
Personal Information when handling customer data at
work or when disseminating information in their private
life, business people must know the content signified by
the term “personal information” and the rules for its
handling.
 Business people must equip themselves with fundamental
knowledge to ensure that they do not unintentionallyinfringe intellectual property rights in their work.
 Business people must know that each country has its
own laws on data protection and that these also apply toindividuals who handle information in Japan.

Definitions of personal information and laws related to personal
information, along with points for attention regarding these Act on the Protection of Personal Information
 Rules for the handling of personal information
 Privacy-related guidelines set out by industry groups, etc.

Focus of protection under intellectual property rights
 Copyright, patent rights, utility model rights, design
rights, trademark rights
 Unfair Competition Prevention Act

Content of data regulations in other countries
 GDPR CCPA Other regulations on the protection of industrial data

Scope of data use in light of terms of use for services
 Checks of how the service provider manages/uses entereddata Checks of usage rules within the company or organization

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II. Digital Skill Standards for DX Literacy (DSS-L)

Chapter 4
How the DSS-L Can Be Utilized

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Part II, Chapter 4 How the DSS-L Can Be Utilized

Ways of Utilizing the DSS-L
Organizations/companies, individuals and educational content providers are envisaged to be the mainusers of the DSS-L. Ways of utilizing the DSS-L tailored to their respective positions are shown below,
along with specific examples thereof.

Organizations/companies

Individuals

Educational
content
providersUtilization as guidelines in deliberations concerning training systems
that will equip employees with DX literacy
Utilization as material for deliberations on the direction of DX at thecompany that also indicates to management and employees theneed to equip themselves with DX literacy in light of that direction
Utilization as guidelines to systematically design their studies andby selecting the content they will study from among the hugevolume of DX-related articles, books, learning content and the likethat is available around them

Utilization as guidelines for deliberations on what kind of content
they should convey to a wide range of business people in thecourse of the development and provision of educational content on
DX literacy
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Part II, Chapter 4 How the DSS-L Can Be Utilized

Ways of Utilizing the DSS-L - By General Category
Mindset and Stance

Goals of learning bygeneral category

Examples of utilization toachieve goals of learning

Organizations/companies

Individuals

Educational
content
providers

Why

What

How

To know the mindsets andstances required to produce
new value against the
backdrop of social change andhave the ability to reflect on
their own actions

To know how the values
people regard as importantand the socioeconomic
environment are changing,and to understand theimportance of DX

To know about data anddigital technology as a meansof DX promotion

To understand example uses ofdata and digital technology andlearn how to use the basic
tools for their utilization, andthen to be able to actually use
them in work, while also taking
into account points forattention and the like

Identification of the mindsets
and stances that are
particularly important in orderfor the company to generate
new value, and deliberations on
ways to ensure these become
prevalent

Indication of the necessity anddirection of DX within thecompany, in light of changes inthe environment around thecompany

Indication to employees of data
and digital technology that areimportant to the company’sbusiness, and provision of
study opportunities

Indication to employees of thedirection of the utilization ofdata and technology within thecompany and examples thereof,
along with basic tools and points
for attention in order to achieve
this

Acquisition of knowledge
concerning the requisite
mindsets and stances, alongwith reflection on their own
day-to-day actions andattitudes

Understanding of changes in
the world around them andconsideration of impacts on theorganization/company to which
they belong and on their own
lives

Study of data and digitaltechnology in overview andconsideration of thetechnologies behind data andtools encountered in familiar
settings

Study of example uses, ways ofutilization and points forattention, so that they can selectand utilize the appropriate tools
for the situation

Explanation of data and digitaltechnology, linked toindividuals’ work and to familiar
tools and services

Presentation of various example
uses of data and digitaltechnology, and means ofachieving them (including theutilization of tools), along withthe provision of opportunities tohandle tools and explanation ofpoints for attention

Introduction of mindset andstance action examples andassociated methodologies

Explanation of why DX isrequired amid changes in theworld around us, accompaniedby the presentation of specificexamplesThe pages that follow provide specific utilization examples to provide a more concrete illustration of how
the DSS-L can be utilized.
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Part II, Chapter 4 How the DSS-L Can Be Utilized

DSS-L Usage Examples - Mindset and Stance (1/2)
Examples of utilization

Identification of the mindsets
and stances that are
particularly important in order
Organizations/ for the company to generatecompanies
new value, and deliberations
on ways to ensure these
become prevalent

Individuals

Acquisition of knowledge
concerning the requisite
mindsets and stances, alongwith reflection on their own
day-to-day actions andattitudes

Specific examplesUse of the mindsets and stances described in the standards as a point ofreference to identify which mindsets and stances the company’sorganizations/human resources already have and which should be developed
going forwardIndication to employees of the mindsets and stances that are particularly
important in the creation of new value and DX initiatives at the company, alongwith specific action examples

Consideration of the requisite measures (organizational climate/structure,transformation of systems, etc.)—including those beyond employee education—
to ensure the mindsets and stances whose future development are deemed
particularly necessary become prevalentAcquisition of knowledge concerning the mindsets and stances that areimportant to the organization/company to which they belong and to their own
work/business, along with reflection on their own day-to-day actions andattitudes
Acquisition of knowledge concerning mindsets and stances other than the abovethat are laid out in the standards



Educational
content
providersIntroduction of mindset andstance action examples andassociated methodologies

Explanation of mindset and stance action examples and associatedmethodologies in a manner that provides an understanding of which actions leadto the creation of new value (the obstacles encountered when individuals
practice these mindsets and stances or during efforts to make them prevalent
within an organization could conceivably be explained at the same time, alongwith ways to overcome these obstacles)

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Part II, Chapter 4 How the DSS-L Can Be Utilized

DSS-L Usage Examples - Mindset and Stance (2/2)
 While mindset and stance are actions and attitudes required of individuals, initiatives at the organization/company
level are necessary.
 It is desirable for organizations to indicate the mindsets and stances that they regard as important, to set out whichof them are existing strengths of the organization, and to identify which they intend to continue to leverage going
forward.

Organizations/companies
・・・

Without
initiatives bytheorganization/companyWith initiatives
by theorganization/company

What’s most lacking
in our company is“XX,” so we want todevelop thisOn the other hand,“YY” is the same as“ZZ,” which has long
been our company’s
philosophy

All Rights Reserved Copyright© IPA 2024

Individuals
I wonder if weneed thisapproach...

I wonder if weneed thisapproach...

But it’s not as if mycompany’s going tochange, and it’smeaningless for me asjust one person to try to
introduce a new
approach...

In light of mycompany’s situation andclimate, this might be
the particular thing that
I can change!

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Part II, Chapter 4 How the DSS-L Can Be Utilized

DSS-L Usage Examples - Why
Examples of utilization

Specific examples

Indication of the necessityand direction of DX within
Organizations/ the company, in light ofchanges in thecompanies
environment around thecompany Consideration of the impacts that social change is having on thecompany right now or could have on it in the future, and indication ofthese to employees

Individuals

Understanding of changes
in the world around themand consideration of
impacts on theorganization/company towhich they belong and on
their own lives

 Selection and study of content related to the background to DX,
while also referring to the standards
 Understanding of social change and consideration of the impacts that
it is having on the organization/company to which they belong or
could have on it in the future Reflection on how their own lifestyle is changing

Educational
content
providers

Explanation of why DX isrequired amid changes in
the world around us,
accompanied by thepresentation of specificexamples Explanation of what changes are occurring in society and what roledata and digital technology are playing in those changes,
accompanied by examples likely to be familiar to numerous course
participants For example, provision of specific instances of how data and digitaltechnology can resolve social challenges, using examples tailored tothe place where the course is being provided

 Indication of the company’s particular need for DX and direction
thereof, in light of the impacts on it

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Part II, Chapter 4 How the DSS-L Can Be Utilized

DSS-L Usage Examples - What
Examples of utilization
Indication to employees ofdata and digital
Organizations/ technology that areimportant to thecompanies
company’s business, andprovision of study
opportunities

Specific examples
 Consideration of which data and digital technology will be particularly
important to the company’s future business and which of these thecompany wants to utilize going forward Provision of opportunities for employees to engage in study centeredon the data and digital technology that will be particularly importantto the company, along with data and digital technology not currently
utilized, but which the company wants to utilize going forward

Individuals

Study of data and digitaltechnology in overview
and consideration of thetechnologies behind data
and tools encountered infamiliar settings

 Selection and study of content related to knowledge of data anddigital technology in overview, while also referring to the standards
 Efforts to think about the data and digital technology behind familiar
tools and services used in their work or daily life

Educational
content
providers

Explanation of data anddigital technology, linked
to individuals’ work and tofamiliar tools and services

 Explanation not only of the definitions of keywords laid out in thelearning subject examples in the standards, but also of how they arelinked to individuals’ work and to familiar tools and services, so that
individuals feel greater familiarity with data and digital technology

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Part II, Chapter 4 How the DSS-L Can Be Utilized

DSS-L Usage Examples - How
Examples of utilization

Organizations/companies

Individuals

Educational
content
providers

Indication to employees of thedirection of the utilization ofdata and technology within thecompany and examples
thereof, along with basic tools
and points for attention inorder to achieve thisStudy of example uses, waysof utilization and points forattention, so that they can
select and utilize theappropriate tools for thesituation

Presentation of various
example uses of data anddigital technology, and meansof achieving them (including
the utilization of tools), alongwith the provision ofopportunities to handle tools
and explanation of points forattention

Specific examples


Introduction of example uses of data and digital technology within the company, sothat employees feel a sense of familiarity with the utilization of data and technology

If the utilization of data and digital technology has not progressed throughout thecompany, consideration of how data and digital technology could conceivably beutilized within the company and sharing of this information with employees

Provision of opportunities to learn about the tools that are already utilized at thecompanyInspection of the company’s existing training and rules to ascertain whether they
cover security and moral issues



Selection and study of content related to example uses, basic tools and points
for attention, while also referring to the standards
Tapping into their knowledge of example uses and basic tools in efforts toimagine how they could utilize data and digital technology in their company’sbusiness and their own work
Study of points for attention in the utilization of data and tools, and efforts toutilize them in their own work








Provision of content that gives course participants a first-hand sense of theeffects, if possible, with indication of ways of utilization, alongside specificsituations in which they may be utilized, to make it easier for course participants
to apply knowledge to their own work
Along with explanation of basic general knowledge and knowledge of technicalaspects, explanation of points for attention accompanied by the presentation of
specific examples of things to which individuals should pay attention in daily life
In addition, highlighting of accidents that can occur due to failure to pay
attention to these things

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III. Digital Skill Standards for DX Promotion(DSS-P)All Rights Reserved Copyright© IPA 2024

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Part III. Digital Skill Standards for DX Promotion (DSS-P)

Chapter 1
Aim of the DSS-P and Formulation Policy

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Part III, Chapter 1 Aim of the DSS-P and Formulation Policy

The Need for the DSS-PThe challenges thought to be behind the failure of Japanese companies to secure sufficient human resources who promote DX
are the difficulties experienced by those companies in mapping out the direction of their DX and identifying what kind of
human resources they require.
When a company draws up a vision for what it wants to achieve through DX and strategies for its promotion, it is vital toappropriately identify what kind of human resources it needs to secure and cultivate to bring them to fruition. The DSS-P will
be a useful point of reference in this process. However, companies must bear in mind that the skill standards should not be
used as the basis for drawing up strategies, nor will they achieve progress in DX by haphazardly acquiring skills.
Without the DSS-P (illustration)
With the DSS-P (illustration)• The company/organization has difficulty in identifying thehuman resources it requires, so it cannot set to work on
efforts to secure/cultivate human resources who promote
DX, and a shortage of human resources is potentially achallenge••

Directionofcompany
wide DX•

Unable to spot appropriate human resources evenwhen already in the company
Does not know the skills human resources should betaughtDoes not know what type of people it should hire

• Referring to the DSS-P provides a clear understandingof the human resources required by thecompany/organization, so it has been able to set towork on efforts to secure/cultivate them•••

Directionofcompany
wide DX•

Was able to discover hidden human resources who
promote DX
Was able to identify prospective human resources
who promote DX and the skills they should be taught
Was able to identify human resources that cannot
readily be cultivated in-house and employ themWas able to consider the career path they themselves
should follow

Hired

CultivatedStandards

Standards
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Part III, Chapter 1 Aim of the DSS-P and Formulation Policy

The Aim of the DSS-P
Target audience for the DSS-P•

The DSS-P seeks to appeal to the following:

Organizations/Companies seeking to utilize data and digital technology to boost competitiveness, regardless ofbusiness scale or degree of DX promotion

Individuals promoting transformation that utilizes data and digital technology in organizations/companies

The aim of the DSS-P•

Encouraging reskilling, creating forums for practical learning and visualizing skills by setting out the roles of human resources who promote
DX and the knowledge and skills they acquire, and linking these to mechanisms for their cultivation
Before utilizing the standards (illustration)
After utilizing the standards (illustration)

40s
Director, Food Retail

50s
Manufacturing• Wants to implement DX promotion
initiatives, but has no humanresources within the company whoseem capable of it, and does notknow what kind of humanresources with what knowledge
and skills will be required• Clarified the roles that the company should put
in place as a priority• Revised the content of training provided by
the company with a view to developing therequisite human resources• Was appointed to a rolepromoting a DX project within
the company, but has noprevious experience and does notknow what kind of knowledge
and skills he needs

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• Clarified the knowledge and skills required topromote the project• Has selected content and is engaging instudy with a view to acquiring them64Part III, Chapter 1 Aim of the DSS-P and Formulation Policy

DSS-P Formulation Policy
POINT

1

POINT

2

POINT

3

POINT

4

POINT

5

Sorts the human resources required for
DX promotion into 5 types and defines them

The DSS-P defines the key human resources required for
DX in companies/organizations as 5 human resource
types: (business architects/designers/data
scientists/software engineers/cyber security)

Defines 2-4 roles on the basis of differences in theirfunctions and the settings where they are active

Within each human resource type, the DSS-P defines 2-4
roles that envisage differences in their functions and thesettings where they are active. Allows for flexible usage
tailored to differences in the division of roles when
promoting DX in diverse organizations/companies, including
the possibility that one human resource might holdmultiple roles concurrently or that multiple humanresources might be responsible for one role

Defines the skills and knowledge required of eachrole in broad groupings

Defines the skills and knowledge required of each role inbroad groupings as a List of Common Skills common to
all human resource types. Lightweight definitions of skills
and knowledge facilitate a swift, flexible response totechnological changes required in the digital age

Provides learning subject examples to facilitate
understanding of the education and training requiredfor cultivation

The List of Common Skills provides “learning subject
examples” associated with each skill. This will enable thelearning subject examples to be associated with educationand training, etc. to develop the human resources required
for DX promotion

Envisages levels at which an individual will be able toexecute work singlehandedly and also to cultivate
successors

Overall, rather than setting detailed indicators for evaluatinglevels, the DSS-P envisages levels equivalent to ITSS+
Level 4* (Able to execute work singlehandedly and also tocultivate successors)*ITSS+ Definitions of Common Levels (https://www.ipa.go.jp/jinzai/skill-standard/plus-it-ui/itssplus/ps6vr70000001j6e-att/000065687.pdf )All Rights Reserved Copyright© IPA 2024

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Part III, Chapter 1 Aim of the DSS-P and Formulation Policy

Scope of the DSS-P Human Resource TypesAs those responsible for project management, coordination of teams in specific fields, companywide organizational reforms,
human resource development and marketing may differ according to the nature of a project, these are not defined as
independent roles, but rather defined as skills required for the role.
The DSS-P explicitly does not include definitions of roles and skills that individuals should equip themselves with in relation to
management with responsibility for the entire company, operations specific to administration or sales and marketing, and thefollowing functions associated with social initiatives.


Organizational enhancement: Management strategy formulation, decisions on investment in individual businesses and projects, andadministrative and practical matters involving administration and control
Individual businesses and projects: Sales and marketing of products, services and business, and social DX initiatives

Promotion of DX initiatives
Management/administration• Coordination of relevant parties and promotion in aconsistent DX promotion process (planning –implementation/introduction, effect verification after
introduction)

Individual
businesses/projects

Organizational
enhancement• Project management• Coordination and leadership of teams in specificfields• Formation of teams for individual projects/cases,
human resource development of team members• Management strategy formulation• Decisions on investment in individual
businesses/projects

Defined as DSS-P
human resource types

Defined as skills
required for the role

Execution••

Planning of the transformation of products, services andbusiness, and operational streamlining and upgrading –implementation/introduction – effect verification after
introduction
Operation and maintenance of products, services and business• Marketing strategy formulation, digital marketing• Sales and marketing of products, services andbusiness• Social DX initiatives• Practical matters involving administration/control• Organizational reforms and human resource
development for companywide DX promotion
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Part III. Digital Skill Standards for DX Promotion (DSS-P)

Chapter 2
Structure of the DSS-P

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Part III, Chapter 2 Structure of the DSS-P

Structure of the DSS-PThe DSS-P is formed of five human resource types, roles that form a subdivision of this, and a list of common skills that apply to all
human resource types and roles.
“Role” refers to the further subdivision of human resource types by differences in work to make utilization easier for organizations,companies and individuals.
Human Resource Types

Data Scientists

Software Engineers

Cloud Engineers/SRE

Physical Computing
Engineers

Cyber Security
Managers

Cyber Security
Engineers

・・・

・・・

・・・

・・・

・・・

・・・

・・・

・・・

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・・・

・・・

・・・

Skills required for eachrole defined from the
List of Common Skills for
all human resource
types

Cyber Security

Backend Engineers

Frontend Engineers

Data Engineers

Data Science
Professionals

Data Business
Strategists

Graphic Designers

UX/UI Designers

・・・

Skills・・・・

Designers

Service Designers

Personal
skills・・・

Skills・・・・

Business Architects

Security(Upgrading and streamliningof internal operations)

Skills・・・・・・・Technology

Business Architects

Skills・・・・(Upgrading of existing
business)Datautilization

Skills required for each role

Skills・・・・

Business Architects

List of Common Skills

Businessinnovation(New businessdevelopment)

Roles(defined based on responsibilities
in DX promotion, main work,required skills)

Business Architects

68Part III, Chapter 2 Structure of the DSS-P

Structure of the DSS-P | Definition of Terms
 The definitions of terms relating to the human resource types, roles and skills comprising the DSS-P are as
follows:
Term
Human
Resource Types
Roles
Responsibilities
in DX
Promotion
Main WorkDefinition
The human resources required for DX promotion in companies/organizations divided
into 5 types(business architects/designers/data scientists/software engineers/cyber security)

The further subdivision of a human resource type by differences in work
*A single individual may hold multiple roles concurrently
The mission that each role should fulfill in promoting DX
The work/operations/tasks that it is thought each role should carry out to fulfill theaforementioned responsibilities

Skills

Items such as knowledge and skills deemed necessary to the execution of operations in
DX promotion at companies/organizations

Learning
subject
examplesExamples of content that is expected to be learned for acquisition of a skill*As the learning subject examples are merely examples, the acquisition of all of them is
not essential

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Part III, Chapter 2 Structure of the DSS-P

Definition of Human Resource Types
This defines the five main human resource types for DX promotion.
It is important for human resources who promote DX to get other types of human resources involved and provide help toother types after first proactively building connections with these other types of human resources. It is also important toproactively look for suitable human resources both internally and externally.

Business
Architects

Human resources who take acomprehensive view of thecircumstances incorporating
perspectives such as the businessperspective and the customer/user
perspective, create policies for
products and services and establish
development processes, and design
the form that products and services
are to take in line with these

Designers

Human resources who, in the
promotion of DX, design,
implement, and operate systems
and software to provide products
and services using digitaltechnology

Human resources who, in DX initiatives, define
what is to be achieved through transformation inbusiness and work (i.e. goals), and then achievethese goals by coordinating the relevant parties
and taking a lead role in building collaborative
relationships among them while moving processes
forward in a consistent manner towards the goals

Transformationof products,
services andbusiness using
data and digitaltechnology

SoftwareEngineers

Human resources who, in the
promotion of DX, design, implement,
and operate mechanisms for thegathering and analysis of data
toward transformation of operations
and realization of new businesses
through use of data

Data
Scientists

Cyber
Security
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Human resources who areresponsible for measures tominimize the impact of cybersecurity risks in digital
environments that support
operational processes
70Part III, Chapter 2 Structure of the DSS-P

Collaborating between Human Resource Types
 Human Resource Types & Roles gives a specific description of collaborating between each type.
 Rather than assuming that one role gives instructions or requests to another role, this assumes that two or
more roles build a collaborative working relationship in a range of situations.
Business Architects

Designers

Data Scientists

Software Engineers

Cyber Security

Business
Architects
Designers• Consideration of ideas for
products and services basedon insights derived from theresults of customer and user
surveys• Consideration of ideas for
products and services basedon hints obtained from theresults of data analysis• Consideration of surveys,
data acquisition, analysis,
and how to present analysis
results for verification ofcustomer/user understanding
and products/services

SoftwareEngineers• Consideration of ideas for
products/services based on
new technology and tool
• Definition of requirements fordevelopment based on
customer needs, andsoftware architecture design• Determination of priority indevelopment• Development, evaluation,and verification of
products/services, while
taking into consideration
design guidelines, usability
and ethical appropriateness• Consideration of new
mechanisms forcollecting/accumulating/analyzing/visualizing data,
and mechanisms forlinking/connecting withexisting systems, etc.

Cyber
Security• Consideration of optimum
measures for product/service
risks taking the balance ofcosts/risks into consideration• Consideration of new rules
corresponding to risks• Consideration of userinterfaces to decrease thefeeling of burden on users
due to security enhancement• Consideration of policies
concerning data
management and privacy
protection

Data
Scientists

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Creation of security rules andcountermeasures corresponding
to risks for new
products/services
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Part III, Chapter 2 Structure of the DSS-P

List of RolesThe DSS-P further subdivides human resource types into the roles described below.

Human Resource
Types

Roles
Business Architects(New business development)

Business
Architects

Business Architects(Upgrading of existing business)

Business Architects(Upgrading and streamlining ofinternal operations)

Designers

Data
Scientists

SoftwareEngineers

Cyber
Security

Responsibilities in DX Promotion
Identify the goals of new business and products and services, set out the method for achieving the newly defined goals, and then achieve these goals by
coordinating the relevant parties and taking a lead role in building collaborative relationships among them while moving processes forward in a consistent manner
towards the goals
Rethink the goals of existing business and products and services, set out the method for achieving the redefined goals, and then achieve these goals by
coordinating the relevant parties and taking a lead role in building collaborative relationships among them while moving processes forward in a consistent manner
towards the goals
Define goals for problem solving in internal operations and set out the method for achieving these goals, and then achieve these goals by coordinating the relevant
parties and taking a lead role in building collaborative relationships among them while moving processes forward in a consistent manner towards the goals

Service Designers

Define customer value in the context of society, customers and users, and the challenges and actions of both internal and external involved parties in the provisionof products and services, create policies (concepts) for products and services, and design mechanisms for continuously realizing them

UX/UI Designers

Design customer/user experience for products and services based on value propositions*, undertake the information design of products and services, and design
functions, information deployment, appearance, and dynamic elements

Graphic Designers

Create concrete realizations of brand image, and design digital graphics, marketing media, and other such things with a sense of unification as a brand

Data Business Strategists

Consider data utilization strategy in line with enterprise strategy, and lead the way in realizing and executing the strategy while achieving business transformation
to increase customer value and creating new business

Data Science Professionals

Use data processing and analysis to elicit meaningful knowledge that will lead to operational transformation and business creation to increase customer value

Data Engineers

Realize operational transformation and business creation to increase customer value through the design, implementation, and operation of an effective data analysis
environment

Frontend Engineers

Take the main responsibility for mainly implementing interface (client-side) functions among software functions for providing services that leverage digitaltechnology

Backend Engineers

Take the main responsibility for mainly implementing server-side functions among software functions for providing services that leverage digital technology

Cloud Engineers/SRE

Take responsibility for developing the software to provide services that use digital technology, optimizing the operating environment, and increasing its reliability

Physical Computing Engineers

Undertake digitalization of the real world (physical domain) and take responsibility for implementing software functions, including for devices, in the implementationof software for the provision of services utilizing digital technology

Cyber Security Managers

In the formulation of business plans to increase customer value, consider and evaluate cyber security risks resulting from the use of digital technology and take thelead in the management and control of measures to limit the impact in order to contribute to increase sense of trust in the business as one that provides highcustomer value

Cyber Security Engineers

Implement, maintain, and run measures to limit cyber security risks relating to the use of digital technology in business in order to contribute to the stable provisionof business offering high customer value

Note: Value proposition: The benefit provided to customers who purchase a company’s product or service, or the reason that customers should buy the product or service, as determined on the basis ofbusiness capabilities having first gained an understanding of the value demanded by customers
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Part III, Chapter 2 Structure of the DSS-P

Revision of the DSS-P on Generative AI <Summary> (July 2024)

It is important for human resources who promote DX to capture the changes brought about by newly emerging, impactful digital technologies(hereinafter called “new technologies”) .
To this end, supplementary information on approaches and actions on new technologies required of human resources who promote DX has
been added.
Assuming that the roles of human resources do not change, the human resource types and roles were left the same and additions/changes were
only made to the examples of learning subjects in the List of Common Skills.
Aims of the Establishment of the Standards
Human Resource Types & Roles

PremiseCharacteristics ofGenerative AI

1
2

 General characteristics (including definitions of terms), usefulness, and risksof generative AI were added to achieve a common understanding.

No
revision
Added supplementary info

 Going forward, new technologies that bring about changes to business and operations are expected to appear and demand our adaptation justlike generative AI. To this end, definitions for approaches and actions on new technologies required of human resources who promote DX
were added.

Basic Approach:
Develop/Provide
Utilize and ｜｜｜｜

 To define actions for generative AI, the following viewpoints on generative AI, which will become the basic approach for Supplementary
Information 4 onwards* were added.
 Utilize : Utilize publicly available generative AI in operations; Utilize generative AI incorporated into the organization/company’s operational
processes.
 Develop/Provide : Develop products and services that incorporate generative AI that contribute to the operational processes of thebusiness/organization and provide them to customers and users.

3

4
Detailed Definitions

ExamplesActions on Generative AI

How to Approach/Take
Actions on New Technologies(Including Generative AI)

5

 In order to promote a better understanding of actions taken on generative AI, the processes, contents, and points to consider that arecommon to all human resource types when utilizing and developing/providing generative AI were added.

Example of Utilizing Generative AI
in Operations as an Individual

6 Example of Actions Taken When Developing/Providing Generative In order to evoke an image of utilizing generative AI, examples of utilizing
publicly available generative AI in operations and utilizing generative AI incorporated
into the organization/company’s operational processes were added.

AI Products and Services for Business and Operational Processes

 In order to evoke an image of developing/providing generative AI, examples of the
key actions taken by each human resource type when incorporating generative AI into
products and services for business and operational processes were added.

List of Common Skills

Revised In response to changes in actions required of human resources who promote DX, additions/changes were made to “Data Utilization” and “Technology” category learning subject examples.
*:Quoted “AI Developer” and “AI Provider” from “AI Guidelines for Business (Version 1.0)” (April 2024) 73
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Part III, Chapter 2 Structure of the DSS-P

1

Characteristics of Generative AI*

What is generative AI?
 A general term for AI models (models obtained through machine learning using training data, which generate prediction
results according to input data) that can generate sentences, images, audio, movie, programs, etc.
The potential for generative AI
 Generative AI has the potential to unlock major business opportunities by improving Japan’s productivity and added
value. By strengthening Japan’s ability to develop generative AI (foundation models), further innovation which could
possibly contribute to solving various social issues can also be expected.
From a sustainability viewpoint, generative AI is expected to contribute to the sophistication and improved efficiency ofoperations, which will bring about various advantages in the economic, social, and environmental aspects.
On the other hand, increases in energy consumption and costs due to generative AI will need to be addressed.

Key expected risks

Key expected usefulness
 Generative AI can learn a large amount of data and demonstrate ahigh ability in tasks such as summarizing, analyzing, and making
proposals, as well as assisting humans in making decisions.
 Thanks to its advanced ability to interact in natural languages
and improved user interfaces, many people can now easily use AI fora variety of purposes. Therefore, there is a great opportunity to use
generative AI not only to transform a company’s businessprocesses and organizational setup,
but also to improve and transform the customer experience ofthe services and products the company provides.

 Depending on specific characteristics of technical elements(training data, model training process, input method, informationreferenced when AI models reason, external services to link the AI with,etc.) and user actions, there is a risk that incorrect information or
results that are inappropriate from a business, operational,
ethical, or legal perspective are output and taken at face value.
 There are the risks of the infringement of rights, information
leakage and ethical issues, and the like due to the speed andcomplexity with which AI technology is developed and implemented insociety, as well as the differences in the development andenforcement of laws and guidelines between Japan and othercountries.

*Reference: Study Group on Human Resources Policy in the Digital Age, “Approaches to human resources and skills required for DX promotion in the age of generative AI,” August 2023
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications; Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, “AI Guidelines for Business (Version 1.0),” April 2024
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Generative AI Accelerator Challenge (GENIAC), February 2024
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Part III, Chapter 2 Structure of the DSS-P

2 How to Approach/Take Actions on New Technologies (Including Generative AI)Generative AI is a new technology that will have a major impact on society, organizations, and individuals; it has the potential to bringfurther transformations in business and operations. Considering the recent rapid changes in digital technology, emergence of newtechnologies such as generative AI is expected to continue going forward.
As the ability to proactively capture changes brought about by new technologies and appropriately employ them to trigger
transformation will become imperative for human resources who promote DX, approaches and actions on new technologies
required of such resources were defined as follows.

Approaches and actions on new technologies such as generative AI required of human resources who promote DX

Maintain interest in new technologies and understand their characteristics (usefulness, risks, etc.) by actuallyusing them. Then, set objectives to achieve (for business and operational transformation) and ascertain thefeasibility of achieving the objectives, as well as the impact and risk the new technologies will have on society,organizations, and individuals.
• Impact: Scope and depth of the impact from the new technologies, such as the resolvement of social issues ortransformation of the industrial structure• Risk: Risks to business and operations that can be expected from the speed of technological development,complexity of implementation, development of relevant laws, degree of ethical literacy that has developed, etc.

Have different human resource types work together to conceptualize and build frameworks for safely creating
value using the new technologies; start early and on a small scale.
Review the situation periodically and provide the optimal framework.

Within the frameworks that were built, aim to create new value, improve the quality of the output, andproduce transformative results.
Furthermore, enhance the abilities of all human resources and encourage transformation into
organizations/human resources that promote DX.

Continually acquire and improve the skills necessary to maximize the benefits of new technologies to meetthe speed of their changes.

Ascertain the impact andrisk of new technologies
based on on-hands
experience

Build frameworks for using
new technologies andpromote transformation
into organizations/humanresources that promote DX
Continually acquire skills
to meet the speed ofchange in newtechnologies

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Part III, Chapter 2 Structure of the DSS-P

Utilize

3 Actions on Generative AI: Basic ApproachDevelop/
ProvideIn order to address the changes in the skills required of human resources who promote DX, the DSS-P has been revised from the perspective ofutilizing generative AI and developing/providing* products and services that incorporate generative AI. It is expected that the use of theDigital Skill Standards and Digital Governance Code 2.0 will continue to support efforts to secure and develop human resources and executebusinesses’ DX visions and strategies based on the company-wide DX policy. (See page 8)

DX Vision/Strategy

Human Resources

Digital Governance Code Digital Skill Standards
2.0
Digital Skill Standards
for DX Promotion(DSS-P)
Defines roles and required skills ofhuman resource types who promote
DX

Digital Skill Standards
for DX Literacy(DSS-L)
Defines skills that all business people
should equip themselves with(revised on August 2023)

Target of this time’s revision※】【開発する、提供するDevelop/Provide Human resources who promote DX develop products and services thatincorporate generative AI for business and for their own organization’s
business processes, and provide them to customers and users

Utilize【活用する】
 Human resources who promote DX utilize generative AI in the following
ways:• Utilize publicly available generative AI in operations• Utilize generative AI incorporated in their organization/company’s
operational processes
Try to Use Try to use publicly available generative AI

Learn/Research Spread one’s antennae and learn about new technologies
 Research any unfamiliar words encountered to expand knowledge*:Quoted “AI Developer” and “AI Provider” from “AI Guidelines for Business (Version 1.0),” April 2024
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Part III, Chapter 2 Structure of the DSS-P

Utilize

4 Actions on Generative AI: Detailed Definitions (1/3)
Human resources who promote DX must understand technical elements and laws related to generative AI and contribute to achieving theobjectives and solving the problems of an organization/company by: Utilizing publicly available generative AI or generative AI incorporated in the organization/company’s operational processes
 Develop products and services that incorporate generative AI that contribute to the operational processes of theirbusiness/organization/company and provide them to customers and users.

Utilize

Develop/
Provide*Specific examples aredescribed in 5

Human resources who promote DX utilize (A)publicly available generative AI and (B)generative AI incorporated in theorganization/company’s operational
processes to achieve operational sophisticationand efficiency. This shall be done with thefollowing additional points in mind:• Experience using publicly available AI (A)before considering incorporating generative
AI in their business/organization’s operational
processes• Consider whether to review the environment
based on the utilization situation ofgenerative AI incorporated in theirorganization’s operational processes (B)• In both A and B, ensure to observe the rules
and assess the risks in advance

Develop andprovide products
and services thatincorporate
generative AI
GenerativeAI

B. Utilize
incorporated
generative AI
A. Utilize publicly
available
generative AI

Develop/Provide*Specific examples aredescribed in 6

Human resources who promote DX develop
products and services that incorporate
generative AI that contribute to theoperational processes of their business ororganization and provide them to customers
and users. This shall be done with the following
additional points in mind:• Repeat the verification of the usefulness andeffectiveness of generative AI in short cycles• Be aware of the risks involved in handling
data, such as the infringement of rights,
information leakage and ethical issues• Based on the utilization situation of thegenerative AI and feedback from customers
and users, re-examine/develop concepts andenvironments

Digital Skill Standards for DX Literacy level for understanding generative AI (technical elements and laws related togenerative AI)*

*Also see the task list stipulated in the ITSS+ (Data Science Domain): https://www.ipa.go.jp/jinzai/skill-standard/plus-it-ui/itssplus/data_science.html
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Part III, Chapter 2 Structure of the DSS-P

4 Actions on Generative AI: Detailed Definitions (2/3)

Utilize
Develop/
Provide The process and points to note when human resources who promote DX utilize generative AI are as follows:
Process for utilizing generative AI

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Technology viewpoint

Appropriate evaluation andutilization of output results
Appropriately evaluate results output
by AI from various viewpoints
including accuracy and possibility of
copyright infringement. Use the results
to deepen and expand your area ofexpertise and achieve operational
efficiency and sophistication.

Ⅱ.
Utilize,evaluate

Business viewpoint

Consider when, where, and how toutilize generative AI
Consider how and when/where AI canbe used to create value based on thefact that AI has become easier to use

Ⅱ.
Utilize, evaluate

I.
Consider GenerativeAI
utilization

Ⅰ.
Consider utilization

Utilization ofgenerative
AI

Points to note when utilizing generative AI
 Appropriately evaluate issues such as
unexpected output results, ethical issues
and the infringement of rights using not
only skills related to generative AI, but also
skills suited for the business or operation
being addressed Even though results output by AI are
generated based on an efficient andrationalized process, use critical thinking tojudge whether those results areappropriate in terms of the criteria formaking business/operational decisions

 Depending on the AI service/system being
used, different prompting methods may berequired Understand the characteristics of the AI
service/system being used; consider thestrengths and weakness in its applications

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Part III, Chapter 2 Structure of the DSS-P

4 Actions on Generative AI: Detailed Definitions (3/3)


Utilize
Develop/
ProvideThe process and points to note when human resources who promote DX develop products and services that incorporate
generative AI that contribute to their business or the operational processes of their organization and provide them tocustomers and users are as follows:
Process for developing and providing
products/services that incorporate generative AI

Generative
5.
AI
3.
ContinuePrepareimprovement
data/
4.
model
Promoteutilization3.
Prepare
data/
model

Design, develop, evaluate
Configure generative AI (fine tuning, RAG*, etc.) according
to purpose; consider, collect, evaluate necessary data.
Implement the generative AI while giving consideration tofactors such as integration with existing systems andappropriate UI.

4.
Promoteutilization

Establish the generative AI and build a team/setup for
operating the product/service
Share know-how on utilizing the generative AI, input
methods, etc. Plan/promote measures to improve the skillsof customers and users based on formulated guidelines;
build a team/setup for operating the product/service.

5.
Continue
improve
mentContinue to improve the quality of generative AI
Monitor for security concerns and changes in the generative
AI that result from usage by customers and users as well as
updates to the model. Adjust settings and review theenvironment based on operational evaluation.

*Retrieval-Augmented Generation

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 Since any kind of data may be input (used fortraining) into the generative AI, it is becoming
more important to ensure that data is in a
distinguishable state (machine readability of thedata) and to maintain data quality (errors, bias,
incompleteness, etc.).
 Understand that the skills required will differ
depending on whether multimodalization(processing of multiple inputs such as images,
audio, and text) is adopted and the type andformat of information that will be accepted for
input.

Operations
viewpoint2.
Prepareenvironment

Prepare environment for implementation, operation,and utilization
Define system configuration for implementing generative AI.
Build environment and formulate guidelines for addressing
risks and issues.

 Also consider sustainability as well as possible
impacts such as the product/service changing thebusiness fundamentally or replacing human laborin tasks that were conventionally done by humans.
 Continuously monitor the contents of data andusage of the generative AI while giving
consideration to factors such as the risks of theinfringement of rights, information leakage andethical issues, and establishment of newlaws/regulations.

Technology
viewpoint

1.
Considerconcept2.
Prepareenvironm
ent

Business
viewpoint

Develop and provide
products and services
that incorporate
generative AI

1.
Considerconcept

Formulate concept of product/service
Formulate the objectives and concept forbusiness/operational transformation and new value creation.
Formulate concept of product/service that incorporates
generative AI for development and provision.

Points to note when developing and providing
products/services that incorporate generative AI Develop guidelines, build an operating team, andprepare customer/user environments while
keeping note that customers and users with noknowledge on generative AI will also use theproduct/service.
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Part III, Chapter 2 Structure of the DSS-P

Utilize

5 Examples of Utilizing Generative AI in Operations as an IndividualDevelop/
ProvideBelow are some examples of how individuals can utilize generative AI. By utilizing or trying to utilize generative AI as
described below, business people striving to become human resources who promote DX can gain digital experience and skills
in a short period of time.
Human resources who promote DX should consider what approach they can take toward the organization/company’s DX
vision and strategy while using generative AI themselves. The incorporation of generative AI into business and operational
processes is expected to lead to the DX of the organization/company.

Utilization by human resources who promote DX
Examples usages of publicly available generative AI or
generative AI incorporated in the operational processes of organizations/companies
Summarize, research, make proposals
 Summarize market information and feedback from customers ofexisting business Propose ideas when considering new products and services
Generate designs
 Generate sample designs in order to compare multiple designs

etc.

Generate documents, support tests
 Generate design drafts that summarize programming content
 Generate data samples for conducting system tests
 Generate and execute simple scenarios for system testingetc.

Detect and report security issues
 Generate reports of abnormal actions on the system
 Generate reports on the cause of detected security issues

etc.

etc.

Generate data, support programming
 Generate test data to check proper functioning of the analysis tool Support programming work (e.g., review and correct code)etc.

*1: This page describes examples of utilizing generative AI; when using generative AI, sufficient care must be taken to the infringement of rights, information leakage and ethical issues, etc.
*2: For usage examples of generative AI, also refer to documents such as: Study Group on Human Resources Policy in the Digital Age, “Approaches to human resources and skills required for DX promotionin the age of generative AI,” August 2023; Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications; Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, “AI Guidelines for Business (Version 1.0),” April 2024
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Part III, Chapter 2 Structure of the DSS-P

6


Utilize

Examples of Actions Taken When Developing/Providing
Generative AI Products for Business and Operational Processes

Develop/
ProvideExamples of the key actions taken by each human resource type when developing products and services that incorporate generative AI that contribute to theirbusiness or the operational processes of their organization and providing them to customers and users are described below. Collaboration among humanresource types and flexibility become the key.

1. Consider concept

Data Scientists

Business Architects• Consider generative AI and datautilization strategy

Designers

2. Prepare environment

Software Engineers• Formulate architecture (including
business model)• Define value brought fromgenerative AI (customer/user
experience and so on)

5. Continue improvement
Business Architects

Data Scientists• Review architecture, consider
improvement measures• Evaluate data and generative AI
from a business and operational
viewpoint

Designers

Cyber Security• Review and improve architectureand UX/UI, collect utilization
examples• Select a generative AI model• Define system configurations, create a• List out all business/operational development environment (e.g., cloud)requirements

1.
Considerconcept

Software Engineers• Conduct monitoring (data, generative
AI model, environment, data linkage,etc.), get feedback, perform
maintenance on data, review
settings• Monitor for cyber attacks,
unauthorized use, generative AI
health, etc.

2.
Prepareenvironment

Generative
5.
AI
3.
ContinuePrepareimprovement
data/
4.
model
Promoteutilization

4. Promote utilization
Business Architects

Designers• Formulate guidelines, build team/setup• Consider policies on promoting utilization, planand promote a framework• Appeal value brought from new
products/services and operational processes• Formulate a policy foraddressing expectedrisks/issues• Consider measures forappealing value to customers
and users

Software Engineers• Formulate operation manuals forstable operation

Cyber Security• Design security operation and security governancepolicies• Consider points to monitor• Formulate security architecture

3. Prepare data/modelBusiness Architects••

Data Scientists

Software Engineers

Designers

Cyber Security• Conduct legal research of generative
AI and data handling, share research
results

Data Scientists

Business Architects• Conduct technical research ofgenerative AI such as model and API,
share research results

Data Scientists

Software Engineers

Present output result• Collect/prepare data, configure generative AI
examples from amodel (tuning, RAG*), evaluate quality
business/•
Configuredata linkage (e.g., API) with related
operational viewpoint,
systems
evaluate beforehand

Designers• Design and implement
customer/user UX/UICyber Security• Design and implement security requirements(confidential information, person information, etc.)

Cyber Security*Retrieval-Augmented Generation• Continually be aware of and keep wellinformed of risks*1: This page describes examples of key actions based on the general role of each human resource type; flexibility is expected to accommodate the situation of the organization/company and the purpose of developing andproviding generative AI products and services.
*2: This page describes usage examples of generative AI; when using generative AI, sufficient care must be taken to avoid the infringement of rights, information leakage and ethical issues, etc.
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Part III, Chapter 2 Structure of the DSS-P

Revisions to the List of Common Skills (July 2024)
 Although there are no changes to the categories, subcategories, or skills themselves, due to the impact ofgenerative AI, the learning subject examples in the following areas were changed:
Revised part
Category

Datautilization

Technology

Subcategory

Skill Strategic
utilizationof data/AI Data understanding/utilization
 Design, implementation,and evaluation ofoperations that utilize
data/AI AI/data
science Mathematicalstatistics/multivariate
analysis/datavisualization
 Machine learning/deeplearning Dataengineering Data utilization
infrastructure
implementation/
operation

 Digitaltechnology

 Technology trends

Reason for revision, content

 The “data utilization” category referenced Japan DataScientist Society’s Skills
Checklist.
As this checklist was revised in October 2023 to add items related to generative
AI in addition to reconsidering the entire checklist including the details of thelisted skills as well as the category structure, the changes were reflected to thelearning subject examples of the skills on the left.
Words which were added to the learning subject examples of skills related togenerative AI are as follows:・Approach design (…, generative AI utilization, ...)
・Large language model, image generation model, audio generation model・Programming （…, AI service utilization, …）・Generative AI （prompt engineering, coding support, fine tuning, technicalutilization of generative AI, generative AI development)*See pages １４８ to １５０ for relation to Skills Checklist
 In this revision, based on the premise that there will be no major review of skills, and as
Supplementary Information 2 mentions the need to catch up with trends in newtechnologies, “Generative AI” was added to the learning subject examples of therelated skills.

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Part III, Chapter 2 Structure of the DSS-P

Overview of the List of Common SkillsThe List of Common Skills that applies to all human resource types sorts skills required for human resources who promote DX into five categories and
12 subcategories.
Each category is divided into two or more subcategories, and broadly sets out the skills with the main activities in the first one, and elemental
technologies and methods that support this from the second one onward.
Category

Subcategory

SkillsStrategy/management/systems

Business strategy formulation and execution

Business model/processes
Businesstransformation

Category

Software development

Transformation management

Software design methods

Systems engineering

Software development processes

Enterprise architecture

Web application fundamental technology

Project management

Frontend system development

Business surveys

Backend system development

Technology

Business model design

Utilization of cloud infrastructure

Business analysis

SRE processes

Verification (business perspective)

Service utilization
Digital technology

Other cutting-edge technology

Customer/user understanding

Technology trends
Security management

Other design technology

Incident response and business continuity

Security

Data understanding/utilization

Privacy protection
Security technology

Data/AI utilization strategy
Design, implementation and evaluation ofoperations that utilize data/AI

Data utilization infrastructure design

Secure design, development andimplementation
Security operation, maintenance and monitoring

Human skills

Mathematical statistics/multivariate
analysis/data visualization
Machine learning/deep learning

Data engineering

Security organization establishment andoperation
Security management

Verification (customer/user perspective)

AI/data science

Physical computing

Branding

DesignData utilization

Computer science
Team development

Value discovery/definition

Strategic utilization of data/AI

Skills

Product management

Marketing
DesignSubcategory

Leadership
Collaboration

Personal skills

Conceptual skills

Goal setting
Creative problem solving
Critical thinking

Data utilization infrastructure
implementation/operation

Adaptability
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Part III, Chapter 2 Structure of the DSS-P

Business Transformation | Strategy/Management/Systems
Category

Subcategory

SkillsContents (explanation of each type of skills)

Businesstransformation

Strategy/
management/
systems

Businessstrategy
formulation andexecution• Skills to formulate a business strategy, including
startups/ecosystem creation, and to carry out
product (products and services) portfolio
management• Ecosystem & alliances (searching for other companies/individuals withthe requisite capabilities, M&A, investment, contracts)• Risk management (protection of intellectual property rights and otherrights, compliance, business ethics)• Portfolio management• Sustainability

Productmanagement• Skills to define the value proposition of a product(products and services), and to plan andimplement revenue-generating methods on thebasis of value provision, the product itself, andassociated processes• Product management, definition, sharing and evolution of the productvision, product development team leader• Integration of business, UX and technology from a product perspective• Product family management• Stakeholder management, including company management, financial
affairs, legal affairs, marketing, customer support and sales

Transformation
management• Skills to identify areas that could be impediments
to DX promotion (organizational systems, culture
and climate, along with various systems, humanresources and operational processes), and todevise measures to address them
• Skills to involve relevant parties in theorganizational/operational aspects oftransformation• Organizational systems, organizational culture and climate, various
systems, human resources, operational processes• Stakeholder management

Systems
engineering• Skills to regard all kinds of things as groups ofmultiple mutually interacting elements (systems),
and to create approaches for achieving total
optimization, while taking into account diverse
value spanning multiple specialist disciplines• Systems, life cycles, processes• Specific activities within the system life cycle process(Requirements analysis, architecting, implementation, integration,
testing, operation, maintenance, disposal)

Enterprisearchitecture• Skills to sort out the organization’s component
elements including businesses and operations, data
and IT systems, and to achieve total optimization
by means of hierarchical structuring andstandardization• Business architecture, business management mechanisms (ERP, PLM,
CRM, SCM, etc.)• Data architecture, data governance• IT system architecture

Projectmanagement• Skills to repeatedly iterate within a very shortperiod, and to respond to changes in the businessenvironment and requirements• Skills to execute a program including one or more
projects as planned, to the given quality standard,budget and deadline• PMBOK® Guide 7th Edition• Tailoring, Agile/Waterfall• Procurement management

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Learning subject examples

84

Part III, Chapter 2 Structure of the DSS-P

Business Transformation | Business Model/Process
Category

Subcategory

Business
Businesstransformation model/
process

SkillsContents (explanation of each type of skills)

Learning subject examples

Business survey• Skills to understand megatrends of social challenges
and business, the market size and growth potentialof an industry, and success factors and growth
challenges of a business, product, or operations• Survey design, business framework (PEST, 3C, 5 Forces, SWOT, STP,
4P, value chain, etc.)• Relevance between a business/operations and digital technology

Business model
design• Skills to formulate a purpose or vision for a productor service based on success factors and growth
challenges• Skills to sort out the cost structure and channels,
then consider the revenue model, etc. and design amechanism for generating revenue• Business Model Canvas, revenue model (sellout, servitization,
subscription, etc.)

Business analysis• Skills to visualize the current status of and the future • Framework for visualizing the activities necessary for providing a
product or service (service blueprint, value chain analysis, businessvision for the activities necessary for providing aprocess analysis, stakeholder map, service ecosystem map),
product or service and to identify activities that are
requirement definition (business process relationship diagram, work
particularly important or that create values• Skills to clarify the fields in which digitalization should
flow diagram, etc.)
be promoted toward realizing a future vision

Verification(business
perspective)• Skills to verify how sustainable a product or service• Design and implementation of a verification approach based on thethe company has developed is as a business (howvalue proposition
much revenue can be expected, whether a• Setting of key performance indicators (KPIs) for monitoring
competitive advantage can be gained, and how muchcost can be reduced)

Marketing• Skills to clarify the attributes of the company’s• Customer development, benefits and differentiation, web marketing,customers, clarify the market needs and the values
search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, customerof the product the company provides andsupport, AI-applied marketing
differentiate the product, and create, implement, andcontinue to improve the mechanism for deliveringvalues to appropriate customers by an appropriate
method and generating revenue

Branding• Skills to formulate and implement a strategy forenhancing customer loyalty and differentiating thecompany’s brand

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• Brand proposition, brand identity85

Part III, Chapter 2 Structure of the DSS-P

Business Transformation | Design
Category
Businesstransformation

Subcategory
DesignSkillsContents (explanation of each type of skills)

Learning subject examples

Customer/user
understanding• Skills to design and conduct user research(research and interviews concerning customer
satisfaction/usage data, etc.) andmarket/competitive research• Skills to ascertain/analyze customer expectations
and dissatisfaction, new needs and competition,and trends from the results of user research, and to
derive insights from these• Interview design, workshop design• User research (A/B testing, card sorting, diary surveys, focus groups,etc.), market/competitive research (quantitative/qualitative)• Analysis of research results, interactive design• Persona and journey maps

Value
discovery/
definition• Skills to diverge ideas on the basis ofcustomer/user needs while facilitating stakeholders,
and to define the value proposition• Frameworks in value discovery (service blueprints, assumption
matrices, etc.)• Ideation techniques (brainstorming, KJ method, scenario method,
paper prototyping)• Value proposition• Formulation of product/service policies (concepts)

Design• Skills to clarify the requisite functions and content
in light of customer/user needs• Skills to design function/content structures andframeworks with consideration for ease ofunderstanding and finding on the part ofcustomers/users• Skills to design a look and feel that appeals to users• Prototyping• Information design, content design, accessibility/usability design, UI
design (wireframes, mockups, object orientation/task orientation, etc.)• Design systems (size, font, components, color, etc.)• Design based on human behavioral principles and psychology• Checks of finished products and services from an ethical perspective

Verification(customer/user
perspective)• Skills to verify whether the customer can actuallyexperience the defined value proposition throughthe implemented product or service, and whether it
is a useful experience for the customer• Concept testing• Usability evaluation planning and implementation

Other design
technology• Skills to design digital media graphics associatedwith marketing• Skills to lay out and arrange pages of e-books,
catalogues and the like in a manner that is easy to
read• Formulating branding policies (concepts) (mood boards, branding
policies, etc.)• Production of graphic design, 3D design, illustrations, etc.
• Editing, content planning, video production, UX writing• Direction of photography/art, etc.

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Part III, Chapter 2 Structure of the DSS-P

Data Utilization
Category

Subcategory

Datautilization

Strategic
utilizationof data/AI

AI/datascience

Skill

Content (explanation of the skill)

Learning subject examples

Data
understanding/utilization• Skills to accurately understand the results of data
analysis that applies graphs, diagrams and otherstatistical information, along with various analyticaltechniques, and to gain deep insights into themeaning and background thereof•

Data/AIutilization
strategy• Skills to propose problem solving methods and new
business models that utilize data/AI technologies, inlight of business strategy, organizational challenges,
customer needs and the like•

Design,implementation,and evaluation ofoperations thatutilize data/AI• Skills to design an approach aimed at achieving thegoals of the data/AI strategy, and then to implement
and continuously improve data/AI analysis
mechanisms on the front line•

Mathematicalstatistics/multiva
riate
analysis/datavisualization• Skills to use techniques based on statisticalknowledge to analyze data and gain insights fromthe results

•

•

•
•
•

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Machinelearning/deeplearning• Skills to create and evaluate appropriate models byusing techniques including, machine learning, deeplearning, natural language processing, image
recognition, speech recognition and the like

All Rights Reserved Copyright© IPA 2024•••

Data understanding (understanding from a business viewpoint, extraction of
meaning/insights)
Data understanding/verification (accurate understanding of statisticalinformation, high level overview/meta thinking, data understanding, data
granularity)
Ideas/design (ideas, design, consideration of AI utilization, decisions on
disclosure/nondisclosure)
Definition of challenges (KPIs, scoping, value estimation)
Approach design (data acquisition, AI-ready, approach design, analysis
approach design, generative AI utilization)
Analytical evaluation (evaluation, feedback into operations)
Implementation in business (implementation, evaluation/improvement
mechanisms)
Project management (project launch, project planning, operation, horizontal
deployment, policy change, completion, resource management, risk
management)
Basic mathematics (basics of linear algebra, basics of differentials and integrals,
basics of set theory)
Basics of scientific analysis (basics of statistical mathematics, insights,
identification of properties/relationships, estimation/testing, association
analysis, causal inference)
Data preparation (sampling, data cleansing, data processing, featureengineering)
Data visualization (definition of direction, axis selection, data processing,expression/implementation techniques, extraction of meaning)
Regression/classification, statistical evaluation, time series analysis
Clustering, graphical models, network analysis
Anomaly detection, recommendations
Operations research (simulation, data assimilation, optimization)
Machine learning, deep learning, reinforcement learning
Unstructured data processing (natural language processing, image recognition,
video recognition, speech recognition)
Large language model, image generation model, audio generation model

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Part III, Chapter 2 Structure of the DSS-P

Data Utilization
Category

Subcategory

Datautilization

Dataengineering

Skill

Content (explanation of the skill)

Learning subject examples

Data utilization
infrastructure
design• Skills to finalize the requisite system environmentand requirements for collected data and tables,
etc. in preparing data utilization infrastructurethat generates output from data

• Environment creation (system planning, system design, architecture
design)• Data collection (client technology, communications technology, data
extraction, data collection, data integration)• Data structure (basic knowledge, requirement definition, tabledefinition, table design)

Data utilization
infrastructure
implementation/
operation• Skills to implement data utilization infrastructurethat generates output from data, and to handle
the data required to smoothly and effectively
operate the infrastructure• Data storage (DWH, distributed technology, cloud, real-timeprocessing, cache technology, data storage technology, searchtechnology)• Data processing (filtering, sorting, joining, preprocessing, mapping,sampling, aggregation, conversion/computation)• Data sharing (data output, data decompression, data linkage)• Programming (basic programming, extension programming,
AI service utilization, algorithms, analysis programs, SQL)
• AI system operation (source management, AutoML, MLOps, AIOps)• Generative AI (prompt engineering, coding support, fine tuning,technical utilization of generative AI, generative AI development)

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Part III, Chapter 2 Structure of the DSS-P

Technology

SPA・・・Single Page Application
IaC・・・Infrastructure as Code
CMS・・・Content Management Systems CDN・・・Content Delivery Systems
PWA・・・Progressive Web Apps

Category

Subcategory

SkillsTechnology

Softwaredevelopment

Computer science•

Skills related to data structure and algorithms, etc.
required in software development•

Software engineering, optimization, data structure, algorithms, theory ofcomputation

Team development•

Skills required to increase the productivity of teambased software development•

Git/Git workflows, team building, leadable code, technical writing

Software design
methods•

Skills to consider data structure and internal architecture
in order to implement software in accordance with theobjectives, and to apply these to the design•

Requirement definition techniques, domain-driven design, software designprinciples (SOLID), clean architecture, design patterns, non-functional
requirement definitions

Softwaredevelopment
processes•

Skills to manage development plans, quality and othersuch matters in software development•

Software development management (CCPM, agile development
techniques, software estimation), test driven development (TDD),
software quality control, OSS license management

Web application
fundamental
technology•

Basic skills required to design and develop web
applications•

HTML/CSS, JavaScript, REST, WebSocket, SPA, CMS

Frontend systemdevelopment•

Skills to design and develop screens that serve as the
direct interface for users•

UI design, responsive design, mockup design, frontend frameworks, PWA,
search optimization/SEO

Backend systemdevelopment•

Skills to design and develop server-side functions thatare not visible to users•

Database design, object storage, NoSQL, backend frameworks, cache,load balancing, authentication and authorization

Utilization of cloudinfrastructure•

Skills to create and operate system infrastructure byusing cloud services•

Cloud infrastructure (PaaS/IaaS), microservices, serverless, container
technology, IaC, CDN

SRE processes•

Skills to aim for cooperation between development andoperation in order to achieve improved release cycles
and service stability•

Observability, OpenTelemetry, four keys, chaos engineering, CI/CD &DevOpsService utilization•

Skills to carry out data linkage and system linkage toother internal systems, including core systems, and toexternal services•

API management, data linkage (iPaaS, ETL, EAI), RPA, low-code/no-code

Physical computing•

Skills to digitalize and handle physical phenomena byusing sensors, robots and IoT conversion of existing
devices•

Edge computing, IoT cloud, LPWA, IoT sensors, wearables, robotics,
drones, SBCs (Arduino, RaspberryPi, etc.), IoT gateways, recognition
technologies (image, voice, etc.), 3D sensing, 3D printers, location
measurement

Other cutting-edge
technology•

Knowledge concerning implementation technologies
other than those listed above and implementation
technologies with few examples of application*Study cutting-edge technologies as needed, such as the following
examples:• WebAssembly, HTTP/3, blockchain infrastructure, secure computation,
Trusted Web, quantum computing, HITL: Human-in-the-Loop

Technology trends•

Knowledge concerning businesses and services that
apply new digital technologies*Study cutting-edge technologies as needed, such as the following
examples:• Generative AI, Metaverse, smart contracts, digital currencies, informatics(fields including materials, bioscience and measurement), GX (carbon
tracing, etc.)

Digitaltechnology

Contents (explanation of each type of skills)

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Learning subject examples

89

Part III, Chapter 2 Structure of the DSS-P

Security
Category

Subcategory

Security

Security
management

SkillsContents (explanation of each type of skills)

Security
organization
establishment
and operation•

Security
management••

Learning subject examples

Skills to establish organizations for implementing security
measures and to facilitate their maintenance andoperation (including securing and cultivating key
personnel)
Skills to undertake activities that foster an organizationwide security culture within the company•

Skills to appropriately implement on an organization-widebasis security management processes relating to suchmatters as information, cyber space and OT/IoT
environments

•
•
•
•
•

•
•

•
•
•
•

Securitytechnology

Procedures for collaborating with security response organizations(security management functions, SOC, xSIRT, etc.)
Clarification of roles and responsibilities within the organization that relate
to service and device security measures
Methods of fostering a security culture within the organization
Security-related legal system
Development of policies, regulations, manuals and the like
Awareness of risks, including the utilization of threat intelligence
Risk assessment techniques
Definition of security requirements, security functions as functional
requirements
Authentication method types, features and selection methods
Information asset management, configuration management
Security education/training and qualification/certification systems
Information security audit techniques

Incident
response andbusiness
continuity•

Skills to minimize impacts and enable business continuity
in the event that risks (cyber attacks, loss, internal
misconduct, disaster, failure, etc.) become actualized as
security incidents in the course of digital usage

•
•
•
•

Business continuity in digital usage
Business continuity plan development and drills
Procedures for coordinating incident response and crisis management
Information sharing and communication under routine circumstances andin an emergency

Privacyprotection•

Skills to understand requirements for the protection of
personal data and other privacy-related information and to
put them into practice••

Legal system related to privacy protection
Consideration of management systems related to privacy protection inlight of the nature of the businessPrivacy impact assessment (PIA) overview and procedures
Privacy-related risks and measures in handling data

Skills to carry out design, development andimplementation on the basis of the standards andrequirements that should be complied with in order tomake the organization less susceptible to cyber attacks or
misconduct of various kinds when planning and designing
digital services and products
Skills to understand the vulnerabilities of digital services
and products and to appropriately conduct diagnosis inpractice (including by means of outsourcing)

•
•
•

•

Secure system design overview and practice method
DevSecOps mindset and practice
Achievement and implementation of security requirements and security
functions
Security measures in IT/OT/IoT devices
Security function overview and settings for cloud services and network
devices
Vulnerability concepts, measures and diagnostic methods

Skills to appropriately practice maintenance and measuresin order to securely operate digital services
Skills to appropriately practice such tasks as security
monitoring and investigation of the causes of security
incidents

•
•
•
•
•

Utilization of threat information and vulnerability information
Monitoring methods and utilization of observation data
Application of AI to operation and monitoring work
Impact investigation and triage methods in the event of an incident
Utilization of digital forensic investigation services

Secure design,development andimplementation••

Security
operation,
maintenance andmonitoring••

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•
•

•
•

90

Part III, Chapter 2 Structure of the DSS-P

Personal skills
Category

Subcategory

Personal
skillsHuman skills

Conceptual
skillsSkillsContents (explanation of each type of skills)

Learning subject examples

Leadership• Skills to create teams in which a variety of relevant parties,
both internal and external, can readily participate by means of
the communication of an impression of the goal to be achieved
and the creation of win-win relationships• Skills to flesh out the tasks required and to encourage theexecution of tasks in a manner that takes into account therespective strengths and interests of the relevant parties• Team building, inclusive communication, D&I, empowerment,
stakeholder management

Collaboration• Skills to form a consensus with people who have diverse
values, including customers and users, and to work toward a
goal, by making a point of eliciting conflicting views andcontradictions, and exploring the issues in greater depth• Facilitation (listening and asking questions, framing of issues),
psychological safety, types of organizations/teams

Goal setting• Skills to imagine the future by highlighting problems fromvarious viewpoints, and to set objectives for initiatives andgoals that serve as the final end point of those objectives• Skills to create stories that appeal not only to rational
judgment, but also to emotion and unconscious psychologicalreactions, and to depict an impression of the goal once
achieved in the form of a vision• Future thinking• Storytelling, visionary leadership

Creativeproblemsolving• Skills to creatively solve problems by restructuring
unprecedented experimental/innovative ideas and the views ofusers/relevant parties, while taking into account multiple areasof expertise and social/customer trends• Design thinking, horizontal thinking, hypothetical thinking, fail fast

Critical thinking • Skills to evaluate the information obtained without accepting it
unquestioningly, and to engage in thinking after a rational
process based on trustworthy information

Adaptability• Skills to reflect feedback and undertake continuous
improvement, while adapting to change and operating a shortspan cycle• Skills to identify newly required skills and engage in learning
throughout one’s life (*including not only digital solutions, butalso such areas as business plans and concept charts)
All Rights Reserved Copyright© IPA 2024

• Critical thinking/logical thinking, systems thinking• Agility, OODA loop, lean thinking

91Part III, Chapter 2 Structure of the DSS-P

Approach to Skill Mapping The skill level required for each of the skills required in each role is defined on the basis of the level ofimportance shown below, with reference to the skills set out in the List of Common Skills.

Approach to assigning importance (business transformation / data utilization /technology / security)
Skills in technological aspects required for the execution of operations in DX promotion are assigned importance on
the basis of the following criteria:•

Criteria

DefinitionaHigh level of practical ability and expertise requiredb

A certain level of practical ability and expertise requiredcAbility to provide a knowledge-based explanation requireddUnderstanding of positioning within the overall system and relevance to other items required

Approach to assigning importance (personal skills)•

The importance of skills in personal aspects required for the execution of operations in DX promotion is defined on thebasis of the following criteria:
Criteriaz

Definition
Practical ability corresponding to role and situation is required*Skills universally required in all DX promotion roles

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Part III. Digital Skill Standards for DX Promotion (DSS-P)

Chapter 3
Human Resource Types & Roles
a. Business Architects
b. Designersc. Data Scientists
d. Software Engineerse. Cyber Security

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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, a. Business Architects

What Are Business Architects?
Definition

Human resources who, in DX initiatives (new business development / upgrading of existing business /upgrading and streamlining of internal operations), define what is to be achieved throughtransformation in business and work (i.e. goals), and then achieve these goals by coordinating therelevant parties and taking a lead role in building collaborative relationships among them whilemoving processes forward in a consistent manner towards the goals

 Reason for choosing “business architect”There is a tendency to think of human resources who promote DX as being human resources who have specialist knowledge and skills
relating to data and digital technology. While such human resources are, of course, important, this type was defined on the basis of thethinking that human resources who take the lead in bringing to fruition the transformation of the business itself—the process
beyond the utilization of data and digital technology—are required.
This type encompasses human resources who take responsibility for setting and achieving new goals; in order to achieve new goals, it isnecessary to use various means (such as business models*1, business processes*2 and IT) to design mechanisms—that is to say,“architecture.” As the principal areas on which design by this type is expected to focus are business models and businessprocesses, the name “business architect” was chosen to describe human resources who primarily design architecture relating tobusiness.

*1 Business model: Value proposition, method of achieving the value proposition, revenue generation method (business model, operating model, etc.)*2 Business process: How people, goods, money and information should move in order to implement the business model Themes of DX initiatives

The settings in which business architects play a part focus solely on initiatives that utilize individual datasets or digital technologies(envisaged on the basis of individual products, services and operations), and exclude initiatives that relate to the enhancement oforganizational capabilities (creation of companywide organizations and human resource development for the purpose of DX promotion)• This is because the human resources envisaged in the DSS-P are not expected to be at a management level at which they holdresponsibility for companywide initiatives• However, the skill of highlighting to management problems concerning companywide organizational capabilities in the course ofundertaking DX promotion initiatives is defined as a skill that the business architect type should have
 Individual initiatives are classified as business or operations, depending on the destination to which the products and services are provided(external or internal). Business initiatives are further divided on the basis of novelty into new and existing, as the matters to consider andcontent of work is likely to differ.
•
New business development: Provision to the market of new products and services by using data and digital technology•
Upgrading of existing business: Improvement of the value of existing products and services by using data and digital technology(diverse methods of provision, development of new markets for existing products, etc.)•
Upgrading and streamlining of internal operations: Improvement of the quality, cost and speed of internal operations by using
data and digital technology

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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, a. Business Architects

What Are Business Architects? | Expected Roles (1/2)
 The specific roles expected of a business architect and actions required of them are as follows: Taking of responsibility for the design of digital businesses and the implementation of the designed
business through the promotion of initiatives in a consistent manner In DX initiatives, it is crucial to establish the goal of the initiative (e.g. the vision for what the new business seeks toachieve), and to consistently promote processes to achieve that goal (establishment of the business model andbusiness processes, selection of technologies and tools, verification of hypothesis and verification of effects after
introduction).
Business architects are required to consistently promote these processes and to take responsibility for theachievement of the goals initially set.

 While business models and business processes are the primary focus of design by business architects, they are also
required to collaborate as needed with human resources who have specialist technological skills andknowledge, in the design of a wide range of other technological aspects (including data structure definitions, surveysof trends in technologies and techniques/tools, definition/design of applications that ensure the consistency ofbusiness and IT, definition of IT infrastructure and definition of security policies and models).

 Coordination of relevant parties and leadership of efforts to establish collaborative relationships
among relevant parties In DX initiatives, it is crucial for all relevant parties to demonstrate leadership in their own specialist disciplines.
Business architects are required to coordinate relevant parties and lead efforts to establish collaborative
relationships among relevant parties, in order to achieve the goal of the initiative In coordinating relevant parties, business architects are required to secure the requisite resources, form teams,
allocate tasks in an unbiased way with an awareness of ensuring the right resource in the right place and encourageconsensus-building among relevant parties, among other tasks.

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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, a. Business Architects

What Are Business Architects? | Expected Roles (2/2)
The following shows an example of an operation in which a business architect collaborates with the other human resource
types.
The two-way arrows represent the relationships between each type, to indicate that two or more human resource types build
collaborative working relationships in a range of situations, rather than being a situation in which one type issues instructions
or requests to another.
• Consideration of optimum
measures for product/service
risks taking the balance ofcosts/risks into consideration• Consideration of new rules
corresponding to risks• Consideration of ideas
for products andservices based on
insights derived fromthe results of customer
and user surveys

Business Architects

Designers• Consideration of ideas
for products andservices based on hints
obtained from theresults of data analysis

Data Scientists• Consideration of ideas for
products/services based on
new technology and tools• Definition of requirements fordevelopment based on
customer needs, andsoftware architecture design• Determination of priority indevelopment

Cyber Security

Software Engineers
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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, a. Business Architects

Roles of Business Architects
Human Resource
Types

Data Scientists

Designers

Software Engineers

Cyber Security
Cyber Security
Engineers

Cyber Security
Managers

Physical Computing Engineers

Cloud Engineers/SRE

Backend Engineers

Frontend Engineers

Data Engineers

Data Science
Professionals

Data Business
Strategists

Graphic Designers

UX/UI Designers

Service Designers

Business Architects(Upgrading and streamlining ofinternal operations)

Business Architects(Upgrading of existing
business)

Business Architects(New business development)

Roles

Business Architects

 Roles categorized on the basis of the themes addressedThe business architect type is categorized into a number of roles on the basis of differences in the work carried out.

As business architects are required to consistently promote DX initiatives from the goal-setting stage through to introduction, andbeyond to verification of effects after introduction, as well as to hold responsibility for the achievement of the goals, the type has beenbroken down into three roles on the basis of three themes of such initiatives (new business development, upgrading of existing businessand upgrading and streamlining of internal operations), rather than processes involved in carrying out DX initiatives (e.g. taking
responsibility for the vision or for implementation).



Based on its definition, DX refers to the transformation of products, services and business models by utilizing data and digital technology,
but at the same time, it could be hard for companies about to embark on DX promotion to form an impression of what that looks like.
Accordingly, themes that are comparatively easy for such companies to visualize as the first areas on which to set to work have also
been included in the themes addressed by business architects, namely upgrading of existing business and upgrading and streamlining ofinternal operations.



The ways in which business architects handle the roles set out here in the course of promoting a company’s DX will vary. It is also
envisaged that several people might handle a single role, or that one person might handle several roles, depending on the sizeof the company or the scale of the themes being addressed.
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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, a. Business Architects

Roles of Business Architects | Approach to Skill Mapping
Business architect (new business development)

In skills associated with business transformation and data utilization, both knowledge and a high level of practical ability are
required
These are needed when defining the goal of a new product or service and designing the business model and business process forachieving that goal•With regard to skills associated with technology and security, too, business architects in this role need to have a certain level ofknowledge required to coordinate relevant parties
These are needed when designing a wide range of technological aspects other than business models and business processes (including
data structure definitions, surveys of trends in technologies and techniques/tools, definition/design of applications that ensure theconsistency of business and IT, definition of IT infrastructure and definition of security policies and models)•Business architect (upgrading of existing business)Similarly to the “business architect (new business development)” role, business architects in this role require both knowledge and a highlevel of practical ability in skills associated with business transformation and data utilization, and also need a certain level ofknowledge required to coordinate relevant parties with regard to skills associated with technology and security, tooIn the upgrading of existing business, the settings where skills are practiced or demonstrated are likely to differ from new businessdevelopment, as are their respective degrees of difficulty, but there is thought to be no difference in the actual skills required, so it was
decided that the upgrading of existing business required the same skills as new business development• New business development has a higher degree of difficulty than upgrading of existing business, as the former is defined as seeking toachieve something new from nothing through business transformation. On the other hand, however, upgrading of existing business isthought to have a higher degree of difficulty than new business development in that it requires scaling up while coordinating withstakeholders and ensuring compatibility with the requirements of existing products and services

Business architect (upgrading and streamlining of internal operations)As the scope of the theme addressed is internal operations, the level of practical ability required in this role when it comes to business
transformation and strategic utilization of data/AI is not as high as for new business development or the upgrading of existing business, but ahigh level of practical ability is required in relation to transformation management, which involves numerous stakeholders•

This is needed when coordinating relevant parties (securing the requisite resources, forming teams and allocating tasks in an unbiased
way with an awareness of ensuring the right resource in the right place)
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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, a. Business Architects

Roles of Business Architects | Responsibilities/Main Work & Skills (1/3)
Human
Resource TypeRole
Responsibilities
in DX Promotion

Business Architect

Business architect (new business development)
Identify the goals of new business and products and services, set out the method for achieving the newly defined goals, and then achieve these goals by coordinating the relevant
parties and taking a lead role in building collaborative relationships among them while moving processes forward in a consistent manner towards the goals• Define the goal of a new business, product or service in light of the company’s internal or external environment, or the needs of society or customers/users; design the businessmodel and business process for achieving that goal; and select the technologies and techniques/tools to be utilized in doing so• Verify the feasibility of the new product/service and the effectiveness of the solution to be used, then formulate a business plan aimed at launching the product/service and take

Main Work

responsibility for everything from refining the requirements of the solution to bringing it to fruition• Through customer/user feedback and KPI monitoring, undertake ongoing consideration/implementation of processes, along with measures to improve the profitability of the solution(such as the expansion of target customers/users and fields)• Coordinate all relevant parties consistently from planning through to verification of the effects of the new product/service (including securing the requisite resources, forming teams,

allocating tasks in an unbiased way with an awareness of ensuring the right resource in the right place and encouraging consensus-building among relevant parties)

Category

Subcategory

Strategy/
management/
systems

Required Skills

Businesstransformation

Businessmodel/
processes

SkillsImportanceBusiness strategy formulation andexecutionaProduct managementaTransformation managementa

Systems engineeringaEnterprise architectureaProject managementb

Business surveysaBusiness model designaBusiness analysisaVerification (business perspective)aMarketingb

Branding
Customer/user understanding

DesignCategory

Subcategory
Strategic
utilization ofdata/AIData
utilization

AI/datascienceDataengineeringbb

Value discovery/definitionb

DesigndVerification (customer/user
perspective)cOther design technologydTechnology

Softwaredevelopment

SkillsData understanding/utilization
Data/AI utilization strategy

ImportancebcMathematical statistics/multivariate
analysis/data visualizationdMachine learning/deep learningd

Data utilization infrastructure designdData utilization infrastructure
implementation/operationdComputer sciencedTeam developmentdSoftware design methodsdSoftware development processesc

Web application fundamental
technologyddBackend system developmentd

Utilization of cloud infrastructured

SRE processesdService utilizationd

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Subcategory

Technology

DigitaltechnologybDesign, implementation and evaluation ofoperations that utilize data/AI

Frontend system development

Category

Security

ImportancePhysical computingcOther cutting-edge technologydTechnology trendscSecurity organization establishment
and operationdSecurity management
Security
management Incident response and business
continuityc

Privacy protectionb

Secure design, development andimplementationdSecurity operation, maintenanceand monitoringd

LeadershipzCollaborationz

Goal settingzCreative problem solvingz

Critical thinkingzAdaptabilityzSecuritytechnology

Human skills
Personal
skillsSkillsConceptual
skillsc[Importance key]a High level of practical ability and expertise requiredb A certain level of practical ability and expertise requiredc Ability to provide an explanation requiredd Understanding of positioning and relevance requiredz Practical ability corresponding to role and situation is required

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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, a. Business Architects

Roles of Business Architects | Responsibilities/Main Work & Skills (2/3)
HumanResource TypeRole
Responsibilities
in DX Promotion

Business Architect

Business architect (upgrading of existing business)
Rethink the goals of existing business and products and services, set out the method for achieving the redefined goals, and then achieve these goals by coordinating the relevant
parties and taking a lead role in building collaborative relationships among them while moving processes forward in a consistent manner towards the goals• Redefine the goal of an existing business, product or service in light of the company’s internal or external environment, or the needs of society or customers/users; design thebusiness process for achieving that goal; and select the technologies and techniques/tools to be utilized in doing so• Verify the feasibility of the existing product/service and the effectiveness of the solution to be used, then revise the existing business plan and take responsibility for everything from

Main Workrefining the requirements of the solution to bringing it to fruition• Through customer/user feedback and KPI monitoring, undertake ongoing consideration/implementation of processes, along with measures to improve the profitability of the solution(such as the expansion of target customers/users and fields)• Coordinate all relevant parties consistently from planning through to verification of effects (including securing the requisite resources, forming teams, allocating tasks in an unbiased

way with an awareness of ensuring the right resource in the right place and encouraging consensus-building among relevant parties)

Category

Subcategory

Strategy/
management/
systems

Required Skills

Businesstransformation

Businessmodel/
processes

SkillsImportanceBusiness strategy formulation andexecutionaProduct managementaTransformation managementa

Systems engineeringaEnterprise architectureaProject managementb

Business surveysaBusiness model designaBusiness analysisaVerification (business perspective)aMarketingb

Branding
Customer/user understanding

DesignCategory

Subcategory
Strategic
utilization ofdata/AIData
utilization

AI/datascienceDataengineeringbb

Value discovery/definitionb

DesigndVerification (customer/user
perspective)cOther design technologydTechnology

Softwaredevelopment

SkillsData understanding/utilization
Data/AI utilization strategy

ImportancebcMathematical statistics/multivariate
analysis/data visualizationdMachine learning/deep learningd

Data utilization infrastructure designdData utilization infrastructure
implementation/operationdComputer sciencedTeam developmentdSoftware design methodsdSoftware development processesc

Web application fundamental
technologyddBackend system developmentd

Utilization of cloud infrastructured

SRE processesdService utilizationd

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Subcategory

Technology

DigitaltechnologybDesign, implementation and evaluation ofoperations that utilize data/AI

Frontend system development

Category

Security

ImportancePhysical computingcOther cutting-edge technologydTechnology trendscSecurity organization establishment
and operationdSecurity management
Security
management Incident response and business
continuityc

Privacy protectionb

Secure design, development andimplementationdSecurity operation, maintenanceand monitoringd

LeadershipzCollaborationz

Goal settingzCreative problem solvingz

Critical thinkingzAdaptabilityzSecuritytechnology

Human skills
Personal
skillsSkillsConceptual
skillsc[Importance key]a High level of practical ability and expertise requiredb A certain level of practical ability and expertise requiredc Ability to provide an explanation requiredd Understanding of positioning and relevance requiredz Practical ability corresponding to role and situation is required

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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, a. Business Architects

Roles of Business Architects | Responsibilities/Main Work & Skills (3/3)
HumanResource TypeRole
Responsibilities
in DX Promotion

Business Architect

Business architect (upgrading and streamlining of internal operations)Define goals for problem solving in internal operations and set out the method for achieving these goals, and then achieve these goals by coordinating the relevant parties and taking
a lead role in building collaborative relationships among them while moving processes forward in a consistent manner towards the goals• Define challenges and goals for problem solving in internal operations, design new operational processes that utilize data and digital technology, and select the technologies andtechniques/tools for implementing those processes• Verify the feasibility of new operational processes, the advisability of problem solving using the new processes and the effectiveness of the solution; formulate plans, define solution

Main Workrequirements, and undertake implementation• Through customer/user feedback and KPI monitoring, undertake ongoing consideration/implementation of processes, along with measures to improve the profitability of thesolution and processes (such as reducing costs)• Coordinate all relevant parties consistently from planning through to verification of effects (including securing the requisite resources, forming teams, allocating tasks in an unbiased

way with an awareness of ensuring the right resource in the right place and encouraging consensus-building among relevant parties)

Category

Subcategory

Strategy/
management/
systems

Required Skills

Businesstransformation

Businessmodel/
processes

SkillsImportanceBusiness strategy formulation andexecutiondProduct managementdTransformation managementa

Systems engineeringcEnterprise architecturecProject managementb

Business surveyscBusiness model designdBusiness analysiscVerification (business perspective)cMarketingdBranding
Customer/user understanding

DesignCategory

Subcategory
Strategic
utilization ofdata/AIData
utilization

AI/datascienceDataengineeringdcValue discovery/definitioncDesigndVerification (customer/user
perspective)cOther design technologydTechnology

Softwaredevelopment

SkillsData understanding/utilization
Data/AI utilization strategy

ImportanceccMathematical statistics/multivariate
analysis/data visualizationdMachine learning/deep learningd

Data utilization infrastructure designdData utilization infrastructure
implementation/operationdComputer sciencedTeam developmentdSoftware design methodsdSoftware development processesc

Web application fundamental
technologyddBackend system developmentd

Utilization of cloud infrastructured

SRE processesdService utilizationc

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Subcategory

Technology

DigitaltechnologybDesign, implementation and evaluation ofoperations that utilize data/AI

Frontend system development

Category

Security

ImportancePhysical computingcOther cutting-edge technologydTechnology trendscSecurity organization establishment
and operationdSecurity management
Security
management Incident response and business
continuityc

Privacy protectionb

Secure design, development andimplementationdSecurity operation, maintenanceand monitoringd

LeadershipzCollaborationz

Goal settingzCreative problem solvingz

Critical thinkingzAdaptabilityzSecuritytechnology

Human skills
Personal
skillsSkillsConceptual
skillsc[Importance key]a High level of practical ability and expertise requiredb A certain level of practical ability and expertise requiredc Ability to provide an explanation requiredd Understanding of positioning and relevance requiredz Practical ability corresponding to role and situation is required101

Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, a. Business Architects

Supplementary Material | Themes of DX Initiatives (Overview)Specific examples of the three themes of DX initiatives (new business development, upgrading of existing business, andupgrading and streamlining of internal operations) are shown below
Theme

Content

Specific examples(a) A printing company utilizes image processing know-how to provide an inspection automation support service for manufacturingindustry (automatic identification of defective items from characteristics included in image data)(b) By collecting and analyzing customer sleep data, a bed manufacturer develops a technology that identifies signs of dementia
by using a sensor mat, and expands into the field of preventive medicine

New businessdevelopment

Provision to themarket of new
products andservices by using
data and digitaltechnology(d) A railway company provides a micromobility service(e) A beverage manufacturer provides a monitoring service for elderly people that utilizes IoT functions to detect coffee being
made and notifies family members of whether or not coffee has been made(f) A startup company provides a sensor and app that can monitor and record kindergarten students (by using a sensor to monitor
the child’s sleep status and recording the position of their body, etc. in the app)Business(CustomerFacing)(g) An event management company photographs participants and distributes the photographs via an app (for a fee)

Upgrading ofexisting
business

Operations(Internal)(c) A taxi company provides a taxi dispatch platform (gaining a new source of revenue from platform usage fees by making it
available to other companies and individual taxi operators, rather than keeping it closed for its own use)

Upgradingandstreamliningof internal
operations

Improvement of thevalue of existingproducts andservices by using
data and digitaltechnology (diverse
methods ofprovision,development of
new markets forexisting products,
etc.)
Improvement of thequality, cost andspeed of internal
operations by using
data and digitaltechnology(h) A dispensing pharmacy provides an online pharmacy service (charging a delivery fee, but no usage fee)(i) A food manufacturer finds a market that likes a particular flavor, and distributes and markets the product with pinpoint
accuracy (digital marketing)(j) A cosmetics company uses an app to diagnose the condition of a user’s skin and recommend the most appropriate cosmetics(k) An agricultural machinery manufacturer equips agricultural machinery with IoT functions and provides users withrecommendations for maintenance and after-sale parts on the basis of the operational status(l) Control of product costs and improvement of profitability by means of the adjustment of the factory production schedule andprocurement of raw materials from suppliers on the basis of customer demand information obtained from a demand forecastingtool(m) In the manufacturing industry, visualization of operational status and achievement of efficient production line operation bymeans of the introduction of AI and equipment sensors (smart factory)(n) Automation of operations by using no-code/low-code tools
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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, a. Business Architects

Existing

New businessdevelopment(d) (g)New businessdevelopment(a) (b) (c) (e)(f)

ExistingNew business and existing business are categorized on the basis of the novelty of the product or serviceNote*Novelty: Novelty for the company or organization undertaking DX
If the product or service is new, it is defined as new business, regardless of the novelty of the market

New

New



Product/Service

Supplementary Material | Themes of DX Initiatives(Difference between New and Existing)MarketUpgrading ofexisting
business(h) (j) (k)Upgrading ofexisting
business(i)

Specific examples
Theme

New businessdevelopment

Upgrading ofexisting
business

Content

Provision to themarket of new
products and services
by using data anddigital technology

Improvement of thevalue of existingproducts and services
by using data anddigital technology(diverse methods ofprovision,development of newmarkets for existingproducts, etc.)

Change in product/service provided

CSR Initiatives*Reference Change in market (maincustomer)

BeforeAfter

BeforeAfter(a) A printing company utilizes image processing know-how to provide an inspection
automation support service for manufacturing industry (automatic identification of
defective items from characteristics included in image data)

Printed material

Service to support
the automation of
product inspection

People who orderprinted material

Manufacturers(b) By collecting and analyzing customer sleep data, a bed manufacturer develops atechnology that identifies signs of dementia by using a sensor mat, and expands into
the field of preventive medicine

Beds

Service to identify
signs of dementia

People who use beds

Medicalinstitutions/nursing homes(c) A taxi company provides a taxi dispatch platform (gaining a new source of revenue
from platform usage fees by making it available to other companies and individual taxi
operators, rather than keeping it closed for its own use)

Taxi service

Platform

Taxi users

Taxi companies/
advertisers

Railway service

Micromobility (andbooking app)

People who travel tothe destination

People who travel tothe destination(e) A beverage manufacturer provides a monitoring service for elderly people thatutilizes IoT functions to detect coffee being made and notifies family members ofwhether or not coffee has been madeCoffee manufacturer

Monitoring service

Coffee drinkers

Families of elderly
people(f) A startup company provides a sensor and app that can monitor and record
kindergarten students (by using a sensor to monitor the child’s sleep status andrecording the position of their body, etc. in the app)

*No existing product,
as it is a startup

Monitoring sensor
and recording app*No existingcustomer, as it is a
startup

Nursery(g) An event management company photographs participants and distributes thephotographs via an app (for a fee)

EventsPhotographdistribution service

Event participants

Event participants(h) A dispensing pharmacy provides an online pharmacy service (charging a delivery
fee, but no usage fee)

Medication

Medication

Patients

Patients(i) A food manufacturer finds a market that likes a particular flavor, and distributes
and markets the product with pinpoint accuracy (digital marketing)Food product A

Food product A

People who like thefood productregardless of flavor

People who like a
specific flavor(j) A cosmetics company uses an app to diagnose the condition of a user’s skin andrecommend the most appropriate cosmetics

Cosmetics

Cosmetics

Cosmetics users

Cosmetics users(k) An agricultural machinery manufacturer equips agricultural machinery with IoT
functions and provides users with recommendations for maintenance and after-saleparts on the basis of the operational status

Agricultural
machinery

Agricultural
machinery

Agricultural
machinery users

Agricultural
machinery users(d) A railway company provides a micromobility service

Note Product or service: Limited to things that earn remuneration from customers

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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, a. Business Architects

Supplementary Material | How the Roles of Business Architects Are Divided Up

The roles are divided up by DX initiative theme, on the basis of differences in the capabilities required

Business architect(new businessdevelopment)

Plan formulation & design

PoC & implementation

 Setting of business goals in light of thecompany’s internal/external environment,or the needs of society or customers/users
 Design of business models and businessprocesses, and selection of technologies
and techniques/tools

 Verification of goals through PoC
 Decision on business plans with a view tolaunch and embodiment of solution
requirements

Verification of effects after
introduction
 Business monitoring (setting & monitoring
KPIs, gathering customer feedback) Consideration and execution of continuous
improvement measures and measures toimprove profitability

 Seamless promotion, coordination of relevant parties

Business architect(upgrading ofexisting business)

Business architect(upgrading andstreamlining ofinternal operations) Setting of feasible goals throughout thedefinition of challenges in existingproducts, services and operations, andproblem solving
 Design of business processes and selectionof technologies and techniques/tools

 Verification of goals through PoC
 Embodiment of solution requirements

 Identification of operational challenges andsetting of goals for problem solving
 Design of operational processes andselection of technologies andtechniques/tools

 Verification of goals through PoC
 Embodiment of requirements,
implementation of solution

 Business monitoring (setting & monitoring
KPIs, gathering customer feedback) Consideration and execution of continuous
improvement measures and measures toimprove profitability
 Seamless promotion, coordination of relevant parties

 Continuous improvement

 Seamless promotion, coordination of relevant parties* The approach to the division of roles shown above is intended as a rough guide; in reality, approaches will vary from one company to another,as the question of who takes on what responsibilities will differ from one case to another
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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, a. Business Architects

Supplementary information to Business Architects: Background/Premise of
Definition of Product Manager, Expected Roles Product managers, which are becoming more common in Japan, are defined as one of the human resources
who promote DX, and they are being added to this standard.
 Background/premise of why the product manager was added

 A product managers is positioned as a general type of job in global standards, and is also becoming more common
at Japanese companies, especially those that provide digital services.
 In the above, a product manager is defined as a job similar to a business architect.
 In response to the above-mentioned circumstances, this revision defines a product manager as one of thehuman resources who promotes DX, and adds supplementary information to the business architect type.

 Expected roles
 The origin of the product manager is said to be a position established in certain companies whose mission was toimprove the value of businesses, products, and services.
It can be thought that the role of this position, which is to lead the parties involved in the process from formulating
a concept to the release of products/services and subsequent improvements to improve the value of businesses,
products, and services, is similar to that of product managers who promote DX.
 Based on the above, it can be said that product managers have the following in common with businessarchitects:• They both lead the parties involved to drive each step of a process to completion in order to achieve
objectives• Concerning products (i.e., businesses, products, and services that utilize digital technology), theyboth promote efforts to achieve objectives by combining multiple products instead of just one

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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, a. Business Architects

Supplementary information to Business Architects: Responsibilities, Main Work,and Skills of a Product ManagerThe responsibilities, main work, and required skills of product managers who promote DX are defined as follows: Responsibilities for promoting DXDefines the objectives and overall picture of the state to achieve through business transformation and drives the process to achievethese goals to completion including the definition of a strategy to develop a product (i.e., business, product, or service that utilize
digital technology), the release of the product, as well as subsequent improvements. Takes the lead in efforts such as engaging internal
external stakeholders to continue improving the value of the product.

 Main work







Defines the objectives and overall picture of the state to achieve through business transformation, and define a strategy to achievethese goals while giving consideration to factors such as internal and external environments, technological trends, and the needs ofsociety, customers, and users
Identifies how each step of the process (e.g., product development, product release, subsequent improvement) impact each other anddetermine policies to deal with potential problems in order to execute the strategy
Enables continuous value improvement that goes beyond the current value of the product by improving products based on quality
assessments and feedback from customers and users, in addition to maximizing revenue and user value through product positioning,
analysis of customer and user needs, and planning of measures to improve profitability.
Coordinates the parties involved throughout the entire process (e.g., strategy definition, development, release, subsequent
improvement) through clear and persuasive communication, team building to improve performance, and the like.

 Required skills

Since product mangers play similar roles to those of business architects in that both positions lead the parties involved to drive eachstep of a process to completion and promote efforts that combine multiple products, the skills required to fulfill their roles are also
thought to be shared with those required for business architects.
Based on the above, the skills required for product managers are defined to be the same as those required for business architects(developing new businesses and improving existing businesses).

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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, a. Business Architects

Supplementary material｜What Is a Product in the Digital Skill Standards?
 “Products” in the Digital Skill Standards not only refer to individual products and services (“products” in anarrow sense), but also include activities associated with them (“products” in a broad sense).
What you want to achievethrough business oroperational transformation(objective)

Products
in a broad sense
Business that utilizes digitaltechnologies(= products/services thatutilize digital technologies, aswell as associated activities)

Products
in a narrow sense
Products/services
that utilize digitaltechnologies

Specific examples
Objective Promote preventative medicine
Initiatives that combine products in a broadsense Identification of risk of onset of disease Identification of the risk of developing a
disease by performing a correlation
analysis between supplement
prescription data and customer healthdata for multiple types of supplements
Products in a broad sense Supplements and associated activities
 Examples of associated activities
 Service to diagnose current health Service for recommending supplements
suitable to the current health Follow-up service, such as checking
health after supplements have beenprescribed

Products/
services thatutilize digitaltechnologies

Activities associated withproducts/services

Products in a narrow sense Supplements
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Part III. Digital Skill Standards for DX Promotion (DSS-P)

Chapter 3
Human Resource Types & Roles
a. Business Architects
b. Designersc. Data Scientists
d. Software Engineerse. Cyber Security

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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, b. Designers

What Are Designers?
Definition

Human resources who take a comprehensive view of the circumstances incorporating perspectives
such as the business perspective and the customer/user perspective, create policies for products andservices and establish development processes, and design the form that products and services are to
take in line with these Reason for defining designers
This type was defined on the basis of the thinking that human resources who bring to fruition the transformation of thebusiness itself—the process beyond the utilization of data and digital technology—by taking not only the business perspective, butalso the customer/user perspective as their starting point are required as human resources who promote DX.
According to the Design Policy Handbook 2020 compiled by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), major changes inmarkets, technology, and society are driving a change in the role required of design from simply making forms moreaesthetically appealing to serving as a means of creating value and solving problems that takes people as its starting point.
In light of this change in the role expected of design, designers have been defined as human resources who bring to fruition business
transformation from the customer/user perspective.

 Settings in which designers play a partThe settings in which designers play a part focus solely on initiatives that utilize individual datasets or digital technologies(envisaged on the basis of individual products, services and operations), and exclude initiatives that relate to the enhancementof organizational capabilities (creation of organizations for instilling design thinking throughout the company, and human resource
development).
• This is because the human resources envisaged in the DSS-P are not expected to be at a management level at which theyhold responsibility for companywide initiatives• However, as the nature of a project may in some cases require organizational capabilities to be enhanced, the type has been
defined in such a way that human resources within the designer type should also have skills in this area
 Within individual initiatives, there may also be cases in which the product or service is supplied to an internal customer.
 Within individual initiatives, it is envisaged that designers will play a part in all DX promotion processes (e.g. planning,
implementation, hypothesis verification, verification of effects after introduction, etc.). In light of changes in the role expected ofdesign, designers will play a part not only in the design of visual appearance, but also in the planning of new products andservices.

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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, b. Designers

What Are Designers? | Expected Roles (1/2)
 The specific roles expected of a designer and actions required of them are as follows: Provision of guidance to ensure relevant parties in the initiative always remain conscious of thecustomer/user perspective approach The customer/user perspective approach has a tendency to be overlooked. To ensure this approach does not fall by
the wayside, designers are required to provide support in all settings of a DX initiative, so that the relevant parties
carry the initiative forward with the customer/user perspective in mind. The envisaged content of a designer’s role
includes matters such as the following examples:•

At the product/service planning stage, checking that the company’s perspective, such as profitability and costcutting, is not the sole consideration, and facilitating consideration of the customer/user perspective•

In situations involving the development of applications and the like, checking not only whether the requisite
functions have been implemented, but also whether usability (ease of understanding, ease of finding and ease ofuse) from the customer/user perspective has been achieved

 Design of points of contact with the customer/user (point of contact between the product/service
and the customer/user) on the basis of an ethical perspective
 Designers are required to design points of contact with the customer/user with consideration not only for thequestions of whether the product/service is easy for the customer/user to understand and/or find, and whether it
appeals to them, but also for its ethical appropriateness (e.g. whether it makes unethical inducements).

 Designers are required to design products/services on the basis of human behavioral principles and psychology, andalso to check the product/service created from an ethical perspective and, if unethical elements are discovered, tosend the product/service back for amendment.

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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, b. Designers

What Are Designers? | Expected Roles (2/2)
The following shows an example of an operation in which a designer collaborates with the other human resource types.
The two-way arrows represent the relationships between each type, to indicate that two or more human resource types build
collaborative working relationships in a range of situations, rather than being a situation in which one type issues instructions
or requests to another.
• Consideration of ideas
for products and services
based on insights derived
from the results ofcustomer and user
surveys• Consideration of userinterfaces to decrease
the feeling of burden
on users due tosecurity enhancement

Designers• Development, evaluation,
Cyber Security
and verification of
products/services, while
taking into consideration
design guidelines, usability
and ethical appropriatenessBusiness • Consideration of surveys
for customer/user
Architects

understanding andverification of
products/services, dataacquisition, analysis, andhow to present analysis
results

Software Engineers

Data Scientists
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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, b. Designers

Roles of Designers | Definition of Roles
Human Resource
Types

Data Scientists

Designers

Software Engineers

Cyber Security
Cyber Security
Engineers

Cyber Security
Managers

Physical Computing Engineers

Cloud Engineers/SRE

Backend Engineers

Frontend Engineers

Data Engineers

Data Science
Professionals

Data Business
Strategists

Graphic Designers

UX/UI Designers

Service Designers

Business Architects(Upgrading and streamlining ofinternal operations)

Business Architects(Upgrading of existing
business)

Business Architects

(New business development)

Roles

Business Architects

Roles categorized on the basis of DX promotion processes







The designer type is categorized into a number of roles on the basis of differences in the work carried out.
As it is envisaged that designers will play a part in all DX promotion processes (e.g. planning, implementation, hypothesis verification,verification of effects after introduction, etc.), these processes have been divided into the three broad groupings below for ease of understanding,and the roles have been broken down in accordance with these.
① Definition of value proposition, design of product and service business models and business processes, and creation of policies (concepts)② Consideration of customer/user experience for products and services, information design, and design of functions, information deployment,
appearance, and dynamic elements③ Creation of concrete realizations of brand image, and design of digital graphics, marketing media and other such things
With regard to ②, as design must be carried out with consideration for UX (customer/user experience of the product/service) and there is apossibility that a product or service might not be able to achieve the value proposition if designed in isolation from UX, UX design and UIdesign have been defined as a unified role.
The ways in which designers handle the roles set out here in the course of promoting a company’s DX will vary. It is also envisaged that several
people might handle a single role, or that one person might handle several roles, depending on the size of the company or the scale of thethemes being addressed.
Of these roles, UX/UI designer is regarded as the role with which companies about to embark on DX promotion should equip themselves
as a particular priority.
However, when undertaking companywide transformation in larger-scale companies, service designers may also prove to be useful.
• This is because, while the consideration of customer/user experience and design of products and services are the core work of designers in DX
promotion initiatives, service designers are able to cover the business architect type to a certain extent, whereas companies conceivably have theoption of outsourcing the work of graphic designers, due to the high level of expertise
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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, b. Designers

Roles of Designers | Approach to Skill Mapping
Service designer

In skills associated with customer/user understanding and value discovery/definition, both knowledge and a high level of practical ability
are required.
•

These are needed when identifying challenges for customers/users, defining the value proposition and creating policies (concepts) for products andservices

With regard to skills associated with strategy/management/systems and business model/processes, too, designers in this role need tohave wide-ranging knowledge and practical ability at a level that enables them to put their skills into practice while collaborating with businessarchitects.
•

These are needed when identifying challenges for society and both internal and external relevant parties (relevant parties in the provision of
products and services), designing mechanisms for continuously realizing policies (concepts) for products and services, and collaborating withbusiness architects to verify feasibility from a business perspective

UX/UI designer

In skills associated with customer/user understanding, value discovery/definition and design, both knowledge and a high level ofpractical ability are required.
•
These are needed when considering customer/user experience, undertaking information design, and designing functions, information deployment,
appearance, and dynamic elements
 With regard to skills associated with technology and the privacy protection skill required when designing points of contact withcustomers/users, too, designers in this role need to have wide-ranging knowledge at a level that enables them to put their skills into practicewhile collaborating with other human resource types (such as software engineers and cyber security).
•
These are needed when producing prototypes of products and services in collaboration with other human resource types (such as software
engineers and cyber security)Graphic designer

In other design technology skills, both knowledge and a high level of practical ability are required.
•
These are needed when undertaking digital-related design, including digital graphics and marketing media, and also for general design of all kindsof content in the course of rolling out businesses, products and services
 With regard to skills associated with marketing and branding, too, designers in this role need to have knowledge and practical ability at alevel that enables them to put their skills into practice while collaborating with marketing and branding professionals.
•
These are needed when collaborating with marketing and branding professionals on efforts to visualize and create concrete realizations of brand
image
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113Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, b. Designers

Roles of Designers | Responsibilities/Main Work & Skills (1/3)
Human
Resource TypeRole
Responsibilities
in DX Promotion

Designer

Service designer
Define the value proposition in the context of the challenges of society, customers, users, and both internal and external involved parties in the provision of products
and services, create policies (concepts) for products and services, and design mechanisms for continuously realizing them•Main Work•••

Identify through market research and customer/user surveys the challenges faced by society, customers and users, and all stakeholders involved in the provision of a
product/service, and define the value proposition while taking into account the perspectives of customers/users, the business and technology
Based on the value proposition, create policies (concepts) for products and services, and design mechanisms for continuously realizing them
Verify the feasibility of the value proposition and product/service policies (whether the product/service can actually provide the desired experience to the customer/user, whether
the product/service is useful to the customer/user, and whether the product/service is feasible as a business) at every stage, from hypothesis verification (PoC, etc.) to full-scale
introduction and also after introduction
In the process of creating plans, form a consensus among those collaborating on tasks and among customers/users, design (coordinate) forums for leading them to the same goal
and facilitate those forums

Category

Subcategory

Strategy/
management/
systems

Required Skills

Businesstransformation

Businessmodel/
processes

SkillsImportanceBusiness strategy formulation andexecutionb

Product managementbTransformation managementb

Systems engineeringcEnterprise architecturecProject managementc

Business surveysb

Business model designbBusiness analysisbVerification (business perspective)bMarketingb

BrandingcCustomer/user understandinga

Value discovery/definition
DesignaCategory

Subcategory

SkillsData understanding/utilization

Strategic
utilization ofdata/AIData
utilization

AI/datascienceDataengineering

Technology

Softwaredevelopment

Importance

Subcategory

Technology

DigitaltechnologycData/AI utilization strategycDesign, implementation and evaluationof operations that utilize data/AIcMathematical statistics/multivariate
analysis/data visualizationdMachine learning/deep learningd

Data utilization infrastructure designdData utilization infrastructure
implementation/operationdComputer sciencedTeam developmentdSoftware design methodsdSoftware development processesd

Web application fundamental
technologydFrontend system developmentdBackend system developmentdDesignb

Verification (customer/user
perspective)

Utilization of cloud infrastructuread

SRE processesdOther design technologycService utilizationd

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Category

Security
management
Security

Securitytechnology

Human skills
Personal
skillsConceptual
skillsSkillsImportancePhysical computingcOther cutting-edge technologydTechnology trendscSecurity organization establishment
and operationdSecurity managementc

Incident response and business
continuityc

Privacy protectioncSecure design, development andimplementationdSecurity operation, maintenanceand monitoringd

LeadershipzCollaborationz

Goal settingzCreative problem solvingz

Critical thinkingzAdaptabilityz[Importance key]a High level of practical ability and expertise requiredb A certain level of practical ability and expertise requiredc Ability to provide an explanation requiredd Understanding of positioning and relevance requiredz Practical ability corresponding to role and situation is required

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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, b. Designers

Roles of Designers | Responsibilities/Main Work & Skills (2/3)
HumanResource TypeRole
Responsibilities
in DX Promotion

Designer

UX/UI designer
Design customer/user experience for products and services based on value propositions, undertake the information design of products and services, and design
functions, information deployment, appearance, and dynamic elements••

Main Work••

Based on the value proposition, visualize the behavior of customers/users at their point of contact with the product/service and the situations, thinking and emotions that lead up tothat behavior, and design the customer/user experience for the product/service
Realize the product/service policy (concept) in the form of concrete specifications, guidelines, design principles and the like, and undertake the information design for the
product/service, along with the design of functions, information deployment, appearance, and dynamic elements (look & feel)
Produce prototypes of web content, applications and the like that are aligned with the branding and marketing measures, at every stage, from PoC to full-scale introduction andalso after introduction
Conduct usability evaluation (verification of whether the customer/user was able to reach the information they sought without getting confused) at every stage, from PoC to fullscale introduction and also after introduction

Category

Subcategory

Strategy/
management/
systems

Required Skills

Businesstransformation

Businessmodel/
processes

SkillsImportanceBusiness strategy formulation andexecutiondProduct managementcTransformation managementd

Systems engineeringdEnterprise architecturedProject managementc

Business surveysdBusiness model designdBusiness analysisdVerification (business perspective)dMarketingb

Branding
Customer/user understanding
Value discovery/definition
DesignCategory

Subcategory

Data understanding/utilization
Strategic
utilization ofdata/AIData
utilization

AI/datascienceDataengineeringcaaSkillsTechnology

Softwaredevelopment

Importance

Subcategory

Technology

DigitaltechnologydData/AI utilization strategydDesign, implementation and evaluationof operations that utilize data/AIdMathematical statistics/multivariate
analysis/data visualizationdMachine learning/deep learningd

Data utilization infrastructure designdData utilization infrastructure
implementation/operationdComputer sciencecTeam developmentb

Software design methodscSoftware development processesc

Web application fundamental
technologycFrontend system developmentc

Backend system developmentc

DesignaVerification (customer/user
perspective)

Utilization of cloud infrastructureac

SRE processescOther design technologycService utilizationc

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Category

Security
management
Security

Securitytechnology

Human skills
Personal
skillsConceptual
skillsSkillsImportancePhysical computingcOther cutting-edge technologydTechnology trendscSecurity organization establishment
and operationdSecurity managementd

Incident response and business
continuityd

Privacy protectioncSecure design, development andimplementationdSecurity operation, maintenanceand monitoringd

LeadershipzCollaborationz

Goal settingzCreative problem solvingz

Critical thinkingzAdaptabilityz[Importance key]a High level of practical ability and expertise requiredb A certain level of practical ability and expertise requiredc Ability to provide an explanation requiredd Understanding of positioning and relevance requiredz Practical ability corresponding to role and situation is required

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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, b. Designers

Roles of Designers | Responsibilities/Main Work & Skills (3/3)
HumanResource TypeRole
Responsibilities
in DX Promotion

Main Work

Designer

Graphic designer
Create concrete realizations of brand image, and design digital graphics, marketing media, and other such things with a sense of unification as a brand• Create concrete realizations of brand image, and design of digital graphics, marketing media and other such things

Category

Subcategory

Strategy/
management/
systems

Required Skills

Businesstransformation

Businessmodel/
processes

DesignSkillsImportanceBusiness strategy formulation andexecutiondProduct managementdTransformation managementd

Systems engineeringdEnterprise architecturedProject managementc

Business surveysdBusiness model designdBusiness analysisdVerification (business perspective)dMarketingb

Brandingb

Customer/user understandingcCategory

Subcategory

SkillsData understanding/utilization

Strategic
utilization ofdata/AIData
utilization

AI/datascienceDataengineering

Technology

Softwaredevelopment

Importance

Subcategory

Technology

DigitaltechnologydData/AI utilization strategydDesign, implementation and evaluationof operations that utilize data/AIdMathematical statistics/multivariate
analysis/data visualizationdMachine learning/deep learningd

Data utilization infrastructure designdData utilization infrastructure
implementation/operationdComputer sciencedTeam developmentdSoftware design methodsdSoftware development processesd

Web application fundamental
technologydFrontend system developmentdBackend system developmentdValue discovery/definitioncDesignc

Verification (customer/user
perspective)

Utilization of cloud infrastructuredc

SRE processesdOther design technologyaService utilizationd

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Category

Security
management
Security

Securitytechnology

Human skills
Personal
skillsConceptual
skillsSkillsImportancePhysical computingdOther cutting-edge technologydTechnology trendsdSecurity organization establishment
and operationdSecurity managementd

Incident response and business
continuityd

Privacy protectiondSecure design, development andimplementationdSecurity operation, maintenanceand monitoringd

LeadershipzCollaborationz

Goal settingzCreative problem solvingz

Critical thinkingzAdaptabilityz[Importance key]a High level of practical ability and expertise requiredb A certain level of practical ability and expertise requiredc Ability to provide an explanation requiredd Understanding of positioning and relevance requiredz Practical ability corresponding to role and situation is required

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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, b. Designers

Supplementary Material | Changes in the Role Expected of Design According to the Design Policy Handbook 2020 compiled by METI, major changes in markets, technology, andsociety are driving a change in the role required of design from simply making forms more aestheticallyappealing to serving as a means of creating value and solving problems that takes people as its starting point.
Today, due to economic globalization and the emerging economies that have come to the fore, markets are full ofoutstanding products and services, while people’s values are becoming increasingly diverse and their needs moreadvanced. Amid this situation, the creation of the value truly sought by customers and of value that goes beyond
customer expectations is a challenge. In addition, the wave of the Fourth Industrial Revolution symbolized by AI, the IoT
and other innovations in the technological field is, along with advances in the digital economy, having a major impact on
existing industries. As such, the creation of businesses unconstrained by conventional thinking is required. Furthermore,
at a time when the international community is promoting initiatives aimed at creating sustainable societies, the very
nature of corporations is starting to be fundamentally challenged.
Thus, against the background of major changes in markets, technology and society, along with increasingly complex
issues surrounding companies, the role that design is expected to play is also changing. Specifically, the role required ofdesign is not merely to make individual products and the like more beautiful in form or easier to use, but also to make theentire experience of people using products and services more pleasant and appealing, and even to create more desirable,
vibrant ecosystems, including those associated with business models, organizations and communities. It would be fair tosay that today, design should be regarded as a means of creating value and solving problems that takes people as its
starting point.

Source: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Cool Japan Policy Division & Design Policy Office, Design Policy Handbook 2020 (April 2020)
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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, b. Designers

Supplementary Material | Focus of Design Work in Each Role The focus of design work in each role in the DSS-P is as follows:

Creation of a companywide DX strategy

Identification of challenges, definition of value and design ofthe business model in individual projects

Servicedesigner

Business process design

Design ofmarketing media
Design of theappearance of
web content/apps

UX design

UX/UIdesigner

UI design

UI design

UI design

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Graphic
designer

Design of digital
graphics

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Part III. Digital Skill Standards for DX Promotion (DSS-P)

Chapter 3
Human Resource Types & Roles
a. Business Architects
b. Designersc. Data Scientists
d. Software Engineerse. Cyber Security

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119Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, c. Data Scientists

What Are Data Scientists?
Definition

Human resources who, in the promotion of DX, design, implement, and operatemechanisms for the gathering and analysis of data toward transformation of operations
and realization of new businesses through use of data What are data scientists in the promotion of DX?
With the advancement of computerization and digitalization throughout society, the amount of data generated in an organization orcompany is dramatically growing, and the maintenance and effective use of data in a company or organization have recently become
an extremely important challenge in increasing the competitiveness of the company or organization. It is no exaggeration to say that,today, the success of DX depends on the ability to make effective use of data.

Data scientists are human resources who promote DX mainly in the field of data utilization, which is thus essential in the DX
of a company or organization. They play the core role in the promotion of DX centered on data utilization.

 Data utilization operations performed by a data scientist
A data scientist not only analyzes data but performs a wide range of operations from consideration of business strategies throughuse of data to consideration of data gathering methods and mechanisms, as well as the design, creation, and operation of anenvironment for conducting data analysis. Moreover, a data scientist also takes charge of such operations as actually transforming
work-site operations by introducing a data utilization mechanism in the work-site operations and providing work-site users with
explanations or education on how to use that mechanism.

As such, in the field of data utilization, a data scientist takes charge of all processes from the formulation of strategies to hypothesis
verification, implementation, operation, and effect verification/improvement. Therefore, the operations performed by a data scientist
sometimes also require the skills required of other human resource types, such as the business skills required of a business architect
and a designer as well as the technical skills required of a software engineer and cyber security.



Data scientists are characterized by the fact that, because they perform a wide range of operations centered on their expertise in thefield of data utilization, they are required to have diverse skills in order to play active roles as human resources with the skill
level assumed by these Skill Standards.
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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, c. Data Scientists

What Are Data Scientists? | Expected Roles (1/2)
The specific roles expected of a data scientist and actions required of them are as follows: Achievement of data utilization that increases the competitiveness of their company or organization

The roles expected of a data scientist are to promote DX initiatives through the discovery and utilization of data, and to contribute to
the ultimate goal of increasing the competitiveness of their company or organization. While the utilization and analysis of data arethemselves tasks that require a high level of expertise, a data scientist needs to have a strong awareness not only of data utilization
and analysis work in its own right, but also of the fact that efforts to ensure the outcomes increase the competitiveness of theircompany or organization are essential.

The DSS-P includes not only data scientists who are directly involved in products and services aimed at customers outside thecompany, but also data scientists who provide services to users within the company. However, even in cases that involve carrying out
work for internal customers, it is vital that data scientists remain aware at all times of the need to confirm whether the outcomes of
their work ultimately provide value to the customer within their company or organization, and whether these outcomes
contribute adequately to the increase of customer value.

 Handling of matters related to the field of data utilization in DX and flexible collaboration with other humanresource types as needed

While data scientists are defined as the human resource type that takes responsibility for executing work in the data utilization field in
the context of a DX initiative, there are cases in which data scientists alone may promote DX if data utilization is the principal goal of
the DX initiative in question.

However, if the DX initiative in question is broader in scope and includes fields other than data utilization, this human resource typewill be required to fulfill their role effectively within the DX initiative as a whole, while collaborating flexibly with other humanresource types, including business architects, designers, software engineers and cyber security.



There is a strong expectation that data scientists will not only have an adequate understanding of customers/users associated withdata utilization, and of the requirements and needs of other human resource types with which they collaborate in DX initiatives, butalso, on occasion, identify new business creation opportunities and possibilities for business process re-engineering on thebasis of potential needs of which these relevant parties are not yet fully aware.
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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, c. Data Scientists

What Are Data Scientists? | Expected Roles (2/2)
The following shows an example of an operation in which a data scientist collaborates with the other human resource types.
The two-way arrows represent the relationships between each type, to indicate that two or more human resource types build
collaborative working relationships in a range of situations, rather than being a situation in which one type issues instructions
or requests to another.
• Consideration ofpolicies
concerning data
management
and privacy
protection• Consideration ofideas for products
and services basedon hints obtained
from the results ofdata analysis

Data Scientists

Business
Architects• Consideration of new
mechanisms forcollecting/accumulating/analyzing/visualizing data,
and mechanisms forlinking/connecting withexisting systems, etc.

• Consideration of surveys forcustomer/user
understanding andverification of
products/services, dataacquisition, analysis, andhow to present analysis
results

Cyber Security

Software Engineers
Designers

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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, c. Data Scientists

Roles of Data Scientists
Human Resource
Types

Data Scientists

Designers

Software Engineers

Cyber Security
Cyber Security
Engineers

Cyber Security
Managers

Physical Computing Engineers

Cloud Engineers/SRE

Backend Engineers

Frontend Engineers

Data Engineers

Data Science
Professionals

Data Business
Strategists

Graphic Designers

UX/UI Designers

Service Designers

Business Architects(Upgrading and streamlining ofinternal operations)

Business Architects(Upgrading of existing
business)

Business Architects(New business development)

Roles

Business Architects

 Approach to the categorization of roles

The data scientist type is categorized into a number of roles on the basis of differences in the work carried out.

The data business strategist role is defined as one that involves the formulation of data utilization strategies based on businessstrategies, the management of other roles and the promotion of collaboration with other human resource types. The data science
professional role is defined as one that involves the handling of tasks including data processing and analysis, along with theevaluation of the results thereof, on the basis of expertise in the data science field. The data engineer role is defined as one thatinvolves the design, implementation and operation of an effective data analysis environment.

The roles within the data scientist type have been categorized with reference to the three competences required of data
scientists (business problem solving competence, data science competence and data engineering competence) defined by the Japan
DataScientist Society. In these Skill Standards, the three competences have been divided into three roles and defined accordingly.

 Career advancement as a data scientist


Human resources who aim to become data scientists are expected to increase their expertise, starting with a field in which theyshow strength in regard to one of the aforementioned three roles. However, where human resources wish to broaden the scope of
their activity as data scientists and achieve career advancement, it is desirable for them to gradually gain the ability to handle
multiple roles, with their field of strength at the core.
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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, c. Data Scientists

Roles of Data Scientists | Approach to Skill Mapping
Data business strategistA data business strategist’s role is to formulate data strategies based on business strategies, manage projects in the field of datautilization, and work with front-line departments to design and review operations that utilize data. In other words, one could say that adata business strategist’s role is to serve as a bridge connecting data scientists with other human resource types who promote
DX and front-line departments within their own company, among others.



To fulfill this role, there is a stronger need for data business strategists to have business and managerial skills than there is for other roles
within this human resource type. Those who hold this role also require knowledge and a high level of practical ability in relation to various
legal systems, including privacy protection.

Data science professional

A data science professional’s role is to carry out data processing and analysis, evaluate the results and produce knowledge that will lead tothe creation of new business and the transformation and improvement of operations on the ground. As another role of data science
professionals is the creation of mechanisms for data utilization in front-line departments, along with education and support for end users,
they are not only responsible for data processing and analysis, but also take a certain level of responsibility in situations
involving the utilization of the results.

Given that they handle the roles described above, data science professionals need to have both skills related to data analysis and theevaluation of the results, and an average level of personal and other skills required to communicate appropriately with a diverse array of
relevant parties, including front-line users.



In addition, as their role also involves grasping trends in cutting-edge technology—primarily in the rapidly advancing field of data science—and verifying whether those technologies can be utilized in their own company, data science professionals need to have a deeper
understanding of other cutting-edge technology than other roles within this human resource type.

Data engineer

A data engineer’s role is to design, implement and operate a data analysis environment optimized for real-time, dynamic andautomatic data analysis, to serve as data utilization infrastructure.

To fulfill this role, data engineers need to have as high a level of practical ability as software engineers in relation to both backend systemdevelopment and the utilization of cloud infrastructure.
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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, c. Data Scientists

Roles of Data Scientists | Responsibilities/Main Work & Skills (1/3)
Human
Resource TypeRole
Responsibilities
in DX Promotion

Data scientist

Data business strategist
Consider data utilization strategy in line with enterprise strategy, and lead the way in realizing and executing the strategy while achieving business transformation toincrease customer value and creating new business• Make judgments concerning the pros and cons of data utilization in their company’s business strategy and formulate a data utilization strategy for achieving the business strategy

Main Work• Plan and lead processes until the data utilization strategy is achieved, coordinate collaboration with other human resource types and roles, and manage projects in the datautilization field• Work with front-line departments to design and review operations that utilize data, and also create new business and achieve front-line business transformation and improvement• Identify the outcomes and challenges of initiatives, and feed these insights into the next initiative

Category

Subcategory

Strategy/
management/
systems

Required Skills

Businesstransformation

Businessmodel/
processes

DesignSkillsImportanceBusiness strategy formulation andexecutionb

Product managementcTransformation managementc

Systems engineeringcEnterprise architecturecProject managementb

Business surveysb

Business model designbBusiness analysisbVerification (business perspective)bMarketingcBrandingcCustomer/user understandingb

Value discovery/definitionb

Designc

Verification (customer/user
perspective)b

Other design technologydCategory

Subcategory

SkillsData understanding/utilization

Strategic
utilization ofdata/AIData
utilization

AI/datascienceDataengineering

SoftwareTechnology development

Data/AI utilization strategy

Importance

Subcategory

Technology

DigitaltechnologyaaDesign, implementation and evaluationof operations that utilize data/AIaMathematical statistics/multivariate
analysis/data visualizationc

Machine learning/deep learningc

Data utilization infrastructure designcData utilization infrastructure
implementation/operationcComputer sciencedTeam developmentb

Software design methodscSoftware development processesc

Web application fundamental
technologydFrontend system developmentdBackend system developmentd

Utilization of cloud infrastructured

SRE processescService utilizationc

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Category

Security
management
Security

Securitytechnology

Human skills
Personal
skillsConceptual
skillsSkillsImportancePhysical computingcOther cutting-edge technologycTechnology trendscSecurity organization
establishment and operationdSecurity managementc

Incident response and business
continuityc

Privacy protectionb

Secure design, development andimplementationdSecurity operation, maintenanceand monitoringd

LeadershipzCollaborationz

Goal settingzCreative problem solvingz

Critical thinkingzAdaptabilityz[Importance key]a High level of practical ability and expertise requiredb A certain level of practical ability and expertise requiredc Ability to provide an explanation requiredd Understanding of positioning and relevance requiredz Practical ability corresponding to role and situation is required

125

Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, c. Data Scientists

Roles of Data Scientists | Responsibilities/Main Work & Skills (2/3)
HumanResource TypeRole
Responsibilities
in DX Promotion

Data Scientist

Data science professional
Use data processing and analysis to elicit meaningful knowledge that will lead to operational transformation and business creation to increase customer value• Data processing and analysis based on specialist knowledge in the fields of AI and data science, and suitably evaluating and analyzing the results• Using data processing and analysis results to produce knowledge that will lead to the creation of new business and the transformation and improvement of operations on theMain Workground, and suitably visualizing this• Creation of mechanism for data utilization in front-line departments, education and support for end users• Improvement of analysis models in reflection on the operating state of mechanisms for data utilization and new business demands• Gaining an understanding of new technology in the fields of AI and data science, and verifying its potential
Category

Subcategory

Strategy/
management/
systems

Required Skills

Businesstransformation

Businessmodel/
processes

DesignSkillsImportanceBusiness strategy formulation andexecutiondProduct managementcTransformation managementc

Systems engineeringcEnterprise architecturedProject managementc

Business surveysdBusiness model designcBusiness analysiscVerification (business perspective)cMarketingdBrandingdCustomer/user understandingcValue discovery/definitioncDesigndVerification (customer/user
perspective)b

Other design technologydCategory

Subcategory

SkillsData understanding/utilization

Strategic
utilization ofdata/AIData
utilization

AI/datascienceDataengineering

SoftwareTechnology development

Data/AI utilization strategy

Importance

Subcategory

Technology

DigitaltechnologybcDesign, implementation and evaluationof operations that utilize data/AIbMathematical statistics/multivariate
analysis/data visualizationaMachine learning/deep learningaData utilization infrastructure designcData utilization infrastructure
implementation/operationcComputer sciencebTeam developmentb

Software design methodscSoftware development processesc

Web application fundamental
technologydFrontend system developmentdBackend system developmentd

Utilization of cloud infrastructured

SRE processescService utilizationc

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Category

Security
management
Security

Securitytechnology

Human skills
Personal
skillsConceptual
skillsSkillsImportancePhysical computingcOther cutting-edge technologycTechnology trendscSecurity organization
establishment and operationdSecurity managementc

Incident response and business
continuityc

Privacy protectionb

Secure design, development andimplementationdSecurity operation, maintenanceand monitoringd

LeadershipzCollaborationz

Goal settingzCreative problem solvingz

Critical thinkingzAdaptabilityz[Importance key]a High level of practical ability and expertise requiredb A certain level of practical ability and expertise requiredc Ability to provide an explanation requiredd Understanding of positioning and relevance requiredz Practical ability corresponding to role and situation is required

126

Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, c. Data Scientists

Roles of Data Scientists | Responsibilities/Main Work & Skills (3/3)
HumanResource TypeRole
Responsibilities
in DX Promotion

Data Scientist

Data engineer
Realize operational transformation and business creation to increase customer value through the design, implementation, and operation of an effective data analysis
environment• Design a system environment that allows the collection, processing and analysis of data appropriate to the goal (e.g. operational data or log data), among others, to be carried out

Main Workeffectively, lead its implementation and achieve its optimal operation• Coordinate and achieve an optimal real-time, dynamic and automatic data analysis environment in accordance with changes in the situation• Process data and create data marts required for data analysis• Develop an environment that allows other roles to conduct monitoring appropriately
Category

Subcategory

Strategy/
management/
systems

Required Skills

Businesstransformation

Businessmodel/
processes

DesignSkillsImportanceBusiness strategy formulation andexecutiondProduct managementcTransformation managementc

Systems engineeringbEnterprise architectureb

Project managementc

Business surveysdBusiness model designdBusiness analysiscVerification (business perspective)dMarketingdBrandingdCustomer/user understandingcValue discovery/definitioncDesignc

Verification (customer/user
perspective)cOther design technologydCategory

Subcategory

SkillsData understanding/utilization

Strategic
utilization ofdata/AIData
utilization

AI/datascienceDataengineering

SoftwareTechnology development

Data/AI utilization strategy

Importance

Subcategory

Technology

DigitaltechnologybcDesign, implementation and evaluationof operations that utilize data/AIcMathematical statistics/multivariate
analysis/data visualizationc

Machine learning/deep learningc

Data utilization infrastructure designaData utilization infrastructure
implementation/operationaComputer sciencebTeam developmentb

Software design methodsb

Software development processesb

Web application fundamental
technologycFrontend system developmentc

Backend system developmentb

Utilization of cloud infrastructureb

SRE processescService utilizationb

All Rights Reserved Copyright© IPA 2024

Category

Security
management
Security

Securitytechnology

Human skills
Personal
skillsConceptual
skillsSkillsImportancePhysical computingcOther cutting-edge technologybTechnology trendscSecurity organization
establishment and operationdSecurity managementc

Incident response and business
continuityb

Privacy protectionb

Secure design, development andimplementationb

Security operation, maintenanceand monitoringc

LeadershipzCollaborationz

Goal settingzCreative problem solvingz

Critical thinkingzAdaptabilityz[Importance key]a High level of practical ability and expertise requiredb A certain level of practical ability and expertise requiredc Ability to provide an explanation requiredd Understanding of positioning and relevance requiredz Practical ability corresponding to role and situation is required

127

Part III. Digital Skill Standards for DX Promotion (DSS-P)

Chapter 3
Human Resource Types & Roles
a. Business Architects
b. Designersc. Data Scientists
d. Software Engineerse. Cyber Security

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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, d. Software Engineers

What Are Software Engineers?
Definition

Human resources who, in the promotion of DX, design, implement, and operate systems
and software to provide products and services using digital technology

What are software engineers in the promotion of DX?


Software engineers play the biggest role in the implementation of products and services that utilize digital technology andin their introduction and operation phases. Software engineers also play an important role in new product/service creation
and business transformation by facilitating the shift from the planning stage to realization in concrete form.

A software engineer’s strength and role is to realize the mechanisms for new products/services and business
transformation in concrete form and to leverage specific technologies to produce outcomes and value from DX.

Thinking behind the name “software engineer”
The name “software engineer” has been adopted in these Skill Standards in preference to “engineer” or “IT engineer.” Thisis based on the awareness that, while the ability to handle a diverse array of hardware and devices will be important in thecourse of the digitalization of various fields in the physical world, the role of software will increasingly be of evengreater importance in the production of outcomes that allow for differentiation.



In addition, the term “software engineer” is one of the longest-established names indicating an engineer in the IT field, andhas continued to be used over the course of modern history, during which time IT has wrought major changes insociety. Furthermore, the name “software engineer” also includes the nuance of an engineer capable of dealing with awide range of fields and processes, from the definition of software requirements to design, implementation, maintenanceand operation.

Thus, the name “software engineer” has been adopted in these Skill Standards to include the meaning of an engineer
who, by means of a high level of technical skill capable of wide-ranging application, continues to create thecutting edge in the age to come, just as they have in years gone by.

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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, d. Software Engineers

What Are Software Engineers? | Expected Roles (1/2)
The specific roles expected of a software engineer and actions required of them are as follows: Contribute to increasing the competitiveness of their company or organization via their high level of technicalskillSoftware engineers are required to use their high level of technical skill in the IT and digital fields to promote DX initiatives andcontribute to increasing the competitiveness of their company or organization, which is the goal of DX.

The DSS-P includes not only software engineers who are directly involved in the development, etc. of products and services aimed atcustomers outside the company, but also software engineers who provide systems and services, etc. to users within the company,
both of whom play important roles in the promotion of DX initiatives. However, in both cases, software engineers must maintain astrong awareness at all times of the need to confirm whether their work ultimately provides value to customers/users of theircompany or organization, and whether their work contributes to the increase of their company’s customer value.

 Collaborate flexibly with other stakeholders and produce value, even amid rapidly changing situations


Software engineers are expected to gain a full understanding of the requests and needs of other stakeholders, including
customers/users and other human resource types with whom they collaborate on DX initiatives, and then to create systems andsoftware of a standard that meets or exceeds those expectations. In particular, as identifying and creating new value is also crucial in
DX initiatives, software engineers need to demonstrate a willingness to discover and understand customer/user needs forthemselves.



Depending on the situation, software engineers are also expected to offer their own proposals to customers/users and other humanresource types with whom they collaborate on DX initiatives, and to contribute proactively and directly to the creation of new value.



In DX initiatives, the requests and need of customers/users and other human resources promoting DX initiatives can change
substantially in response to rapidly changing environments and situations. Software engineers must have the technical skill, flexibility
and readiness required to be able to respond in a flexible and agile manner, even in the event of changes in the needs of otherstakeholders in the process of creating systems and software.

 Maintain and acquire the high level of technical skill required to be able to create competitive software with
their own hands
The greatest strength of a software engineer is their ability to swiftly create competitive software with their own hands, without thehelp of other human resource types or other specialist companies. A software engineer must continuously improve their skills with aview to the maintenance and acquisition of this strength, in order to be able to continue to play an active role as a software engineer.
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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, d. Software Engineers

What Are Software Engineers? | Expected Roles (2/2)
The following shows an example of an operation in which a software engineer collaborates with the other human resource
types.
The two-way arrows represent the relationships between each type, to indicate that two or more human resource types build
collaborative working relationships in a range of situations, rather than being a situation in which one type issues instructions
or requests to another.
• Consideration of ideas for products/services
based on new technology and tool
• Definition of requirements for development
based on customer needs, and softwarearchitecture design• Determination of priority in development

Business
Architects• Creation of security rules andcountermeasures corresponding
to risks for new
products/services

Software Engineers• Consideration of new
mechanisms for
Cyber Security
collecting/accumulating/analyzing/visualizing data, andmechanisms forlinking/connecting withexisting systems, etc.

• Development, evaluation,and verification of
products/services, while
taking into consideration
design guidelines, usability
and ethical appropriateness

Data Scientists

Designers
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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, d. Software Engineers

Roles of Software Engineers
Cyber Security
Engineers

Physical Computing Engineers

Cloud Engineers/SRE

Cyber Security

Backend Engineers

Data Engineers

Data Science
Professionals

Data Business
Strategists

Graphic Designers

UX/UI Designers

Software Engineers

Cyber Security
Managers

Data Scientists

Designers
Service Designers

Business Architects(Upgrading and streamlining ofinternal operations)

Business Architects(Upgrading of existing
business)Business Architects

(New business development)

Roles

Business Architects

Frontend Engineers

Human Resource
Types

Roles categorized on the basis of field of strengthThe software engineer type is categorized into a number of roles on the basis of differences in the work carried out.



Four roles have been defined, corresponding to the fields in which software engineers show strength. Of these roles, those offrontend engineer, backend engineer and cloud engineer / SRE (service reliability engineering) have been defined with an awarenessof the terms used in general job market and the like nowadays.

The somewhat newer field of physical computing has been defined as a future-focused new role. Due to an awareness of the issue
that the digitalization of fields that were hitherto not digitalized will lead to DX promotion and differentiation, it was decided
to explicitly define roles with skills that involve front-line digitalization and the feedback of information in the virtual realm to the realworld. The difference between the real world (physical realm) and the virtual realm is a realm of which service users are not aware;as the skills required have aspects that differ from those in other roles, this has been defined as an independent role, in light also of
its future importance.

The division of rolesConsideration of the roles of a software engineer was based on the assumption of a company of sufficient size to have a team of atleast 50 or so software engineers, which has brought the development and operation of software in-house. In companies smaller
than this, a handful of software engineers or even just one might handle all the roles defined here, while in larger companies, eachrole might be covered by a whole team. The division and combination of roles can vary flexibly, depending on each company’ssituation.
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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, d. Software Engineers

Roles of Software Engineers | Approach to Skill Mapping
Frontend engineer As frontend engineers handle the aspects of software and applications that involve the development of functions at the front end(interface), as seen from the user’s perspective, they need skills associated with software development that are principally
focused on such areas as frontend system development.
 In addition to skills associated with design and product management, they also require skills associated with project
management and security technology.

Backend engineer As backend engineers handle the development of the server-side functions of software and applications, they need skills
associated with software development that are principally focused on such areas as backend system development
and utilization of cloud infrastructure.
 In addition to skills associated with data engineering, they also require skills associated with project management andsecurity technology.

Cloud engineer / SRE (service reliability engineering) As cloud engineers / SRE handle the optimization of cloud-based software development and operating environments, they needin particular skills associated with software development that are principally focused on such areas as utilization ofcloud infrastructure and SRE processes.
 In addition to skills associated with data engineering, they also require skills associated with project management andsecurity technology (particularly security operation, maintenance and monitoring).

Physical computing engineer As physical computing engineers handle the digitalization of physical spaces, they need skills associated with
communications, networks, and related advanced technologies and the like within the physical computing skill.
 In addition to skills associated with systems engineering, they also require skills associated with security technology.
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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, d. Software Engineers

Roles of Software Engineers | Responsibilities/Main Work & Skills (1/4)
Human
Resource TypeRole
Responsibilities
in DX Promotion

Main Work

Software Engineer

Frontend engineer
Take the main responsibility for mainly implementing interface (client-side) functions among software functions for providing services that leverage digitaltechnology• Understand the needs of users of services that utilize digital technology, and design and implement software for the improvement of customer experience value• Implement functions principally related to the interface (client-side) aspects of software in light of feedback from users, while also carrying out prototyping as needed• Undertake improvements and enhancements in light of feedback from users during service operation

Category

Subcategory

Strategy/
management/
systems

SkillsImportanceBusiness strategy formulation andexecutiondProduct managementbTransformation managementd

Systems engineeringcEnterprise architecturedProject managementb

Business surveys

Required Skills

Business model design
Businesstransformation

Businessmodel/
processes

DesignCategory

Subcategory

SkillsData understanding/utilization

Strategic
utilization ofdata/AIData
utilizationd

AI/datascienceDataengineeringdImportance

Data/AI utilization strategycDesign, implementation andevaluation of operations that utilize
data/AIcMathematical statistics/multivariate
analysis/data visualizationc

Machine learning/deep learningc

Data utilization infrastructure designcData utilization infrastructure
implementation/operationccComputer scienceaVerification (business perspective)dTeam developmentaMarketingdSoftware design methodsadCustomer/user understandingcValue discovery/definitioncDesignb

Verification (customer/user
perspective)b

Other design technologycTechnology

Softwaredevelopment

Software development processesa

Web application fundamental
technologyaFrontend system developmentaBackend system developmentb

Utilization of cloud infrastructureb

SRE processesbService utilizationc

All Rights Reserved Copyright© IPA 2024

Subcategory

Technology

DigitaltechnologybBusiness analysis

Branding

Category

Security
management
Security

Securitytechnology

Human skills
Personal
skillsConceptual
skillsSkillsImportancePhysical computingcOther cutting-edge technologycTechnology trendscSecurity organization
establishment and operationc

Security managementc

Incident response and business
continuityc

Privacy protectiondSecure design, development andimplementationb

Security operation, maintenanceand monitoringc

LeadershipzCollaborationz

Goal settingzCreative problem solvingz

Critical thinkingzAdaptabilityz[Importance key]a High level of practical ability and expertise requiredb A certain level of practical ability and expertise requiredc Ability to provide an explanation requiredd Understanding of positioning and relevance requiredz Practical ability corresponding to role and situation is required

134

Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, d. Software Engineers

Roles of Software Engineers | Responsibilities/Main Work & Skills (2/4)
Human
Resource TypeRole
Responsibilities
in DX Promotion

Software Engineer

Backend engineer
Take the main responsibility for mainly implementing server-side functions among software functions for providing services that leverage digital technology• Understand the needs of users of services that utilize digital technology, and design and implement software with a high level of accuracy and reliability that will lead to theMain Work

resolution of customers’ problems• Implement software functions principally on the server side in light of feedback from users, while also carrying out prototyping as needed• Undertake improvements and enhancements in light of feedback from users during service operation

Category

Subcategory

Strategy/
management/
systems

SkillsImportanceBusiness strategy formulation andexecutiondProduct managementcTransformation managementd

Systems engineeringcEnterprise architecturecProject managementb

Business surveys

Required Skills

Businesstransformation

Businessmodel/
processes

DesignCategory

Subcategory

SkillsData understanding/utilization

Strategic
utilization ofdata/AIData
utilizationd

AI/datascienceDataengineering

Importance

Data/AI utilization strategycDesign, implementation andevaluation of operations that utilize
data/AIcMathematical statistics/multivariate
analysis/data visualizationc

Machine learning/deep learningc

Data utilization infrastructure designbData utilization infrastructure
implementation/operationbdBusiness analysiscComputer scienceaVerification (business perspective)dTeam developmentaMarketingdSoftware design methodsaSoftware development processesa

Web application fundamental
technologyaFrontend system developmentbdBackend system developmentaVerification (customer/user
perspective)dUtilization of cloud infrastructureaOther design technologydSRE processesbService utilizationbdCustomer/user understandingcValue discovery/definitioncDesignTechnology

Softwaredevelopment

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Subcategory

Technology

DigitaltechnologybBusiness model design

Branding

Category

Security
management
Security

Securitytechnology

Human skills
Personal
skillsConceptual
skillsSkillsImportancePhysical computingcOther cutting-edge technologycTechnology trendscSecurity organization
establishment and operationc

Security managementc

Incident response and business
continuityc

Privacy protectiondSecure design, development andimplementationb

Security operation, maintenanceand monitoringc

LeadershipzCollaborationz

Goal settingzCreative problem solvingz

Critical thinkingzAdaptabilityz[Importance key]a High level of practical ability and expertise requiredb A certain level of practical ability and expertise requiredc Ability to provide an explanation requiredd Understanding of positioning and relevance requiredz Practical ability corresponding to role and situation is required

135

Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, d. Software Engineers

Roles of Software Engineers | Responsibilities/Main Work & Skills (3/4)
HumanResource TypeRole
Responsibilities
in DX Promotion

Main Work

Software Engineer

Cloud engineer / SRE (service reliability engineering)
Take responsibility for developing the software to provide services that use digital technology, optimizing the operating environment, and increasing its reliability• Understand the needs of users of services that utilize digital technology, and create software development and operating environments for the purpose of meeting user needs• Optimize operating environments in light of feedback from software engineers who handle other roles• Carry out continuous monitoring during service operation and, in light of the results, undertake any system- or software-related responses required to improve service reliability

Category

Subcategory

Strategy/
management/
systems

SkillsImportanceBusiness strategy formulation andexecutiondProduct managementcTransformation managementd

Systems engineeringcEnterprise architecturedProject managementb

Business surveys

Required Skills

Business model design
Businesstransformation

Businessmodel/
processes

DesignCategory

Subcategory

SkillsData understanding/utilization

Strategic
utilization ofdata/AIData
utilizationd

AI/datascienceDataengineeringdImportance

Data/AI utilization strategycDesign, implementation andevaluation of operations that utilize
data/AIcMathematical statistics/multivariate
analysis/data visualizationc

Machine learning/deep learningc

Data utilization infrastructure designbData utilization infrastructure
implementation/operationbdComputer scienceaVerification (business perspective)dTeam developmentbMarketingdSoftware design methodsbdCustomer/user understandingdValue discovery/definitiondDesigndVerification (customer/user
perspective)cOther design technologydTechnology

Softwaredevelopment

Software development processesb

Web application fundamental
technologybFrontend system developmentb

Backend system developmentb

Utilization of cloud infrastructurea

SRE processesaService utilizationc

All Rights Reserved Copyright© IPA 2024

Subcategory

Technology

DigitaltechnologybBusiness analysis

Branding

Category

Security
management
Security

Securitytechnology

Human skills
Personal
skillsConceptual
skillsSkillsImportancePhysical computingcOther cutting-edge technologycTechnology trendscSecurity organization
establishment and operationdSecurity managementc

Incident response and business
continuityc

Privacy protectiondSecure design, development andimplementationb

Security operation, maintenanceand monitoringa

LeadershipzCollaborationz

Goal settingzCreative problem solvingz

Critical thinkingzAdaptabilityz[Importance key]a High level of practical ability and expertise requiredb A certain level of practical ability and expertise requiredc Ability to provide an explanation requiredd Understanding of positioning and relevance requiredz Practical ability corresponding to role and situation is required

136

Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, d. Software Engineers

Roles of Software Engineers | Responsibilities/Main Work & Skills (4/4)
Human
Resource TypeRole
Responsibilities
in DX Promotion

Software Engineer

Physical computing engineer
Undertake digitalization of the real world (physical domain) and take responsibility for implementing software functions, including for devices, in the implementationof software for the provision of services utilizing digital technology• Understand the needs of users of services that utilize digital technology, and design and implement software, including various devices, for the improvement of customer experience

Main Workvalue• Create software functions that acquire data and bring about effects in reality through physical devices• Implement software functions in light of feedback from users, while also carrying out prototyping, including of devices, as needed• Undertake improvements and enhancements in light of feedback from users during service operation

Category

Subcategory

Strategy/
management/
systems

SkillsImportanceBusiness strategy formulation andexecutiondProduct managementcTransformation managementd

Systems engineeringbEnterprise architecturedProject managementc

Business surveys

Required Skills

Business model design
Businesstransformation

Businessmodel/
processes

DesignCategory

Subcategory

SkillsData understanding/utilization

Strategic
utilization ofdata/AIData
utilizationd

AI/datascienceDataengineeringdImportance

Data/AI utilization strategycDesign, implementation andevaluation of operations that utilize
data/AIcMathematical statistics/multivariate
analysis/data visualizationc

Machine learning/deep learningc

Data utilization infrastructure designcData utilization infrastructure
implementation/operationcdComputer scienceb

Verification (business perspective)dTeam developmentbMarketingdSoftware design methodsbdCustomer/user understandingcValue discovery/definitioncDesigndVerification (customer/user
perspective)dOther design technologydTechnology

Softwaredevelopment

Software development processesb

Web application fundamental
technologybFrontend system developmentb

Backend system developmentb

Utilization of cloud infrastructureb

SRE processesbService utilizationc

All Rights Reserved Copyright© IPA 2024

Subcategory

Technology

DigitaltechnologybBusiness analysis

Branding

Category

Security
management
Security

Securitytechnology

Human skills
Personal
skillsConceptual
skillsSkillsImportancePhysical computingaOther cutting-edge technologycTechnology trendscSecurity organization
establishment and operationdSecurity managementc

Incident response and business
continuityc

Privacy protectiondSecure design, development andimplementationb

Security operation, maintenanceand monitoringc

LeadershipzCollaborationz

Goal settingzCreative problem solvingz

Critical thinkingzAdaptabilityz[Importance key]a High level of practical ability and expertise requiredb A certain level of practical ability and expertise requiredc Ability to provide an explanation requiredd Understanding of positioning and relevance requiredz Practical ability corresponding to role and situation is required

137

Part III. Digital Skill Standards for DX Promotion (DSS-P)

Chapter 3
Human Resource Types & Roles
a. Business Architects
b. Designersc. Data Scientists
d. Software Engineerse. Cyber Security

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138

Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, e. Cyber Security

What Are Cyber Security?
Definition

Human resources who are responsible for measures to minimize the impact of cybersecurity risks in digital environments that support operational processes

What are cyber security in the promotion of DX?


Efforts to ensure the security of products and services that utilize digital technology are an essential prerequisite of theirrollout. Human resources who handle cybersecurity fulfill the fundamental roles in achieving this prerequisite.

Compared with the utilization of digital technology until now, DX promotion will involve a greater number of cases in whichbusiness divisions other than IT divisions also take responsibility for security measures. It is envisaged that humanresources with diverse careers will acquire the skills with which cyber security should be equipped and will play an active
part in both incident prevention and the minimization of harm from any incidents that do occur.

Thinking behind the name “cyber security”
In these Skill Standards, the name “cyber security” has been adopted for consistency, in light of the fact that, in securityrelated organizations both within Japan and overseas, measures that encompass security measures focused on
information assets and digital infrastructure including OT/IoT are formulated under the term “cyber security.”Of the five human resource types prescribed in the DSS-P, “cyber security” is the only type that uses the name of the fieldin question, rather than the person performing the work. This is because, although terms such as “security specialist” and“security professional” are used in practice as collective terms for people who handle security measures, these names
conjure up the image of specialist personnel. Moreover, in light of the strong possibility that human resources who handle
security measures in companies that promote DX will, in reality, also carry out other work concurrently (such as risk
management or operation of digital infrastructure for the organization), it was decided that the name should not referto a person, in order to avoid conveying the wrong impression.

Thus, the “cyber security” human resource type is also aligned with the “Plus Security” initiative that the governmentis currently promoting, which seeks to encourage human resources who do not specialize in security to acquire therequisite security skills in the course of performing their assigned work.
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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, e. Cyber Security

What Are Cyber Security? | Expected Roles (1/2)
 The specific roles expected of cyber security and actions required of them are as follows: Contribute to the execution of their organization’s strategy via efforts to maintain a balance
between security measures and the provision of value through DX

 Cyber security personnel are expected to fulfill the role of providing leadership in security measures to prevent
information leakage and other such harms when putting DX projects and business process re-engineering into
practice. Security measures have the potential to reduce convenience and efficiency, while increasing costs, so it is
not sufficient merely to strengthen security. In light of this fact, cyber security personnel must, in fulfilling this role,
maintain a strong awareness of the need to maintain an appropriate balance between ensuring the requisite levelof security and providing value through DX.

 Perform their assigned work as far as possible, even in situations where they hold other roles
concurrently, while also utilizing specialist external cyber security providers

 In light of human resource trends in Japan, the DSS-P envisages that, rather than being human resources withadvanced expertise who specialize in security measures, cyber security personnel will mostly be human resources
who handle cyber security measures in DX promotion concurrently with other work. Due to the increasingly
sophisticated nature of recent cyber attacks, the number of situations in which it is unfeasible to make appropriate
judgments without a certain level of specialist skill is on the rise. Even companies that are working to bringsoftware development in-house as part of DX promotion will find it more realistic to outsource such tasks asmonitoring for anomalies, investigation of causes and penetration testing to specialist external providers. Cyber
security personnel need to acquire the skill of communicating with these specialist providers, along with skills thatare effective in efforts to put security measures into practice in DX promotion.

 Collaborate with other human resource types to minimize harm due to digital environment risks
that arise from DX promotion
 It is envisaged that risks in the digital environment in DX promotion are not limited to cyber attacks, but also
include a wide range of other threats, including the shutdown of social infrastructure due to the failure of control
systems or IoT systems, internal misconduct within organizations and privacy infringements. Cyber security
personnel are expected to address these risks in collaboration with other human resource types.
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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, e. Cyber Security

What Are Cyber Security? | Expected Roles (2/2)
The following shows an example of an operation in which cyber security collaborate with the other human resource types.
The two-way arrows represent the relationships between each type, to indicate that two or more human resource types build
collaborative working relationships in a range of situations, rather than being a situation in which one type issues instructions
or requests to another.
• Consideration of optimum
measures for product/service risks
taking the balance of costs/risks
into consideration• Consideration of new rules
corresponding to risks

Business
Architects• Creation of security rules
and countermeasurescorresponding to risks for
new products/services

Cyber Security• Consideration of policies
concerning data
management and privacy
protection• Consideration of userinterfaces to decrease
the feeling of burden
on users due tosecurity enhancement

SoftwareEngineers

Data Scientists

Designers
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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, e. Cyber Security

Roles of Cyber Security
Human Resource
Types

SoftwareEngineers

Data Scientists

Designers

Cyber Security
Cyber Security
Engineers

Cyber Security
Managers

Physical Computing Engineers

Cloud Engineers/SRE

Backend Engineers

Frontend Engineers

Data Engineers

Data Science
Professionals

Data Business
Strategists

Graphic Designers

UX/UI Designers

Service Designers

Business Architects(Upgrading and streamlining ofinternal operations)

Business Architects(Upgrading of existing
business)

Business Architects

(New business development)

Roles

Business Architects

Approach to the categorization of roles

The cyber security type is categorized into a number of roles on the basis of differences in the work carried out.

The roles of cyber security have been categorized into two roles, on the basis of the careers of human resources who are currently
active in this realm: a management-based role and a technology-based role.



Cyber security manager is defined as a role that principally involves the handling of such matters as the formulation, planning,
management and control of policies for responding to cyber security risks that arise from DX promotion. It is also envisaged thatthese tasks will be handled by human resources who concurrently hold roles in a business division or risk management division ofcompanies that are promoting DX.

Cyber security engineer is defined as a role that principally involves the handling of such matters as the introduction, operation andmaintenance of cyber security measures that arise from DX promotion. It is also envisaged that these tasks will be handled byhuman resources who concurrently hold roles in the IT division of companies that are promoting DX. The role names are frequently
used today in job advertisements in the cyber security field.

Regardless of the narrow sense of the term “cyber security,” these roles also involve the handling of risks such as information
security, control system security and the safety of social infrastructure, as is the case in the Cybersecurity Framework published by
the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the scope of Japan’s National center of Incident readiness andStrategy for Cybersecurity (NISC).
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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, e. Cyber Security

Roles of Cyber Security | Approach to Skill Mapping
Cyber security manager
 It is envisaged that the management of risks that arise from DX promotion will be divided between business architects and databusiness strategists, among others, in addition to human resources in this role. However, amid growing reliance on companies’
digital infrastructure as a whole, not confined to DX, it is likely that it will mainly be cyber security managers who deal with risks
stemming from vulnerabilities therein. Accordingly, cyber security managers need to have not only skills associated withcyber security, but also a broad understanding of such matters as approaches to business transformation and datautilization, which are the goals of DX, in order to recognize, identify and respond to risks that arise from DX promotion.
 Moreover, as it is necessary to position activities associated with DX promotion within the organization’s risk management
system and to ensure consistency and coordination with existing risk measures, cyber security managers are required to acquire
knowledge and skills associated with risk management, business continuity and incident response.
 In addition to these skills, given the need for ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) efforts in companies andthe like, cyber security managers require communication skills to fulfill their duty of accountability to relevant parties associatedwith cyber security measures, as part of the governance element.

Cyber security engineer As DX often involves the utilization of advanced technologies, hitherto-unprecedented risks may be actualized in the form ofincidents or signs thereof. Accordingly, cyber security engineers need to acquire the skills required to continuously gather
information and identify the latest trends in the technology used in DX promotion, and also to understand thecontent thereof, in order to be able to avoid, as far as possible, such risks turning into unforeseen situations.
 In carrying out the assigned work of a cyber security engineer, human resources in this role will often need to collaborate withother roles in relation to such matters as measures to combat vulnerabilities in digital infrastructure and services, and theprotection of privacy in data. Accordingly, cyber security engineers must acquire corresponding skills in interdisciplinary
fields at a level that enables them to put their skills into practice when engaging in such collaboration.
 Putting security measures into practice requires the introduction of measures that take into account the balance withconvenience, after the situations in which the technology will be used have been envisaged. Accordingly, cyber security
engineers need to acquire basic knowledge and skills related to the goals of DX promotion and usage situations.
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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, e. Cyber Security

Roles of Cyber Security | Responsibilities/Main Work & Skills (1/2)
Human
Resource TypeRole
Responsibilities
in DX Promotion

Cyber Security

Cyber security manager
In the formulation of business plans to increase customer value, consider and evaluate cyber security risks resulting from the use of digital technology and take the lead in the
management and control of measures to limit the impact in order to contribute to increase sense of trust in the business as one that provides high customer value• Assess risks associated with cyber security, safety and privacy protection that arise through the utilization of digital technology in a new business

Main Work• In light of the risk-return balance, consider strategies for minimizing the impact of cyber security risks, and the implementation structure of measures• Manage and audit the implementation status of measures to minimize cyber security risks• Respond to cyber security incidents that arise in digital environments that are used to conduct business

Category

Subcategory

Strategy/
management/
systems

Required Skills

Businesstransformation

Businessmodel/
processes

DesignSkillsImportanceBusiness strategy formulation andexecutionb

Product managementcTransformation managementb

Systems engineeringcEnterprise architecturecProject managementb

Business surveyscBusiness model designcBusiness analysiscVerification (business perspective)cMarketingcBrandingcCustomer/user understandingcValue discovery/definitioncDesignc

Verification (customer/user
perspective)cOther design technologycCategory

Subcategory

SkillsData understanding/utilization

Strategic
utilization ofdata/AIData
utilization

AI/datascienceDataengineering

SoftwareTechnology development

Importanceb

Design, implementation and evaluationof operations that utilize data/AIbMathematical statistics/multivariate
analysis/data visualizationc

Machine learning/deep learningc

Data utilization infrastructure designcData utilization infrastructure
implementation/operationcComputer sciencecTeam developmentdSoftware design methodscSoftware development processesd

Web application fundamental
technologydFrontend system developmentdBackend system developmentdb

SRE processescService utilizationc

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Subcategory

Technology

DigitaltechnologybData/AI utilization strategy

Utilization of cloud infrastructure

Category

Security
management
Security

Securitytechnology

Human skills
Personal
skillsConceptual
skillsSkillsImportancePhysical computingcOther cutting-edge technologycTechnology trendscSecurity organization
establishment and operationa

Security managementaIncident response and business
continuitya

Privacy protectionaSecure design, development andimplementationb

Security operation, maintenanceand monitoringb

LeadershipzCollaborationz

Goal settingzCreative problem solvingz

Critical thinkingzAdaptabilityz[Importance key]a High level of practical ability and expertise requiredb A certain level of practical ability and expertise requiredc Ability to provide an explanation requiredd Understanding of positioning and relevance requiredz Practical ability corresponding to role and situation is required

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Part III, Chapter 3 Human Resource Types and Roles, e. Cyber Security

Roles of Cyber Security | Responsibilities/Main Work & Skills (2/2)
Human
Resource TypeRole
Responsibilities
in DX Promotion

Cyber Security

Cyber Security Engineer
Implement, maintain, and run measures to limit cyber security risks relating to the use of digital technology in business in order to contribute to the stable provisionof business offering high customer value• Introduce and implement security products and services compatible with technical management measures for the minimization of the impacts of digital-related risks

Main Work• Operate and maintain security products and services• Conduct change management associated with cyber security in regard to such matters as systems, services and settings related to the utilization of digital technology• Conduct performance evaluations and vulnerability response management related to the utilization of digital technology

Category

Subcategory

Strategy/
management/
systems

Required Skills

Businesstransformation

Businessmodel/
processes

DesignSkillsImportanceBusiness strategy formulation andexecutionc

Product managementcTransformation managementc

Systems engineeringcEnterprise architecturecProject managementc

Business surveysdBusiness model designdBusiness analysisdVerification (business perspective)dMarketingdBrandingdCustomer/user understandingdValue discovery/definitiondDesigndVerification (customer/user
perspective)dOther design technologydCategory

Subcategory

SkillsData understanding/utilization

Strategic
utilization ofdata/AIData
utilization

AI/datascienceDataengineering

SoftwareTechnology development

ImportancecDesign, implementation and evaluationof operations that utilize data/AIcMathematical statistics/multivariate
analysis/data visualizationc

Machine learning/deep learningc

Data utilization infrastructure designcData utilization infrastructure
implementation/operationcComputer sciencebTeam developmentb

Software design methodsb

Software development processesb

Web application fundamental
technologybFrontend system developmentb

Backend system developmentba

SRE processesaService utilizationb

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Subcategory

Technology

DigitaltechnologycData/AI utilization strategy

Utilization of cloud infrastructure

Category

Security
management
Security

Securitytechnology

Human skills
Personal
skillsConceptual
skillsSkillsImportancePhysical computingb

Other cutting-edge technologybTechnology trendscSecurity organization
establishment and operationb

Security managementｃ

Incident response and business
continuityb

Privacy protectionb

Secure design, development andimplementationa

Security operation, maintenanceand monitoringa

LeadershipzCollaborationz

Goal settingzCreative problem solvingz

Critical thinkingzAdaptabilityz[Importance key]a High level of practical ability and expertise requiredb A certain level of practical ability and expertise requiredc Ability to provide an explanation requiredd Understanding of positioning and relevance requiredz Practical ability corresponding to role and situation is required

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Part III. Digital Skill Standards for DX Promotion (DSS-P)

Chapter 4
Commentary on the List of Common Skills

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Part III, Chapter 4 Commentary on the List of Common Skills

Skills in the “Business Transformation” Category
Structure and approach•

The skills in the “business transformation” category consist of the three subcategories “strategy/management/systems,”“business model/processes” and “design.”•

The approach to each subcategory is as follows:(Strategy/management/systems)
 Skills required to bring about digital transformation
 Skills that are important not only for DX promotion associated with individual products and services, but also to
support DX promotion throughout the organization/company to lay the foundation for this(Business model/processes)
 Skills focused on driving the process of DX promotion associated with individual products and services
 These skills are defined for each process involved in driving individual initiatives (particularly new business andthe upgrading of business) from the business perspective(Design) Skills focused on driving the process of DX promotion associated with individual products and services
 These skills are defined for each process involved in driving individual initiatives (particularly new businessdevelopment) from the customer perspective

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Part III, Chapter 4 Commentary on the List of Common Skills

Skills in the “Data Utilization” Category (1/3)
Structure and approach•

The skills in the “data utilization” category consist of the three subcategories “strategic utilization of data/AI,” “AI/data
science” and “data engineering.”•

Strategic utilization of data/AI skills are defined as everything from skills associated with the understanding andutilization of data/AI to those associated with the formulation and achievement of strategies related to the utilization ofdata/AI.

•

AI/data science skills are defined as skills associated with AI/data science that employ data analysis.

•

Data engineering skills are defined as skills associated with the design, creation and operation of systems that provide theinfrastructure for data utilization.
The learning subject examples described for each of the aforementioned categories have been selected withreference to the Japan DataScientist Society’s Skills Checklist*. The pages that follow show how the
aforementioned categories correspond to the Skills Checklist.
<Reference> The Japan DataScientist Society Skills Checklist
 Compiled by the Japan DataScientist Society’s Skill Definition Committee, thisprovides a list—systematically organized by field—of the skills required to play anactive role as a data scientist.
 Outlining the skill set required of data scientists, the checklist defines three fields
and sets out the skills required in each.
 To facilitate confirmation of the status of skill acquisition, it has been prepared in
the form of a checklist using expressions such as “Can explain...” and “Can do....”
 The skills in the checklist are ranked by level from ★ (Assistant Data Scientist) to★★★★ (Senior Data Scientist). Here, the main focus is on items ranked ★★
(Associate Data Scientist).
 A list of AI utilization skills has been compiled from skills extracted from threeareas.

*Skills Checklist ver.5 was used in formulating the DSS-P; it can be viewed in Excel format at the following URL:
https://www.datascientist.or.jp/common/docs/skillcheck_ver5.00_simple.xlsx
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Business problem
solving

Ability to understand thebackground to issues, tosummarize business issues
and to derive solutions

Data science

Ability to understandand use knowledge inthe field of information
science, including
information processing,artificial intelligence andstatistical science

Data engineering

Implementation andoperational abilities
enabling data science tobe handled in ameaningful form

(Source) IPA, “Skill Checklist & Task list Overview”(https://www.ipa.go.jp/jinzai/skill-standard/plus-itui/itssplus/ps6vr70000001ity-att/000083733.pdf)
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Part III, Chapter 4 Commentary on the List of Common Skills

Skills in the “Data Utilization” Category (2/3)
Structure of the “strategic utilization of data/AI” subcategory•“Strategic utilization of data/AI” is composed of the following skills.
 Data understanding/utilization: Skills to accurately understand the results of data analysis that applies graphs,
diagrams and other statistical information, along with various analytical techniques, and to gain deep insights into
the meaning and background thereof Data/AI utilization strategy: Skills to propose problem solving methods and new business models that utilize
data/AI, in light of business strategy, organizational challenges, customer needs and the like
 Design, implementation and evaluation of operations that utilize data/AI: Skills to design an approach aimed
at achieving the goals of the data/AI strategy, and then to implement and continuously improve data/AI analysis
mechanisms on the front line

Structure of the “AI/data science” subcategory•“AI/data science” is composed of the following skills.
 Mathematical statistics/multivariate analysis/data visualization: Skills to use techniques based on statisticalknowledge to analyze data and gain insights from the results Machine learning/deep learning: Skills to create and evaluate appropriate models by using techniques including,machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, image recognition, speech recognition and the like

Structure of the “data engineering” subcategory•“Data engineering” is composed of the following skills.
 Data utilization infrastructure design: Skills to finalize the requisite system environment and requirements forcollected data and tables, etc. in preparing data utilization infrastructure that generates output from data
 Data utilization infrastructure implementation/operation: Skills to implement data utilization infrastructurethat generates output from data, and to handle the data required to smoothly and effectively operate theinfrastructure
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Part III, Chapter 4 Commentary on the List of Common Skills

Skills in the “Data Utilization” Category (3/3)[Reference] The tables below show how the skills in the “data utilization” category of the List of Common Skills correspond to
the skill categories/subcategories in the Japan DataScientist Society’s Skills Checklist.
<List of Common Skills: “Data utilization” category><The Japan DataScientist Society: Skills Checklist>

Business problem solving

Skill category
Standards of conduct

Category

Subcategory

Datautilization

Strategic utilizationof data/AI

Skill
Data understanding/utilization
Data/AI utilization strategy
Design, implementation andevaluation of operations that utilize
data/AI

AI/data science

Logical thinking

Mathematical statistics/multivariate
analysis/data visualization

Ideas/design

Data utilization infrastructure design
Data utilization infrastructure
implementation/operation

As a general rule, the learning subject examples in the“data utilization” category of the List of Common Skills
describe the skill categories/subcategories in the Japan
DataScientist Society’s Skills Checklist, on the basis of theformat shown below.
・ Skill category 1 (subcategory 1, subcategory 2,...)・ Skill category 2 (subcategory 1, subcategory 2,...)

Definition ofchallenges
Approach design

Consideration of AI utilization
Decisions on
disclosure/nondisclosure
KPIs
Scoping
Value estimation
Data acquisition
AI-ready
Approach design
Analysis approach design

Data collection

Data structure

Data understanding

Analytical evaluation
Implementation inbusiness
Contracts andprotection of rights
Project management

Organization
management

Correct understanding ofstatistical information
Understanding from businessperspective
Extraction of meaning/insights
Evaluation
Feedback into operations
Implementation
Evaluation/improvement
mechanisms
Contracts
Protection of rights
Project launch
Project planning
Operation
Horizontal deployment
Policy change
Completion
Resource management
Risk management
Training/knowledge sharing
Organization management

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Subcategory
System planning
System design
Architecture design
Client technology
Communications technology
Data extraction
Data collection
Data integration
Basic knowledge
Definition of requirements

Data storage

Data processing

Generative AI utilization

Of the skill categories/subcategories in the Skills Checklist, thosein the gray cells are not included in the “data utilization”
category, because they are defined in categories other than the“data utilization” category in the List of Common Skills.
(Source) The Japan DataScientist Society Skills Checklist ver.5

Data engineering

Skill category
Environment
creation

DesignMachine learning/deep learning
Data engineering

Subcategory
Business-mindedness
Data/AI ethics
Compliance
MECE
Structuring ability
Verbalization ability
Storylining
Documentation
Explanation ability
Ideas

Table definition
Table design

Data science

Skill category
Numerical
understanding
Basic scientificanalysisData
understanding/verification

DWH
Distributed technology
Cloud
Real-time processing
Cache technology
Data storage technology
Search technology
Filtering

Data visualization

Joining

Data sharing

Programming

IT security

AI system
operation
Generative AI

Mapping
Sampling
Aggregation
Conversion/computation
Data output
Data decompression
Data linkage
Basic programming
Extension programming
Generative AI utilization
Coding assistance
Algorithms
Analysis programs
SQL
Basic knowledge
Privacy
Attacks and defensive techniques
Encryption technology
Authentication
Blockchain
Zero trust
AutoML
MLOps
AIOps
Prompt engineering
Coding assistanceFine-tuning
Generative AI`s tech. utilization
Generative AI development

Data checking
High level overview/meta thinking
Data understanding
Data granularity

Data preparation

Sorting

Preprocessing

Subcategory
Basic linear algebra
Basic calculus
Basic set theory
Basic statistical mathematics
Insights
Properties/relationships
Estimation/testing
Association analysis
Causal inference

Sampling
Data cleansing
Data processing
Feature engineering
Definition of direction
Axis selection
Data processing
Expression/implementation
techniques
Extraction of meaning

Modeling
Modeling
Modeling

Regression/classification
Statistical evaluation
Machine learning
Deep learning
Reinforcement learning
Time series analysis

Clustering
Graphical model
Network analysis
Model utilization
Anomaly detection
Recommend
Unstructured data Natural language processing
processing
Image recognition
Video recognition
Speech recognition
Generate
Large language model
Image generation model
Audio generative model
Simulation/data assimilation
Operations
research
Optimization

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Part III, Chapter 4 Commentary on the List of Common Skills

Skills in the “Technology” Category (1/2)
Structure and approach•

The skills in the “technology” category consist of the two subcategories “software development” and “digital technology.”•

Whereas “software development” skills are defined as basic skills required for the implementation, introduction
and operation of products and services that utilize digital technology, “digital technology” skills are defined as
applied skills required when dealing with specific fields, namely physical computing and other cutting-edge
technology.

Structure of the “software development” subcategory•

This subcategory is composed of the following skills, classified under the headings “basic software development,” “webapplication development,” and “infrastructure/operation.” Basic software development
 Computer science: Skills related to data structure and algorithms, etc. required in software development Team development: Skills required to increase the productivity of team-based software development
 Software design methods: Skills to consider data structure and internal architecture in order to implement
software in accordance with the objectives, and to apply these to the design
 Software development processes: Skills to manage development plans, quality and other such matters insoftware development
 Web application development
 Web application fundamental technology: Basic skills required to design and develop web applications
 Frontend system development: Skills to design and develop screens that serve as the direct interface for users
 Backend system development: Skills to design and develop server-side functions that are not visible to users(Continued on next page)
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Part III, Chapter 4 Commentary on the List of Common Skills

Skills in the “Technology” Category (2/2)
Structure of the “software development” subcategory•(Continued from previous page) Infrastructure/operation
 Utilization of cloud infrastructure: Skills to design and develop server-side functions that are not visible to users
 SRE processes: Skills to aim for cooperation between development and operation in order to achieve improved
release cycles and service stability
 Service utilization: Skills to carry out data linkage and system linkage to other internal systems, including coresystems, and to external services

Structure of the “digital technology” subcategory•“Digital technology” is composed of the following skills.
 Physical computing: Skills to digitalize and handle physical phenomena by using sensors, robots and IoT
conversion of existing devices
 Other cutting-edge technology: Knowledge concerning implementation technologies other than those listed
above and implementation technologies with few examples of application*
 Technology trends: Knowledge concerning businesses and services that apply new digital technologies**The learning subject examples “other cutting-edge technology” and “technology trends” are provided as illustrative examples and should be learned as needed

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Part III, Chapter 4 Commentary on the List of Common Skills

Skills in the “Security” Category
Structure and approach•

The skills in the “security” category consist of the two subcategories “security management” and “security technology.”•

Whereas “security management” skills are defined as skills associated with management systems, from the planning andconsideration of security measures to their operation and review in the course of DX promotion, “security technology” skills aredefined as skills associated with technical elements that must be understood specifically in the implementation of security
measures in digital environments.

Structure of the “security management” subcategory•“Security management” is composed of the following skills.
Security organization establishment and operation: Skills to establish organizations for implementing security measures and to
facilitate their maintenance and operation (including securing and cultivating key personnel), and skills to undertake activities that
foster an organization-wide security culture within the company

Security management: Skills to appropriately implement security management processes relating to such matters as information,
cyber space and OT/IoT environmentsIncident response and business continuity: Skills to minimize impacts and enable business continuity in the event that risks (cyberattacks, loss, internal misconduct, disaster, failure, etc.) become actualized as security incidents in the course of digital usage

Privacy protection: Skills to understand requirements for the protection of personal data and other privacy-related information and to
put them into practice

Structure of the “security technology” subcategory•“Security technology” is composed of the following skills.
Secure design, development and implementation: Skills to carry out design, development and implementation on the basis of thepolicy on measures to make the organization less susceptible to cyber attacks or misconduct of various kinds when planning anddesigning digital products and services, and skills to understand the vulnerabilities of digital products and services and to appropriately
conduct diagnosis in practice (including by means of outsourcing)Security operation, maintenance and monitoring: Skills to appropriately practice maintenance and measures in order to securely
operate digital services, and skills to appropriately practice such tasks as security monitoring and investigation of the causes of security
incidents
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Part III, Chapter 4 Commentary on the List of Common Skills

Skills in the “Personal Skills” Category
Structure and approach•

The skills in the “personal skills” category consist of the two subcategories “human skills” and “conceptual skills.”•

The approach to each subcategory is as follows:(Human skills)
 Required as interpersonal relationship skills that human resources who promote DX should have, these areskills to create teams and collaborate in working toward a goal while forming a consensus with members who havediverse values(Conceptual skills)
 Required as thinking skills when driving the DX promotion process, these are skills for the purpose of thinking
about how to set a goal, what solution should be developed for the problem and how to make decisions

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Part III. Digital Skill Standards for DX Promotion (DSS-P)

Chapter 5
How the DSS-P Can Be Utilized

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Part III, Chapter 5 How the DSS-P Can Be Utilized

Examples of UtilizationAssuming four main user groups (organizations or companies/individuals/training providers/human resources service
companies), below are example usages and specific details for each user group.
Example user

Organizations/companies•

Director who wants to undertake
initiatives to promote DX•

Organization that wants to develop
human resources who promote DX(company HR department)•

Organization that wants to recruit
human resources who promote DX(company HR department,
employment agency, etc.)

How the DSS-P can be utilized•

In reflection on the changes in society, define both,a strategy for promoting DX required at one's
company as well as a human resources strategy
in the digital area that meets the skill standards•

In reference to the skill standards, undertake
initiatives to recruit the human resources
required for DX promotion at one’s company•

Individuals

Training
providers

Human resources
servicecompanies

Use the Skill Standard as guidelines to checkthe required knowledge and skills based on the
direction of DX at the relevant organization orcompany, and the relevant individual’s career•

Individuals assigned to in-house DX
promotion projects•

Individuals aiming for a career in
DX promotion•

Company that provides learning
content• Set out the required learning subjects forskill acquisition, and provide opportunities for
explanation, output, and practical use ofthis for organizations, companies, andindividuals••

Company that provides services
related to securing humanresources who promote DX•

Specific utilization examples•

As part of the human resources strategy in the digital area, define theroles expected of such human resources according to the company’ssituation while referencing the skill standards•

In reference to the skill standards, visualize the extent of the lack ofhuman resources with skills and knowledge required for DX promotion•

Conduct a review of the in-house training lineup in reference to skills
and learning subject examples in order to develop the required humanresources•

Create a job description in reference to role definitions, skills andlearning subject examples in order to recruit the required humanresources•

In reference to the Skill Standard, consider what role you should aim
for, and which role in the Skill Standard the current role is close to•

In reference to learning subject examples, gather information on training
content (e.g.: visit the IPA’s MANABI-DX (deluxe)) course guidance
portal, or check the relevant company’s in-house training content), andselect and learn content relating to the required knowledge and skills•

Set out the learning subjects required for acquiring knowledge and skills,
and provide training content that prioritize enhancing the learning
effect (e.g.: implementation of tests to confirm the degree to whichlearning has taken root, provision of training in a range of forms such asworkshops and opportunities to put it into practice, etc.)•

In reference to the skill standards, define human resource
requirements and required skills in order to secure the necessary
human resources•

Conduct a research on the market of human resources that arenecessary to promote DX based on the skill standards and provide
information on the human resource market trends to organizations
and companies

With a vision for practical use in one’s own workor career, participate in classes with relevant
training content

In reference to the skill standards, provide
support to organizations and companies insecuring human resources

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