(Business Analysis) CBK (Information Systems Security) CCSF (Common Career/Skill Framework) DMBOK (Data Management) JITEE (Japan IT Engineer Examination) ITIL ITS (IT Specialist Training Handbook) Computing Curriculum Standard J07 PMBOK (Project Management) REBOK (Requirement Engineering) SABOK (Strategy and Analysis) SQuBOK (Software Quality) SWEBOK (Software Engineering) ITSS (IT Standard) ETSS (Embedded Technology Skill Standard) UISS (User’s Information Systems Skill Standard) SecBoK (JNSA) (CAIS)BOK (JASA)
The SFIA design principles were established in 2000 and are regularly revised to ensure they remain relevant. These design principles have enabled SFIA to resist following latest trends, and to focus on transferrable skills, allowing experience to be valued and individuals to maintain relevance in the work place. One design principle, for instance, Method and Technology Independence, means that a particular method or technology is not the driver, rather the skill is the driver; and programming, for example, is the skill, Java or C++ is the technology, and while the language in this case may be relevant to a particular job, the skill is, nevertheless, programming. This is an important point as while the industry moves rapidly and new methods or technologies appear frequently, many skills persist throughout and SFIA recognizes this. The Task Dictionary is intended to be used and applied by companies and organizations in order to determine tasks in line with business strategies or business plans, and therefore, the Task Dictionary is used widely in Industry. The Dictionary, however, is used by academic organizations such as IT departments in universities and IT engineer education schools to setup their syllabuses or curriculums. Tasks and skills are connected so skills to enhance tasks can be identified in industry, and students can identify tasks using acquired skills. The IPA is responsible for the IT Engineer Examination (ITEE) and the iCD provides the link between each ITEE examination and required skills and levels. The SFIA Framework is updated by a process of open consultation involving the whole anyone can raise a request for change and these are reviewed against the SFIA design principles and progressed accordingly by the Design Authority. New or updated content is drafted by the volunteer user community and reviewed. Then the draft of the whole framework is assembled and reviewed again for consistency across skills and against design principles, translated and published by the Design Authority. Since the first version was released in 2015, the iCD update has been reviewed annually. This annual update process is planned to continue. Update consideration points include: voices/opinions of or stakeholders IT trends captured through various collaborations consistency between the ITEE updates and the iCD to recognized global standards and BOKs Updates occur every 2-3 years leading to the publication of new version (SFIA version 7 publication due mid-2018) The Japanese version is updated annually; the English version is updated annually and published one year later than the original Japanese.
Available in 6 languages (English, Spanish, German, Japanese, Chinese, and Arabic) with more planned. Available in 2 languages (Japanese and English) with no plan for other translations. SFIA has a world-wide user-base of thousands of organizations and individuals in around 160 countries. As of 2017, there are some 20,000 users: a single user may be using SFIA across a workforce of thousands. The SFIA Framework has become the de facto global IT skills framework, a global common language, and a standard for skills and competencies. About 1000 organizations in Japan have achieved corporate iCD user certification (Sept 2017). HITACHI Ltd is the biggest iCD user, using iCD tasks to perform level checks of 20,000 employees. Since the 2015 release of the English version use of the iCD has grown around the world: Europe, Middle East, Asia, and North/South America and has been adopted by 26 countries (2017). Free to use but charges apply according to type of usage, commercial, for instance. The iCD system and contents are free to Japanese users.
The SFIA Framework is readily available online from the SFIA Foundation website in two downloadable documents: • The Complete Reference Guide (SFIA6) This provides the detailed description of the Generic Responsibilities and Professional Skills, along with an introduction to the SFIA Framework, further explanation and a chapter on the wider use of the SFIA Framework. • Summary Chart (SFIA6) This provides a summary view of the SFIA Generic Responsibilities and Professional The SFIA materials are currently available in 6 languages with other translations planned. The updated SFIA (version 7) will be published mid-2018. The full iCD is downloadable from the IPA website: (www.ipa.go.jp/english/humandev/icd.html). Following completion of the online application form, the full iCD contents are sent by e-mail. As shown in table 2-1, the iCD provides the following contents: List Dictionary Chart Profile Profile ×Task Corresponding Table List Dictionary Chart List × Skill Corresponding Table × Skill Corresponding Table × Skill Corresponding Table In addition: Competency Dictionary Handbook Pocket Handbook None The IPA provides the Application Service Provider (ASP) system to promote the iCD utilization. It is free to use but only available in Japanese. More information:
NA NA Minor Task The breakdown of work list of the middle task category Overall description A broad definition of the skill, without any reference to the levels at which it might be practiced Assessment The explanatory examples for the minor task category Level description Definitions of the skill for each of the levels at which it is practiced. The phrasing facilitates their use as professional competencies. NA NA of Responsibility Provide generic levels of responsibility, with descriptions at each of the seven levels for the following attributes: -AUTONOMY -INFLUENCE, -COMPLEXITY, -BUSINESS SKILLS. Task Assessment Diag. Level Applied to the appropriate task to evaluate one’s task performance task level from L0 to L4 (Table 2-3). Level Guiding Word Reflect experience and competency levels within level has a guiding word: FOLLOW/ ASSIST/APPLY/ENABLE, ADVISE/INITIATIVE, INFLUENCE/SET STRATEGY, INSPIRE, MOBILISE NA NA