-
SFIA–e-CFComparison&MappingReview
IanSeward,[email protected] Page1of24
SFIA–e-CFComparison&MappingReviewIanSeward
VisualManagementLtdMay2016
VersionV1.0
ThisdocumentreportsonanexercisetomaptheSFIAande-CFframeworkstoestablishsimilaritiesanddifferencesandtoexplorefuturecollaborationandthebenefitsofapossiblemergingofthetwoframeworks.
Itisintendedasinputtofuturemappingandmergingdiscussions.
Thisdocumenthasanassociatedsetofmappingmatrices,publishedseparately.
-
SFIA–e-CFComparison&MappingReview
IanSeward,[email protected] Page2of24
ExecutiveSummaryThisreportdescribesthefindingsofastudytocompareandmapthetwoframeworksSFIA(SkillsFrameworkfortheInformationage)ande-CF(EuropeanCompetencyFrameworkandtoconsiderbringingthetwoframeworksclosertogether.
Bothframeworkshavethesameaim–toprovideameansofcharacterisingtheskillsandcompetenciesnecessaryforroleswithinIT.BothframeworksareavailableinseverallanguageswithSFIAincluding3non-Europeanlanguages.
SFIAhasestablishedaglobaluser-baseinalmost200countriesandismanagedbytheSFIAFoundationonbehalfofitsusers.Itisupdatedbyopenconsultationwiththeusersandisfreeofchargefornon-commercial,internaluse.ToolssupportisavailablefromseveralAccreditedPartners.SFIAwasfirstpublishedin2000.
e-CFhasestablishedarelativelysmalluser-basewithintheEUthroughsuccessfulpilotprojects.IthasbeenacceptedasaEuropeanStandardandisbeingpromotedforadoptionthroughoutEurope.Itisfreeofchargeandissupportedbyanonlinetool.E-CFwasfirstpublishedin2005.
Thiscomparisonandmappinghasfocussedonthemoredifficulttaskof‘equivalence’–comparisonforalignmentofserviceofferingsisrelativelystraightforwardasrigourisnotrequired.Themainpointsareasfollows:
§ ThecoverageofITskillsinSFIAiswiderthanine-CF.
§ Thelevelswithintheframeworksdonotalignone-to-oneandthereisoverlap.
§ Somee-CFcompetenciesencompassmorethanoneSFIASkill.
§ Thereisrarelyaone-to-onemappingofskillsandcompetenciesandsoinformationisdistributedthroughouttheframeworksmakingaclearcomparisonverydifficult.
§ Bothframeworksneedtobeinterpretedforuse.
§ Whilethereappearstobemoredetailine-CFbecauseoftheskillandknowledgecomponentsthisisnotthecaseandthesestatementsrequiregreatinterpretation.
§ Bothframeworkshaveattributesoutsideoftheskillsorcompetencydescriptions;theGenericResponsibilitiesinSFIAandtheAnnexTableattributesofe-CF,althoughtheimportanceofthislattertableisunclear.
§ Bothframeworkscouldpresenttheinformationinamoreuseablemanner.
§ Thereisan‘ecosystem’surroundingSFIAwhichhasyettobeestablishedfore-CF.
AcomparisonsummaryofsomeoftheareasneededtobeconsideredisprovidedinAppendixAalongwithareferencetothecomparisonmappingdocumentwhichprovidesdetailattheindividualskillsandcompetenciesineachframework.
Thereisnoreasonwhythetwoframeworksshouldnotco-existbutclearlythereisabenefittobringingthetwoframeworksclosertogetherandpossiblyevenmergingintoone.Thisappearstoberelativelystraightforwardfromatechnicalpointofviewasthereissomuchsimilarityinthetwoframeworkshoweverissuesofownership,migrationforkeyusersandissuesrelatingtoanumberofunderlyingprincipleswouldneedtoberesolved.
-
SFIA–e-CFComparison&MappingReview
IanSeward,[email protected] Page3of24
TableofContents1 Introduction...............................................................................................................................41.1 Background..........................................................................................................................................................41.2 OutputfromthisReview................................................................................................................................41.3 ConductoftheReviewandMapping.........................................................................................................41.4 SkillsandCompetencyFrameworksReviewed....................................................................................4
2 BackgroundtoCollaboration...............................................................................................5
3 DescriptionoftheSkillsFrameworkLandscape...........................................................53.1 IntroductiontotheSkillsFrameworkLandscape...............................................................................53.2 SFIA..........................................................................................................................................................................63.3 e-CF..........................................................................................................................................................................6
4 MethodforMapping................................................................................................................74.1 Introduction.........................................................................................................................................................74.2 ExistingMappings.............................................................................................................................................74.3 WhatmakesagoodMapping?......................................................................................................................8
5 ComparativeDescriptionofthetwoFrameworks........................................................95.1 IntroductionandHigh-LevelSimilarities................................................................................................95.2 SFIA.......................................................................................................................................................................105.2.1 SFIAOverview.........................................................................................................................................105.2.2 SFIAGenericResponsibilities...........................................................................................................115.2.3 SFIAStructure..........................................................................................................................................11
5.3 E-CF.......................................................................................................................................................................125.3.1 e-CFOverview..........................................................................................................................................125.3.2 AlignmentwiththeEQF......................................................................................................................125.3.3 E-CFStructure..........................................................................................................................................13
5.4 EaseofUse.........................................................................................................................................................136 DetailedMappingofSFIAande-CF..................................................................................146.1 Introduction......................................................................................................................................................146.2 Style......................................................................................................................................................................156.3 UnderlyingConcepts.....................................................................................................................................156.3.1 SFIA..............................................................................................................................................................156.3.2 e-CF...............................................................................................................................................................15
6.4 Levels...................................................................................................................................................................166.4.1 Overview....................................................................................................................................................166.4.2 SFIA..............................................................................................................................................................176.4.3 e-CF...............................................................................................................................................................17
6.5 SkillsandCompetences................................................................................................................................186.5.1 Overview....................................................................................................................................................18
6.6 ApproachandUse...........................................................................................................................................197 Collaboration–TowardsasingleITSkillsFramework............................................197.1 Introduction-BringingSFIAande-CF‘closertogether’................................................................197.2 Considerationsforthetwoframeworksoperatingindependently..........................................197.3 ConsiderationsinSFIAande-CFmoving‘closertogether’...........................................................20
8 PossibleOutlineCollaborationProject..........................................................................228.1 Overview.............................................................................................................................................................228.2 PhasedapproachtoCollaboration..........................................................................................................23
AppendixA......................................................................................................................................24
-
SFIA–e-CFComparison&MappingReview
IanSeward,[email protected] Page4of24
1 Introduction1.1 BackgroundBCS,TheCharteredInstituteforIT,commissionedthisreporttobeacomparisonreviewofbothSFIAande-CFforinputintoaproposedmappingworkshop.Itprovidesareviewofthecurrentskillsandcompetencylandscape,acomparisonoftheSFIAande-CFFrameworksandamappingbetweenthetwo.
1.2 OutputfromthisReviewThedeliverablesfromthisrevieware:
§ Thisreportdetailingthecomparisonoftheframeworksandamappingofbothframeworks
§ Apresentationoffindingsofthisreviewfortheproposedmappingworkshop
Note: Whilethemappingmatricescouldbeconsidereda‘stand-alone’document,itdoesnothavealltheconsiderationsbehinditandsothemappingmatricesshouldberead,andindeedused,inconjunctionwiththisreportasawhole.
1.3 ConductoftheReviewandMappingThisworkwasfundedbyBCS,TheCharteredInstituteforITandconductedprimarilybyIanSeward,anindependentconsultant;heisanexperiencedSFIAAccreditedConsultantandthegeneralmanageroftheSFIAFoundation.
Thismappingexercisewascarriedoutasa‘deskstudy’ofthetwoframeworksusingsomeexistingmappingsasinput,andwithinputandreviewfromexperiencedskillsandcompetencyexpertpractitionersfromtheglobalSFIAcommunity.
1.4 SkillsandCompetencyFrameworksReviewedThefollowingskillsandcompetencyframeworks(andspecificdocuments)werereviewed:
§ SFIA–TheSkillsFrameworkfortheInformationAge
o SFIAV6–TheCompleteReferenceGuideo SFIAV5–inpart
§ Europeane-CompetenceFrameworkV3.0
o Europeane-CompetenceFramework–CWA16234:2014Part1o UserGuidefortheapplicationofthee-CF3.0–CWA16234:2014Part2o Buildingthee-CF–Methodologydocumentation–CWA16234:2014Part3o CaseStudiesfortheApplicationofthee-CF3.0–CWA16234:2014Part4o TheEuropeanQualificationsFrameworkEQF
-
SFIA–e-CFComparison&MappingReview
IanSeward,[email protected] Page5of24
2 BackgroundtoCollaborationDuringarecente-CF/SFIACollaborationworkshop(March2016)anumberoftopicswerediscussed:
§ e-CFexpressedthatthecostoftheupdateprocesswasconsiderableandwantedtoknowhowSFIAmanagedthis
§ feesandsustainability
§ growingauserbase
Itwasdecidedthatthepossibilityofcollaborationshouldbeconsideredand,asafirststage,amappingofthetwoframeworksshouldbeundertakenpossiblytoframefurthercollaborationactivities.
3 DescriptionoftheSkillsFrameworkLandscape3.1 IntroductiontotheSkillsFrameworkLandscapeAnumberofskillsandcompetencyframeworksforIThavebeendeveloped.SFIA,TheSkillsFrameworkfortheInformationAgeande-CFappeartobethetwoleadersinthisareaatpresent.WhileSFIAande-CFareconsideredasthetwoleadersforthepurposesofthisstudy,otherframeworksdoexist.TheJapanesehavecreatedtheiCDSkillsFramework.ThisisverywellregardedinJapanbuthaslittleornoreachoutsideofJapanandthoseJapanesecompaniesusingiCDcontinuallyask‘howiCDrelatestoSFIA’,ineffectvalidatingitintheglobalcommunity.
SFIAhasestablisheditselfasthedefactoglobalITSkillsandCompetencyFramework;ithasglobalreachwithusersinalmost200countries.WhileSFIAhasbeenactivelyusedfor16years,morerecently,anumberofotherframeworkshavebeendeveloped.Whiletheseframeworkshavedifferentstructures,style,andunderlyingprinciples,ifoneputsasideanycommercialorpoliticalinterests,theyshareacommonintent–tohelptoenhancetheskillsandcompetencyofthoseworkingIT(orinsomecasesasubsetofIT).
Whiletheglobalreachanduser-baseofanyframeworkotherthanSFIAisnegligible,insharingthatcommonaim,itmakessensetolookatpossibilitiesforcollaboration.
Thishasalsobeendrivenbyorganisationsthatarelookingtouseaskillsorcompetencyframeworkwantingtoknowhowsuchaframework‘mapstoSFIA’;ineffecthavingamappingagainstSFIA,validatestheseotherframeworksagainstthedefactoglobalITSkillsandCompetencyFramework.
Note: Thereisnoparticularreasonwhymorethanoneskillsandcompetencyframeworkshouldnotco-existbutlogicdoessuggestthatunderstandingthedifferencesamongtheframeworksandconsideringworkingtowardsonemakessense.
ItisprobablytruetosaythattheSFIAFrameworkhasbeenasignificantinputintomostoftheskillsframeworksdevelopedorunderdevelopment.
-
SFIA–e-CFComparison&MappingReview
IanSeward,[email protected] Page6of24
3.2 SFIASFIA,TheSkillsFrameworkfortheInformationAgewasfirstpublishedin2000:thiswasasaresultofacollaborationbyanumberoforganisationsthathadbeenusing,orworkingwith,severaldifferentUKcompetencyframeworks;anexamplewouldbetheBCS’IndustryStructureModelfromthelate1980s/1990.TheSFIAFoundationwasestablishedasanot-for-profitorganisationtodevelop,maintainandpromotetheframeworkforthebenefitoftheITindustryandITprofessionalsintheUK.
Asanot-for-profitorganisation,theFoundationhasneveractivelypromotedtheframeworkeitherwithintheUKorglobally;theframeworkhassimplybeenmadeavailabletothosewhowanttouseit.ThevastmajorityofusersmakeuseofSFIAfreeofchargewithonlyamodestchargebeingmadeforcommercialexploitation(sellingSFIAconsultancyandtools).
Regardlessof‘legalownership’–SFIAis‘owned’bytheglobalITIndustryusercommunity,itisupdatedthroughopenconsultationwithitsusers;itisusedbyindustrybecauseofitsusefulness,keptrelevant,andtherearenobarrierstoitsuse.Itisnotenforcedormandatedbyanybody.
Since2000,thousandsoforganisationshavemadeuseoftheSFIAFramework,manyhavepresentedatthevariousSFIAconferences,mostrecentlyinAustraliawithnearly20casestudypresentations.ManyorganisationshaveembeddedSFIAdeeplyintotheirskillsmanagementactivitiesanddonotseparatelyrecogniseSFIAfromwhattheydo.
SFIAisthebasisofanumberoflargeprogrammes:AustralianPublicSectorITjobrolesaredefinedusingSFIAskills;theBCSCharteredstatus,membership,careerpathsandprofessionaldevelopmentschemeisunderpinnedbySFIA.
AnumberoftoolprovidersprovidesupportfortheSFIAframeworkandnumerousorganisationshavebuilttheirowninternaltooling.
SFIAisavailablein6languageswithtwomoreunderdiscussion
3.3 e-CFDevelopmentoftheEuropeanCompetencyFramework(e-CF)projectwasinitiatedin2005encouragedbytheEuropeanCommission.Followinginput,andhigh-levelinvolvement,fromEuropeanICTsectorexpertsandstakeholders,theframework’sfirstversionwaspublishedin2008.By2010,andwithexperienceandapplicationfeedback,version2wasthenpublished:aframeworkwithgreaterdepth,updateduserguide,newmethodologydocumentationandanonlinetoolwithuser-specificprofilebuildingcapabilities.
Thee-CFwasoriginallyestablishedinordertoofferacompetencytoolwithunderlyingknowledgeforEuropeanICTprofessionals.Beingstructuredwith4Dimensions,theframeworkincludesorganisationalperspectives(inDimensions1and2)togetherwithDimension3to‘bridgeindividualandorganisationalcompetences’.RapidchangeswithintheICTenvironment,ensuresthate-CF,being‘durable’,undergoesmaintenanceeverythreeyears;thecurrentVersion3waspublishedin2014.
Throughoutitslife,e-CFhasbeentrialledinanumberofpilotprojects,approximately40,andthee-CFprojectisnowfundingthemarketingandpromotionbothinsideandoutsideofEuropetogainuptakebeyondthesepilotprojects.
-
SFIA–e-CFComparison&MappingReview
IanSeward,[email protected] Page7of24
Atpresentthee-CFprojectisnot-for-profit,howeveronceEUfundingceasesthenthefundingmodelandownershipisunclear.
e-CFhasdevelopedaprofilingtooltosupportthee-CFframework.
e-CFisavailablein4Europeanlanguagespresently.
4 MethodforMapping4.1 IntroductionThismappinghasbeencarriedoutby‘deskstudy’andasurveyofskillsandcompetency(SFIA)experts,whohavemanyyears’hands-onexperienceofenhancingITskillswithinuserorganisationsand,specifically,theuseofSFIA.Additionally,thereareinputsfromanumberoforganisationsthathaveundertakenmappingsto‘somedegree’.
Note: TheinputtothismappinghaslargelycomefromtheSFIAcommunity.Thisisbecausethereisaverymuchgreaterusercommunitythane-CF,aglobalreachandmanymoreyearsofimplementationpractice.
Thesectionbelowdescribescurrentmappingsmadeavailabletothisstudyandgivesanoverviewofsomeoftheissuesthattheydonotcoveradequately:thismappingexercisewilltrytotakethesemappingsfurtherandbegintoaddresssomeofthoseissues.Ithashowever,becomeapparentjusthowcomplexthismappingexercisereallyisandso,whilethismappingtakesthingsfurtherandidentifiessomeoftheissues,itprobablydoesnotaddressallissuescompletely.
Whenchoosingamapping–or,indeed,embarkingonamapping–onemustconsiderthepurposethemappingwillbeputto,itislikelythatwithadifferentobjectiveonemappingmightbedifferenttoanother.Somepossibleusesarelistedbelow:
§ Validatingorjustifyingoneframeworkagainstanother
§ Enablingeitherframeworktobeusedforcomparisonagainstamodelofcompetencee.g.forindividualcertificationwhereanytoleranceiscritical.
§ Internaluseinmanaginganddevelopingskillsandcompetenciesandonlyneedingasuperficialawarenessofotherframeworks–i.e.thetolerancesareinterestingratherthancritical.
Mappingforequivalence,forexamplecertification,isverydifferenttomappingfortheprovisionoftrainingorsubjectqualification.
Oneadditionalissuetobeconsideredisthatoflanguageandtranslation:SFIAisfirstproducedinEnglishthentranslatedinto6languages(with2morescheduled);e-CF’sprofilingtoolisavailablein4Europeanlanguages(notsureoftheproductionprocesstoidentifytheoriginallanguageofe-CFbutmaintenanceupdatesincludewordschangesinordertoclarifymeanings).Itispossiblethatsomemisinterpretationsmayhavebeenintroducedintranslationsandthismappinghasnottakenthisintoaccount.
4.2 ExistingMappingsAnumberofmappingshavebeenproducedandthosemadeavailabletothisexercisehavebeenconsideredinthisreport.Noneisidentifiednorcritiquedspecificallyasthe
-
SFIA–e-CFComparison&MappingReview
IanSeward,[email protected] Page8of24
circumstancesofthosemappingsarenotknown.Itisfairtosaythatanumberofthosemappingshavebeenmostly‘aninitialcursoryglance’andtakearathersimplisticview.
Whilstauseful‘firstlook’–and,nodoubt,usefulforthepurposethattheywereintended–thesemappingshaveratheroversimplifiedthesituationand,typically,notexploredbeyondthenameoftheskillorcompetenceinoneframeworktothenameoftheskillorcompetenceintheother,inordertoestablish‘equivalence’.
Firstly,thedescriptionbelowthenamehasoftennotbeenconsideredandthe‘mapper’hasusedtheirsubjectiveviewofwhattheyunderstandtheskilltobeandconcludedthatsinceitiscalledthesame,orprettymuchso,andthedescriptionmatchestosomedegree,thentheskillsorcompetenceequate:thedetailbelowthedescription,therefore,hasalmostcertainlynotbeenfullyconsidered.
Secondly,thecurrentmappingsmadeavailabletothisstudy,makeareasonablehigh-levelmappingofthelevels(SFIA1-7ande-CF1-5)effectivelybysaying1=1and7=5andthendistributingthelevelssomehowinbetween:againthisisusefultosomedegreebutlackstherigourofdetailedcomparisonandcanbequitemisleading.
Andthirdly,theunderlyingconceptsandprincipleshavenotgenerallybeenconsideredaspartofmappingexercises.
4.3 WhatmakesagoodMapping?Agoodmappingisonethatfairlyrepresents:
§ Howtheframeworksarerelated
§ Determinesequivalence–essentialforcertificationorrigorouscomparison
§ Adequatelydescribesandcomparestheunderlyingconcepts
§ Identifiesequivalences,omissionsorgaps
§ Considerstolerances
§ Identifiesissuesforusers
§ Enablesconsideredselection
§ Allowsadeterminationunderoneframeworktobeequatedtoadeterminationintheotherframework
Itislikelythatthereisalotofpersonalopinioninanymappingand,althoughundesirable,itdoesreflectthesubjectivenatureofsuchanexercise;whilethisistobeminimised,itprobablycannotberemovedaltogether.
Anexampleofthisis‘tolerance’.Bothmodelsarediscretescalesofcompetenceoneof5levelsandoneof7levels–half-levelsmakenosenseatall.Itisoftendifficulttodetermineifsomeoneisatoneleveloranothereveninoneframework,butwherealevelinoneframeworkbridgestwolevelsintheotherframeworkthisaddscomplicationandintroducesmore‘error’–putsimplythereisprobablyanerrorofoneframeworklevelinanymappingandthisisverysignificantwherethenumberoflevelsisasfewas5.
Thisexerciseisintendedtoformthebasisofaworkshoptoreviewmappingsanddecidewhatmappingcouldbetakenforwardasthe‘agreed-mapping’.Itisalsointendedtoinformfuturediscussionsoncollaborationandanypossiblemergingofthetwoframeworks.For
-
SFIA–e-CFComparison&MappingReview
IanSeward,[email protected] Page9of24
thisreason,themappingisintendedtobefairbutalsotonotignoreissueswhichneedtoberesolvedifsuchamappingistobeusedfordirectcomparison,contractualpurposesorcertificationofanyrigour.
5 ComparativeDescriptionofthetwoFrameworks5.1 IntroductionandHigh-LevelSimilaritiesBothe-CFandSFIAaimtodothesamething–provideameansofcharacterisingtheskillsandcompetenciesnecessaryforroleswithinIT.Bothframeworks,ofcourse,usesimilarterms,sometimesforthesamethingandsometimesforadifferentaspect–thishasthepotentialtocauseconfusion,asitleadstoassumptions.
AcomparisonsummaryofsomeoftheareasneededtobeconsideredisprovidedinAppendixAalongwithareferencetothecomparisonmappingdocumentwhichprovidesdetailattheindividualskillsandcompetenciesineachframework.
Bothframeworksaremodelsofskillsorcompetenciesagainstalevelofcompetenceorproficiency.Notallskillsorcompetenciescanbepractisedatalllevels,forinstance,astrategicITskillisnotpractisedatSFIALevel1ore-CFLevel1.
Bothframeworksdescribeattributesthatareadditionaltotheskillorcompetencyatlevelbutnecessarytounderpinthatskillatlevel.Theframeworkseachhaveaconsistentstructurethatenableseasynavigation.
Forthepurposesofthisreview,acomparisonofthestructureofeachframeworkisprovidedbelowwithdetaileddescriptionofthestructureinsubsequentsections.
-
SFIA–e-CFComparison&MappingReview
IanSeward,[email protected] Page10of24
MappedStructureoftheFrameworks
5.2 SFIA
5.2.1 SFIAOverview
SFIAhasidentified97ITskills(ProfessionalSkills)and7levelsofcompetence.Whilethenumberofskillshasvariedalittleoverthereleases,thenumberoflevels,7,hasnot.Notallskillscanbepractisedatalllevels,forinstance,astrategicITskillisnotpractisedatSFIALevel1.AkeycomponentoftheSFIAFrameworkistheconceptofdemonstratedexperienceofaprofessionalskillandgenericresponsibilities.
SFIAdescribesProfessionalSkillsatlevelsofcompetence.Whilerecognisingtheimportanceofotherattributes,SFIAdoesnotmakeanattempttodefinethese.
§ ProfessionalSkillsSFIAdefinesprofessionalskills
SFIA Comment
Category/sub3category e3CF5Area Dimension51
A5convenience5for5organising5the5skills5and5competencies.SFIA5has5an5'area5of5work'5view5and5e3CF5has5a5'lifecycle5view'.Both5have5more5of5a5business5change5than5an5engineering5flavour.
Skill Competence The5Skills5or5Competencies5in5the5framework:5for5example:Project5Management5(SFIA)5&5Project5Management5(e3CF)
Skill5Description (Competence)5Description
A5description5of5the5Skill5(SFIA)5or5Competency5(e3CF)These5are5generally5similar5although5style5varies5between5the5frameworks.
Level Proficiency5Level
The5competence5or5proficiency5scaleSFIA:575levels.e3CF:555levels.
Proficiency5at5Level
A5description5of5the5Skill5(SFIA)5or5Competency5(e3CF)5at5each5Level.55Both5describe5actions5performed5for5the5skill5or5competence5at5increasing5levels5of5proficiecy5or5competence.
Skill5Area
These5are5additional5statements5of5actions5for5an5e3CF5Competence.SFIA:5These5statements5are5usually5included5in5the5Skills5Description5and/or5the5Skill5at5Level.e3CF:5Additional5skills5statements5apply5to5all5levels.
Knowledge5Area
SFIA:5deliberately5does5not5define5knowledge5areas5for5the5skills.55It5does,5however,5imply5knowledge5of5appropriate5technologies5and,5more5specifically,5non3technical5aspects5within5the5levels.e3CF:5identifies5a5mix5of5technical5and5non3technical5knowledge.
Generic5ResponsibilityAttributes
SFIA:5This5is5key535a5generic5description5of5attributes5for5any5level.e3CF:5Not5explicitly5defined5other5than5in5the5description5of5alignment5with5the5EQF5but5Business5Skills5and5Influence5are5not5explicitly5covered5and5some5descriptions5span5levels.
Dimension53
Skill5at5Level
Dimension4
e3CF
Dimension52
-
SFIA–e-CFComparison&MappingReview
IanSeward,[email protected] Page11of24
§ BehaviouralSkillsSFIAdoesnotdefinebehaviouralskillsasmanyorganisationshavetheirowninternalbehavioursandvaluesdefined.Anorganisation’sinternalbehavioursandvaluescangenerallybealignedtotheSFIAGenericResponsibilities.
§ KnowledgeSFIArecognisestheimportanceofknowledgebutdoesnotdefinerequirements.Technologies,standards,andlegislationchangesfrequentlyandorganisationrequirementsvary–SFIAdoesnotdefineknowledgerequirements.
§ ExperienceSFIArecognisesexperiencethroughdemonstratedpracticeoftheprofessionalskillatlevel.Itdoesnotplaceparticularrequirementsonyearsoranyotherparticulardescriptionofexperience.
§ QualificationsSFIArecognisesthepartqualificationsplaybutdoesnotdefinerequirements.Qualificationschangeasnewofferingsareavailableand,ingeneral,qualificationdoesnotequatetodemonstratedexperienceofcompetence–SFIAdoesnotdefinequalificationrequirements.
WhileseveralorganisationshaveextendedSFIAtoaddresstheaboveareas,atleastinpart,SFIAhasleftthistoSFIAusersratherthanmakedefinitionsinthisarea.
5.2.2 SFIAGenericResponsibilities
ThelevelsofresponsibilityandaccountabilityusedinSFIA(the7levels)aredescribedingenerictermsandtheindividualskillatleveldescriptionsaredefinedtobeconsistentwiththesegenericlevels.TheSFIAGenericResponsibilitiesare:
§ Autonomy
§ Influence
§ Complexity
§ BusinessSkills
Simply,athigherlevelsofcompetenceonewouldbeexpectedtohavegreaterautonomy,greaterinfluence,beabletohandlegreatercomplexity,andhaveabetterunderstandingandconsiderationofbusinessskills.
5.2.3 SFIAStructure
SFIASkills(professionalskills)arearrangedintoCategoriesandSub-Categoriesthesearejustlogicalcollectionsandtoaidnavigation.Thecategoriesdonotrelatetoanyparticularlifecycleorstandardalthoughifoneisworkinginaparticularareathenitislikelythatonewillhaveskillsmostlyfromthatarea,DeliveryandOperation,forinstance.
SFIACategoriesare:
§ StrategyandArchitecture
§ ChangeandTransformation
§ DevelopmentandImplementation
-
SFIA–e-CFComparison&MappingReview
IanSeward,[email protected] Page12of24
§ DeliveryandOperations
§ Skills&Quality
§ RelationshipsandEngagement
ThroughouttheSFIAReferenceGuide,Skillsarestructuredconsistentlyasfollows:
§ SkillNameAnameusedforreference.
§ SkillCodeAuniquesimplecode.
§ OverallDescriptionAbroaddefinitionoftheskill.
§ LevelDescriptionsAdefinitionoftheskillateachofthe7levels.Thephrasingfacilitatestheiruseasprofessionalcompetencies.Ingeneralthesearesingleparagraphs,ofafewsentences,describingwhatisshouldbedemonstratedatthatlevelforthatskill.
5.3 E-CF
5.3.1 e-CFOverview
e-CFhasidentified40ITCompetenciesand5Levels.The5levelsaremappedtotheEuropeanQualificationFramework(EQF)levels3-8.Notallcompetenciesaredescribedatalllevels.Thee-CFintroduces‘Dimensions’asameansofstructuringtheinformationinaconsistentway:Dimension1,forinstance,providesagroupingthatwouldberecognisedwithalifecycleviewasPlan,Build,Run,supportedbyEnableandcontrolledbyManage.
5.3.2 AlignmentwiththeEQF
Whilstnotdescribedassuch,thereiscategorisingine-CFthatcouldbeseenassimilartothegenericsfromSFIA,notablythetableattheendaligningthee-CFLevelstotheEQFLevels.
Thelevelsofresponsibilityandaccountability(the7levelsinSFIA)aredescribedingenerictermsandtheindividualskillatleveldescriptionsaredefinedtobeconsistentwiththesegenericlevels.Thee-CFGenericResponsibilitiesare:
§ LevelDescription
§ TypicalTasks
§ Complexity
§ Autonomy
§ Behaviour
Athigherlevelsofproficiency,onewouldbeexpectedtohavegreaterautonomyandhandlegreatercomplexity:thereisnoexplicitlinkingtothebusinessandtheintroductionofBehaviour.
Itisunclearwhethertheseattributesactuallyformapartofthee-CForwhethertheyhavebeenincludedmerelyforadditionalexplanationoftheframework.
-
SFIA–e-CFComparison&MappingReview
IanSeward,[email protected] Page13of24
OneaspectofthiswhichisparticularlyusefulistheanecdotaldescriptionofLevelsto‘exampleposition’suchas‘SeniorProfessional/Manager’.
5.3.3 E-CFStructure
Thestructureofthee-CFisconsistent:essentiallythecompetencies(Dimension2)aredistributedthroughoutthee-CFareas(Dimension1).Eachcompetenceisdescribedatupto5levelsofproficiency(Dimension3)andupto14knowledgestatementsand11skillsstatements(Dimension4):
§ e-CFArea–Dimension1Thereare5e-CFareaswhicharegroupings:
o A.Plano B.Buildo C.Runo D.Enableo E.Manage
§ e-CFCompetence–Dimension2The40e-CFCompetenciesaredistributedthroughoutthe5e-CFareas.EachcompetencehasaNameandanoverallDescription.
§ e-CFProficiencyLevel–Dimension3Eachofthecompetencieshasupto5proficiencylevels,withnotallcompetencieshavinganentryateachlevel.
§ e-CFSkillsandKnowledge–Dimension4EachcompetencycanalsohaveanumberofSkilldescriptorsandKnowledgeDescriptors.Thesemaybeasinglesentenceorjustacoupleofwordse.g.’marketneeds’foraknowledgeor‘thinkoutofthebox’foraskill.Theseadditionalstatementsapplytothecompetenceatalllevels.
Note: Althoughe-CFusestheterm‘Dimension’,itis,nonetheless,a2-dimensionalmodelof40competenciesby5levels.Thestatementsforknowledgeandskillsareuniquetothecompetencetheyareassociatedwithandareadditionalinformationtodescribethecompetence.
5.4 EaseofUseAnyusernewtoskillsandcompetencyframeworksmayconsiderbothframeworkscomplex:thereare97skillsat7levelsinSFIA(thegenericresponsibilitiesareoftenforgotten);thereare40competenciesat5levelswithupto14knowledgestatementsand11skillsstatementsine-CF(andthesignificanceofthealignmenttotheEQFcouldbeoverlooked).
Inreality,ifyouarefamiliarwithoneframeworkthen,withagoodamountofreading,theotherframeworkisquiteunderstandable.
Bothframeworkscanbeobtainedbydownloadingthedocumentationfromtherespectivewebsite.SFIAisavailableasonedocumentande-CF,whileavailableasonedocument,hastwosupportingdocumentsandalsoadescriptionoftheEQF.Inadditiontotheframework,thee-CFdocumentationdescribesmoreabouthowtheframeworkwasdevelopedandthevariousorganisationsthatwereinvolvedintheworkinggroupstodefinethemodel:thisis
-
SFIA–e-CFComparison&MappingReview
IanSeward,[email protected] Page14of24
likelytobeindicativeofthefundingthatthee-CFprojecthasreceivedandtheneedtogenerategoodqualitydocumentationforsuchaproject;SFIA,lackingsimilarfunding,hasnotproducedthistypeofdocumentation.Additionally,theSFIAFoundationhasconcentratedontheFrameworkandnotinsuggestingitsusetoindustry;theseaspectsarediscussedthroughouttheglobalusercommunityandthroughvariouspapersfromindividualSFIAusers.
The‘SFIAWallChart’isasimpleA3documentand,onceoneisfamiliarwiththeframework,thisprovidesgreatinitialnavigationwithsubsequentreferencetotheReferenceModelfordetail(e-CFshouldpublishsomethingsimilar).
Thesinglecompetenceperpagenatureofthee-CFdocumentisparticularlyclear.
Note: ThevarioususesofSFIA(andhowitisappliedforthoseuses)areonlybrieflytouchedonwithinSFIAdocumentation.
6 DetailedMappingofSFIAande-CF6.1 IntroductionWhilebothframeworkshavethesameaimtheyhavedifferentstructures,terminology,underlyingconceptsandpresentation.Thissectiondescribesthemappingindetail.Itispresentedinthreeparts:
§ Style
§ Underlyingconcepts
§ Levels
§ Skills/Competencies
§ ApproachandUse
IndeterminingwhetheraSFIASkillsisadequatelyaddressedbyane-CFCompetence(andviceversa)thefollowingcomponentsneedtobeconsideredasawhole:
§ SFIA
o GenericResponsibilitiesforaLevelo SkillDescriptiono SkillLevelDescription
§ e-CF
o e-CFandEQFLevelTableo CompetenceDescriptiono e-CFProficiencyLeveldescriptiono CompetenceSkillAreaso CompetenceKnowledgeAreas
-
SFIA–e-CFComparison&MappingReview
IanSeward,[email protected] Page15of24
6.2 StyleIngeneral,printedmatterisbetterpresentedine-CF.Thisprobablyreflectsthemoreadequatelyfundednatureofthatprojectandtheneedfore-CFtodescribehowthe‘project’hasrunbothfortheEuropeanCommissionandalsotoencourageauser-base.SFIAdocumentation,whileimproving,isnotyetaspolishedasitshouldbe.
SFIA,however,seemstobemoreconsolidated.Inasingledocumentthereisadescriptionofunderlyingconcepts,ideasforuseandthewholeoftheFramework.TheinformationinSFIAismorereadableincontext,thisisparticularlytrueinthecomparisonwiththee-CF‘Dimension4’attributes,whichareoftenjustafewwordsandnotofaconsistentlevel.
Whileorganisedindifferentways,theamountoftextdescribingaSFIASkillsataLevelismuchthesameasthatforane-CFCompetenceatLevel.
6.3 UnderlyingConceptsWhilebothframeworkshavethesameaimtheyhavedifferentstructures,andterminology,anddifferencestosomeunderlyingconcepts.
6.3.1 SFIA
TheSFIAFrameworkisfoundedonthebeliefthatdemonstratedexperienceisessentialindeterminingwhetheraskillorcompetenceispresent.Itdoesnotdefineanyparticularlengthofservice,qualification,knowledgeorlevelofknowledge.Itisrecognisedthatqualificationscanbevaluableandknowledgeisessentialbutitdoesnotseektodefineordescribetheseindetail.
Tobeabletoperformaskillataparticularlevelitisexpectedthatonecanperformtheskillatthelevelbelowandsoon.(Thisissomethingcurrentlybeingdebated.)
Thenatureoftheskillschangeasonemovesupthelevels,inparticular,theoperationalcompetenceofaskillatLevel6maybegreaterthantheoperationalcompetenceoftheskillatLevel7–thisisoneaspectofthedebatementionedinthepreviousparagraph.
Toperformaroleonewilllikelyrequiremorethanoneskill,possiblyatdifferentlevels.
TheGenericLevelsofResponsibilityareanessentialcomponentofSFIAandpitchesalevelofoperationonthebasisofAutonomy,Influence,ComplexityandBusinessSkills.
Themodelmustberelevanttoindustry,andthatindustryisthebestqualifiedtoensureitsrelevanceandintegritygoingforward.SFIAisthereforeupdatedandvalidatedbyitsusersthroughtheusergroupandCouncilbyopenconsultation–theFrameworkitselfisnotdrivenbyanyparticularagenda.
UseofSFIAisnot‘pushed’bytheFoundation,ratheritis‘pulled’byindustryandbusiness.
6.3.2 e-CF
e-CFisalsofoundedonthebeliefthatexperienceofthecompetencebeingperformedisessentialbuttheframeworkislinkedtotheEQFandrequiresincreasingknowledge,innovationandtechnicalcompetenceasonemovesupthelevels(thisincreasinglevelofknowledgeisnotnecessarilyareflectionofindustry).Thee-CFandEQFLeveltablewouldappeartobekeytoe-CFbutseemstobeplacedinanappendixtotheframework,sodoes
-
SFIA–e-CFComparison&MappingReview
IanSeward,[email protected] Page16of24
notappeartohavethesamerelevancetotheframeworkasthegenericresponsibilitiesofSFIA,althoughthereismuchoverlapintheirintent.
Theinclusionof‘Behaviour’intheAppendixtableisworthyoffurtherdevelopment;atpresentthestatementsarewrittenasadditionaltasks.
The‘Influence’descriptionsintheAppendixtableareverylight(oneortwowords)andspanlevelsthatthenmakethemlessuseablefordetermininglevel.
TheDimension4componentsofthecompetenciesappeartobelesswellformedthantheothercomponentsoftheframework.Superficially,thissuggestsmoredetailbut,infact,whenscrutinisedtheyarenotdescribedandareopentosignificantinterpretation,anditisnotclearwhatparttheywouldplayinusingtheframework.TheyareclearlytheretobolstertheCompetencyDescriptionsbutpotentiallywillbeignoredastheyaredifficulttointerpretcomparatively(‘thinkingoutsideofthebox’,‘security’,etc..).
e-CFappearstobe‘pushed’byindustrybodies,certificationorganisations,andEUGovernment(illustratedbyitsadoptionasanEuropeanStandardanddiscussionsonpushingthisdownontoindustry);atpresentthereisnota‘pull’fromindustry.
6.4 Levels
6.4.1 Overview
Bothframeworksdescribewhatthelevelisforeachskill.InthecaseofSFIA,thisisdonethroughamixoftheGenericResponsibilities,theSkillsDescriptionandtheLevelDescriptionfortheskill.Inthecaseofe-CF,thisisdonethroughamixoftheCompetenceDescription,thee-CFProficiencyDescription,theSkillStatementsandtheKnowledgeStatementsandatableofLevelsmappedtotheEQF.
BothframeworksrecognisethattherearesomegenericattributesfortheLevelsbutthesearemoreexplicitlyidentifiedinSFIAandconsideredkey.Thetableinanappendixtothee-CFaddressestheSFIAGenericResponsibilitiestosomedegreebutitisunclearwhetherthisisgiventhesameimportanceasinSFIA.Theinclusionof‘Attitude’isparticularlyinterestingandcouldbehugelybeneficialtoaframework(SFIAcouldbenefitfromthis)butthedescriptionsofattitudearemoreadditionaltasksperformedratherthan‘professionalattitude’.
ThetablebelowillustratesthealignmentofSFIALevelsande-CFLevels.Thisisdiscussedmorespecificallyinthesectionsbelow.
-
SFIA–e-CFComparison&MappingReview
IanSeward,[email protected] Page17of24
MappedAlignmentofLevels
6.4.2 SFIA
TheSFIALevelshaveananecdotaldescriptorwhichisuseful,andthengenericdescriptionsofAutonomy,Influence,ComplexityandBusinessSkills:thesehavebeenrefinedovertheyearsbuthavenotbeensignificantlychangedastheyhaveservedindustryandbusinesswell.
SFIAcouldprobablybenefitfromaddingsomethingliketheLeveldescriptorsandBehavioursofe-CFbutwouldhavetohavegenericBehaviourdescriptionsratherthancrossoverintothebehavioursandvaluesthatorganisationshaveevolvedthemselves.
SFIAhas7levelsandsomeusersfeelthatthecurrentsituationdoesnothaveadequaterangebetweenLevel3andLevel6;whilethisisoutsidethescopeofthisreview,itillustratesthattherearestillquestionstobeansweredregardscurrentlevels.
6.4.3 e-CF
e-CFLevelshaveamoreexplicitdescriptorsimilartoroletitlee.g.Associate,thenaLeveldescriptionandgenericdescriptionsofTypicalTasks,Complexity,AutonomyandBehaviour.Behaviourismoreadescriptionofworkperformedratherthanbehaviour.Thereisnorecognitionofbusinessskillsandcomplexitydescriptionsspanmorethanonelevel,whichmakesitdifficulttouseasacomponentofdeterminingalevel.
Aparticularlygoodaspectofthee-CFisthegenericLevelDescriptionpastthetitle.
CommentSFIA+Levels
Professional
7Set+strategy,+
Inspire,+Mobilise
6 Initiate,+Influence
LeadProfessional
Principal
Follow1
4 Enable
5
3
2
Apply
Assist
Ensure,+Advise
eGCF+2
Associate
eGCF+Levels
SFIA+&+eGCF+Levels+overlap.SFIA:+Appears+to+start+at+a+lower+level+than+eGCF.eGCF+Level+1+could+be+SFIA+Level+1+or+2.SFIA+Level+1+is+eGCF+Level+1+or+lower+(?).
SFIA+&+eGCF+Levels+overlap.eGCF+Level+5+is+really+Tech/Skill+LeadershipSFIA+Level+7+is+generally+above+eGCF+Level+5+organisationally.Clarify+skill+leadership+vs+org.+leadership+and+accountability
SFIA+&+eGCF+Levels+overlap.eGCF+Level+5+could+be+SFIA+Level+6+(more+likely)+or+7+(weakly).SFIA+Level+6+is+either+eGCF+Level+4+or+5+(more+likely).
SFIA+&+eGCF+Levels+overlap.eGCF+Level+4+could+be+SFIA+Level+5+(more+likely)+or+6+(weakly).SFIA+Level+5+is+either+eGCF+Level+3+or+4+(more+likely).
SFIA+&+eGCF+Levels+overlap.eGCF+Level+3+could+be+SFIA+Level+4+or+5.SFIA+Level+4+is+eGCF+Level+3.
SFIA+&+eGCF+Levels+overlap.eGCF+Level+2+could+be+SFIA+Level+2+or+3.SFIA+Level+3+is+eGCF+Level+2
SFIA+&+eGCF+Levels+overlap.eGCF+Level+2+could+be+SFIA+Level+2+or+3.SFIA+Level+2+is+either+eGCF+Level+1+or+2.
eGCF+1
eGCF+3
SeniorProfessional
orManager
eGCF+4
eGCF+5
-
SFIA–e-CFComparison&MappingReview
IanSeward,[email protected] Page18of24
Theequatingofthee-CFLevelstotheEQFLevelispowerfulinpromotingboththoseframeworksbutitmakesalinkthatisprobablynotareflectionofreality.EQFLevel8is‘knowledgeatthemostadvancedfrontier…’,e-CFLevel5isequatedtothisbutitdoesnotgenerallyreflectanindustryandbusinessview.
6.5 SkillsandCompetences
6.5.1 Overview
Inconsideringthemappingofthetwoframeworks,refertotheMappingMatricespresentedinaseparateexceldocument.Thissectionprovidesasummaryanddiscussionofthemapping:
Generallyane-CFCompetenceisequivalenttoaSFIASkillwiththeskilldescriptorverysimilar;theLevelDescriptorsaresimilartooalthoughSFIA’saremoredetailedandgivesomecontext.Thee-CFDimension4attributes(skills)addfurthercontenttoe-CFtobolstertheleveldescriptors(toequalSFIA)andinsomecaseaddspecificsnotpresentinSFIA.TheknowledgestatementsdonothaveanequivalentinSFIAalthoughthereisthepresumptionthat,inhavingtheskill,onehastheunderlyingknowledge.Specificknowledgestatementsine-CF,andalso,tosomeextent,theskillsstatementsdonotfitwellwiththedesigngoalofSFIAtobegenerictoanyITenvironmentandtheimportanceofthee-CFskillandknowledgestatementsarenotclear(whethermandatory,howmanyarerequiredandtowhatlevel).
Thereare97SFIAskillsand40e-CFCompetencies.SFIAhasagreaterbreadththane-CF.However,itisnotquitesostraightforward,assomeoftheSFIAskillscouldbeconsideredsatisfiedbyonee-CFCompetency;forexample,the4SFIAQualityManagementskillsarecoveredbythesinglee-CFICTQualityManagementCompetencytosomedegree.WherethisisthecasethelevelofdescriptionismuchgreaterinSFIA(albeitspreadacrossthegreaternumberofskills).
ThereareseveralSFIASkillsthatarenotaddressedbye-CFandsomeinstanceswhereaskillisonlyaddressedbecausee-CFusesasinglewordinthedescription.
Withregardtoe-CF,mostCompetenciesappeartobecoveredbySFIA(sometimesbymorethanoneSFIASkill),threestandoutasnotbeingadequatelysatisfied.SFIAdoesnothavetheexplicitknowledgestatementsandavoidsbeingspecificwithregardstobothknowledgeandskills.
The‘Dimension4’attributesofe-CFareusefulbutaregenerallyomittedfromSFIA.SomeoftheskillsfromDimension4arecoveredinthedescriptionsinthecoreskillsofSFIAoratLevelbutnotall.TheknowledgestatementsarenotaddressedinSFIAatall.WhenusingSFIAthereisanassumptionthattheunderlyingnecessaryknowledgeispresent–itisnotdefinedexplicitlybecauseknowledgeandqualificationrequirementsappeartochangerapidly,andoften,andalsoaredependentoncontextandnationalarea.
Whilethe‘Dimension4’attributesofe-CFarepotentiallyusefultheyarenotsufficientlydefinedtobeusedtodeterminecompetency;theyarealsoalignedatalllevelsofaCompetenceandnotincreasingwithlevel;theyarenotallrequired,butsuggested,andarenotexhaustive.Asaresulttheycannotreallyformpartofanassessmentofcompetenceandcertainlycouldnotbeconsideredastandard.
-
SFIA–e-CFComparison&MappingReview
IanSeward,[email protected] Page19of24
6.6 ApproachandUseBothframeworkscanbeinterpretedforaspecificinstanceandthereforedirectcomparisonisdependentontheintendeduse.Infactbothframeworksneedtobeinterpreted–forinstanceisaskillsatisfiedifanypartoftheskill,asdefinedintheframework,isnotsatisfied?Inthecaseofe-CFforinstance,howmuch‘thinkingoutsidethebox’isnecessaryforeachlevel?Inbothframeworkswhatunderlyingknowledgeisactuallyrequiredandhowisthisdetermined?
7 Collaboration–TowardsasingleITSkillsFramework7.1 Introduction-BringingSFIAande-CF‘closertogether’Clearly,therearebenefitsinbringingthetwoframeworksclosertogether.BothFrameworkssharethesameissuesthatneedtobeaddressedandwhileSFIAhasbeendealingwiththeseissueswithminimalrevenueithasneverthelessmanagedtosupportaglobalnetworkofSFIAuse.Thee-CF,whilecurrentlyenjoyingsignificantEUfundingtogetestablished,willeventuallyexperiencethesesameissues,andonceithastobeself-funding(whenEUfundingceases)willfinditselfinthesamepositionasSFIA.UnlikeSFIA,e-CFdoeshavethebenefitofnothavingtobeusefuloutsideofEuropebutthisisalsoahindrancetouptakeonaglobalscale.Undoubtedly,therewouldbebenefitsforindustryiftherewereoneaccepted,properlyfunded,framework.
Thecomplexityofthemappingshouldnotbeunderestimated.ByhavingtwodifferentstructuresandsomedifferencesintheunderlyingprinciplesitisnotsostraightforwardtosimplyalignskillswithcompetenciesandLevelswithLevels.Thisrequiresextractionandcomparisonofthewordsfromthevariouspartsofeachframework.Thatsaidwhilstamappingiscomplexandwouldneedtobemaintainedasnewversionsoftheframeworksarepublished,itisnonethelessstraightforwardtoseehowtheframeworkscouldbebroughttogetheroveranumberofiterations,albeitthatanumberofunderlyingprinciplesofeachframeworkneedtobeagreed.
Infact,itisprobablyeasiertoseehowthetwoframeworkscouldbebroughttogetherthantoestablishamappingofthetwoframeworksforequivalenceandmaintainthatmappingthroughfutureversionsofbothframeworks.
BothframeworksclaimtobeacommonlanguageforITskillsandcompetency.Bizarrely,whiletherewasonlySFIA,therewasindeedacommonlanguageforITskills;sincetherearenowtwo‘languages’neitheristrulycommon.
7.2 ConsiderationsforthetwoframeworksoperatingindependentlyThereisnoparticularreasonwhythetwoframeworksshouldnotgoonoperatingindependentlyinparallel.Afterall,SFIAhasbeenoperatingfor16yearsandhasestablishedaglobaluser-base–itmanagestosupportupdatestotheframeworkandsupportforitsusersdespiteoperatingwithminimalfunding.Thee-CF,whileconsiderablyyoungerandwithoutsuchastronguser-base,hasthebackingofsignificantEUfundingandanumberoforganisationslikeprofessionalbodies‘pushingitdown’tousers.Thissituationcouldcertainlycontinuebutdoesleadtoanumberofconfusions:
§ IndustryandBusinessareunsurewhichframeworktoadopt
-
SFIA–e-CFComparison&MappingReview
IanSeward,[email protected] Page20of24
o Theydonotwanttobackthewrongone,sowillprobablydonothingwhilewaitingforthedusttosettle.
§ Nationalsupportorganisationsareunsurewhichtorecommend
o Decisionswilltypicallybemadeforpoliticalratherthansoundengineeringreasons.
§ IndustryandBusinessalwaysquestionwhythetwoexistinthefirstplace
§ Serviceprovidersdonotwanttohavetosupporttwoframeworks
§ Bothorganisationswillbewatchingtheotherratherthandoingtherightthingforindustryandbusiness
§ Bothframeworksneedsimilarsupport
o Thisisexpensivetodotwice,itwouldbebettertoputeffortsintoprovidingonedefinitiveframework
Tosomedegreetherewillalwaysbedifferentframeworksapartfrome-CFandSFIA.Inrecentmonthsi-CDfromJapanhaveapproachedtheSFIAFoundationtoaskhowitmanagesitsactivitiesandislookingtocollaboratewithSFIAtogainmorerecognitioninternationally.AnumberofothercountrieshaveapproachedSFIAinrecentmonthsforguidanceindevelopingormanagingtheirskillsframeworks.
7.3 ConsiderationsinSFIAande-CFmoving‘closertogether’Inbringingthetwoframeworksclosertogetheritistheunderlyingconceptsofthetwoframeworksandtheintendedusethatneedtobeconsideredfirst.Oncetheseareagreedthenthealignmentofe-CFtotheEQFand,inparticular,thatgreaterknowledgemaynotequatetogreaterlevelofoperation,influenceorcompetencecanbeconsideredandthenthenumberofLevels(howcan5Levelsalignto7Levels?)canbeestablished
Inpractice,theLevelscauseproblems;peoplenaturallywanttobeseenasthehighestleveltheycan–afterall,beingSFIALevel7mustbebetterthanbeingSFIALevel6(andsimilarlyfore-CF),althoughthemostcompetentpersoninaparticularareamaybeSFIALevel6andnotLevel7.
AstothenumberofLevels,whileSFIAhashad7levelssinceitsinceptiontherehasbeenon-goingdebatewhetherthisistherightnumber–itisnotthattheremightbefewerlevelsbutmore.
Whilethereareobviousbenefitstobehadfromthetwoframeworkscomingclosertogether,orperhapsmergingasone,thisneedstobewellconsideredasitwillinevitablyleadtoconfusionandpotentiallydamagetheexistinguserbase.
Thefollowingwillneedtobeconsidered:
§ Whatdoes‘movingclosertogether’mean?
o Isthismutualrecognitionofapproachesandlevellingormergingtoarriveatoneglobalframework?
§ Users
-
SFIA–e-CFComparison&MappingReview
IanSeward,[email protected] Page21of24
o e-CF–Theuserbase,althoughonlysmallandconfinedtoEurope,hasinvestedinadoptingthisframeworkandwouldnotwanttomovetosomethingelse.
o SFIA–TheSFIAuserbase,muchlargerandglobal,hassimilarlyinvestedandwouldnotwanttomovetosomethingthatitseesaslessrelevant.
§ Ownership
o e-CFisseenasownedbyEuropeandmovingtoownershipby‘professionalbodies’
o SFIAisseenas‘owned’bytheusersandistrulyglobal.
§ Approachtoadoption
o e-CFisseentobepushingtheframeworkdowntousersfromthe‘ownershipcommittee’.
o SFIAisnot‘pushed’byanyone;itis‘pulled’byusers.TheSFIABoard,althoughrecognisedasinthe‘controlposition’isnotfelttobepushingSFIA;ifanything,theusersseetheBoardholdingback.
§ Globalisation
o e-CF,oncewellestablished,isEuropeanandlargelydrivenbytheEUdowntotheEuropeanCountries.
o SFIA,ontheotherhand,istrulyglobalwithsignificantuseandrepresentationfromcountriesoutsideofEurope:thismustberecognisedand,inparticular,thatthereisnocentralorganisationpushingthis.
§ Funding
o Howwouldthemergingbefunded?o Howwouldtheendframeworkbefundedonanon-goingbasis?
§ Timescales
o TherearestillSFIAusersonSFIAV4andV5;thereisnoparticularreasonwhytheyshouldmovetoanewversion,presumablythisistruefore-CF.Therequirementsforthiswouldneedtobeconsidered.
o Itseemsreasonablethatoveroneortwoupdatecyclesthetwoframeworkscouldbebroughtclosertogetherandindeedmergedinthattimeframe.
§ Leadership
o Leadershipformergingwouldneedtobeestablishedwithoutfearfortheuserbase.
§ Users
o Throughoutsuchactivitiestheuserswouldhavetobetheprimaryconsideration;thisframeworkshould,firstandforemost,beintendedtoenableuserstodeveloptheskillsoftheirstafforindividualstoenhancetheirownskills.Useforpromotingcertificationorparticulartrainingorqualificationsshouldbesecondary.
§ Migration
-
SFIA–e-CFComparison&MappingReview
IanSeward,[email protected] Page22of24
o Apartfromanunderstandingofmappingshouldtherebeanapproachforausermigratingfromoneframeworktoanother?
§ UnderlyingPrinciples
o Acommonsetofunderlyingprincipleswouldneedtobeestablished.
§ Levels
o Arigorousalignmentoflevelswouldneedtobeestablished.o RealignmentoftheLevelsofbothFrameworksslightlywouldclarifythe
mappingandleadtoanobviousmovingtogether.Aligninge-CFLevels1-5strictlytoSFIA2-6wouldaddresstheneedtowidenoperationalLevelsinSFIA,andrecognisethelevelbelowe-CFandthemoreCxOnatureofSFIALevel7.
o AlthoughtherewouldbeconsequencesforbothSFIAande-CFthisshouldbeconsideredforamovingtogether.ClearlytheissuesforSFIAwouldaffectmanymoreSFIAusers,andtherewouldbeissuesregardingEQFalignmentfore-CFthatwouldprobablyaffecttrainingprovidersmorethanend-userorganisations.
8 PossibleOutlineCollaborationProject8.1 OverviewWhileitisoutofscopeofthiscomparisonandmappingreportitisneverthelessworthconsideringanoutlineofacollaborationproject.
Fundamentally,thissectionconsidersasensibleapproachtocollaboratingandultimatelymergingthetwoframeworksintooneasthereseemslittlepointinstoppingshortofthis.Itispossibletocollaboratewithoutultimatelymergingbutisunlikelytobesuccessful:SFIAisglobalandmustaddressglobalneedswithminimalfundingandcertainlynofundingtoallowtakingpartinsuchacollaborationonanequalbasisofinvolvement;e-CFhasaEuropeanfocus,iswell-fundedandcanengageinthepoliticalissuesnecessarytodrivethisthroughbutdoesnothavetheglobalreachortheuserinvolvement.Inanysuchprojectthefollowingconditionsshouldbemet:
§ Thereshouldbenonegativeimpactoncurrentusers
§ Existingusersmustseetheirinvestmentprotected
§ Theremustbeequalparticipationfrombothparties
§ Thereshouldbeapublishedroadmapforthisproject
§ Thereshouldbeanincrementalbringingtogetherthroughnewversionsofeachframework
§ The‘merging’mustbeabletobestoppedatanytimewithoutdamagingeitherframeworkortheinvestmentofcurrentusers
§ Theendproductmustbeupwardlycompatiblefrompreviousversionsofeachframework
-
SFIA–e-CFComparison&MappingReview
IanSeward,[email protected] Page23of24
8.2 PhasedapproachtoCollaborationTheprojectshouldbesplitintoanumberofPhases:
§ Phase1CollaborationPlanning
o ComparisonandMappingReviewo DefinitionofRoadmapandIntento Clarificationofownership,fundingandcollaborationstructureo Definitionofthecollaborationframeworko CollaborationCheckpoint
§ Phase2CollaborationandMergingActivities
o Establishjointoperationso Initiatecollaborativeupdatecycle–iterative(over3-5years)o Establishglobalusercommunityinfrastructureo DefineandestablishFrameworkinfrastructureo Checkpointsthroughout
§ Phase3Operation
o Singleoperation–BAU(business-as-usual)
-
SFIA–e-CFComparison&MappingReview
IanSeward,[email protected] Page24of24
AppendixA
DetailofthecomparisonmappingofindividualskillsandcompetenciesineachframeworkisprovidedintheassociatedExcelMappingMatrices–SFIAV6e-CFComparisonV1.0.
Acomparisonsummaryofsomeoftheareasthatneedtobeconsideredinselectingormergingtheframeworksisprovidedbelow.
Comparison*Point SFIA e2CF
Coverage*of*breadth*and*depth*of*Enterprise*IT*(See**mapping*matrices)
Greater*coverage*for*typical*roles*and*operating*models*found*in*IT.Greater*granularity*e.g.*c.*18*skills*in*Delivery*&*Operation
Some*single*competencies*may*encompass*several*skills*e.g.*Service**Delivery*as*a*single*competence.
Detail Greater*detail*per*skill*in*SFIA*(if*e2CF*Dimension*4*is*not*considered).Less*detail*per*competence*in*e2CF.This*is*bolstered*by*the*additions*of*'Skills*and*Knowledge*statements'.
Structure* Logical*consistent*structure. Logical*consistent*structure.
Approach The*SFIA*approach*of*everything*needed*being*described*in*one*paragraphj*per*skill*level*is*in*response*to*industry*requirements.The*multi2dimensional*approach*of*e2CF*aids*clarity*when*within*a*tool*but*less*usable*without*tool*support.
Longevity*/*Currency 15+*years*/*Version*6*2015 7+*years*/*Version*3*2014
Technologies,*methods,*knowledge*and*qualifications SFIA*does*not*mandate*technologies,*methods*or*qualifications.
e2CF*'suggests'*methods*and*knowledge*within*Dimension*4*statements*that*might*be*required.
Underlying*principles Requires*demonstrated*experience*of*performing*the*skill*at*levelGeneric*responsibility*levels*attributes*are*key.Alignment*ot*EQFGeneric*attributes*of*levels*described*but*their*importance*is*unclear.
Documentation Single*Complete*Reference*Model*Document.Less*professionally*presented.
Multiple*documents*describing*the*framework*and*how*the*framework*has*been*created.More*professional*publications.
Availability Free*to*download*from*the*SFIA*website.Available*in*6*languages*(more*planned).Free*to*download*from*the*SFIA*website.Available*in*4*languages*(more*planned).
Need*for*interpretation SFIA*needs*to*be*interpreted*in*use. e2CF*needs*to*be*interpreted*in*use.
Update*approach Open*consultation*of*the*global*userbase,*proposed*changes*reviewed*by*the*userbase*and*managed*publication.Updates*by*expert*panel*selected*from*e2CF*community*and*framework*authoring**consultants.
CostsFree*of*charge*for*non2commercial*(end2user)*useLicence*fee*for*commercial*exploitation(service*providers*and*tool*vendors)
Free*of*charge*for*all*use.
Funding Modest*licence*fee*for*commercial*exploitation. Funded*by*EU.
Long*tern*sustainability Currently*self*sustaining*from*licence*fees. Unknown*should*EU*funding*cease.
Marketing*Model Pull*from*industry. Push*from*EU*/*Professional*Bodies.
User*Base
Difficult*to*estimate.**Some*use*in*nearly*200*countries.**Around*4000*user*licences*for*SFIA*V6.*Many*thousands*of*other*users*from*SFIA*V4*and*V5*but*information*archived*as*not*used*to*market*SFIA.Probably*many*thousands*of*unlicenced*users*globally.
Difficult*to*estimate.*40*case*studies*published.**This*is*being*pushed*by*the*EU*so*there*is*probably*greater*uptake*than*from*the*case*studies*alone.
Ecosystem
Significant*supporting*infrastructure*including:User*Council,*user*community,*governing*body.Accreditation*of*consultants*,*partners*and*traininers.User*conferences*in*UK*and*Australia.
e2CF*is*yet*to*establish*the*same*ecosystem*as*SFIA.