sfia - e-cf comparison & mapping report v1.0...sfia – e-cf comparison & mapping review ian seward,...

SFIA–e-CFComparison&MappingReview

IanSeward,[email protected] Page1of24

SFIA–e-CFComparison&MappingReviewIanSeward

VisualManagementLtdMay2016

VersionV1.0

ThisdocumentreportsonanexercisetomaptheSFIAande-CFframeworkstoestablishsimilaritiesanddifferencesandtoexplorefuturecollaborationandthebenefitsofapossiblemergingofthetwoframeworks.

Itisintendedasinputtofuturemappingandmergingdiscussions.

Thisdocumenthasanassociatedsetofmappingmatrices,publishedseparately.



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.



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



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



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.



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.



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



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



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.



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



§ 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



§ 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.



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



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



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



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.



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



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.



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



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



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



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



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)



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.

sfia - e-cf comparison & mapping report v1.0...sfia – e-cf comparison & mapping review ian seward,...

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