Q1: The main benefit of SFIA is that:
| Option |
Response |
Explanation |
| A1: It can be used to identify gaps in the skills available in a team |
Partly Correct |
Many people find SFIA very useful for this, but it also offers many other benefits |
| A2: It is a benchmark against which employees’ skills can be assessed. |
Partly Correct |
SFIA is a very powerful tool to do this, but it also offers many other benefits. |
| A3: It can be used when defining a job description for recruitment in various industries. |
Partly Correct |
This is certainly one of the more common uses of SFIA - but there are many others. |
| A4: It provides a common, global language to describe the skills required by professionals in various industries. |
Partly Correct |
It is only one of the benefits. |
| A5: It is a comprehensive, industry-validated framework that supports all of the other answer choices in this question. |
Correct |
In addition to the options offered in this question, SFIA can also be used for any activity that requires detailed, validated descriptions of the skills relevant for professionals in many industries. |
Q2: SFIA aims to:
| Option |
Response |
Explanation |
| A1: Provide a common language to describe the skills of professionals working in digital and business domains. |
Correct |
SFIA provides the vocabulary to describe professional skills practiced by people working in digital and related business functions - but there are many different ways in which the vocabulary and descriptions can be used. |
| A2: Define levels of competence for IT professionals |
Partly Correct |
SFIA describes what it means to be competent in particular skills. |
| A3: Describe detailed technical actions and tasks |
Incorrect |
SFIA describes professional digital and related business responsibilities - not specific to particular technologies. |
| A4: Set out the boundaries for what it means to work in digital roles |
Incorrect |
Digital work is an evolving discipline. Although SFIA describe the professional skills that currently constitute "professional", SFIA does not seek to limit the areas in which the skills may be applied professionally. |
| A5: Define rigorous checklists for every possible job |
Incorrect |
SFIA characterizes the components of skills at different levels, it does not set definitive checklists. The activities described for individual skills are exemplars, not all of which may be appropriate in every context. |
Q3: The SFIA Foundation is a non-profit organisation.
| Option |
Response |
Explanation |
| A1: To make a profit |
Incorrect |
As a non-profit organisation, the SFIA Foundation does not seek to make a profit. It needs money to operate and reinvests all surplus into supporting the global community. |
| A2: To cover only its day-to-day operating costs |
Partly Correct |
However, the SFIA Foundation needs to be able also to meet other costs, such as those associated with updates and translations, and projects requested by the user community. |
| A3: To maximise the financial value of the framework |
Incorrect |
The aim of the SFIA Foundation is to support its user community, not to monetise the framework. |
| A4: To cover the costs of its operations and regular updates, translations and projects requested by the user community |
Correct |
The SFIA foundation seeks only to cover the costs of the activities it undertakes to support the global user community. |
| A5: To pay royalties to the authors of the framework |
Incorrect |
The authors of the framework are members of the user community who volunteer to contribute to its development for the good of the global community. There are no royalties due to anybody. |
Q4: The primary goal of the SFIA Foundation is:
| Option |
Response |
Explanation |
| A1: To provide competitive advantage to a small number of SFIA partner organisations. |
Incorrect |
Organisations can gain competitive advantage by maintaining and developing the skills of their workforce certainly and SFIA is a key enabler. SFIA is readily available so that any organisation can benefit for using it. There is no limit to the number of organisations that can benefit from using SFIA. |
| A2: To enable greater capability and capacity within the global digital workforce and increase the global user community. |
Correct |
SFIA aims are altruistic – it is there to enable the workforce to have the skills necessary to be effective in the digital world. SFIA is readily available for anyone to use. |
| A3: To spread SFIA beyond information technology until it supports every sector. |
Partly Correct |
It is true that the ideas on which SFIA is based - particularly the Levels of Responsibility - can readily be applied in other sectors. |
| A4: To sell add-on products and generate profit. |
Incorrect |
The SFIA Foundation is truly altruistic it has created the SFIA Framework to enable users to be more effective in managing their skills. The SFIA Foundation does develop additional assets to enable use of the SFIA Framework. |
| A5: To expand SFIA to industries beyond information technology |
Incorrect |
It is not an objective of the SFIA Foundation. The SFIA Framework has expanded over the various releases, and this continues as more and more industries find SFIA to be useful. The SFIA Foundation is happy for the framework to expand as required by the user-base, but it is also happy to collaborate with other providers. |
Q5: SFIA describes skills:
| Option |
Response |
Explanation |
| A1: For professionals who play a role in delivering managing and protecting digital capabilities |
Correct |
SFIA provides a global common language for describing the skills used by professionals across the whole spread of digital, information technology and related business areas. |
| A2: For traditional IT functions only |
Incorrect |
SFIA provides skills for a broad range of digital and related business functions, it is continually refined by business and skills for new professional activities are added as required. |
| A3: For anything that involves computers |
Incorrect |
This would include the use of productivity ("office") packages or websites by end-users as well as tasks performed by information technology professionals. |
| A4: For professionals who use computers |
Incorrect |
Computers are used as productivity tools by many professionals who may not themselves primarily be professionals in the digital industries. |
| A5: For software development and programming |
Partly Correct |
SFIA provides skills for a broad range of digital and related business functions, it is continually refined by business and skills for new professional activities are added as required. |
Q6: SFIA is used:
| Option |
Response |
Explanation |
| A1: By a few large partner organisations |
Incorrect |
A great many organisations and employers around the world have licences to use SFIA, and there are many more personal licences held by individuals globally. |
| A2: By employers in the UK and Australia |
Incorrect |
Although both Australia and the UK have significant SFIA use. SFIA is used in more than 180 countries, SFIA is translated into more than 12 languages because users have requested it. |
| A3: In many countries worldwide, using multiple languages |
Correct |
SFIA is used in over 180 countries and has been available in more than just English since 2005. SFIA is available in more than 12 languages and has users in nearly all countries globally. |
| A4: Where another framework is not available |
Incorrect |
Even where another framework is available, many choose to use SFIA as well to benefit from its distinctive features. |
| A5: In English-speaking countries only |
Incorrect |
SFIA is translated into more than 12 languages, making it readily available and usable worldwide. |
Q7: SFIA can be used for:
| Option |
Response |
Explanation |
| A1: Recruitment and skills assessment |
Partly Correct |
Using SFIA for recruitment and skills assessment are just two of the many uses of the SFIA framework. SFIA can be used for a wide range of skills-management and development activities, including the other options listed here. |
| A2: Role descriptions, job descriptions and team formation |
Partly Correct |
Defining role descriptions and job descriptions are just two of the many uses of SFIA. Using SFIA to ensure that a team includes people with the skills needed by the team is another common use. SFIA can be used for a wide range of skills-management and development activities, including the other options listed here. |
| A3: Determining pay |
Partly Correct |
Some employers may choose to benchmark employees' skills against SFIA when determining pay levels, but this is only one possible use of SFIA. SFIA can be used for a wide range of skills-management and development activities, including the other options listed here. |
| A4: Prioritising learning and development needs of employees |
Partly Correct |
SFIA is well suited to helping an organisation to prioritise learning needs but this is just one use of SFIA. SFIA can be used for a wide range of skills-management and development activities, including the other options listed here. |
| A5: A wide range of skills-management and development activities, including the other options listed here. |
Correct |
SFIA is a skills framework which can be used in many ways to describe the required, expected or desired skills and levels of responsibility for professionals in many industries. By providing the global common language for skills, SFIA can support many different aspects of workforce development. |
Q8: What are the main components of the SFIA Framework?
| Option |
Response |
Explanation |
| A1: Qualifications and Certifications |
Incorrect |
While qualifications and certifications can be important they alone do not represent the ability of someone to perform particular skills or roles in industry. |
| A2: Professional Skills |
Partly Correct |
Professional skills are just one component of SFIA. The skills work together with the Generic Attributes/Behavioural Factors along with knowledge. |
| A3: Experience |
Partly Correct |
Experience of performing a skill at a level of responsibility is what is important to industry and SFIA emphasises the importance of experience throughout, but it is not a component of SFIA. You have a skill at a level of responsibility because you have experience of practising that skill at that level of responsibility along with the generic attributes in a real professional environment. |
| A4: Academic achievement |
Incorrect |
Striving for academic achievement is a laudable aim but high academic qualification alone do not indicate an ability to practice particular skills or roles in industry. |
| A5: Levels of Responsibility, Professional Skills, Behaviours and Knowledge |
Correct |
SFIA is a straightforward 7-Level framework that brings together Professional Skills, Behaviours and Knowledge reflecting what is important to industry and business. |
Q9: The seven levels in SFIA describe:
| Option |
Response |
Explanation |
| A1: Increasing levels of importance |
Incorrect |
SFIA levels are not designed to express individual status within an organisation. However, it is possible that some people working at higher SFIA levels may be more "important", in some sense, than others working at lower levels in the same skill(s), but only because of the characteristics associated with the levels. |
| A2: Increasing levels of knowledge or qualification |
Incorrect |
It is obvious that knowledge is necessary, but knowledge alone does not mean that you can apply that knowledge in a professional working environment – which is what employers care about. Similarly, many certifications are simply a record of having knowledge, rather than applying it. |
| A3: Increasing levels of experience |
Partly Correct |
As you gain experience, you are likely to develop the characteristics associated with higher SFIA levels, perhaps developing greater autonomy and influence and by taking on tasks in more complex settings. |
| A4: Increasing levels of responsibility |
Correct |
They are the seven levels of responsibility which reflect the professional workplace |
| A5: How long you have worked for your employer |
Incorrect |
Although your SFIA level can sometimes reflect how long you have worked for your employer, it can do so only by reflecting your increasing responsibility and impact in the skills you are using in your work. You can have many years working at the same SFIA Level. |
Q10: What primarily determines your SFIA level of responsibility?
| Option |
Response |
Explanation |
| A1: How much your employer wants to keep you |
Incorrect |
Most employers are keen to keep competent workers -- but that does not mean that they are automatically at a higher level of responsibility. |
| A2: Your educational qualifications |
Incorrect |
SFIA describes skills and competencies, and the associated responsibility attributes, in the real world. These are rarely captured in educational qualifications. So although your qualifications may prepare you to work at a particular level, they cannot determine that level. |
| A3: How long you’ve been in the job |
Incorrect |
As you gain experience, by working in a particular job, you may well develop your responsibility characteristics to the point that you are ready to work at a higher level of responsibility. However, this does not guarantee that your current job will be one in which you are able to deploy those improved characteristics. |
| A4: The responsibility attributes you are demonstrating in your work |
Correct |
Your level of responsibility is determined by the responsibility characteristics you actually demonstrate in your work. |
| A5: How much you are paid |
Incorrect |
Your salary may reflect your level of responsibility -- but it may depend more on the sector in which you are working and the success, or otherwise, of your employer. |
Q11: How many levels of responsibility does the SFIA Framework recognise?
| Option |
Response |
Explanation |
| A1: 5 - Five levels |
Incorrect |
SFIA has found that 5 levels are not sufficient to describe the levels of responsibility demonstrated across the range of employment from a new-starter to an organisational leader such as a CIO. |
| A2: 4 - Four levels |
Incorrect |
SFIA has found that 4 levels are not sufficient to describe the levels of responsibility demonstrated across the range of employment from a new-starter to an organisational leader such as a CIO. |
| A3: 7 - Seven levels |
Correct |
SFIA provides 7 Levels of Responsibility: from Level 1, describing someone following instructions, up to SFIA Level 7, describing someone with full responsibility and accountability for the strategic direction and objectives of the organisation. Our experience shows that for a framework to be useful to industry in this context, more than 7 levels becomes unworkable and less than 7 fails to cover the range required. |
| A4: 9 - Nine levels |
Incorrect |
SFIA has found that 9 levels would not add value because it would be too difficult to distinguish between adjacent levels |
| A5: 2 - Two levels |
Incorrect |
SFIA has found that 2 levels are not sufficient to describe the levels of responsibility demonstrated across the range of employment from a new-starter to an organisational leader such as a CIO. |
Q12: SFIA is kept up to date:
| Option |
Response |
Explanation |
| A1: By an engaged global community of users |
Correct |
All users have the opportunity to suggest changes and updates, and many volunteer to help draft and deliver and review each new version. |
| A2: By academic institutions |
Incorrect |
While academia can contribute to SFIA, it is the needs of professional industry employers that drives SFIA. |
| A3: By professional bodies and trade institutions |
Incorrect |
SFIA is maintained by its users, not by any particular professional bodies. |
| A4: By governments |
Incorrect |
Some volunteers who help with SFIA updates may be government employees, and the public sector is a very large employer, no governments control the content of SFIA. |
| A5: By the big users who pay a licence fee |
Incorrect |
Many of the volunteers who help with SFIA updates do work for large employers who pay a licence fee, but any user can volunteer to contribute. |
Q13: SFIA is updated:
| Option |
Response |
Explanation |
| A1: When users raise change requests. |
Incorrect |
The planned updates for SFIA are intended to ensure that SFIA always remains relevant and current – this is what drives its 3-year refresh cycle. |
| A2: On a regular 3-year cycle |
Correct |
although there can be a little flexibility around the length of the cycle, depending on the scale of the update. |
| A3: When there's enough money to pay for it. |
Incorrect |
Whilst there is a production, translation and publication cost associated with an update, the SFIA Foundation tries to ensure that there are always sufficient funds to pay for planned updates. |
| A4: When somebody really important asks. |
Incorrect |
SFIA users collectively contribute to the framework updates. |
| A5: Every time a new computing skill is identified. |
Incorrect |
That would be almost impossible to keep up with - and, in any case, some new "skills" are really just applications of existing skills. |
Q14: Who comes up with ideas for future directions and priorities for how SFIA should evolve?
| Option |
Response |
Explanation |
| A1: Professionals in industry and business |
Correct |
SFIA is built by industry and business for industry and business. It reflects what is found in a professional working environment. It is built to enable effective management and development of a professional workforce and industry and business is best suited to determining their needs. |
| A2: Academia decides on the content of the SFIA Framework |
Incorrect |
Academia can contribute but SFIA has been built for the professional working environment. |
| A3: The SFIA Foundation Board |
Incorrect |
The SFIA Foundation Board provide a governance function. They ensure the proper conduct of the SFIA Foundation and that it serves the global user base, they do not define the content of the SFIA Framework. |
| A4: The SFIA Design Authority |
Partly Correct |
The Design Authority ensures that changes are properly considered and addressed and that the SFIA Framework maintains its integrity. |
| A5: Public sector organisations |
Incorrect |
Many public sector organisations contributed to the development of SFIA and SFIA is extensively used across public sector in many countries but they are not the only source of evolution requirements. SFIA is for both private and public sector to develop their workforce. |
Q15: How has SFIA evolved over time?
| Option |
Response |
Explanation |
| A1: SFIA has become more specialised for IT professionals only. |
Incorrect |
While SFIA was originally created for IT professionals, it has since evolved to cover a much broader range of professions. |
| A2: SFIA has become less relevant over time. |
Incorrect |
SFIA has actually become more relevant as technology has become increasingly important in most industries. Its relevance is shown by the focus on skills and competencies that is very much a current driver for employers. And of course, SFIA is refreshed every 3 years. |
| A3: SFIA has added more skills related to cybersecurity. |
Partly Correct |
While cybersecurity is an important area and well covered by SFIA, it is not the only area. The SFIA Framework covers a much broader range of skills reflecting the breadth of professional work. |
| A4: SFIA has evolved to cover a wider range of professions and skills beyond just IT. |
Correct |
Over the last 20+ years, SFIA has expanded to include a wider range of professions and skills beyond just IT. |
| A5: SFIA has remained unchanged since its inception. |
Incorrect |
SFIA has continued to evolve and adapt to the changing needs of industry and business, its 3-year update cycle ensures this. |
Q16: I can’t find a SFIA skill that matches my job title because:
| Option |
Response |
Explanation |
| A1: I must not be working in information technology |
Incorrect |
SFIA is not restricted to information technology alone – it addresses the skills necessary for many digital and business roles. There are several non-technical skills in SFIA so there is a good chance that your role can be defined using SFIA. Think about the skills you use in your work. |
| A2: SFIA describes skills that are required for roles or jobs, not the roles/jobs themselves |
Correct |
SFIA describes the skills that are needed for professional roles in digital and related business activities. |
| A3: Roles usually require several SFIA skills, not just one |
Partly Correct |
Although many roles do require several SFIA skills rather than just one, some roles may only need a single SFIA skill. However, even single SFIA skill roles have the components of the SFIA Generic Attributes and Behavioural Factors which go along with the skill. In addition, it is common augment the skills with specific local requirements as necessary. |
| A4: My skills aren’t covered by SFIA |
Incorrect |
If you are a professional working in a digital and business environment it is very likely that your role will be covered by SFIA skills. Think about the skills you use in your work as role titles can vary widely. |
| A5: My role isn’t important enough |
Incorrect |
If you are working within business or industry then it is very likely that there are SFIA skills appropriate to your role. However, it is possible that the skills you use are described at a higher level in the framework than corresponds to your current level of responsibility within your organisation. |
