Moving to SFIA 9

Each update of SFIA provides an opportunity to review and rejuvenate your approach to the management of skills.

SFIA 9 is no different. By focusing on key themes raised by the industry; SFIA 9contains some significant updates to support a contemporary approach to skills management.

The SFIA update process is designed to focus on current, contemporary, industry needs.

• The industry is used to change and SFIA has always evolved incrementally to address the current industry needs
• But earlier versions of SFIA are still available

Any organisation new to SFIA should adopt/use SFIA 9

• This probably applies if you are investigating or just started with SFIA 8, consider moving to SFIA 9 as part of your ongoing work

Skills-based organisations – SFIA 9 is an even richer resource

• Organisations with significant SFIA 8 (or earlier) collateral should look at their best migration path

To help you

• The SFIA Change Tracker
• The SFIA 9 skills have ‘Revision Notes’
• The SFIA 8 skills have ‘Moving to SFIA 9’ guidance
• 2 comprehensive documents - listing all the changes.
• See the SFIA 9 release notes folder and the SFIA 9 working documents folder

To discuss details and/or seek help

• Contact the SFIA Foundation directly ( [email protected] / [email protected] )
• Community support through the Foundation / User Forums
• Speak to your SFIA Partner or Consultant

Of course - you don’t have to move now

• Previous versions of SFIA are still available on the web site
• Many organisations embed SFIA into their people management systems
• They are getting good benefits from using an earlier version of SFIA
• So don’t rush, consider the impact and work out your own migration path (if appropriate)
• There are benefits in updating at an appropriate time (SFIA 8 & 7 are still available) :

Things to consider

• SFIA 9 has been developed to reflect business/industry needs
• Much richer content in SFIA 9 
• Updates to SFIA Framework Level descriptions, Generic attributes and Professional skills
• Presentation enhanced to make SFIA easier to consume
• New supporting assets such as SFIA Views will only be created for the current SFIA version

SFIA 9 downloads

Content of SFIA 9 can be downloaded in pdf and Excel versions - 

• for registered users only. You can register here 

Transition guide

• The change tracker and other documents identifies which skills have been added, changed or retired from SFIA 8.
• The tracker also provides an indication of the degree of change.
• There is also an indication whether the changes may impact upon current/previous skills assessments – for example whether a skill level has been added/removed, or whether the skill level definition has changed significantly.
• Most of the changes for SFIA 9 should not impact current/previous assessments: those that do have been highlighted in the change log and the change notes attached to each SFIA 8 skills web page 
• New skill definitions in SFIA provide the opportunity to refine skills profiles.
• We suggest you first to read through this guide, which describes the parts of the SFIA framework that have been updated and the rationale behind significant changes.

Identify areas of significant change

The changes that are of significance to the organisation can then be addressed in the context of the following activities.

• Internal SFIA Consultants/Practitioners. In an organisation that has people who are SFIA practitioners or consultants, it will be helpful to arrange meetings or workshops to review the changes and decide action. Actions may be needed to update internal documents or processes which use SFIA.

• SFIA Accredited Partners, Consultants and Practitioners. You should ensure that you have an in-depth understanding of the new version, so that you can provide the best quality advice and guidance to your customers.

• SFIA-based role profiles and/or job descriptions. These can be updated to reflect new skills, new levels, merged skills and skills that have changed significantly.

• Updates can also be made to Rate Cards, CVs/Resumés, Continual Professional Development (CPD) plans, Recruitment processes and tools, and other items using SFIA that will benefit from adopting the latest version.

• Product and Service Providers. Review content and plan your updates to reflect the latest version. Ensure you communicate the SFIA version(s) you support.  

• Skills management databases. Review any internal databases that refer to SFIA skills. A convenient way to update a database is to use the skills definitions published by the SFIA Foundation in the form of a spreadsheet.

• Development and training. Review how your material aligns to SFIA skills and skill levels. This will highlight material to be updated or created.

• Training and education providers can review and update the mapping of their offerings to SFIA, and make any necessary curriculum changes to each affected course. New and refreshed SFIA skills may provide an opportunity to create new educational products.

• Managers. Communicate to managers that a new version of SFIA is being adopted, and brief them on changes that require action or special attention.

• Organisational leaders. Reviewing the new and changed areas and the key themes can provide insights and inspiration for developing the capabilities of your own organisation. Strategic workforce planning is key in aligning organisational capabilities to technology and business strategies.