SFIA guiding principles

The guiding principles of SFIA and how to use it

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About SFIA

SFIA has become the globally accepted common language for the skills and competencies for the digital world. Within its scope are many of the world's most in-demand occupations, encompassing professionals working in areas such as (but not limited to):

  • information and communications technology
  • business change
  • digital transformation
  • data science and analytics
  • software engineering
  • information and cyber security
  • learning and education
  • applied computing and computational science
  • user centred design
  • digital product development, sales and marketing
  • human resource and workforce management

Learn more about what SFIA is, its design principles, who uses it and why they use it.

SFIA provides a common language throughout the skills management cycle.  This improves communication and understanding for all involved e.g. line management, HR and employees. By using SFIA, organisations can achieve a consistent and integrated skills and people management approach.

At the core of SFIA is a comprehensive set of descriptions of professional skills and generic attributes. This section describes how it all fits together to form a simple, yet powerful, and proven approach.

SFIA is industry and business-led and at its core is the need for experience. SFIA's model for professional capability is holistic and includes experience, professional skills, knowledge, behaviours, qualifications and certifications.

User forum section of website now open

The User forum section is now available on the website.

  • This is being developed to support our strategic aim of facilitating effective use and consumption of SFIA via an engaged community and supporting ecosystem.
  • It provides an opportunity to share ideas and approaches and it is complementary to more formal guidance provided elsewhere on the website.
  • The content will develop over time using a test and learn approach with SFIA Users. The aim is to be non-prescriptive and to encourage thoughtful adoption of SFIA.

The SFIA user community has requested guidance and recommendations from the SFIA Foundation to help drive good practice and consistency of outcome, despite different approaches.  The SFIA Foundation approach is to capture good practice from the community, make it generic, provide a structure for understanding, and to publish it for the benefit of all.