The global skills and competency framework for the digital world

Levels of responsibility: Level 4 - Enable

Essence of the level: Performs diverse complex activities, supports and guides others, delegates tasks when appropriate, works autonomously under general direction, and contributes expertise to deliver team objectives.

Guidance notes

SFIA Levels represent levels of responsibility in the workplace. Each successive level describes increasing impact, responsibility and accountability.

  • Autonomy, influence and complexity are generic attributes that indicate the level of responsibility.
  • Business skills and behavioural factors describe the behaviours required to be effective at each level.
  • The knowledge attribute defines the depth and breadth of understanding required to perform and influence work effectively.

Understanding these attributes will help you get the most out of SFIA. They are critical to understanding and applying the levels described in the SFIA skill descriptions.

Autonomy

Works under general direction within a clear framework of accountability. Exercises considerable personal responsibility and autonomy.
When required, plans, schedules, and delegates work to others, typically within own team.

Influence

Influences projects and team objectives. Has a tactical level of contact with people outside their team, including internal colleagues and external contacts.

Complexity

Work includes a broad range of complex technical or professional activities in varied contexts.

Knowledge

Applies knowledge across different areas in their field, integrating this knowledge to perform complex and diverse tasks. Applies a working knowledge of the organisation’s domain.

Business skills / Behavioural factors

Decision-making
  • Uses judgment and substantial discretion in identifying and responding to complex issues and assignments related to projects and team objectives.
  • Escalates when scope is impacted. 
Planning
  • Plans, schedules and monitors work to meet given personal and/or team objectives and processes, demonstrating an analytical approach to meet time and quality targets. 
Collaboration
  • Facilitates collaboration between stakeholders who share common objectives.  
  • Engages with and contributes to the work of cross-functional teams to ensure that user/customer needs are being met throughout the deliverable/scope of work. 
Problem-solving
  • Investigates the cause and impact, evaluates options and resolves a broad range of complex issues. 
Improvement mindset
  • Encourages and supports team discussions on improvement initiatives.

  • Implements procedural changes within a defined scope of work.

Creativity
  • Applies, facilitates and develops creative thinking concepts and finds alternative ways to approach team outcomes.
Communication
  • Communicates with both technical and non-technical audiences including team and stakeholders inside and outside the organisation.
  • As required, takes the lead in explaining complex concepts to support decision making.
  • Listens and asks insightful questions to identify different perspectives to clarify and confirm understanding.
Leadership
  • Leads, supports or guides team members.
  • Develops solutions for complex work activities related to assignments. 
  • Demonstrates an understanding of risk factors in their work.
  • Contributes specialist expertise to requirements definition in support of proposals.
Adaptability
  • Enables others to adapt and change in response to challenges and changes in the work environment.
Learning and development
  • Rapidly absorbs and critically assesses new information and applies it effectively.
  • Maintains an understanding of emerging practices and their application and takes responsibility for driving own and team members’ development opportunities. 
Digital mindset
  • Maximises the capabilities of applications for their role and evaluates and supports the use of new technologies and digital tools.
  • Selects appropriately from, and assesses the impact of change to applicable standards, methods, tools, applications and processes relevant to own specialism. 
Security, privacy and ethics
  • Adapts and applies applicable standards, recognising their importance in achieving team outcomes.