The global skills and competency framework for the digital world

Moving to SFIA 8

This guide will help you plan your adoption of and transition to SFIA 8. It contains general guidance for adopting SFIA8 whether you are currently using SFIA 7 or previous versions of SFIA. And there are specific details on the content of SFIA 8 and how it has changed from SFIA 7.

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

SFIA 8 is no different. By focusing on key themes raised by the industry; SFIA 8 contains some significant updates to support an up-to-date approach to managing skills and competencies.

SFIA originated as a framework for the ICT community. It has evolved to be a framework that defines the skills and competencies required by business and technology professionals who design. develop, implement, manage and protect the data and technology that power the digital world.

Moving to SFIA 8 will support industry, employers and individuals at a time when the availability and importance of these skills has arguably never been more important and prominent.

This guide contains:

SFIA 8 content changes - the professional skills

Click the image below for details of the changes to the professional skills for SFIA 8.

SFIA 8 content changes - the generic attributes

Click the image below for full details of what's new and changed.

SFIA 8 Readability improvements

  • Guidance notes
  • Concise skill definitions
  • Shorter sentences
  • Re-ordering the skill levels
  • Re-ordering and re-formatting the sentences within the skill level descriptions.

Click the image below for further details on the readability changes for SFIA 8.

SFIA 8 theme-related changes

As with previous updates, a number of themes were reviewed. Addressing a theme allows the framework as a whole to be reviewed for a particular context.

Click the image below for details of the theme related changes for SFIA 8.

SFIA 8 themes

  1. How SFIA changes: the process for creating a new SFIA version.

  2. How to use this transition guide: how to review changes to consider the changes in SFIA 8 that are relevant to your organisation and the areas likely to be affected if you are an existing SFIA 7 user who wants to update.

  3. Changes in detail: text description of each change, addition and deletion in SFIA 8 and the reasons for it.

  4. Updates to generic attributes– the changes we have made to the generic levels of responsibility used as level indicators for skills.

  5. Summary of changes in SFIA 8: the SFIA 8 change log provides a summary of the changes.

The SFIA 8 framework reference (available to download for free by registered users) provides complete descriptions of all the SFIA skills.  This page explains the changes which have taken place in version 8.

Users can register here Registration form.