The global skills and competency framework for the digital world

Decision making

Making choices by identifying, analysing, and acting on issues at varying levels.

This is a prototype for SFIA 9. It is subject to change before publication.

Guidance notes

Decision making in a professional context involves evaluating information, assessing risks and consequences, and choosing a course of action. It ranges from making choices about routine tasks to strategic decisions that affect the entire organisation.

Effective decision making requires analytical skills, critical thinking, and often, a balance between intuition and logic. As professionals advance, the scope and impact of their decisions increase, requiring a broader understanding of the organisational context and strategic vision.

Decision making in the SFIA framework illustrates a progression from seeking guidance and making routine decisions at lower levels to making strategic, high-impact decisions at senior levels. This progression underscores the growing scope of responsibility and the need for a more comprehensive understanding of the organisational and strategic context in decision making.

Level 1 - Follow

  • Uses little discretion in attending to enquiries.  Is expected to seek guidance in unexpected situations. 

Level 2 - Assist

  • Uses limited discretion in resolving issues or enquiries. Decides when to seek guidance in unexpected situations. 

Level 3 - Apply

  • Uses discretion in identifying and responding to complex issues related to own assignments. Determines when issues should be escalated to a higher level. 

Level 4 - Enable

  • Uses substantial discretion in identifying and responding to complex issues and assignments related to projects and team objectives. Escalates when scope is impacted. 

Level 5 - Ensure, advise

  • Makes decisions on actions to achieve organisational outcomes such as meeting targets, deadlines, and budget.
  • Raises issues when objectives are at risk.

Level 6 - Initiate, influence

  • Makes decisions to initiate the achievement of agreed strategic objectives including financial performance.
  • Escalates when broader strategic direction is impacted.

Level 7 - Set strategy, inspire, mobilise

  • Makes decisions critical to the organisational strategic direction and success. Escalates when business executive management input is required through established governance structures.