Financial management FMIT
Supporting the effective use and control of financial resources.
Updates for SFIA 9
- Theme(s) influencing the updates for this skill: Application of SFIA skills for finance and FinOps, Making SFIA easier to consume (enhance readability/guidance/descriptions), Making SFIA easier to consume (updates to skill name/skill description).
- Some elements migrated to three other skills
- Content changes have been made to levels 4, 5, and 6.
- You can move to SFIA 9 when you are ready - SFIA 8 skill descriptions will still be available to use.
- Previous SFIA assessments or skills mapping may be impacted by this change.
Guidance notes
This skill usually applies to specialist financial management roles — not to managers responsible for their own operational or project budgets.
Financial management needs to be aligned with business strategies and to working practices in areas including — but not limited to — governance, risk management, portfolio, programme and project management, asset management.
Activities may include — but are not limited to:
- financial management, control, and stewardship of assets and resources
- supporting decision-making
- budgeting, forecasting, and accounting for financial resources
- financial management for consumption based costs such as cloud-based services
- implementing financial management practices to support iterative/agile working
- developing service, projects and component cost models
- defining charging models for the provision of services
- applying accounting standards and policies and ensuring compliance with governance, legal and regulatory requirements.
Levels of responsibility for this skill
| 4 | 5 | 6 |
Financial management: Levels 1-3
This skill is not typically observed or practiced at these levels of responsibility and accountability.
Financial management: Level 4
Monitors and maintains financial records to agreed requirements for compliance and audit.
Assists with identifying and calculating process, service, project and component costs for financial planning and budgeting.
Collates required financial data and reports for analysis and to facilitate decision-making.
Financial management: Level 5
Advises on financial planning, budgeting, costing, accounting and charging using recognised accounting practices and standards.
Develops financial plans and forecasts. Monitors and manages expenditure and examines areas where budgets and expenditure exceed agreed tolerances.
Contributes to the definition and operation of effective financial control and decision-making.
Analyses actual expenditure, examines variances, and advises on options in the use of available budget.
Financial management: Level 6
Develops organisational policies, standards, and guidelines for financial management to support the execution of business strategy.
Promotes commercial awareness and drives adoption of and adherence to financial management policies and standards.
Sets, negotiates, agrees and manages all financial budgets and targets, ensuring adequate funding.
Leads activities to analyse financial performance and instigates required improvements in the use of available budget to meet real needs.
Financial management: Level 7
This skill is not typically observed or practiced at this level of responsibility and accountability.