Transitioning to SFIA 9

• Thanks to everyone who joined us for SFIA Week 2024!
• And a special thanks to our friends at SkillsTX for joining us in presenting this session.
• You can view a replay of the session video, download the slides, and review the session Q&A below.
• We encourage you to explore the SFIA NZ site in more detail as it contains a wealth of knowledge and resources on digital skill and capability that could be beneficial to your learning journey.
• If you’d like to talk to us to about the benefits of SFIA for your organisation, or would like more info on our SFIA training and recruitment support services, please email us at hello@digitalskillsagency.com.

Video - replay session

Download slides

You can download our slides from this session via the link here. 

The link is also at the bottom of the page.

Q&A

1. Question:
   • We've taken to developing our own Level 1 and 2 descriptions for some skills (where they do not already exist at that level), so that our more junior/graduate staff can get an idea of where they're starting vs where they can end up in a year or two. Does SkillsTX have the capability for that kind of 'baby's first SFIA journey' visualisation?
   • Answer:
     • Yes it does. Firstly - take a look at the skills updates in SFIA 9 to see if the skills you mention have evolved, as SFIA 9 includes a number of extensions of skills into the more entry levels. Secondly, staff can compare their SFIA profiles in SkillsTX to position descriptions of other roles - giving them a clear view of the difference between their current role or profile and the next step.
     • If you have any questions about how this works in practice please get in touch, we would be happy to tell you more - hello@digitalskillsagency.com. 
2. Question:
   • Re the Design Authority and changes. Are we still looking at 3 yearly, or are we shifting to quarterly updates to keep on top of emerging technologies?
   • Answer:
     • The SFIA Foundation has not announced any changes to the practice of approx 3 yearly version updates.
3. Question:
   • Do the online resources cover shifting from a (much) older version of SFIA to SFIA 9?
   • Answer:
     • No, the online resources only cover moving from one version to the next. Older resources are available so you can chain these together if you wish (e.g. SFIA 7 to SFIA 8, then SFIA 8 to SFIA 9), however you may find that a series of minor changes can be stacked up to a more important change unexpectedly and the introduction of new skill sin each version (followed by any updates to those new skills) can get missed.
     • Our advice would be to get some expert help - an experienced SFIA Partner should be able to help you quickly identify and prioritise the challenges that need special attention and the areas where you can safely just adopt the latest version.
     • The team at the Digital Skills Agency have a lot of experience in migrating organisations across versions of SFIA - feel free to get in touch for a quick call for some more targeted advice - hello@digitalskillsagency.com. 
4. Question:
   • Not a question but an observation: being prescriptive around behavioural indicators in position descriptions, whilst necessary to get the right talent for the role, can also act as a barrier for DEI. Underrepresented and ND groups will often see these and not apply for the roles.
   • Answer:
     • This is a complex area. We would suggest being careful with making a broad generalisation that certain groups will see these and not apply for jobs because of these. In fact it may also be the case that the detail these provide may encourage applications. There are compounding factors that can affect DEI and the range of applicants for roles.
     • We don't have a clear or definitive answer here other than to suggest that how an organisation communicating job expectations and the culture of the organisation needs to be done with care and in an integrated way.