Rapidly lookup SFIA Skills | Build or Convert a SFIA Role Description
Are you about to build a SFIA Role Description (aka SFIA Position Description)?
Have you forecasted how many man hours this will take you? You should. For a person trained in SFIA, this can take anywhere from 2-4 hours per role description and then further revisions after management review. When this task is multiplied over many roles, this can be seen as quite a lengthy and expensive task. There is a way to do this more efficiently.
Watch this short video for an overview of SFIANavigator, a new tool that can expedite and simplify this process for you:
With this SFIA Navigator product, you can expedite your SFIA Project providing great value to the HR Managers & Senior Managers of your organisation.
Navigate SFIA Skills Faster
- Browse across the skill groups and categories fast and drill into the skill levels
- Jump straight to a skill if you know what you want to find (after you have built a few, you will start to get an idea of skills that may be relevant for a particular role)
- Read and navigate up, across and drill into information with a click of a button
Build SFIA Role Descriptions faster
- Collate all the SFIA skills you are interested in
- Transfer them easily into your Role Description with a few clicks
- Eliminate typing errors or double handling of information by taking the information straight from your research into your Role
Contact Ensys for your copy of the SFIANavigator product today!
Phone: 1800 882 951
Email: info@ensys.com.au
Ensys are moving to Bowen Hills in Feb 2012
On the 6th of February, Australasia’s SFIA Consultancy Provider, Ensys Consulting, will relocate it’s Brisbane Head Office to 14D Jordan Tce, Bowen Hills.
Best of luck to all the Ensys staff for a smooth transition to the larger offices.
Ensys SFIA Consultancy Contact Details:
Phone: 1800 882 951
Email: info@ensys.com.au
SFIA Version 5 | SFIA V5 Updates
The New SFIA Version 5 was launched on December 1, 2011 – but what has changed and how does it affect you?
The most comprehensive way to find out about the changes of this latest version is by viewing this webinar, where the SFIA Foundations appointed Project Manager for the Version 5 update tells all.
This video on the SFIA V5 changes provides valuable insights, explanations and discusses the expected impacts of each change.
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SFIA Version 5: What it is and how it was developed Mike Chad, SFIA v5 Project Manager From: SFIA Version 5: Launch Seminar, 1 December 2011, London |
For any questions about this update, contact Ensys consulting – your SFIA Consulting partner for Australasia, or contact direct to the SFIA Foundation.
SFIA Training programs commencing in February will be based on the new V5 of SFIA in 2012. Check here for dates.
Ensys SFIA Consultancy Contact Details:
Phone: 1800 882 951
Email: info@ensys.com.au
Preparing for SFIA | Role Descriptions
The SFIA framework offers a lot of workforce management benefits to both the business and employees. These include targeted training (making sure the $$ are spent where they can do the most good), career planning (showing people a future within the organization), succession planning, talent management and more. The first and essential step to achieving these benefits is the creation of SFIA Role Descriptions across the ICT team.
A Good Role Description
A good Role Description clearly states what is expected of any employee carrying out the role. Role Descriptions are not personalized or tailored to a specific person they only address the role. As a minimum a Role Description will include sections covering:
- Professional skills (like Software Testing, Business Analysis, Procurement)
- Technical skills (like Java, SAP, Oracle)
- Behavioral skills (like leadership, business skills and communication)
- Experience & Qualifications (e.g. ACS CP, Prince2, Degree in IT or equivalent, etc…)
Caution #1: Beware the generic Role Description
In this first article we are looking at the preparation and implementation of SFIA Role Descriptions. As simple as this seems, creating Role Descriptions can be tricky. Over many implementations we at Ensys have found risks if the content of a Role Description is too broad.
As mentioned above Role Descriptions are for the role not a person, but sometime the outcome is a very high-level Role Description with very generic skills. This appears to address the aim of designing Role Descriptions that can be used across a number of roles within the organization but sometime it can be taken too far.
For example, a Position Description for a PROJECT MANAGER may have generic requirements, for instance:
- Experience in Project Management planning, delivering benefits on-time and to budget
- Governance and financial accountability of projects
- Effective communication to stakeholders, sponsors and vendor suppliers
- Experience with Prince 2.
Within this Role Description the organization may employ different levels of Project Managers as well as those specializing in niche products. For example, this could cover senior project managers and junior project managers; it could also cover contract SAP Project Managers, Infrastructure Project Managers, R&D Project Managers and so on…
The problems appear in day to day workforce management processes.
When selecting suitable candidates for the role and measuring their skills you will encounter many problems:
- When recruiting – the brief to the agency and/or advertisement will deliver a large number of potential candidates
- When shortlisting – the Role Description does not assist to identify good candidates or for that matter help identify poor candidates
- Skills are incomplete and woolly – lacking clear expectations and measures to manage performance either during a probation period or as part of personal development processes
- Level of experience is not defined – no statement of capability either within the role or with business as a whole
- Key technical skills are omitted – such as a requirement to have SharePoint, system integration or Oracle Financials experience
- Levels of competency are omitted – how big were the teams, did the project have major business impacts, how complex was the budget and so on
- Professional experience is not defined – ACS certification, Prince 2, ITIL, previous projects etc
The net effect is a role description that is not worth the paper it is written on.
Working to improve the business information
To overcome this it is necessary to define each role to an adequate level of detail. This is not easy, and it cannot be done by ICT, nor can it be done by HR – the only way is for ICT and HR working in equal partnership.
In our experience, many ICT departments can cringe at the thought of addressing their Role Descriptions – the process can be quite time consuming and they have other more important work to do. This attitude is wrong – unless you clearly define roles you can never be certain you are delivering service to the business.
For more information about preparing for your SFIA Implementation Project, contact Ensys Consulting today.
Read MoreSFIA Training Australia | Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney
In 2012, the interest in SFIA and the organisational benefits it deliveres is expected to grow. At Ensys, we are continuing to train & empower organisations to understand and leverage the benefits of SFIA.
Public SFIA Training courses and SFIA Consultancy will continue to be delivered by Ensys in 2012, where we work with IT & HR Professionals to understand and benefit from SFIA through full day, high value, interactive workshops.
You can start understanding and benefiting from the SFIA framework by attending a SFIA Training workshop in your local city. Refer to the course dates below, to find your local training session.
- 7 Feb | Sydney
- 6 March | Brisbane
- 3 April | Melbourne
- 5 June | Sydney
- 3 July | Brisbane
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7 August | Melbourne
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2 October | Sydney
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6 November | Brisbane
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4 December | Melbourne
For more information or to secure your seat, contact the office of Ensys Consulting or read more about SFIA Training and SFIA Consultancy services on our website.
1800 882 951
info@ensys.com.au