e-competence framework (e-cf) — a common european … · 2020-04-15 · cen/tc 428 date: 2020-04...

CEN/TC428

Date:2020-04

prEN16234-4:2020

Secretariat:UNI

e-CompetenceFramework(e-CF)—AcommonEuropeanFrameworkforICTProfessionalsinallsectors—Part4:CaseStudies

ICS:

CCMCwillprepareandattachtheofficialtitlepage.

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ContentEuropeanforeword.....................................................................................................................................................4

Introduction...................................................................................................................................................................51 Scope..........................................................................................................................................................................72 Normativereferences..........................................................................................................................................73 Termsanddefinitions.........................................................................................................................................7

4 Executiveoverview...............................................................................................................................................7 e-CFoverview:structure,content................................................................................................................74.1 Overviewofe-CFcasestudiesprovidedbythisdocument..............................................................114.2

5 Casestudies:e-CFformultipleapplicationacrossmultipletargetgroups....................................14 CaseStudyA:“Skill-UP:Please,mindthegap”e-CFandICTProfessionalRoleMapping5.1

toacceleratecompanytransformation...............................................................................................14 AboutNexiandtheItalianmarket........................................................................................................145.1.1 e-CFandICTProfessionalProfilesusage............................................................................................155.1.2 Facingchallenges.........................................................................................................................................165.1.3 Addedvalueinsummary..........................................................................................................................175.1.4

Case Study B: “Educating the European ICT Professionals of the Future” - an e-CF5.2compliantcurriculum................................................................................................................................17

AboutHUUniversityofAppliedSciences(HU)andtheMasterofInformatics(MSc.).........175.2.1 e-CFandICTProfessionalProfilesusage............................................................................................185.2.2 Facingchallenges.........................................................................................................................................205.2.3 Addedvalueinsummary..........................................................................................................................205.2.4

CaseStudyC–TeachingstudentshumanresourcepracticesintheICTprofessionasa5.3component of an Informatics services management course – example of a hiringprocess............................................................................................................................................................20

AboutFOI........................................................................................................................................................215.3.1 e-CFandICTProfessionalProfilesUsage............................................................................................215.3.2 Facingchallenges.........................................................................................................................................245.3.3 Addedvalueinsummary..........................................................................................................................245.3.4

Case Study D – ”Implementation of Software Engineering Competence Remote5.4EvaluationforMasterProgramGraduates”-e-CFbasedLearningOutcomeusageforImprovingtheQualityandRelevanceofHigherEducation.........................................................24

AboutTTIandtheLatvianICTmarket.................................................................................................255.4.1 e-CFandICTProfessionalProfilesusage............................................................................................255.4.2 Facingchallenges.........................................................................................................................................255.4.3 Addedvalueinsummary..........................................................................................................................265.4.4

Case Study E – ”ICT profile review process in the context of the German dual5.5VocationalTrainingSystem:useofe-CFatfourdifferentpoints...............................................27

CaseStudyF -MakingaroleprofileofanearlyadopterofBlockchainusingthee-CF5.6standard.........................................................................................................................................................28

AbouttheDutchBlockchainCoalition(DBC).....................................................................................285.6.1 e-CFandICTProfessionalProfilesusage:resultofthestudy......................................................285.6.2 FacingChallenges........................................................................................................................................315.6.3 AddedValueinSummary.........................................................................................................................315.6.4

CaseStudyG......................................................................................................................................................315.7 Case Study H – e-CF for developing data competences and capabilities in the IT5.8

organisation..................................................................................................................................................32 CaseStudyI-“Nationalapproachtosystematicmulti-stakeholderengagementforICT5.9

education”-usinge-CFasacommonlanguage................................................................................32

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AbouttheEstonianAssociationofInformationTechnologyandTelecommunication.......325.9.1 e-CFandICTProfessionalProfilesusage............................................................................................325.9.2 Facingchallenges........................................................................................................................................335.9.3 Addedvalueinsummary..........................................................................................................................345.9.4 Case Study J – “Using the e-CF to develop a certification framework and spin-off5.10

curriculaandVETprogrammes”...........................................................................................................34 AboutPromanadandtheSPIHproject................................................................................................345.10.1 e-CFandICTProfessionalProfilesusage............................................................................................355.10.2 Facingchallenges........................................................................................................................................375.10.3 Addedvalueinsummary..........................................................................................................................385.10.4

CaseStudyK—e-CFsupportingculturalchangeintheITorganisation.................................385.11 CaseStudyE–VIVAT:AligningITProfessionalResourcestotheCompanyStrategy...........385.12 AboutVIVATanditsbusiness.................................................................................................................395.12.1 e-CFandICTProfessionalProfilesusage............................................................................................395.12.2 Facingchallenges........................................................................................................................................405.12.3 Addedvalueinsummary..........................................................................................................................415.12.4

AnnexB(informative)...............................................................................................................................................42Bibliography...............................................................................................................................................................43

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Europeanforeword

This document (prCEN/TR16234-4:2020) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC428“ICTProfessionalismanddigitalcompetences”,thesecretariatofwhichisheldbyUNI.

ThisdocumentiscurrentlysubmittedtotheCENEnquiry.

ThisdocumentwillsupersedeCWA16234-4:2014.

Incomparisonwiththepreviousedition,thefollowingtechnicalmodificationshavebeenmade:

• Development of new case studies in the light of the EN16234-1 revision and benefittingfrommultiplee-CFuserexperiencesgatheredandapplicationfeedbackreceived.

TheEN16234-1standardfor ICTprofessionalcompetencebeingthemainreferenceof thisdocumentoutlines theminimum requirements of competence (i.e. a threshold) in thework context. It includestypical knowledge and skills examples that arenot standardisedbutprovided to support orientationand understanding. When applying the standard, this approach must be recognised to clearlydistinguishbetweenwhichelementsaremandatoryandwhicharemerelyexamples(representedby,shallversusshould/may/can,etc.).

ThisEuropeanstandardismadeupoffourparts:

• Part1:istheFrameworkofthee-CFpublishedasanEuropeanNorm(EN).

• Part2:istheUserguidepublishedasaCENTechnicalReport(TR).

• Part3:istheMethodologypublishedasaCENTechnicalReport(TR).

• Part 4: provides a series of Case Studies illustrating e-CF practical use frommultiple ICTsectorperspectivesandpublishedasaCENTechnicalReport(TR)

Part1isfullystandalone,andpart2,3and4relyonpart1.

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Introduction

EN16234-1was established as a tool to supportmutual understanding andprovide transparencyoflanguage through the articulation of competences required and deployed by Information andCommunicationTechnology(ICT)professionals.

Tosupportusersandguidedevelopersofapplicationstothisstandard,thefollowingnarrativeprovidesanoverviewoftheunderpinningphilosophyandprinciplesadoptedduringthestandard’sconstructionandmaintenance.Understanding theseguidingprinciples isequallyvital forapplying thestandard inmultipleenvironmentsconcernedwithICTprofessionalism.

TheGuidingPrinciples:

Thisstandard isanenabler; it isdesignedtobea tool toempowerusers,not torestrict them.This standard provides a structure and content for application by many types of users fromorganizations in the private and public sector, ICT user or ICT supply companies, educationalinstitutions including higher education and private certification providers, social partners andindividuals. In this broad application context, this standard is designed to support commonunderstanding,nottomandatetheuseofeachandeverywordusedwithinit.

This standard expresses ICT competence using the following definition: ‘Competence is ademonstrated ability to apply knowledge, skills and attitudes for achieving observable results’. Thisholisticconceptdirectlyrelatestoworkplaceactivitiesandincorporatescomplexhumanattitudesandresultant behaviours. Behaviour and attitude are important influences that facilitate successfulknowledge and skills application. Within each competence, embedded attitudes are reflected inbehaviourandenablethesuccessfulintegrationofknowledgeandskills.

Competence is a durable concept and although technology, jobs, marketing terminology andpromotional concepts within the ICT environment change rapidly, this standard remains durablerequiringmaintenanceapproximatelyeverythreeyearstomaintainrelevance.

Acompetencecanbeacomponentofajobrole,butitcannotbeusedasasubstituteforsimilarlynamed job titles, for example; the competence, E.2. ‘Project and Portfolio Management’ does notrepresent the complete content of a ‘ProjectManagers’ job role. Competences can be aggregated, asrequired, to represent the essential content of a job role or profile. On the other hand, one singlecompetencemaybeassignedtoanumberofdifferentjobprofiles.

Competenceisnottobeconfusedwithprocessortechnologyconceptssuchas,‘CloudComputing’or ‘BigData’. Thesedescriptions represent evolving technologies and in the context of this standard,theymaybeintegratedasknowledgeandskillsexamplesinDimension4.

This standard does not attempt to cover every possible competence deployed by an ICTprofessional nor are the included competences necessarily unique to ICT. This standardarticulates competences associatedwith ICT professional roles including some thatmay be found inother professions but are very important in an ICT context; examples include, C.4. ‘ProblemManagement’ or E.3. ‘Risk Management’. However, to maintain an ICT focus, this standard avoidsgeneric competences such as ‘Communications’ or ‘General Management’. Although very applicablethesegenericcompetencesarecomprehensivelyarticulatedinotherstructures.Selectingcompetencesfor inclusion within this standard is therefore a pragmatic rather than an exhaustive process. Theselection was based on engagement with a broad cross-section of stakeholders who prioritizecompetenceinclusionbaseduponindustryknowledgeandexperience.

This standard is structured across four dimensions. e-Competences in Dimensions 1 and 2 arepresentedfromtheorganizationalperspectiveasopposedtoanindividual’sperspective.Dimension3definese-CompetencelevelsandrelatestotheEuropeanQualificationsFramework(EQF),itisabridge

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betweenorganizationalandindividualcompetences.Dimension4providesexamplesofknowledgeandskillstothee-CompetencesinDimension2,theyarenotintendedtobeexhaustivebutforinspirationandorientationonly.

Thislatestversionofthestandardincorporatesanewelement,transversalaspects;itrecognisesthe relevanceofanumberof cross-cuttingaspects thatare importantandprovideadditionalgenericICTrelateddescriptorsforsuccessfulapplicationofe-CFcompetencesinaworkplacecontext.Examplesof transversal aspects identified for context-specific and flexible applicationwithin this standard areAccessibility,EthicsandSecurity.

ThisstandardhasasectorspecificrelationshiptotheEQF;competencelevelswithinthisstandardprovideaconsistentandrationalrelationshiptolevelsdefinedwithintheEQF.TherelativitybetweenEQF learning levels and the e-competence work proficiency levels of this standard has beensystematically developed to enable consistent interpretation of the EQF in the ICT workplaceenvironment.ItshouldbenotedthatanexactequivalencyisnotpossibleduetothedifferentpurposesandcontextsofEQFande-CFbutrelevantrelationshipinformationisprovided.

Continuityofthisstandardisimperative;followingmaintenanceupdatesitisessentialthatusersareprovidedwithasimpleupgradepath.Usersofthisstandardinvestconsiderabletimeandresourcestoalignprocessesorprocedureswithit.Organizationsdeployingthesedownstreamactivitiesarereliantuponthisstandardandneedtobeconfidentofthecontinuedsustainabilityoftheirprocesses.Updatesof this standard need to recognize this requirement and provide for continuity, enabling use of theexistingversionofthestandarduntilitisconvenienttoupgradetothelatestversion.

This standard is neutral; it does not follow the specific interests of a few major influencers, it isdevelopedandmaintainedthroughanEU-widebalancedmulti-stakeholderagreementprocess,undertheumbrellaoftheEuropeanCommitteeforStandardization.ThisstandardisakeycomponentoftheEuropean Digital Agenda for ICT Professionalism; it is designed for use by any organisation orindividualengagedinICTHumanResourceplanningandcompetencedevelopment.

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1 Scope

ThisTechnicalReport provides a series of practical case studies supportingunderstanding, adoptionand use of EN 16234-1which provides a common reference of 41 ICT professional competences asrequired and applied at the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) professional workenvironment,usingacommonlanguageforcompetences,skills,knowledgeandproficiencylevelsthatcanbeunderstoodacrossEurope.

ThistechnicalreportsupportsInformationandCommunicationTechnology(ICT)stakeholdersdealingwithICTProfessionalcompetencesfrommultipleperspectives,inparticular:

—ICTservice,demandandsupplycompanies;

—ICTprofessionals,managersandhumanresource(HR)departments;

—vocationaleducationinstitutionsandtrainingbodiesincludinghighereducation;

—socialpartners(tradeunionsandemployerassociations);

—professionalassociations,accreditation,validationandassessmentbodies;

—marketanalystsandpolicymakers;and

—otherorganizationsandstakeholdersinpublicandprivatesectorsacrossEurope,

toadopt,applyandusetheframeworkintheirenvironment.

2 Normativereferences

The following documents are referred to in the text in such away that some or all of their contentconstitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. Forundatedreferences,thelatesteditionofthereferenceddocument(includinganyamendments)applies.

• EN16234-1 e-Competence Framework (e-CF) - A common European Framework for ICTProfessionalsinallsectors

• TR16234-2UserGuidefortheapplicationofthee-CompetenceFramework(e-CF)

• TR16234-3Methodologyofthee-CompetenceFramework(e-CF)

3 Termsanddefinitions

Forthepurposesofthisdocument,thetermsanddefinitionsgiveninEN16234-1apply.

ISOandIECmaintainterminologicaldatabasesforuseinstandardizationatthefollowingaddresses:

• IECElectropedia:availableathttp://www.electropedia.org/

• ISOOnlinebrowsingplatform:availableathttp://www.iso.org/obp

4 Executiveoverview

e-CFoverview:structure,content4.1

Thee-CFstandardisstructuredacrossfourdimensions.Thedimensionsreflectareasofbusinessandhuman resource planning and incorporate job and work proficiency guidelines specified as follows.

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Complementary,thestandardincorporatesatransversalcomponentwhichprovidesbasicgenericICTdescriptorsforsuccessfulapplicationofe-CFcompetencesinaworkplacecontext.

Table1—Thee-CFfourdimensionsandtransversalaspects

Dimension1:5e-CompetenceareasMAYAPPLY

derived from the ICT macro processes PLAN –BUIL –RUN – ENABLE –MANAGE. They provide the entry point to the e-Competences and reflect aprocessperspectivebaseduponthewaterfallapproach.However, thee-CF isequallyrelevanttothestepsappliedinagileprocessstructuressuchasAgile/DevOpslifecycles.

Dimension241e-Competences

SHALLAPPLY

41 e-Competences in total provide the European standard references of ICTProfessionalcompetenceasrequiredandperformedinITworkcontext.Eachdimension2descriptioncontainsacompetencetitleandagenericcompetencedescription,definedfromanorganisationalperspective.

Dimension35e-CFproficiencylevelsSHALLAPPLY

5e-Competenceproficiencylevelscharacterisedbyincreasinglevelsofcontextcomplexity,autonomy,influenceandtypicalbehaviour.Toeache-Competence,specifically relevant proficiency levels are assigned. The dimension 3 leveldescriptorsprovidetheindividualperspectiveofcompetenceperformance.

Dimension4knowledgeandskillsexamplesMAYAPPLY

Examples of knowledge and skills relate to the e-Competences genericdescriptionsinDimension2.Theseexamplesareprovidedtoaddvaluetothecompetence descriptor and are not intended to be exhaustive. They offerinspirationandorientationfortheidentificationoffurtherspecificknowledgeandskillsassignmentaccordingtocontextualneeds.

Transversal aspect components provide basic generic ICT related descriptors for successfulapplicationofe-CFcompetencesinaworkplacecontext.MAYAPPLY

Thefour-dimensionalstructureofthee-CFofferscomprehensiveinsightintothecompetencesrequiredbyorganisationsandexecutedby ITprofessionals.The focusof the framework is toarticulate the41competencedescriptors foundat theheart of the structure indimension2.Thisdimension,which iscomplementedbytheremainingthree,providesausualstartpointforinitialunderstandingofthee-CF.

Thefigurebelowillustratesthecontentofatypicalcompetence,A.2ServiceManagement,itshowshowthecentraldimension2providesthecompetencedescriptionandhowthiscanbefurtherarticulatedindimension3,atdifferentproficiencylevels(level3andlevel4inthisexample).Furthermore,examplesofknowledgeandskills listed indimension4,provideadditional illuminationof thecorecompetencedescriptionfromdimension2.

Figure1providesanexampleofe-Competencedescriptioninallfourdimensions.

Figure1—EN16234-1:2019“e-CF”e-CompetenceexampleA.2.ServiceLevelManagement

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As stated above, 41 competences are definedby this standard and each are constructed in the sameway,fromthe4dimensions,previouslydescribed.Thefollowingtablepresentstheentirecompendiumofcompetencesinaconsolidatedform.Itdemonstratesthatalthoughtheformatofeachcompetenceisstructuredinasimilarway,thenumberofapplicabledimension3leveldescriptionsvariesaccordingtoworkplacerelevance.

In addition, the standard incorporates a transversal component which provides basic generic ICTdescriptorsforsuccessfulapplicationofe-CFcompetencesinaworkplacecontext.

Transversal aspects are represented by statements that complement the descriptors of dimension 2.Figure3 illustrates the seven transversalaspectswhichareapplied toeverycompetenceeither fromthestandpointofbeing‘awareof’or‘behavingproactively’accordingtocontext

Figure2—TransversalAspectsapplyingacrosstheentireframework

Dimension 1e-Comp. area A. PLAN

Dimension 2

e-Competence: Title + generic description

A.2. Service Level Management

Defines, validates and makes applicable service level agreements (SLAs) and underpinning contracts tailored to services offered. Negotiates service performance levels taking into account the needs and capacity of stakeholders and business.

Dimension 3

e-Competence proficiency levels e-1 to e-5

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5

– – Ensures the content of the SLA. Negotiates revision of SLAs, in accordance with the overall objectives. Ensures the achievement of planned results.

–

Dimension 4

Knowledge examples

Knows / aware of / familiar with

K1 SLA documentationK2 how to compare and interpret management data K3 the elements forming the metrics of service level agreementsK4 how service delivery infrastructures workK5 impact of service level non-compliance on business performance

Skills examples

Is able to

S1 analyse service provision records S2 evaluate service provision against SLAS3 negotiate realistic service level targets S4 use relevant quality management techniques S5 anticipate and mitigate against potential service disruptions

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Figure3—EN16234-1:2019e-CompetenceFramework(e-CF)overview

Dimension 15 e-CF areas

Dimension 241 e-Competences identified

Dimension 3 5 e-Competence proficiency levels

e-1 e-2 e-3 e-4 e-5

A. PLAN A.1. Information Systems and Business Strategy Alignment

A.2. Service Level Management

A.3. Business Plan Development

A.4. Product / Service Planning

A.5. Architecture Design

A.6. Application Design

A.7. Technology Trend Monitoring

A.8. Sustainability Management

A.9. Innovating

A.10. User Experience

B. BUILD B.1. Application Development

B.2. Component Integration

B.3. Testing

B.4. Solution Deployment

B.5. Documentation Production

B.6. ICT Systems Engineering

C. RUN C.1. User Support

C.2. Change Support

C.3. Service Delivery

C.4. Problem Management

C.5. Systems Management

D. ENABLE D.1. Information Security Strategy Development

D.2. ICT Quality Strategy Development

D.3. Education and Training Provision

D.4. Purchasing

D.5. Sales Development

D.6. Digital Marketing

D.7. Data Science and Analytics

D.8. Contract Management

D.9. Personnel Development

D.10. Information and Knowledge Management

D.11. Needs Identification

E. MANAGE E.1. Forecast Development

E.2. Project and Portfolio Management

E.3. Risk Management

E.4. Relationship Management

E.5. Process Improvement

E.6. ICT Quality Management

E.7. Business Change Management

E.8. Information Security Management

E.9. Information Systems Governance

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Overviewofe-CFcasestudiesprovidedbythisdocument4.2

Insupporte-CFapplicationwithinmultipleenvironments,aseriesof illustrativecasestudiesprovideexamples,benefitsandhintsofhowtomakebestuseofthee-CF.

Thesecasestudiesrelatetopracticale-CFapplicationexperiencesandhavebeenelaboratedtogetherwithorganizationsapplyingthee-CFEurope-wide.

Table2—Overviewofe-CFcasestudiesprovidedbythisdocument

CaseStudy

Casestudytitleandsource e-CFusage Keyperspectives

A

5.1

“Skill-UP: Please, mind thegap” e-CF and ICTProfessionalRoleMappingtoaccelerate companytransformation

NexiPaymentsS.p.A./MercuryPaymentsS.p.A.;Italy

e-CFandICTProfessionalRoleProfiling to standardize rolesacross markets, to mapcompetences andexperiences,to enhance Nexi ITorganization with specialisedjobprofiles and toboostpeopledevelopment

§ Identificationoffuturecompetenceneeds

§ Crosscompanyandcrossbordercommonlanguage

§ Competencegapidentification

§ Decisionsupportondeveloporbuynewcompetences

B

5.2

“EducatingtheEuropeanICTProfessionalsoftheFuture”-an e-CF compliantcurriculumHUUniversityof AppliedSciences (HU), Utrecht, TheNetherlands

In order to create a futureproof curriculum for thepart-time (continuing education)Master of Informatics at theHUthee-CFwasincorporated.Competences related toprofessional role profiles aretaughtacrossseveralmodulesin order to prepare ITprofessionals for their nextchallenge in theirorganisation.

§ IdentificationofcurrentandfuturerolesbasedontheEUICTProfessionalRoleProfiles

§ Educationbasedontherelatedcompetences

§ Uniquecompetitiveadvantagease-CFcompetencesareincreasinglydemanded

C

5.3

5.3. “Teaching studentshumanresourcespracticesinthe ICT profession withinInformatics servicesmanagement course –exampleofhiringprocess”

University of Zagreb, Facultyof Organization andInformatics

One of the important topicswithinITservicemanagementis human resourcesmanagement, related to theICT profession. In order tointroduce students to theprocess of preparation of jobadvertisements and jobapplications, we used ICTprofiles and related e-CFcompetences.

§ Identification of jobprofiles/roles in an ICTcompanybasedontheEUICT Professional RoleProfiles

§ Preparation of jobadvertisements for aspecific profile based onrelatede-competences

§ Preparation of a jobapplicationforaspecifiedjobad(ICTprofile)

Evaluation of candidatesaccordingtotheirapplication

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D

5.4

”ImplementationofSoftwareEngineering CompetenceRemote Evaluation forMasterProgramGraduates”-e-CF based LearningOutcome usage forImproving the Quality andRelevance of HigherEducation

Transport andTelecommunication Institute(TTI),Riga,Latvia

Boosting innovation anddigital skills in Europeanuniversitiesinordertodeliverhigh quality education anddigitalskills.SE Master Program's learningoutcome structuring on thebaseofe-CFcompetences.

§ e-CFcompetenceon-lineevaluationforHEestablishmentsasOpenEducationalResource

§ IncreasedopportunitiesforprofessionaldevelopmentforICTMasterstudents,

§ Greaterunderstandingofinterconnectionsbetweenformal,non-formaleducation

§ StudentorientedSoftwareEngineeringMasterProgramdesign

E

5.5

German VET ICT profilereview process: use of e-CFatfourdifferentpoints

Federal Institute forVocational Education andTraining in cooperation withITsocialpartners,Germany

Use of e-CF in the process oftheamendmentoftheGermanvocational training ICTprofilesandmappingofalltheskills and competences to thee-CF to ensure a Europeanunder-standing.

§ Toexchangeaboutoptimalproficiencylevelofcompetences

§ Asinspirationfordefinitionsanddescriptions

§ Aschecklist

§ TotranslatevocationaltrainingICTprofilesintoe-CFcompetences

F

5.6

Making a role profile of anearly adopter of Blockchainusingthee-CFstandardThe Dutch BlockchainAlliance

Along with other technicalinnovations blockchain sharesthe trait that accepteddescriptions of related skills,competences and knowledgeare scarce or non-existent.Transferandsharingofknow-how on this decentralizeddatabase technology oftentakes place in masterclasses,short-term education andseminars. There, earlyadopters, developers as wellas users, render theirexperiences and findings,while discussing use cases inpractice. In this contributionthe e-CF is used to describeresults of a search for skills,knowledge and competencesof Dutch Blockchain earlyadopters.

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G

5.7

UniversityofMinho underdevelopment

H

5.8

e-CF for developing datacompetencesandcapabilitiesintheITorganisation

Cap Gemini/ , TheNetherlands

underdevelopment

I

5.9

“Developingane-CFbasedsystematicengagementbetweenuniversities,VETandemployersinanationalqualificationauthoritycontext.”Development of the EstonianNationalskillsstrategybytheEstonian Association ofInformation and Technologyin co-operation with theNational QualificationsAuthority.

Estonia decided upon an ICTcompetence approach tocreate national economiccompetitive advantage. Thisrequired co-operation andcommon understandingbetween industry, educationproviders and nationalqualificationsauthority.Thee-CF provided a commonstructureandplatform for co-operation.

§ e-CFandICTprofilesweredeployed

§ Competencewasattheheartoftheskillsapproach

§ Curriculumdevelopmentwassupportedbytheapplicationoflearningoutcomes

J

5.10

“Using the e-CF todevelop acertification framework andspin-off curricula and VETprogrammes.Promanad, Rotterdam, TheNetherlands

In order to developinternationally recognizablecurricula a certificationframework was developedbased on the e-CF in order toassess knowledge,comprehension andapplication of concepts thatform the foundation for thedevelopment of the e-CFcompetences.

§ Byusingthee-CFfordefiningacertificationframework,ithasaclearrationalebehinditthatcanbeeasilyexplainedtoallstakeholders.

§ Byusingthee-CFtodevelopexams,thesearenotonlynationallybutalsointernationallyrecognised

By using the e-CF and theEuropean ICT professionalsjob profiles to build ICTcurricula, programs are notonlymuchmoreappealing tostudents, but also toemployers and toaccreditationcommittees.

K

5.11

e-CF supporting culturalchange in the ICT userorganisation

Red Electrica de Espana,

underdevelopment

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Spain

L

5.12

“Aligning IT ProfessionalResources to the newCompanyStrategy”

VIVAT

In 2016, VIVAT refreshed itsstrategy to prepare for thefuture by focusing on fourstrategic themes: CustomerCentricity, Digitalisation, DataandInnovation.

Addressing ICT HumanResourceswas a key factor inthis change process. The e-CFsupported this imperativefromtacticstostrategy.

§ Definition of ICT JobDescriptions

§ Connecting Job DescriptiontoTrainingRequirements

e-CF was adopted asreference frameworksupporting the HRmanagement process at thestrategic, tactical andoperational levels for theintegration with differentframeworks(Cobit5,SAFe)

5 Casestudies:e-CFformultipleapplicationacrossmultipletargetgroups

Case Study A: “Skill-UP: Please, mind the gap” e-CF and ICT Professional Role5.1Mappingtoacceleratecompanytransformation

Table3—CaseStudyAinshort


“Skill-UP: Please, mind the gap”e-CF and ICT Professional RoleMapping to accelerate companytransformation

Nexi Payments S.p.A./MercuryPaymentsS.p.A.;Italy

e-CFandICTProfessionalRoleProfilingtostandardizerolesacrossmarkets,tomapcompetencesandexperiences,toenhanceNexiITorganisationwithspecializedjobprofilesandtoboostpeopledevelopment

§ Identificationoffuturecompetenceneeds

§ Crosscompanyandcrossbordercommonlanguage

§ Competencegapidentification

§ Decisionsupportondeveloporbuynewcompetences

AboutNexiandtheItalianmarket5.1.1

NexiistheleadingPayTechCompanyinItaly,listedontheMTAmarketofBorsaItaliana.Ourbusinessbenefitsfromourlong-lastingpartnershipwithapproximately150partnerbankscovering80%ofthebanking sector in Italy in terms of number of branches. Our integrated end-to-end omni-channeltechnology connects banks, merchants and consumers enabling digital payments. We help simplifypayments for our clients and digitize the Italian economy. Nexi operates in three market areas:MerchantServices&Solutions,Cards&DigitalPaymentsandDigitalBankingServices:

• MerchantServices&Solutions:Nexi,togetherwithitspartnerbanks,providesservicestoapproximately900,000merchantsandmanagesapproximately1.4millionPOSterminals;

• Cards&DigitalPayments:Nexi,togetherwithitspartnerbanks,managesapproximately41millioncreditandpaymentcardsforc.30millioncardholders;and

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• DigitalBankingSolutions:Neximanaged13,400ATMs,approximately420,000e-bankingworkstationsandover900millionclearingtransactionsin2018.Inaddition,NexiisdevelopingtheopenbankingsystemincollaborationwiththeCBIconsortium,towhichthemainItalianbankshavealreadyadhered.

DigitalpaymentsolutionsarewidelydistributedinItaly,butunfortunatelyverypoorlyused.Only26%of transactions are paid by cards or digital instruments vs. 45% of the European Average. Thismisalignment between distribution and usage is Nexi’s major focus, with one clear vision: everypaymentwillbedigital.Itisonlyamatteroftimeandwebelievethat,thatdayistoday.

Nexi vision is supported by a clear positioning in the market: to be the PayTech of Italian Banks,providing highly advancedpayment solutions. Bearing this inmind,more than2.000 employees and1.000consultantsworkeverydayatNexi,whereITarearepresents1/3oftheCompanypopulation.

Nexiwasfoundedin2017,stemmingfromtwolargeCompanies,andsinceitscreation,morethan50%oftheoverallCompanypopulationhaschanged.Thisturnoveroriginatedfrommassiveexternalhiring,aswellasfrommergingadditionalcompanieswithverticalexpertise.Inthissituation,Nexirequiredastructured integration process, which could unlock individual competences within a collectiveframework.

Skill-UPistheprojecttoaddressintegrationneedsandtosupportNexiHumanCapitalgrowth,withintheITarea.

Skill-UPoperativegoalswereveryclearfromthebeginning:

1. maptheITcompetenceatthestartoftheproject,consideringalsofuturescalability,competencedevelopmentandmaintenance

2. definecriteriatomakeorbuy3. identifyspecificlearninginitiativetailoredonITpeopleandroles4. boostinternaljobrotationandcross-functionalside-step

e-CFandICTProfessionalProfilesusage5.1.2

Nexiadoptedan integratedmappingapproach to identify comprehensiveprofiles,withbothsoftandhardskills.

Figure4—Nexiapproachtocompetencesassessmentandintegratedprofilesdefinition

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Inparticular,theprojectcombined

• Ane-CFbasedmodelwithcommonITcompetencies,enrichedwithskillsneededinthenearfuture, with additional business domain IT competencies (on Cards & Digital Payments,Acquiring&POS,Payments&ATM).Themappingphasewascarriedoutthroughaweb-basedsurveytoolprovidedbyAICA;

• A Digital DNA custom model that included Digital soft skills (Self-Empowerment &ContinuousLearning,DigitalCollaboration&Engagement,Cybersecurity&DigitalAwareness)and Job-Related Skills (Technological Trends, Customer Centricity, Data Driven DecisionMaking)aswellasLateralThinkingattitudes.Thisphasewasimplementedthroughamixofweb-basedsurveysanddiagnostictools,inpartnershipwithPolytechnicofMilan.

The project involved 6-months of work and more than 350 people, including 70 Managers whichindicatestheNexieffortandcommitmenttoSkill-UP.

Within the various steps, the set-up and customization phases required the most dedication andattention. During these phases, future skills requirements were identified through interviews withSeniorManagersandworkshopsengagingITManagers.Thisfacilitatedconstructionofacustom-madecompetencemodelforNexipersonnelandcompetencerequirements,basedonthee-CFframework.

Facingchallenges5.1.3

SynergiesbetweenHRandITwereatthecoreoftheproject,supportedbytheNexivaluesystemandwithclearscopeandplanning.Thisisnotonlyakeysuccessfactoroftheprocessintheshort-term,butit isalsoaguaranteeof futurescalabilityandmaintenance.Other important factors forthesuccessoftheprojectinclude:

• Strong Top Management sponsorship and middle management involvement areessential,sinceitisnotanHRprocessbutaCompanyprocess

• Initialtraining:allpeopleinvolvedmustbeawarefromtheverybeginningoftheprocessandtheadoptedframeworktosupportstrongfocusonthepracticalresults

• Select appropriate timing: choose a timeframe separated from performance evaluations, toavoidmisunderstanding.Itisadevelopmentprocess!

• Individualcommitment:askforvaluable,passionatecommitmentfromallparticipants,sinceitisanimportantCompanyinvestment.

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Addedvalueinsummary5.1.4

Therearemajorkeybenefitsinadoptingthee-CFandICTProfiles:

• ChoosingtheEuropeane-CompetenceFramework,EuropeanstandardEN162341andICTprofessionalProfilesprovidesacommonlanguagetodefine,mapandfostercompetencesandcapabilities.Itensuresacceptanceandcommonunderstandingacrossorganizationsandcountries.SincethepaymentindustryinItalyisoftencomparedtointernationalmarkets,aEuropeanstandardlanguagecanhelpidentifymoreaccurateandreliablebenchmarks.

• WorkingwithICTprofilesandusingthee-competencerequirementsforeachprofileallowstheidentificationofskillgaps.ThisprovidesthebasisforITtalentmanagementanddefinitionofHRpeopledevelopmentprograms

• Timeisacriticalfactorforanevolvingindustrywithcontinuoustechnologyandregulatorychanges.Theadoptionofastandardframeworkmakesitpossibletospeeduptheskillacquisitionprocess(alsoinhiringevaluation)andgainfastertimetomarket

• Workingwiththee-CFallowstimelydetectionofskillsgapsandpromptattentiontotrainingandforpreparingtheworkforceforthefuture.

• Finally,itisimportanttotimetheprojecttoalignitwiththeimplementationoftheITstrategyandoftheindustrialplan,toensuretherightpeople,withtherightskills,intherightplaceattherighttime.

Case StudyB: “Educating theEuropean ICTProfessionals of theFuture” - an e-CF5.2compliantcurriculum

Table4—CaseStudyBinshort


“Educating the European ICTProfessionalsoftheFuture”-ane-CFcompliantcurriculumHUUniversityofAppliedSciences(HU),Utrecht,TheNetherlands

Inordertocreateafutureproofcurriculumforthepart-timeMasterofInformaticsattheHUthee-CFwasincorporated.CompetencesrelatedtofiveICTProfessionalroleprofilesaretaughtacrossseveralmodulesinordertoprepareITprofessionalsfortheirnextchallenge

§ IdentificationofcurrentandfuturerolesbasedontheICTprofessionalRoleProfiles

§ Educationbasedontherelatedcompetences

§ Uniquecompetitiveadvantagease-CFcompetencesareincreasinglydemanded(especiallyinpublicsector)

AboutHUUniversityofAppliedSciences(HU)andtheMasterofInformatics(MSc.)5.2.1

TheMasterofInformaticsfallsundertheInstituteforICTattheHUUniversityofAppliedSciences.Theinstitute offers a wide range of educational programs for IT professional at all stages of theirprofessionaldevelopment.InadditiontotheBachelor'sdegreeinICT, itofferscontinuingeducationalprogramsonBusinessIT&Management,CloudandSecurityandthusalsotheMasterofInformatics.

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TheMasterofInformaticsprogramisintendedforprofessionalswithanexecutivementalitywhowillinitiate, implement and manage IT-related initiatives and innovations. They combine in-depth ITknowledgewithbusinessinsighttoaddvaluetotheirorganization.Themostimportantcharacteristicsof these professionals are the ability to see the bigger picture of the organization. They able applyknowledge to make the right decisions, understand how actions and decisions influence importantbusiness and leadership objectives and they can effectively communicate ideas to other employees,managers,executivesandthepublic.


TheEuropeane-CompetenceFramework(e-CF)servesasafoundationtotheeducationprofile.Forthemaster, three e-CF role profiles are utilized to build the curriculum, which are Business Analyst,Business InformationManager and Chief Information Officer. The associated competences provide asolid base for the content (described in termsof learningoutcomes) of themasterclasses. To ensurecompleteness the competences related to the roles aremappedonto thedifferentmasterclasses (seeFigure5andTable4).

Figure5—OverviewoftheMasterofInformaticscurriculum

Table5—Mappingofthee-competencesonthemasterclasses

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e-CFareas

e-Competences Masterclasses

Strategy&Organization

InformationManagem

ent

EnterpriseArchitecture

BusinessProcessManagem

ent

Projectm

anagem

ent&Change

DigitalTransformation&Innovation

SecurityManagem

ent

EthicsinaDigitalW

orld

BusinessAnalytics&

BigData

DataScienceforBusiness

Plan ISandBusinessStrategyAlignment x x x

ServiceLevelManagement x

BusinessPlanDevelopment x x x x

Product/ServicePlanning x x x

ArchitectureDesign x x x

ApplicationDesign

TechnologyTrendMonitoring x x

Innovating x x x

Enable Information Security StrategyDevelopment

x x

Purchasing x

Information and KnowledgeManagement

x x x x

NeedsIdentification x x x

Manage ForecastDevelopment x

ProjectandPortfolioManagement x x

RiskManagement x x

RelationshipManagement x x

ProcessImprovement x x

BusinessChangeManagement x x x x

InformationSecurityManagement x x

ISGovernance x x x x x x x

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One challenge we faced is the alignment of e-CF with national frameworks. In the Netherlands, thenationalfoundationofHBO-Iisresponsibleforaframeworkforeducationalbachelor’sandmastersforICT programs at universities of applied sciences. The synergy between their framework and e-CF isdifficulttomap.

Making the mapping of e-competences on the masterclasses controllable and future proof needsattention.TheworldofITisincreasinglychanging.Newrolesarecomingupregularlyandexistingonesalter rapidly. Hence, adaptivity is key for a curriculum. The body of knowledge of themasterclasseslogicallychangesinlinewiththis,whichmakesitdifficulttokeepupwiththepaceinregardtokeepingthemappingtoe-CFuptodate.


Thefollowingarekeybenefitsforusinadoptingthee-CFanditsICTProfiles:

• Itprovidesaninternationalstandardandhenceabenchmarkfortheprogramagainstinternationalmasters.

• Itisrecognizableforemployersandtheiremployeeswhoseekeducationalprograms.Moreover,whene-CFisusedwithintheirorganization,theyareabletoassessknowledgegapsandcanplantheireducationalneedsaccordingly.

Itprovidesasoundjustificationforthecurriculum.Developedbyexpertsinthefielditprovidesaclearconnection between professions and competences which narrows the gap between universityeducationalprogramsandworkplaceprofessionalroles.

CaseStudyC–TeachingstudentshumanresourcepracticesintheICTprofessionas5.3acomponentofanInformaticsservicesmanagementcourse–exampleofahiringprocess

Table6—CaseStudyCinshort


“Teaching students humanresourcepractices inan ICTprofession as a componentof an Informatics servicesmanagement course –exampleofahiringprocess”

University of Zagreb, Facultyof Organization andInformatics

An important topic within ITservicemanagementishumanresource management,related to the ICT profession.To introduce students to thisprocessofjobadvertisingandjob application, we used ICTprofiles and related e-CFcompetences.

§ Identification of job profiles/rolesin an ICT company based on theEUICTProfessionalRoleProfiles

§ Preparationof jobadforacertainprofile based on the related e-competences

§ Preparationofanapplicationforajobadvertisement(ICTprofile)

§ Evaluationofcandidatesaccordingtotheirapplication

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AboutFOI5.3.1

TheFacultyofOrganizationandInformatics,establishedin1962,isoneoftheconstituentunitsoftheUniversityofZagreb,thelargestuniversityinCroatia.Overdecades,thefacultyhasprovidededucationto future experts in the field of information sciences and technologies, economics, organization,communicationandotherrelatedfields1.

The study structure has been devised as a three-level model (3 + 2 + 3), comprising of: a 3-yearundergraduate study, a 2-year graduate study and a 3-year doctoral study. Two study programmeorientations are delivered at the undergraduate level at FOI: Information Systems and BusinessSystems.

e-CFandICTProfessionalProfilesUsage5.3.2

Thecourse,‘InformaticsServicesManagement’isobligatoryathethirdyearofundergraduatestudyforbothstudentsinInformationSystemsandBusinessSystem.Themaingoalistointroducestudentstoallaspects of informatics servicesmanagement,where topics such asmarket analysis,wireframing andprototyping, financial management, time management, human resource management andcommunicationswithpotentialclientsandteamworkarealsoincluded.

Thecourseisperformedover17weeks,including14laboratoryexercisesand14lectures.LecturesareaimedatintroducingstudentstothetheoreticalaspectsofcertainphasesofITservicedevelopment,aswell as various best practices, development methods, and connected concepts. During laboratoryexercises students form groups of four, where each group represents a different small IT company(‘virtual company’).Eachgroup is tasked todevelopanewITservice in the formofawebormobileapplication.Themainobjectiveistoputstudentsinaverysimilarsituationtothethatexperiencedintherealprofessionalworld2.

Aweek of the course is dedicated to the topic of human resourcesmanagement in IT companies, asillustratedbelow(Figure6):

• Step1:First,duringlecturesstudentsareintroducedtodifferentframeworksinthefield,suchase-CFandSFIA.

• Step 2: During the laboratory exercises each student team is tasked to create a jobadvertisementforoneoftheICTProfessionalProfiles,referencingtothecompetenciesfrome-CF. The creation of advertisement is based on students’ research of job advertisementspublishedondifferentjobportals.Theideabehindthistaskistofamiliarisestudentswiththestructure of advertisements and the application of the e-CF for competences required forparticularjobs.

• Step3:Prepared jobdescriptionsarepublished inagroup forumwithinMoodleplatformforthecourseInformaticsServicesManagement,sothatallmembersofonegroup(24students–6teamswith4members)areabletoviewit.

• Step 4: Each student individually chooses one of the published job ads and prepares a jobapplication. During the exercise students are introduced to the structure and content of anapplication, since only a few will have any previous experience of job applications. In theirpreparations students are asked to assess their own e-competencies gained during previouseducationorworkexperiences.

1https://www.foi.unizg.hr/en/about-us/general2http://www.temjournal.com/content/71/TemJournalFebruary2018_193_200.pdf

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• Step 5: Finally, student teams are required to evaluate all applications and choose themostsuitable candidate for the positionposted. Students are required to define evaluation criteriabasedonthestructureoftheirjobadvertisementandcomparecandidates,byfocusingontheircompetences.

Figure6—Stepsinintroducingstudentswithe-CFandICTprofiles

Below,Table7showsamodifiedexampleofjobadpreparedbystudents’teamsforthepurposeofthiscourse.

Step1• StudentsareintroducedtoeCFduringlectures

Step2• Students(inteamsof4)preparejobadforonetheICTProfiles

Step3• StudentspublishtheirjobadsatcourseMoodleplaAorm

Step4• EachstudentindividuallypreparesanapplicaEonleFerforacertainjobadverEsement

Step5• StudentsinteamsevaluateapplicaEonsfortheirjobandselectthemostsuitablecandidateforatheposiEon

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Table7–Amodifiedexampleofjobannouncementpreparedbystudentsbasedone-CF

Jobtitle WearelookingforJuniorDeveloperresponsibleformanagingbothback-end and front-end technologies. Understanding of the entireweb development process, including design, development, anddeploymentispreferred.

Companyname CompanyXY,Pavlinska2,42000Varaždin

Typeofemployment Studentcontract-finalyearundergraduate/graduatestudents

Mode Flexibleworkinghours,workfromhome

Jobdescription DesigninganddevelopingnewITsolutionsandimplementingtheminto existing systems; Responsible for the development of customapplications using C++, C# and Java; Perform solution testing ofconfigurationsandcustomizations

Maintasks • Developingandintegratingcomponents• Definingandsolvingproblems• Applicationdesignanddevelopment• Keepingrecords• Componentandsystemtesting

Conditions forapplying for thecompetition

BA Degree in Computer Science or related field or equivalentexperience

Knowledgeofthefollowinglanguages:C#,C++,Java,HTML

ExperienceinworkingwithSQLdatabases

AccordingtoECF3.0 A.6.ApplicationDesignB.1.ApplicationDevelopmentB.2.ComponentIntegrationB.3.TestingB.4.SolutionDeploymentB.5.DocumentationProductionC.4ProblemManagementE.5ProcessImprovement

Whatweoffer Learning ability, flexible working hours, a motivating andcomfortable work environment, an experienced mentor, teambuildings&funactivities

Application methodanddeadline

AnapplicationletterwritteninCroatianlanguageshouldbesenttocompanyXY@gmail.com.

Theapplicationdeadlineis1.4.2020.

Feelfreetocontactusforanyadditionalinformation.

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Asthisexamplepresentstrainingforstudents,therewerenomajorchallenges,butsomeminorcanbesummarizedasfollows:

• Oneshortcomingisalimitednumberoflecture/exercisesavailabletospendonthistopic,comparedtothecomprehensivenessofe-CF.

• ThirdyearstudentswithnopracticalexperiencehaddifficultiestocompletelyunderstandICTProfilesandrelatedcompetencesasdefinedine-CF.

• InCroatia,thereisstillnoevidentusageofstandardizeddescriptionofparticularICTjobs/profiles(i.e.basedone-CF).


Herearethekeybenefitsinadoptingthee-CFandICTProfiles:

• AsstudentsareintroducedtoICTprofiles,itgivesthemaninsightintotheITlabourmarketandtheirpotentialpositioninthefuture

• IthelpsstudentstothinkabouttheirfuturecareerasanICTprofessionalastheycanseethemaintasks,knowledgeandskillsrequiredforeachICTprofile

• The e-CF enables students to self-assess their own competency level and create a personalcareerplan.

Case Study D – ”Implementation of Software Engineering Competence Remote5.4EvaluationforMasterProgramGraduates” -e-CFbasedLearningOutcomeusageforImprovingtheQualityandRelevanceofHigherEducation

Table8—CaseStudyCinshort


” Implementation of SoftwareEngineering CompetenceRemote Evaluation for MasterProgram Graduates” - e-CFbased learning outcome usagefor improving the quality andrelevanceofHigherEducation

Transport andTelecommunication Institute(TTI),Riga,Latvia

Boosting innovation and digitalskillsinEuropeanuniversitiesinorder to deliver high-qualityeducationanddigitalskills.SE Master Program's learningoutcome structuring on thebasisofe-CFcompetences.

§ e-CFcompetenceon-lineevaluationforHEestablishmentsasOpenEducationalResource

§ increasedopportunitiesforprofessionaldevelopmentforICTMasterstudents,

§ greaterunderstandingofinterconnectionsbetweenformal,non-formaleducation

§ studentorientedSoftwareEngineeringMasterProgramdesign

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AboutTTIandtheLatvianICTmarket5.4.1

Thetransportandtelecommunicationinstitute(lat.Transportaunsakaruinstitūts–TSI)–isamodernuniversity with centennial history. Nowadays TSI – is the only private technical higher educationalinstitutioninLatvia,providinghighereducationinLatvianandEnglish languages.Theinstituteoffersthe following academic programs: transport and logistics, computer sciences, electronics andtelecommunication,economicsandmanagementandaviationtransport.TSIprovideshighereducationof the first and second levels, bachelor's and master's degrees, prepare and defend a doctoraldissertation.TSIalsoconductsdiversifiedresearchscientificwork.

Foreign trade in Latvia has consistently increased since the regaining of independence, particularlyafterLatvia’saccession to theEU.According to thedataprovidedby theCentralStatisticalBureauofLatvia,in2018thevalueoftotalexportsincreasedby9%andimportsincreasedby11%comparedtothepreviousyear(http://www.liaa.gov.lv/en/trade/foreign-trade-statistics).

According to (http://www.liaa.gov.lv/en/trade/industry-profiles/information-and-telecommunications-technology-industry)in2018,therewereapprox.6,894companiesactiveintheICTsector.Only111producingICTequipment,539operating inthetelecommunications industry,whilemorethan5,000companiesspecializedinotherICTservicesand544inICTequipmentsales.In2018,thenumberofemployeesintheICTsectorwasmorethan36,000.


e-CFandICTProfessionalProfilesdescriptionswereusedforthedefinitionofmeasurablecompetencecharacteristicsaswellasforRubricsTemplatesdevelopmentforpersonalcompetenceself-assessment.AsyllabustemplateforamasterprograminSoftwareEngineeringandanon-linetrainingcourseweredeveloped. Testingmaterial fortheSoftwareEngineeringmastersgraduateprogramwasestablishedandlearningoutcomeevaluationwasprovided.


This case study provides analysis of existing models for competence evaluation and describes theimplementationofasoftwareengineeringcompetence,remoteevaluationprocessmodel.Competencewas separated into two domains, professional and academic. The model was applied to e-CFprofessional competence and academic competence evaluation for software engineering master’sprogramgraduates.

Theremoteevaluationprocessisbasedonthedevelopedmethodology,itdeploysfourstepsfollowingthee-CFfour-dimensionalstructure.

The remote evaluation process consists of two business processes: (a) Competence test design, and(b)Competencetestcompletion.ABPMN(BusinessProcessModelandNotation)modelwasdevelopedasasummaryofbothprocesses.Themodelsareillustratedbelow,Figure7.

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Figure7—DevelopedprocessmodeloverviewusingBPMN

ThisCaseStudy isbasedon thedesignand implementationof theSoftwareEngineeringCompetenceEvaluation Internet Portal (SECEIP). The web portal was dedicated to the training content andsupervision of a joint master program synchronized across several European universities. Thefunctionality of the portal provides a common support service for learning outcomes informationexchange.Itprovidesarepositoryofgraduateacademicknowledge,skillsandcompetenceaswellase-CF professional competences following completion of theMaster of Science in Software Engineering(InformationTechnology)Program.


Thefollowingpracticalresultswereaccruedfromtheuseofthee-CF:

• The model and description of the Software Engineering and IT Master program learningoutcomes, including test material for graduates' competence evaluation, incorporated e-CFcompetencesatthecoreoftheOER(OpenEducationResource).

• Three localized copies of the e-CF oriented Software Engineering Competence EvaluationInternetPortal(SECEIP)wereinstalledatthreepartneruniversities(inRiga,Arta,andMurcia)toserveasOERforSE&STMasterProgramgraduates'competenciesevaluation.

• Anadditionalpositiveoutcomefromusingthee-CFwasabetterunderstandingandrecognitionoftheskillsandqualificationsbygraduates,ontheSE&ITmaster'sprogram,whichincreasedtheirmotivationandsatisfactionindailywork.

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Case Study E – ICT profile review process in the context of the German dual5.5VocationalTrainingSystem:useofe-CFatfourdifferentpoints

Table9—CaseStudyEinshort


ICT profile review process:use of e-CF at four differentpoints

Federal Institute forVocational Education andTrainingincollaborationwithITsocialpartners,Germany

Useofthee-CFintheprocessof the regulatory procedureof German vocationaltraining ICT profiles andmapping of all the skills andcompetences to the e-CF toensure a common Europeanunder-standing.

§ Toexchangeoptimalproficiencylevelofcompetences

§ Asaninspirationfordefinitionsanddescriptions

§ Asachecklist

§ TotranslatevocationaltrainingICTprofilesintoe-CFcompetences

AbouttheGermanyVocationalEducationSystem5.5.1

Thiscasestudyisbasedupontheuseandvalueofthee-CFwithintheGermanregulateddualvocationaltrainingsystem.ItincludestheimplementationofIToccupationprofilesintroducedinAugust2020.

textunderdevelopment

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CaseStudyF-MakingaroleprofileofanearlyadopterofBlockchainusingthee-CF5.6standard

Table12—CaseStudyFinshort


Making a role profile of anearly adopter of Blockchainusingthee-CFstandardTheDutchBlockchainAlliance

Along with other technical innovations,blockchainshares the trait thataccepteddescriptions of related skills,competences and knowledge are scarceor non-existent. Transfer and sharing ofknow-howonthisdecentralizeddatabasetechnology often takes place inmasterclasses, short-term education andseminars. Early adopters, developers aswell as users, render their experiencesandfindings,whilediscussingapplicationinpractice.Inthisenvironment,thee-CFis used the skills, knowledge andcompetences sort by Dutch Blockchainearlyadopters.

• Providingthebasefortheidentificationanddevelopmentofnewandevolvingtechnologycompetencearticulation

AbouttheDutchBlockchainCoalition(DBC)5.6.1

The Dutch Blockchain Coalition (DBC) is a joint venture between partners from the government,knowledgeinstitutionsandindustry.DBC'smissionistoadvancereliable,robustandsociallyacceptedblockchainapplicationsandcreatethebestpossibleconditions.Apartof theactivity isrelatedtotheHumanCapitalAgenda.Thisagendahasfocusedonknowledgeandskills fromtheoutset.Ahurdle inachieving thesegoals is findingexperts in the fieldofblockchain thatcansupport thevariouspartiesandorganizationsthatwanttoinvestigateandimplementinnovativeblockchainapplications.Inordertobetteradvisepartonwhichknowledge,competencesandskillsblockchainspecialistsshouldacquire,theideaarosetolookatearlyadoptersandinvestigatetheircompetencesprofiles.Inthiswaythe e-CF framework could be deployed as a research tool alongside an assessment instrumentdevelopedbyEXIN.e-CF®NEXT.The European e-Competence Framework provides a common language to describe the competencesincludingskillsandknowledgerequirementsofICTprofessionals,professionsandorganisationsatfiveproficiencylevels,andisdesignedtomeettheneedsofindividuals,businessesandotherorganisationsinpublicandprivatesectors.3

e-CFandICTProfessionalProfilesusage:resultofthestudy5.6.2

To findearlyadopters, theDBC4approached itsnetworkand in twobatches in2018and2019,earlyadopters were identified and associated e-CF assessed profiles collected. Using the same process,profiles were established in a consistent manner. To gain additional insight, open interviews withblockchainknowledgeablepersonnelwerealsoheld.

3https://www.ecompetences.eu/4 https://dutchblockchaincoalition.org/, https://dutchblockchaincoalition.org/uploads/pdf/2019-DBC-Rapport-Blockchain-competenties.pdf

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Using the EXIN Portal, the Blockchain Early Adopters (11) answered online questions that providedinsight into their e-CF competence profile. Because of themany options and combinations possible,questionsareselectedbasedonpreviousanswers.Inthisway,ane-CFcompetenceprofileisdevelopedspecificallyforeachindividual.Noprofileorindividualisthesame.TooursurprisetheprofilesoftheearlyadoptersofBlockchainrevealedfivecommoncompetencesatseniorlevel3andabove.Thecommoncompetenceswere:A.7TechnologyandTrendMonitoring

• InvestigateslatestICTtechnologicaldevelopmentstoestablishunderstandingofevolvingtechnologies.Encouragesandexploresinternalandexternalsources(includinge.g.researchactivities,patents,start-upactivities,digitalcommunities)forinnovativeideasandopportunities.

• Devisesinnovativesolutionsfortheadoptionorintegrationofexistingornewtechnologyand/orideasintoexistingproducts,applicationsorservicesorforthecreationofnewones.

B.5DocumentationProduction

• Producesdocumentsbyintegratinginformationandmaintainingcompliancewithrelevantrequirements.• Selectstheappropriatestyleandformatbydeterminingthemediatypeandpresentationmodeofthe

documentation.• Createstemplatesfordocument-managementsystems.Ensuresthatdocumentationcomplieswith

customers’,technicalandICTapplicationdevelopmentprocessneedsandthatexistingdocumentsarevalidanduptodate.

• Providessupportforthedevelopmentofinteractivedocuments.D.10InformationandKnowledgeManagement

• Identifiesinformationandknowledgerelevanttotheorganisationanddevelopsprocessesandstructurestomanageit.

• Createsinformationstructuretoenabletheexploitation,optimisationandsharingofinformation.Understandsappropriatetoolstobedeployedtocreate,extract,maintain,renewandpropagatebusinessknowledgeinordertocapitalizefromtheinformationasset.

E.4RelationshipManagement

• Developspositivebusinessrelationshipsinadiversestakeholderenvironmentfacilitatingmulti-disciplinaryteamcollaboration.

• Maintainsregularcommunicationwithcolleagues,customers,partnersandsuppliers,displayingempathywiththeirdifferentcontextsandperspectives.

• Ensuresthatdifferentstakeholderneeds,concernsorcomplaintsareunderstoodandaddressedinaccordancewithorganisationalpolicy.

E.7BusinessChangeManagement

• Assessestheimplicationsofdigitaltransformation,potentialdigitaldisruptionandchange.• Definestherequirementsandquantifiesthebusinessbenefits.• Manageschangetakingintoaccountstructuralandculturalissues.• Maintainsbusinessandprocesscontinuitythroughoutchange,monitoringtheimpact,takingany

requiredremedialactionandrefiningapproach.The descriptors of these five common competences provided an early idea of possible elementsrequired within a blockchain roll or specialised blockchain professional. Additionally, it offered aninsightintotheknowledgeandskillsavailabletoourgroup.

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Thiswasasignificantresult,buttoestablisharoleprofiletoaddressblockchainrecruitmentwasnotenough. Within the e-CF standarddocumentation other links could be used to expand the idea. Theresultscouldbeconnectedwithroleprofiles, listsofdeliverables,other frameworksandexamplesofhowtobuildspecificprofilesbaseduponthee-CF.Inthiscasestudyseveralhavebeenapplied.RECRUITMENTANDCOMPETENCESIn support of the e-CF standard CEN Workshop Agreement (CWA) 16458:2018 is devoted to thedescriptionof30genericprofessional ICTroleprofiles5.Theyareconsideredtoberepresentative forthevarietyofrolesofICTprofessionalsinorganizations.Ineachofthe30roles,amaximumoffiveandaminimumofthreee-CFcompetencesareidentified.Theprofilesshouldnotbeseenasarigidstandardand these role profiles are less specific than actual job descriptions. However, from these roledescriptionsitispossibletoestablisharelationshipwithdescriptionsofpositionsorrolesintheISCO-,ESCO-classificationsorO*netthataremoreknownwithinthelabourmarket.Atableprovidesalinkbetween the competences and described roles. In total 19 profiles have 1 of the 5 competences incommononly3have2incommon.Therolesare:

• BusinessInformationManager:ThepersonProposes,plansandmanagesfunctionaldevelopmentoftheInformationSystem(IS)focusingupontheneedsofusers.

• Digitalconsultant:Supportsunderstandingofhowdigitaltechnologiesaddvaluetoabusiness• Datascientist:Leadstheprocessofapplyingdataanalytics.Deliversinsightsfromdataby

optimizingtheanalyticsprocessandpresentingvisualdatarepresentations.Figure8—EuropeanICTProfessionalProfilesversion2FamilyTreeandthe3Profilesselected

Individuals with the characteristics belonging to these 3 roles have a “small” gap in their profilecomparedwiththegroupinthestudy.Inordertofulfillablockchainrolerequirement,thisindicatesarelativelysmallupskillingneed.

5https://www.cen.eu/work/areas/ict/eeducation/pages/ws-ict-skills.aspx

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Making the connection to these 3 roles the linkwith the labourmarket can bemade. Related skillsshortages in the market become identified and potential development paths for candidates becomevisible.INNOVATIONANDCOMPETENCESInnovative technology often arises within an organization from a combination of new insights, newquestions,newproblemsorchallenges.Yet, thenormalreaction is toresistchangeandchallenge theinvestment cost versus potential benefits. In this Blockchain technology study the competencesidentified in early adopters give an insight into the cost benefit ratio for the adoption of a newtechnology,The five competences found in early adopters indicated that they had experience with and havedeliveredononeormoreofthefollowing:

• definitionsofabusinessprocesses• achangemanagementplan• adatamanagementplan• adatamodel• aknowledgeorinformationbase• aproposalforanewsolutionincludingacriticalbusinessprocessintegration.

FacingChallenges5.6.3

Thisfirst,smallstudyshowsnewrolesandskillsarebaseduponpreviousexperienceandcapabilities.Individualsdonotnotsuddenlyappearoutoftheblueasblockchainspecialists,theydevelopthroughthecontinuoushabitofself-developmentandregularknowledgeupdates.Thisaspectliesimplicitintheconcept of competence but is often overlooked. It implies that successful early adopters orimplementors are not by default bright youngsters but can also be seniors with a considerableexperienceandadesiretocontinuouslydeveloptheircompetences.

AddedValueinSummary5.6.4

Thee-CFhashelpedtoshowthatearlyadoptersofblockchaintechnologyhave5specificcompetences,whichareinthefieldof:

o data:collection,use,processingandanalysis.o changeofbusinessprocesseso interestinnewdevelopments

Thee-CFhashelpedreinforcethatearlyadoptersarepersonswhostaytunedwithnewtechnologicalopportunitiesthroughtheapplicationofcontinuoustrainingandupskilling

CaseStudyG5.7

UniversityofMinho,Portugal–underdevelopment

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Case Study H – e-CF for developing data competences and capabilities in the IT5.8organisation

CapGemini,TheNetherlands–underdevelopment

CaseStudyI-“Nationalapproachtosystematicmulti-stakeholderengagementfor5.9ICTeducation”-usinge-CFasacommonlanguage

Table13—CaseStudyIinshort


“Developingane-CFbasedsystematicengagementbetweenuniversities,VETandemployersinanationalqualificationauthoritycontext.”ThiscasestudyisbaseduponthedevelopmentoftheEstonianNationalskillsstrategybytheEstonianAssociationofInformationandTechnologyinco-operationwiththeNationalQualificationsAuthority.

EstoniadecideduponanICTcompetenceapproachtocreatenationaleconomiccompetitiveadvantage.Thisrequiredco-operationandcommonunderstandingbetweenindustry,educationprovidersandnationalqualificationsauthority.Thee-CFprovidedacommonstructureandplatformforco-operation.

§ e-CFandICTprofilesweredeployed

§ Competencewasattheheartoftheskillsapproach

§ Curriculumdevelopmentwassupportedbytheapplicationoflearningoutcomes

AbouttheEstonianAssociationofInformationTechnologyandTelecommunication5.9.1

The Estonian Association of Information Technology and Telecommunications (officiallyabbreviated as ITL) is a voluntary organisation, whose primary objective is to unite theEstonian information technology and telecommunications companies and organisations, topromote their co-operation in Estonia’s development towards information society, torepresent and protect the interests of itsmember companies and to express their commonpositions. The main priorities of the association are to address the digital economy, E-state andinformationsocietypolicyandeducation,labourandResearchandDevelopment.


With the objective to enhance EstonianNational competitiveness theAssociation of Information andTelecommunicationtogetherwiththeEstonianQualificationAuthority,setouttoestablishacommonnationalframeworkforthedevelopmentofICTprofessionaleducation.Theaimwastocreateemployerinfluenced curricula across3universities and18VocationalEducation Institutions, tobridge thegapbetweenformaleducationandworkplacecompetencerequirements.Withcompetenceatthecentreoftheirapproachthefollowingschematicdemonstratesconnectionsbetweensocietyandlearning.

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Figure9—TheCompetenceCircle

Toimplementthecompetencecircle,threekeyelementswereaddressed;

• Neededcompetenceswereappliedtooccupationalstandards• NewCurriculawasdevelopedtocomplimentthestandards• andQualificationsorcertificationswereformulatedtheverifycurriculasuccessfulcompletion

Theseimportantelementsofthecompetencecircleweresupportedbyextractingcompetencesfromthee-CFguidedbytheirrelevancetoeachoftheEuropeanICTProfessionalProfiles.


Addressingthecompetencecirclerequiredactiveengagementandcommunicationacrossmanyorganisationsincludinggovernment,academia,trainingprovidersandemployers.Furthermore,thecompetenceapproachrequiredclarityofthoughtandcommonunderstanding.

Figure10—Thecompetencebasedapproach

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Knowledge,skillsandattitudesneededtobeextractedfromtheworkplaceenvironmentandconvertedinto curricula and qualifications standards in the educational environment. There were inevitabledifferences in definitions of activities arising from the workplace or within a learning environment,exemplified in jobroleversuscomputersciencedebates.These linguisticandperspectivediscussionsweresupportbyreferencestothee-CFandassociatedprofiles.


The major benefits and demonstrable value add of the e-CF to addressing this multi-stakeholderapproachtobenefitingtheEstonianeconomyarearticulatedbelow.

• Provisionofaholisticpicture&commonlanguageforeducatorsandemployers

• Aquickandeasydevelopmenttool

• SupportforworkproceduresforCurriculumDevelopmentAdvisoryBoards

• Understandable communication towards students defining competences each curriculumwillprovide

Case Study J – “Using thee-CF todevelopa certification frameworkand spin-off5.10curriculaandVETprogrammes”

Table14—CaseStudyJinshort

Case study title andsource

e-CFusage Keyperspectives

“Using the e-CF todevelop a certificationframework and spin-offcurricula and VETprogrammes.Promanad, Rotterdam,TheNetherlands

Inordertodevelopinternationallyrecognizablecurriculaacertificationframeworkwasdevelopedbasedonthee-CFinordertoassessknowledge,comprehensionandapplicationofconceptsthatformthefoundationforthedevelopmentofthee-CFcompetences.

§ Byusingthee-CFfordefiningacertificationframework,ithasaclearrationalebehinditthatcanbeeasilyexplainedtoallstakeholders.

§ Byusingthee-CFtodevelopexams,thesearenotonlynationallybutalsointernationallyrecognised

§ Byusingthee-CFandtheEuropeanICTprofessionalsjobprofilestobuildICTcurricula,programsarenotonlymuchmoreappealingtostudents,butalsotoemployersandtoaccreditationcommittees.

AboutPromanadandtheSPIHproject5.10.1

Promanadisprimarilyaneducationalservicesprovider.Itsservicesrangefromdesigningcurriculaandcourses, developing and publishing training materials to managing teams of trainers/teachers andproviding programmes and training.We provide services to higher education institutes (universitiesand universities of applied sciences) and Vocational Education and Training (VET) providers(secondaryandhigherVET;LifelongLearningprogrammes).Promanadoffers its servicesnotonly to

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public institutionsbutalsotoprivate institutions.Althoughcoveringmosteducationalareaswithourservices,ourfieldsofexpertisearebusiness/managementeducationandICTeducation.

Especially in theprivate sectorwehaveexperienced that certificationaddsvalue toa training in theeyesofthestudent.TheSPIHprojectaddressedthisneed.

InthisprojectallprivateuniversitiesofappliedsciencesintheNetherlandsworkedtogethertocreateacertificationframeworkthatcouldbeincorporatedintheirprogrammes.Privateuniversitiesofappliedsciences in the Netherlands provide complete part-time associate degree, bachelor and someprofessionalmaster programmes, butmany shorter professional programmes and training aimed atreskilling and upskilling theworkforce. In this sense they have the characteristics of a (higher) VETprovider.

Wedevelopedaframeworkconsistingof11certificatesbasedonthee-CF.Thefoundationconsistsofthree certificates representing basic knowledge for every ICT student and professional. These arepositionedate-CF2/EQF5 level.Therefore, theseare suitedfor incorporating intoassociatedegree(level) programmes and in the first part of bachelor programmes. The eight other (core) exams arepositioned at e-CF 3/ EQF 6 level and suited for bachelor level programmes. This resulted in aframework of eleven certificates that validate knowledge, comprehension and (basic) application ofconcepts that form the foundation for thedevelopmentof the e-CF competences. Students can selectmultiple certifications that are relevant for their ICT jobprofile or can choose a groupof exams thatcoveracertainareaofexpertise.

Theframeworkwastranslatedintoelevenexamsbydevelopingexamrequirementsandspecifications.Based on that, examquestionswere developed that can be put together flexibly in exams using testblueprints. The two largest independent exam ICT institutes in theNetherlands EXIN andAssociatiejoined forces to implement these exams. Initially the examswere labelled iEXA, but EXIN rebrandedthemtoAMBIe-CF®.Referring to theold, in theNetherlandsverywellknown,AMBI framework forICTknowledgeandskillsandofcoursetothefactthattheexamsaree-CFbased.

Having the framework and exams in place, curricula could be developed that incorporate thesecertifications. The easiest implementationswere to offer courses that prepare for one exam or for agroupofexams,forexamplethethreefoundationexams.Butalso,completepart-timeassociatedegreeand bachelor curriculawere implemented based on this framework. In these programmes themoretheoretical courses related to the certifications are complemented with generic, transversal skillscourses and courses consisting of practical assignments and workplace training to developcompetences.Theseprogrammeshaveabroadbaseandsubsequentlyfocusonaspecificareaandjobprofile.


Thee-CFandtheICTProfessionalProfileswereusedasareferencepointthroughouttheentireproject.

Whendevelopingthecertification framework,weusedthee-CFas thebasetomodelour framework.Wetookthee-CFdimension1areasandmatchedthemwiththreearchitecturallayersthatarewidelyrecognised as a standard partition in the ICT (educational) field: infrastructure, applications andbusinessprocesses.Ate-CFlevel2,comparablewithEQF5level,thearchitecturallayerswereleadingas otherwise the topics would become too fragmented. For each e-CF area the competences weregroupedintooneortwocertificates.Withonecertificaterelevantforallormostlayersandonemorespecificfocusedononelayer.

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Figure11—Thecertificationframework

Thefinalstepwasthetranslationtocurricula.Thecertificationframeworktogetherwiththee-CFandthe ICT professional profiles formed the base for complete programmes at associate and bachelordegreelevel,butalsoforshorterre-andupskillingprogrammes.Theshortprogrammesconsistofoneor more courses that were completed with one or more exams, for example the programme ICTfundamentals consisting of the courses business processes foundation, applications foundation andinfrastructure foundationthatarecompletedbypassingtheexamswiththesamenames.OthershortprogrammesconsistofcoursesthateducateforaspecificICTprofessionalprofile.

Inmostcases,thecompleteassociateandbachelorprogrammesconsistofabroadbasefollowedbyamorefocusedcorepartandleadingtoaspecializedlastpartoftheprogramme.Thepropaedeuticyearconsistsofcoursesthatprepareforthefoundationalexams.Thismakesupaquarterormaximumhalfof this firstyeardependingonhowthecoursesareorganisedandwhat theycoverbesides thedirectpreparation for the exams. The remaining part of the first year is divided between courses ontransversal skills and practical assignments inwhich students have to produce deliverables that arerelevanttomostprofessionalprofiles.Thesecondphaseoftheprogrammesisfocusedonaclusterofprofessionalprofilesinmostcasesgroupedbythearchitecturallayers.Inthisphasecoursespreparingforrelevantcoreexamsarepartoftheprogrammecomplementedwithcoursesongeneric,transversalaspects and practical/ work-based assignments. The final part of the programmes is focused on aspecific professional profile like an information security specialist or data specialist. Specific theory,practicalcourses,aninternshipandthesisareallpartofthisspecialisationphase.

Becausethecertificationframeworkiscomposedof logicalunits,eachof themrepresentingthesamestudy load when translated to curricula, modular programmes can be built that are highly flexible.These programmes can easily be redesigned and adapted to changing needs. The flexibility of thesemodular programmes is evenhigher becausewe formulated learning outcomes for each course, thatsimplifycredittransfer.

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Figure12—ExamplecurriculumBachelorSoftwareEngineering


Acomplexundertakinglikethiswithmanystakeholdersandphasesalwaysfaceschallenges.Themostimportantchallengeinthisprojectwastoalignpartners.

The first stepwas to align the partners of the universities of applied sciences on the content of theexams.Althoughtheyunderstoodrationallythatthee-CFwouldaddvalue,theyinstinctivelywantedtoholdontowhattheywerefamiliarwith.So,forthethreefoundationalcertificates/examsatraditionaldivisionofareaswasused,buttherelationshipwithe-CFwasdirectlymadebyconnectingthesewithe-CF competences, using dimension 2 and 3 descriptions for formulating exam requirements andspecifications and the dimension 4 knowledge and skills examples to detail those further. Usingtraditionalnamesforthefoundationalexamsandcombiningthemwiththee-CF.Thisopenedthewaytomakethee-CFleadingfortheeightcoreexams.

After this theexam institutesalsohad tobealigned,becausewehad selected twoexam institutes towork together.EXINwitha lotof specificknowledgeof the ICTsectorandAssociatiewithabroaderexperience in different fields and test methods. They also had to stay aligned with the universities,becauseelse theywouldn’tuse theexams.Especially in thispartof theprocess the lackof abroadlyaccepted general Body of Knowledge became a challenge. Some university partners argued that nobooks or other sources were necessary, while others argued the opposite. Making exam questionswithout having one source turned out almost impossible certainly because in the field of ICTwheremultipledefinitionsandmethodsforthesamethingexist.AEuropeanfoundationalBodyofKnowledgewillsolvethisissue.

Finally, the universities of applied sciences and VET providers had to be aligned. Although theyunderstood the importance and benefits of using a European standard, theywereworried that theirownspecific identitieswoulddisappear.Tomitigate theseconcerns,wemadeclear thatalthoughthecompetences,professionalprofilesandthecertificationframeworkwerestandard,theystillcouldhave

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theirownsignature.Waysofdoingthisareforexampleaddingcoursesrelatedtotheirspecifictargetgroupsorbyformulatingpracticalassignmentsadaptedtothelocalsituation.


Thefollowingarekeybenefitsofadoptingthee-CFanditsICTProfilesinthisproject:

• Byusing thee-CF fordefiningacertification framework, ithasaclearrationalebehind it thatcanbeeasilyexplainedtoallstakeholders.Examandeducationalinstitutionssawthebenefitsandadoptedthisframeworktodevelopexamsandcurricula.

• By using the e-CF to develop exams, these are not only nationally but also internationallyrecognised. In combinationwith the certification framework thisprovides anaddedvalue forstudents and for educational institutions. These institutions can promote their internationalfocus.Wenoticedthatthishelpedverymuchtopromotetheexams.

• By using the e-CF and the European ICT professionals job profiles to build ICT curricula,programs are not only much more appealing to students, but also to employers and toaccreditationcommittees. It is cleardirectly toeverybody that it is internationally recognizedand therefore increases the mobility of employees, but also the possibility for employers tobetter assess international applicants that had their education based on the e-CF andprofessionalprofiles.Accreditationcommitteesvaluethisinternationalapproach.

CaseStudyK—e-CFsupportingculturalchangeintheITorganisation5.11

RedElectricadeEspana,Spain–underdevelopment

CaseStudyE–VIVAT:AligningITProfessionalResourcestotheCompanyStrategy5.12

Table15—CaseStudyEinshort

Case study title andsource

e-CFusage Keyperspectives

Aligning IT ProfessionalResources to the newCompanyStrategy

VIVAT

In 2016, VIVAT refreshed itsstrategy to prepare for thefuture by focusing on fourstrategic themes: CustomerCentricity, Digitalisation, DataandInnovation.

Addressing ICT HumanResources was a key factor inthis change process. The e-CFsupported this imperativefromtacticstostrategy.

§ DefinitionofICTJobDescriptions

§ Connecting Job Descriptions toTrainingRequirements

§ e-CF was adopted as referenceframework supporting the HRmanagement process at thestrategic, tactical and operationallevels for the integration withdifferent frameworks (Cobit5,SAFe)

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AboutVIVATanditsbusiness5.12.1

VIVATisamajorplayerintheDutchinsurancemarket,withstrongandreliableinsurancelabelsandanassetmanagerfocusingonsustainableinvestment.In2016,VIVATrefresheditsstrategytoaddressthefutureandenhanceprofitability;thegoalwastoleverageinsightintomarketdevelopmentsandtrendsthroughtheapplicationoffourcompany-widestrategicthemes:

• Customercentricity• Digitalisation• Data• Innovation


VIVATcommencedadoptionofthee-CFin2016.Thefirststepwastousethee-CFtodefineasetofjobrolesintegratinge-CFICTcompetencesalongsidesoftskillsandbusinessskills.

Theresultantjobdescriptionsincludedtwoprimarycomponents:

• BasicrequirementscommontoallITProfessionals• Additionalrequirementsforspecifiedjobs

Subsequently,ajobclassification(rating)byHayGroupforalljobdescriptionswasapplied.

It is interesting to note that VIVAT job descriptions drew from the full range of e-CF competencesconfirmingthebroadandcomprehensiveapplicabilityofthee-CFinapracticalenvironment.

The second step involved conducting a skills gap analysis to enable the development of a roadmaplinkingjobdescriptionstotrainingplans.

IndevelopingtheirnewstrategyVIVATchosetoadoptbestpracticeandrecognisedthatestablishedframeworksofferedafaststartforcreating anewWayofWorkinginwhichdifferentcompetencieswere requested from IT professionals. Furthermore, VIVAT appreciated the benefit of combiningdifferent frameworks to meet different process requirements. By adopting and integrating thefollowingframeworks,intotheircorporatepractices,VIVATsuccessfullyrealizedtheirorganisationalstrategy:

• Cobit5:addressesITGovernance:

ForHumanResourceVIVATfocusedon2Processes:

• EDM04EnsureResourceOptimisationintheEvaluate,DirectandMonitorarea• APO07ManageHumanResourcesintheAlign,PlanandOrganisearea

• SAFe:addressesthewayofworkingoftheorganization

• e-CF:definesthecompetenciesneededinanITorganisation

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Figure13—Thee-CFintegratedindifferentframeworkssupportingacomprehensiveprocessoverviewfromstrategytotacticsanddailyoperations

Specifically,thee-CFwasadoptedasacommonlanguageatdifferentlevels:

Strategiclevel

• Guidelinesforallocationofresourcesbasedoncapabilities• ICTsourcingstrategyanalysisbasedoncosts,risks• Definition,communicationandmonitoringofsourcingstrategy

Tacticallevel

• Skilldevelopmentplan(s)• Sourcingplan&supplierselection(current&newsourcingsolutions)

Operationallevel

• Portfoliodemandanalysis• Humanresourceplanning• Skillsgapanalysisandtrainingplans• Sourcingactivities:recruitment,talentplanning,

.


Itisnecessarytodevelopagoodunderstandingofthee-CF,especiallytheunderpinningmethodology,tofullyexploitthepotentialprovidedbytheframework.TheVIVATteamisrelativelysmallanditwasstraightforwardtoshareandapplythee-CFacrossthecompanyenvironment.However,itwasmore

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difficult to communicate and share e-CF principles with suppliers and training providers thatgenerallylackexperienceofthee-CF,especiallyinthepracticalapplicationoftheframework.

To overcome this problem, VIVAT provided the necessary interpretation to suppliers and trainingcompanies.


Thee-CFwasavaluabletoolatseverallevels,fromsupportingthedefinitionofthecompanystrategytoidentifyinganddevelopingthedigitalstrategy.Itwasusedtodefinetherequiredcompetencesandtoarticulatetheskillstobedevelopedandthetalentrequired.

Furthermore,thee-CFprovidedacommonlanguagefordescribingcompetence,skill,knowledgeandjobdescriptions.

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AnnexB(informative)

C

EN copyright - not for distribution - restricted use for the e-C

F user Support Final Workshop

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[1] ENXXXX,Titleofreference

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