Skills A to Z

You can:

• understand accessibility and that users have different accessibility needs
• help fix accessibility issues under the direction of others

You can:

• understand users have different accessibility needs
• build user interfaces that meet accessibility standards and fix accessibility issues under the direction of others

You can:

• build user interfaces that meet a predefined set of standards
• champion accessibility to internal stakeholders
• offer design feedback to mitigate the risk of failing accessibility testing
• offer recommendations on the best tools and methods to use when accessibility testing

You can:

• show a strong understanding of accessibility and be an advocate for users with accessibility needs
• build user interfaces that meet a predefined set of standards
• champion accessibility to internal and external stakeholders
• offer design solutions to mitigate the risk of failing accessibility testing
• recommend the best tools and methods to use when accessibility testing

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• demonstrate experience in applying Agile principles in practice
• provide a clear, open and transparent framework in which teams can deliver
• show an awareness of Agile tools and are starting to use them intelligently
• visualise and make visible the work of the team

You can:

• identify and compare the best processes or delivery methods to use
• recognise when something does not work and encourage a mindset of experimentation
• adapt and reflect, be resilient and see outside of the process
• use a blended approach depending on the context
• measure and evaluate outcomes
• help teams to manage and visualise outcomes

You can:

• coach and lead teams in Agile and Lean practices
• act as a recognised expert and advocate for the approaches, continuously reflecting and challenging the team
• create or tailor new ways of working, and constantly innovate

You can:

• describe agile working and the roles in a multidisciplinary digital team

You can:

• understand and explain the benefits and limitations of agile working
• design and conduct your research so the findings can be embedded into an agile workflow
• understand and work with the different roles in a multidisciplinary digital team to plan and do user research

You can:

• advocate for agile working
• adapt how you design and conduct research to respond to the complexity of the product environment
• understand the strategic decisions the team needs to make so you can design appropriate research
• influence decisions about priorities and agile processes in the team

You can:

• advocate for agile working at the organisational level and with senior stakeholders
• help organisations adopt agile research practices
• set standards and expectations of how research insights should be delivered to support delivery by agile teams
• coach and guide other user researchers to adopt agile ways of working

You can:

• show an awareness of Agile methodology and the ways to apply the principles in practice
• take an open-minded approach
• explain why iteration is important
• iterate quickly

You can:

• demonstrate experience working in Agile, and an awareness of Agile tools and how to use them
• advise colleagues on how and why Agile methods are used and provide a clear, open and transparent framework in which teams can deliver
• adapt and reflect and be resilient
• see outside of the process

You can:

• identify and compare the best processes or delivery methods to use, including measuring and evaluating outcomes
• help the team to decide the best approach
• help teams to manage and visualise outcomes, prioritise work and adhere to agreed minimum viable product (MVP), priorities and scope

You can:

• coach and lead teams in Agile and Lean practices, determining the right approach for the team to take and evaluating this through the life of a project
• think of new and innovative ways of working to achieve the right outcomes
• act as a recognised expert and advocate for the approaches, continuously reflecting and challenging the team

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• demonstrate experience of working in Agile teams, including an awareness of Agile tools and how to use them
• advise colleagues on how and why Agile methods are used and provide a clear, open and transparent framework in which teams can deliver
• adapt and reflect and be responsive to feedback
• see outside of the process

You can:

• understand and demonstrate awareness of Agile methodology, and can apply an Agile mindset to your work
• work in a fast-paced, evolving environment and use an iterative and flexible approach to enable rapid delivery
• appreciate the importance of Agile project delivery to digital projects in government
• be unafraid to take risks and willing to learn from mistakes
• ensure the team has a situational awareness of one other’s work and how it relates to objectives and user needs
• use a range of tools and platforms to plan and manage your work

You can:

• coach and lead teams in Agile and Lean practices, determining the right approach for the team or the project
• evaluate and review the approach through the life of a project and can iterate and pivot accordingly
• think of new and innovative ways of working to achieve the right outcomes
• act as a recognised expert and advocate the approaches proposed, continuously reflecting on the work of the team and constructively challenging them to improve processes and delivery
• regularly assess and review capability within teams and ensure individuals have the skills needed to deliver

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• apply the approach to real problems and consider all relevant information
• apply appropriate rigour to ensure a full solution is designed and achieves the business outcome

You can:

• monitor the analysis of a technical solution and ensure analysis is reused for similar problem sets
• review solutions and identify areas for change
• drive the collection of information that is used and analysed
• feed back on policy and requirements

You can:

• provide direction and lead on change regarding factors that feed into analysis
• monitor changes in the technical environment and assess whether risks are still at acceptable levels or whether previous decisions need to be revisited
• direct and influence others on best practice and policy

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• understand and work with colleagues to apply core techniques for analysis and insight
• present clear insights that colleagues can understand and use

You can:

• understand and help teams to apply a range of techniques to analyse data and provide insight
• be proactive and present compelling findings that inform wider decisions
• apply innovative approaches to resolve problems

You can:

• understand, teach and supervise a wide range of analysis techniques
• help organisations create and learn from strategic insights
• apply innovative approaches to resolve problems

You can:

• show an awareness of the need for careful analysis of research data to produce clear findings

You can:

• understand how to apply basic techniques for the analysis of research data and synthesis of findings
• effectively involve your team in analysis and synthesis
• present clear findings that colleagues can understand and use

You can:

• understand and help teams to apply a range of methods to analyse research data and synthesise findings
• effectively engage sceptical colleagues in analysis and synthesis
• advise on the choice and application of techniques, and can critique colleagues’ findings to assure best practice

You can:

• help an organisation to adopt a wide range of analysis and synthesis techniques, and to continually assure, improve and innovate their practices to generate clear and valuable findings

You can:

• show an awareness of the need for careful analysis of research data to produce clear findings

You can:

• understand how to apply basic techniques for the analysis of research data and synthesis of findings
• effectively involve your team in analysis and synthesis
• present clear findings that colleagues can understand and use

You can:

• understand and help teams to apply a range of methods to analyse research data and synthesise findings
• effectively engage sceptical colleagues in analysis and synthesis
• advise on the choice and application of techniques, and can critique colleagues’ findings to assure best practice

You can:

• help an organisation to adopt a wide range of analysis and synthesis techniques, and to continually assure, improve and innovate their practices to generate clear and valuable findings

This skill level is currently not defined.

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• draw together, analyse and evaluate qualitative and quantitative data and information
• quickly read and interpret complex documents from a range of sources and distil to what is relevant
• turn research data into clear findings that inform decisions
• effectively involve colleagues in analysis and synthesis to increase consensus and challenge assumptions
• advise on the choice and application of techniques, and can critique colleagues’ findings to assure best practice
• help teams to define their project outcomes and ethical considerations, and to integrate ethical diagnostics and assessment

You can:

• expertly draw together, analyse and evaluate qualitative and quantitative data
• quickly read and interpret complex documents from a range of sources and distil to what is relevant
• turn research data into clear findings that inform data ethics decisions for the entire organisation
• build capacity in analysis and synthesis and involve others to increase consensus and challenge assumptions
• help teams to define project outcomes and ethical considerations, and to integrate ethical diagnostics and assessment
• help an organisation continually assure and improve their practices to generate clear and valuable data ethics findings

You can:

• show an understanding of the benefits of applied mathematics and statistics, and can use this knowledge to carry out data science tasks
• carry out general analysis techniques for data inspection, exploration and visualisation
• interpret statistical output effectively and accurately
• show an awareness of different performance and accuracy metrics for statistical assessment and validation

You can:

• apply analytical methods including exploratory data analysis and statistical testing to a specific data set, to reach accurate and reliable conclusions
• understand and use different performance and accuracy metrics for model validation in data science projects, hypothesis testing and information retrieval
• compare selected applied mathematics and statistical methods and identify their differences
• access and use the statistical and scientific tools available within the organisation

You can:

• apply designated quantitative techniques such as time series analysis, optimisation and simulation to create and embed appropriate models for analysis and prediction
• provide guidance on matching data sources with relevant applied mathematics and statistical techniques to meet analysis goals
• apply appropriate statistical techniques to available data to discover new relations and offer insight into research problems, helping to improve organisational processes and support decision making
• access and use the statistical tools available within the organisation

You can:

• identify opportunities to develop statistical insight, reports and models to support organisational objectives, while collaborating across the organisation effectively
• critique statistical analyses
• use a variety of data analytics techniques (such as data mining and prescriptive and predictive analytics) for complex data analysis through the whole data life cycle
• use model outputs to produce evidence and help design services and policies
• understand a broad range of statistical tools, particularly those deployed within the organisation, and can use these appropriately and help others to use them

This skill level is currently not defined.

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• explain social sciences, such as anthropology, economics, sociology, philosophy, psychology or race theory. You can apply social science theories to inform data projects, products and policies
• evaluate and challenge assumptions made in data science projects
• can work with academics and external researchers. You can describe emerging theories and concepts

You can:

• explain complex concepts across the social sciences, such as anthropology, economics, sociology, philosophy, psychology or race theory
• apply various social science theories to the strategic oversight of data projects, products and policies
• apply various social science theories to evaluate and challenge assumptions made in data science projects
• identify and use best practice in data ethics
• work with academics and external researchers to publish research on applied digital ethics

You can:

• identify relevant information that can inform your architectural work, such as strategies, roadmaps, policies and technical trends
• understand how your work supports the team in enabling change​

You can:

• align your work with the work being done by other architects and technical professionals
• track emerging issues, strategies, roadmaps, patterns and technologies over time to assess opportunities and risks to your work
• identify how other teams contribute to delivering outcomes through change

You can:

• work to support wider organisational objectives beyond your immediate goals​
• track emerging internal and external issues over time that could affect the work of teams across the organisation
• take action to solve or mitigate problems by influencing colleagues across the organisation

You can:

• assess how trends in society and industry practices might impact the organisation
• work with people outside of your organisation to inform policies, strategies and standards
• anticipate changes to policy and build resilience through your architectural work
• coach others in identifying important trends

You can:

• show an awareness of different ways of creating architecture representations for a limited audience, including technical and non-technical stakeholders
• gather and explain information to be used in architecture representations

You can:

• listen to the needs of technical and business stakeholders
• create and use different architecture representations to communicate effectively, achieving agreement with technical and non-technical stakeholders
• provide support in discussions about architectural topics within a multidisciplinary team

You can:

• lead the communication of complicated, complex or risky architecture topics with technical and non-technical stakeholders
• communicate with senior stakeholders across your organisation
• adapt your message and communication techniques to your audience
• advocate on behalf of a team to other stakeholders
• manage stakeholder expectations effectively

You can:

• communicate with technical and non-technical stakeholders at all levels, and across organisations, using architecture communication techniques​
• mediate between people in difficult architectural discussions
• gain support from business and technical stakeholders for architectural initiatives with high levels of risk, impact and complexity
• coach and support others in architecture communication

You can:

• track, log and correct information to protect assets and components

You can:

• maintain secure configuration and accurate information
• control IT assets in one or more areas
• verify the location and state of IT assets

You can:

• manage configuration items and related information
• manage service compliance and risk

You can:

• manage configuration management for the organisation, ensuring value for the business and adherence to company policies
• ensure that changes to assets are recorded and controlled appropriately
• advocate organisational commitment to asset control

You can:

• explain availability and capacity management processes

You can:

• manage service components to ensure they meet business needs and key performance indicators (KPIs)

You can:

• ensure the correct implementation of availability and capacity management standards and procedures
• identify capacity issues and implement the required changes
• initiate remedial action

You can:

• lead policy and strategy for service and capacity management
• lead the identification and implementation of required changes

You can:

• support structured approaches to identify, investigate, analyse and communicate complex business problems and opportunities
• work under supervision to analyse business goals, objectives, functions and processes, using relevant information and underlying data to support the definition of requirements
• help to ensure a proposed solution meets business and user needs
• complete task-based, discrete outputs for parts of the project as directed, using predetermined methods and techniques

You can:

• apply structured approaches to identify, investigate, analyse and communicate complex business problems and opportunities, within a defined project
• analyse business goals, objectives, functions and processes, using relevant information and data to support the definition of requirements
• conduct options analysis, assess feasibility and operational impact, quantify potential business benefits and contribute to business case development
• help to ensure proposed solutions meet business and user needs
• work with limited direction to complete tasks and defined outputs linked to the project

You can:

• advise on the approach to identify, investigate, analyse and communicate complex business problems and opportunities within a project or programme of work
• inform tactical decision making and help to define longer-term strategic plans
• recommend the approach to options analysis, feasibility assessment and operations, and can quantify potential business benefits
• ensure the proposed solution aligns with business goals and objectives, and business and user needs, and achieves the required outcomes and expected benefits

You can:

• set the direction for business analysis within a programme of work, enterprise or wider sector
• guide tactical decision making and influence the formulation of longer-term strategic plans in an evolving, complex and unpredictable environment
• give colleagues the means and authority to make decisions about their approach to business analysis activities
• ensure that the proposed solutions align with the organisational strategy and vision

You can:

• investigate problems and opportunities in existing processes, and contribute to recommending solutions

You can:

• investigate problems and opportunities in existing processes, and contribute to recommending solutions
• work with stakeholders to identify objectives and potential benefits

You can:

• lead investigative work into problems and opportunities in existing processes
• lead the collection of information and creation of recommendations for improvements
• absorb large amounts of conflicting information and use it to produce solutions

You can:

• direct business analysis, including the collection of information and evidence and the identification of problems and opportunities
• ensure that recommendations fit with strategic business objectives
• communicate recommendations persuasively to important stakeholders
• identify the simplest of a variety of approaches

You can:

• show an awareness of business architecture frameworks, principles and techniques
• support the application of frameworks to business change in an organisation, under guidance

You can:

• help support the adoption of business architecture
• clearly communicate business architecture frameworks, principles, and techniques
• support the production of a multidimensional view of your organisation
• assess the impact of strategies on the organisation, highlighting risks and issues

You can:

• apply and develop business architecture frameworks, principles and techniques in your organisation
• advise and guide the organisation to inform the implementation of its strategy
• share the value of business architecture with the organisation
• produce clear multidimensional views of your organisation to support decision making

You can:

• simplify complex business architecture frameworks into clear actions
• develop business architecture maturity in your organisation, such as through a community of practice
• lead or guide others in using best practice for business architecture, such as industry standards
• identify strategic misalignment within the organisation and make recommendations for improvement

You can:

• explain basic business modelling techniques
• support the representation of business situations within a defined task
• visualise business processes

You can:

• model various elements of the business with limited direction
• understand the impact of potential changes and how business processes, systems, data, roles and responsibilities interact

You can:

• lead on the modelling of business processes, systems and data at varying levels of complexity across a project or programme
• manage the impact of proposed changes

You can:

• determine the scope and methodology for the representation of complex programmes across an organisation
• document conceptual models to support strategic planning and decision making

You can:

• work under supervision to design and implement process improvements for business operations and services

You can:

• work under minimal supervision to identify opportunities to improve business performance within a defined project
• analyse, design and prioritise business changes to improve business operations and services
• support the implementation of proposed business improvements

You can:

• identify opportunities to improve business performance within a project a programme
• manage the design, execution and assessment of business process tests and usability evaluations at an organisational level or within a programme

You can:

• identify opportunities and set direction within a programme to perform business activities
• lead the exploration of ways to improve process efficiency and enhance business outcomes
• help others recognise the potential for change in potentially ambiguous and complex projects
• oversee the implementation of proposed improvements

You can:

• work under supervision to apply analysis and evaluation skills to support business process tests and usability evaluation

You can:

• analyse and evaluate information with minimal supervision to support the design, execution and assessment of business process tests and usability evaluations within a project

You can:

• lead on the application of analysis and evaluation to support the design, execution and assessment of business process tests and usability evaluations within a project or programme

You can:

• manage and support others in the design, execution and assessment of business process tests and usability evaluations at an organisational level or within a programme

You can:

• implement change requests
• apply change control procedures under supervision

You can:

• analyse and assess the impact of change
• document change requests
• action changes from change requests

You can:

• manage high impact, complex change requests
• ensure that release policies, procedures and processes are applied

You can:

• implement new and current change management processes
• support change management, actively improving and optimising processes

you can:

• describe different scripting tools and software that are available and currently in use

You can:

• interact with, read and write code
• carry out baseline repair activities

This skill level is currently not defined.

This skill level is currently not defined.

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• act as the point of contact for contracted suppliers
• understand appropriate internal contacts and processes within a government department
• understand how and when third parties should be brought into digital, data and technology projects

You can:

• take responsibility for complex relationships with contracted suppliers
• identify appropriate contractual frameworks and identify appropriate suppliers
• negotiate with contracted suppliers
• get good value out of contracts and suppliers

You can:

• act as the escalation point and resolve large or high risk commercial management issues
• coach others in appropriate commercial management

You can:

• show an awareness of government commercial processes
• show an awareness of legal and compliance rules

You can:

• understand commercial processes and the appropriate internal contacts within a government department
• understand different sourcing strategies and when to apply them

You can:

• identify appropriate contractual frameworks and approaches
• identify, evaluate and select appropriate suppliers

You can:

• coach others in appropriate commercial, vendor and legal issues

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• understand the appropriate media to communicate findings
• shape and share communications relevant to the audience
• give tactical recommendations

You can:

• turn complex data into compelling, clear and actionable stories
• share data communication skills with the team and across government
• present analysis and visualisations in clear ways to communicate complex messages
• communicate negative and positive information to stakeholders
• give tactical and strategic recommendations

You can:

• communicate relevant, compelling stories using the most appropriate medium
• make complex recommendations at a tactical and strategic level
• present analysis and visualisations in clear ways to communicate complex messages
• communicate negative and positive information to stakeholders

You can:

• show an awareness of the need to translate technical concepts into non-technical language
• understand what communication is required with internal and external stakeholders

You can:

• communicate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders
• support and host discussions within a multidisciplinary team, with potentially difficult dynamics
• be an advocate for the team externally, and can manage differing perspectives

You can:

• listen to the needs of technical and business stakeholders, and interpret them
• effectively manage stakeholder expectations
• manage active and reactive communication
• support or host difficult discussions within the team or with diverse senior stakeholders

You can:

• mediate between people and mend relationships, communicating with stakeholders at all levels
• manage stakeholder expectations and moderate discussions about high risk and complexity, even within constrained timescales
• speak on behalf of and represent the community to large audiences inside and outside of government

You can:

• show an awareness that data needs to be aligned to the needs of the end user
• create basic visuals and presentations

You can:

• understand the appropriate media to communicate findings
• shape communications for the audience

You can:

• turn complex data into clear and well understood solutions, which can be acted upon
• share data communication skills with the team and organisation
• understand and communicate different options, taking into account risks and uncertainties

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• listen to the needs of design and business stakeholders and interpret information
• take part in discussions within a multidisciplinary team

You can:

• listen to the needs of design and business stakeholders and interpret information
• take part in discussions within a multidisciplinary team
• be an advocate for the team externally, and can manage differing perspectives
• shape and share communications relevant to the audience

You can:

• work collaboratively in a group and build relationships with others
• identify issues through Agile 'health checks' and work with others to address them
• manage stakeholder expectations
• be flexible and capable of proactive and reactive communication
• host or moderate difficult discussions within the team or with senior stakeholders

You can:

• mediate between people and mend relationships, communicating with stakeholders at all levels
• manage stakeholder expectations and host or moderate discussions about high risk and complexity, even within constrained timescales
• speak on behalf of and represent the community to large audiences inside and outside of government

This skill level is currently not defined.

This skill level is currently not defined.

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• expertly translate technical concepts to non-technical audiences so they are understood by all
• demonstrate a good understanding of how technology and data products and services are built
• understand technical jargon and have sufficient knowledge to hold meaningful conversations with data science experts on issues such as minimising bias in data, or gathering, collecting, cleansing, triangulating, and reusing data
• effectively support data scientists and engineers in implementing data ethics

This skill level is currently not defined.

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• demonstrate a deep understanding of security concepts and can apply them to a technical level
• effectively translate and accurately communicate security and risk implications to technical and non-technical stakeholders
• successfully respond to challenges
• manage stakeholder expectations and be flexible, adapting to stakeholder reactions to reach consensus

You can:

• demonstrate expert understanding of security concepts and can apply them to a technical level, at the highest levels of risk complexity
• effectively translate and accurately communicate security and risk implications at the most senior levels across technical and non-technical stakeholders
• successfully respond to challenges
• manage stakeholder expectations across high risk and complexity or under constrained timescales

You can:

• understand the work of others and the importance of team dynamics, collaboration and feedback

You can:

• contribute to the work of others
• motivate and empower teams
• create the right environment for teams to work in, and can identify the best team makeup depending on the situation
• recognise and deal with issues

You can:

• work collaboratively in a group, actively networking with others
• adapt feedback to ensure it’s effective and lasting
• use your initiative to identify problems or issues in the team dynamic and rectify them
• identify issues through Agile ‘health checks’ with the team, and help to stimulate the right responses

You can:

• solve and unblock issues between teams or departments at the highest level
• coach the organisation on team dynamics and conflict resolution, while also building and growing the community

You can:

• show an understanding of the need for consulting in your role, and its purpose
• work under guidance to identify what advice, guidance and recommendations might be appropriate, usually by referring to previous work by others
• show an understanding of how to frame problems that need to be solved

You can:

• provide advice, guidance and recommendations based on your specialist knowledge and experience
• propose methodologies to follow and approaches to implementation
• frame problems so they can easily be understood, and troubleshoot where required, to support the business in operating more effectively

You can:

• provide advice and recommendations to stakeholders based on your significant specialist knowledge and experience
• lead the definition of guidance and inform how the organisation approaches delivery or uses digital and data skills more effectively

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• show an awareness of prototyping and explain why and when to use it
• understand how to work in an open and collaborative environment (by pair working, for example)

You can:

• understand different prototyping techniques, from paper sketches to coded prototypes, and can use them to visualise content in context
• choose the best option to make content understandable to different audiences and to demonstrate a proposed approach to content changes or improvements
• show the value of prototyping to the team

You can:

• build and create a variety of different prototypes, from paper sketches to coded prototypes
• choose the most appropriate option to visualise content in context for different audiences
• effectively combine prototypes with other content and design outputs to test with users and show to stakeholders
• establish content patterns, and test and iterate them

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• show an awareness of developing process efficiency and common ways in which processes are optimised
• support specific activities to improve development processes
• spot or identify obvious deficiencies

You can:

• identify process optimisation opportunities with guidance, and contribute to the implementation of proposed solutions

You can:

• analyse current processes, and identify and implement opportunities to optimise them
• lead and develop a team of experts to deliver service improvements
• help to evaluate and establish requirements for the implementation of changes by setting policy and standards

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• explain the basic principles of IT standard continuity management processes and procedures

You can:

• manage the runbooks and the processes around service continuity
• test the runbooks to ensure that service availability is maintained

This skill level is currently not defined.

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• explain customer service management processes
• provide customer service management support under supervision

You can:

• resolve user requests to a minimum of the agreed service level agreement
• empathise with the end user
• use customer-focused metrics to achieve the desired outcome

You can:

• resolve user requests, maintaining a high level of customer service
• deal with complex complaints
• use empathy to understand and meet customer needs

You can:

• translate lessons learnt into continual service improvement
• oversee the full range of customer service functions, including reviewing customer service satisfaction
• investigate which processes can be automated and the ways to automate them

You can:

• interpret data to find key insights

You can:

• undertake data profiling and source system analysis
• present clear insights to colleagues to support the end use of the data

You can:

• understand and help teams to apply a range of techniques for data profiling
• source system analysis from a complex single source
• bring multiple data sources together in a conformed model for analysis

This skill level is currently not defined.

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• design, build and test data products based on feeds from multiple systems, using a range of different storage technologies, access methods or both
• create repeatable and reusable products

You can:

• design, build and test data products that are complex or large scale
• build teams to complete data integration services

You can:

• establish enterprise-scale data integration procedures across the data development life cycle, and ensure that teams adhere to them
• manage resources to ensure that data services work effectively at an enterprise level

You can

• explain why you need engineering support to design and provide products for the organisation
• explain why you need to cleanse and prepare data for use in data science products
• explain different architectures, including cloud and on-premise, and data manipulation and transformation tools

You can:

• identify the appropriate engineering support to design and provide products for the organisation
• recognise the processes and tools for cleansing and preparing data, and put reusable processes and checks in place
• use different architectures, including cloud and on-premise
• use data manipulation and transformation tools

You can:

• work with data engineers and data scientists to design and provide products for the organisation

You can:

• help to identify the data engineering requirements for any data science product, while working with data engineers and data scientists to design and deliver those products into the organisation effectively
• understand the need to cleanse and prepare data before including it in data science products and can put reusable processes and checks in place
• understand a broad range of architectures, including cloud and on-premise, and data manipulation and transformation tools deployed within the organisation, and can use these tools appropriately and help others use them

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• demonstrate up-to-date knowledge of data governance theory, standard methodology and the practical considerations
• develop an end-to-end data governance framework (the processes, operational policies and standards needed to support data management)
• work effectively with technical teams and other stakeholders to implement a data governance framework, and make recommendations to ensure compliance

You can:

• implement and monitor data governance using standard methodology throughout the data life cycle, within a large organisation
• meet the requirement for relevant data governance accreditation
• take responsibility for specific parts of a data governance framework within the organisation

You can:

• define the data governance strategy for the organisation, and connect it with the wider organisational strategy
• design, implement and monitor data governance within a large organisation, throughout the data life cycle
• set the strategy for applying end-to-end data governance frameworks, processes, operational policies, standards, compliance and assurance
• engage and work effectively with technical leaders and senior stakeholders to implement data governance and ensure compliance

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• understand what data governance is required
• take responsibility for the assurance of data solutions and make recommendations to ensure compliance

You can:

• evolve and define data governance
• take responsibility for supporting and collaborating around wider governance
• assure and integrate data services to meet the needs of multiple business services
• work proactively to ensure the organisation designs architecture that considers data

You can:

• ensure data governance supports changes to the organisational strategy
• align data governance with wider governance (for example, budget)
• assure corporate services by understanding important risks and providing mitigation through assurance mechanisms

You can:

• show an awareness of opportunities for innovation with new tools and uses of data

You can:

• understand the impact on the organisation of emerging trends in data tools, analysis techniques and data usage

You can:

• identify areas of innovation in data tools and techniques, and recognise appropriate timing for adoption

You can:

• investigate emerging trends in data-related approaches, perform horizon-scanning for the organisation and introduce innovative ways of working

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• deliver data solutions in accordance with agreed organisational standards that ensure services are resilient, scalable and future-proof

You can:

• select and implement the appropriate technologies to deliver resilient, scalable and future-proofed data solutions

You can:

• establish standards, keep them up to date and ensure adherence to them
• keep abreast of best practice in industry and across government

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• understand and apply data governance over a data life cycle, ensuring best practice at each phase

You can:

• understand and apply data governance structures and principles over a data life cycle, ensuring best practice at each phase
• demonstrate knowledge of data governance industry standards
• design and implement continuous improvements to optimise data governance over a data life cycle
• work with internal and external stakeholders to build organisational capacity and capability in data governance

You can:

• take responsibility for data governance structures and principles, and ensure that they’re defined and applied with best practice throughout a data life cycle
• direct continuous improvements to optimise data governance over a data life cycle

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• raise awareness of the need for data literacy within the organisation
• support data literacy training and development by enabling data consumers to understand what they can and cannot do with data

You can:

• recommend data literacy as a valuable skill across all levels of the organisation
• identify employee training courses and other opportunities to improve the organisation’s data literacy skills and data-driven culture

You can:

• take responsibility for improving the organisation’s data literacy
• encourage a data-driven culture within the organisation by strengthening data literacy skills among all employees
• persuade senior decision-makers that data literacy is a vital part of a data-driven culture, enabling effective decision-making at all levels

You can:

• show an awareness of organisational data governance, and how it works in relation to other organisational governance structures

You can:

• understand data governance and how it works in relation to other organisational governance structures
• participate in or deliver the assurance of a service

You can:

• advocate data governance and data management standards and guidelines within your team’s products and services
• continually communicate and improve data management practices in your teams
• help define and support the use of common toolsets
• seek to automate data management activities where possible
• develop processes to enable good data management practices and compliance with data governance policies

You can:

• ensure data management and governance processes are in place and adhered to for the products and services your teams provide
• ensure data management responsibilities are clearly defined and training is in place to enable the execution of data management practices
• define strategies to enable continual improvement of data management practices and compliance with data governance policies

You can:

• explain some of the different data maturity levels

You can:

• explain the different data maturity models available
• measure data maturity and implement best practices
• describe the benefits of potential improvements

You can:

• lead the implementation of data best practices
• communicate opportunities to improve data maturity
• lead on monitoring and improving areas of data maturity

You can:

• oversee the implementation of the organisation’s data maturity model
• work with senior stakeholders to provide data assurance
• report assessment findings to boards or committees
• communicate data maturity improvement plans

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• explain the concepts and principles of data modelling
• produce, maintain and update relevant data models for an organisation’s specific needs
• reverse-engineer data models from a live system

You can:

• produce relevant data models across multiple subject areas
• explain which models to use for which purpose
• understand industry-recognised data modelling patterns and standards, and when to apply them
• compare and align different data models

You can:

• understand the concepts and principles of data modelling and can produce relevant data models
• work across government and industry, recognising opportunities for the reuse and alignment of data models in different organisations
• design the method to categorise data models within an organisation

You can:

• show an awareness of different data models and tools, and understand when they could be used
• show an awareness of industry-recognised data modelling patterns and standards

You can:

• produce data models and understand where to use different types of data models
• understand different tools and can compare different data models
• reverse-engineer a data model from a live system
• understand industry-recognised data modelling patterns and standards

You can:

• build and review complex data models, ensuring adherence to standards
• use data integration tools and languages to integrate and store data, and advise teams on best practice
• ensure data for analysis meets data quality standards and is interoperable with other data sets, enabling reuse
• work with other data professionals to improve modelling and integration patterns and standards

You can:

• understand different ways to model data to maximise its use and value
• ensure data is modelled appropriately, and modelling standards exist and are complied with
• understand a number of data integration tools and patterns, and ensure your teams have the support and training needed to use the most appropriate methods
• build relationships with other senior data professionals (in fields such as data architecture, data engineering and data science) to share best practice and continually improve data modelling and integration processes and standards

You can:

• understand basic data issues and can check that the data and analysis look right
• understand the concept of data being fit for purpose
• understand the context of the data
• show that you know the right questions to ask, and apply a curious and analytical mindset when approaching a problem
• perform data preparation and cleansing with guidance

You can:

• identify appropriate ways to collect, collate and prepare data
• decide if data is accurate and fit for purpose
• prepare and cleanse data with limited guidance

You can:

• set up a system to get data ready for use and specify how data should be cleansed and prepared
• bring data together from different sources
• communicate the limitations of data
• peer review colleagues’ outputs to ensure quality

You can:

• show a deep understanding of relevant data sources, tools and systems
• use appropriate approaches for verifying and validating data and analysis
• influence senior stakeholders in data approaches
• coach and mentor others

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• apply relevant data and ethical frameworks and standards to your work
• understand all aspects of data governance and use, ensuring these are maintained in-line with laws, regulations, codes of practice and ethical requirements
• demonstrate an awareness of emerging best practice in areas such as data ethics, and an understanding of the changing landscape

You can:

• demonstrate a good understanding of relevant data laws, regulations, codes of practice and ethical requirements, and can apply these to your work
• understand how the law and ethical considerations relate to one another
• monitor the landscape and legislation to ensure you understand and can implement best practice in new areas of thought such as data ethics

You can:

• effectively manage data governance issues
• oversee the implementation of relevant data and ethical frameworks and standards to the work of the organisation
• direct continuous improvement activity to optimise data governance practices
• work effectively with internal and external stakeholders to build the organisation’s capability in data regulation and ethics

You can:

• adopt an inquisitive and curious approach to data
• be receptive to learning about data science and its techniques
• be unafraid to ask questions and discover what there is to learn

You can:

• adopt an inquisitive and curious approach to data
• seek out and research new data science techniques to support learning
• ask questions to improve your knowledge and learn about data science norms
• see possibilities for improvements and innovation

You can:

• demonstrate practical knowledge of data science tools and techniques
• develop data science solutions that maximise insight
• identify opportunities for how data science can improve data practices

You can:

• be a leader in the data science space
• demonstrate in-depth knowledge of data science tools and techniques, which you can use to solve problems creatively and to create opportunities for your team
• act as a coach, inspiring curiosity and creativity in others
• demonstrate in-depth knowledge of your chosen profession and keep up to date with changes in the industry
• challenge the status quo and always look for ways to improve data science

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• use data policies, processes and standards effectively
• work with subject matter experts to develop standards, policies and guidance to protect data
• monitor compliance with policies and standards in a team and take action if needed
• analyse the impact if a standard is breached

You can:

• create data standards for different subjects and ensure senior leaders understand them
• work with subject matter experts across the organisation to introduce data standards best practice
• monitor compliance with policies and standards in the organisation
• make recommendations about how the organisation should resolve breaches of standards

You can:

• create data standards for the organisation
• advocate for, and oversee compliance with, data policies and standards
• decide where standards need to be set across the organisation, and how to set them in the wider context of government

You can:

• describe how to choose the most appropriate medium to visualise data to tell compelling stories
• present, communicate and disseminate data appropriately, with supervision

You can:

• use the most appropriate medium to visualise data to tell compelling stories that are relevant to business goals and can be acted upon
• present, communicate and disseminate data appropriately and with influence

You can:

• demonstrate skill in a number of data visualisation tools and techniques
• apply standards and best practices to present, communicate and disseminate data appropriately and with influence
• review, advise and support more junior members, and establish processes, standards and templates for others to follow, improving the efficiency and quality of visualisations

You can:

• set the strategy to enable your teams to produce effective and influential visualisations
• ensure adherence to organisation-wide standards and guidelines, and suggest appropriate ways to improve them
• ensure your team has the training, skills and support required to produce high quality data visualisations that are insightful and can be acted upon
• implement feedback gathering to support continuous improvement

You can:

• show an understanding of the organisation and the benefits of data science
• develop data science products as part of a team
• create basic visuals and presentations to communicate data science effectively
• show knowledge of data and analysis and can discuss how to align them to meet user needs

You can:

• show an understanding of the organisation and the benefits of data science
• collaborate to help identify user needs and develop and deliver data science products
• communicate effectively and present analysis and visualisations tailored to your audience

You can:

• lead and support your organisation area by using data science to create change
• identify opportunities to develop data science products to support organisational objectives, while collaborating across the organisation to fulfil goals
• show an understanding of the role of user research, and can design and manage processes to gather and establish user needs
• communicate relevant and compelling stories effectively and present analysis and data visualisations clearly to get across complex messages
• work with colleagues to implement scalable data science products, and to understand maintenance requirements

You can:

• champion the role of data science within the organisation
• understand and champion user research, and can design and manage processes to gather and establish user needs
• identify and create opportunities to develop and deliver data science products to support organisational objectives, while collaborating across the organisation to fulfil meaningful goals
• take responsibility for delivering scalable data science products into the organisation, and establishing maintenance support

You can:

• explain the importance of articulating design decisions to others
• describe some methods for explaining design decisions

You can:

• clearly explain problems and design ideas to others
• clearly explain design decisions to others using appropriate tools and methods

You can:

• clearly explain complex problems and ideas to teams or stakeholders outside of design
• clearly document and communicate design decisions, related risks and any unresolved issues
• build consensus around a design approach, for example, by asking difficult questions and challenging assumptions

You can:

• gain support for design decisions and design strategy from senior leaders
• communicate design strategy across organisational boundaries
• coach others in how to effectively communicate design
• develop or introduce more effective methods of communicating design and working in the open

You can:

• explain the importance of making government content and services inclusive, accessible and environmentally sustainable
• explain different access needs that users can have, and ways to meet them
• describe how privilege and power influence the design and delivery of content and services

You can:

• work with others to design and deliver inclusive, accessible and environmentally sustainable content or services that meet the needs of all users
• ensure a design meets appropriate standards, for example accessibility regulations, with support

You can:

• advise teams on how to design inclusive, accessible and environmentally sustainable content or services
• design and deliver ethical content or services that consider the personal and social context of users
• ensure a design meets appropriate standards, for example accessibility regulations

You can:

• measurably improve the practice of inclusive, accessible and environmentally sustainable design in multiple teams or across your organisation
• help others understand and mitigate the influence of privilege and power on the design and delivery of content and services

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• design and review system architectures through the application of patterns and principles

You can:

• design and review system architectures through the development of patterns and principles

• lead design and review solutions to complex problems with system architectures by defining and challenging patterns and principles
• create precedents and set direction

You can:

• explain the importance of aligning to the strategy of an organisation
• describe how your design work aligns to the wider goals and vision of your team
• explain the value of using patterns and components in design

You can:

• align your design work to both the goals and vision of your team and the strategic objectives of your organisation
• identify potential risks and use design to mitigate them
• identify opportunities and use design to take advantage of them
• contribute to the development of design patterns and components

You can:

• help a team understand how user-centred design helps it meet its goals
• help teams align their work to the goals and vision of their organisation
• use risks, opportunities and constraints in technology, systems and policy to shape design
• identify and create new design patterns and components

You can:

• work with others to ensure design becomes part of the development and implementation of your organisation’s strategy
• work with leaders to ensure design is included in policy, technology and delivery processes early enough to inform effective decision making
• enable use of patterns and components across the organisation

You can:

• explain different techniques for bringing together perspectives from multiple people to inform a design
• explain the importance of constructive feedback in the design process

You can:

• effectively plan and run a design session with your team, users or stakeholders
• identify and engage the right people throughout the design process
• give and receive constructive design feedback

You can:

• advise others how to effectively plan and run design sessions with a team, users or stakeholders
• adapt a design session to ensure you achieve a useful outcome
• effectively involve the right people throughout the design process
• work across team or profession boundaries, for example with policy teams

You can:

• effectively plan and run design sessions that include senior leaders or stakeholders
• help teams connect and work across organisational boundaries
• coach other designers in how to involve stakeholders of any level in the design process
• develop or introduce more effective ways to design together

you can:

• show an awareness of various sources of training and self-directed learning for data science
• create a CPD (continuous professional development) plan with support from your manager
• demonstrate a basic understanding of key data science techniques, such as machine learning, and how they can be used

You can:

• manage your CPD (continuous professional development) and can link your learning to objectives and organisational goals
• confidently talk about the benefits of data science approaches to existing and potential customers
• demonstrate a good understanding of key data science techniques, such as machine learning, and you can use them to build data science solutions, including reports, models and dashboards

You can:

• manage your CPD (continuous professional development) and can link your learning to objectives and organisational goals
• support data science capability building across the team and wider organisation
• confidently talk about the benefits of data science approaches to existing and potential customers
• demonstrate a good understanding of a range of data science techniques, such as machine learning and natural language processing, and you can use them to build data science solutions, including reports, models and dashboards

You can:

• act as a leader or technical specialist, providing detailed support and guidance within the organisation and helping colleagues to develop skills
• set the direction of CPD (continuous professional development) within your team
• keep up to date with new developments in data science and can match those to opportunities in your organisation
• talk confidently about the benefits of data science approaches to existing and potential customers
• demonstrate an in-depth understanding of a wide range of data science techniques, such as machine learning and natural language processing, and detailed knowledge of at least one specialism
• use these techniques to build data science solutions, including reports, models and dashboards

You can:

• explain the importance of developing process efficiency and the common ways in which processes are optimised
• support specific activities to improve development processes
• identify obvious deficiencies

You can:

• work under guidance to identify process optimisation opportunities
• contribute to the implementation of proposed solutions

You can:

• analyse current processes
• identify and implement opportunities to optimise processes
• lead and develop a team of experts to deliver service improvements
• help to evaluate and establish requirements for the implementation of changes by setting policy and standards

You can:

• set the strategy and manage resource allocation for solution development programmes
• work with client functions to establish business requirements and identify, propose, initiate and lead these programmes

This skill level is currently not defined.

This skill level is currently not defined.

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• incorporate a wide variety of views from underrepresented groups into product and policy work, using in-depth consulting and outreach strategies
• be involved in the wider organisational diversity and inclusion plan
• draw on your multidisciplinary background and personal experience to understand the consequences of data systems on a diverse range of stakeholders
• demonstrate a thorough understanding of social issues, types of bias and discrimination different groups can face, and you can use this knowledge to inform your data ethics work

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• work with risk owners to advise and give feedback
• advise on risk impact and whether it's within risk tolerance
• describe different risk methodologies and how these are applied, as well as the proportionality of risk

You can:

• work with higher impact or more complex risks, advising on the impact and whether it's within risk tolerance
• apply different risk methodologies in proportion to the risk

You can:

• act as a point of escalation
• be trusted by senior risk owners as an expert in security
• apply risk methodologies at the most complex levels of risk

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• work with limited direction to translate business drivers, goals and constraints into business objectives
• help to define required capabilities and support organisational changes to create operating models that meet business objectives

This skill level is currently not defined.

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• explain how to turn an organisation's goals into clear objectives
• explain how an architecture that defines technology, people, process and other elements can be used to achieve the organisation’s objectives

You can:

• turn an organisation's goals into clear objectives, with limited direction
• design an architecture that defines the technology, people, process and other elements needed to achieve organisation objectives, with support

You can:

• design an architecture that defines the technology, people, process and other elements needed to achieve organisation objectives
• work with others across the organisation to ensure your design is used to achieve the organisation’s objectives

You can:

• lead others designing architectures defining the technology, people, process and other elements needed to achieve organisation objectives
• work with others beyond the organisation to influence organisational structures, technology, people and processes to achieve objectives
• ensure organisation-wide changes align with the architectural strategy

This skill level is currently not defined.

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• understand the ethical considerations of potential data science approaches
• show an awareness of the legislation applicable in this area, such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act (DPA)
• show an awareness of existing data and AI ethics frameworks in and outside government

You can:

• expertly set and identify the ethical considerations of potential data science approaches
• demonstrate a good working knowledge of the legislation applicable in this area, such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act (DPA)
• demonstrate expert knowledge of existing data and AI ethics frameworks in and outside government and can advise others seeking ethical guidance

You can:

• show that you know the appropriate channels to discuss ethical issues

You can:

• show an understanding of the ethical implications of using data science in your projects
• identify the person within the organisation to raise concerns or suggestions with regarding ethical considerations and compliance

You can:

• show an understanding of how ethical issues fit into a wider context and can work with relevant stakeholders
• stay up to date with developments in data ethics standards and legislation frameworks, using these to improve processes in your work area
• identify and respond to ethical concerns in your area of responsibility

You can:

• oversee compliance with data ethics standards and legislation
• develop and manage the ethical framework for how data, machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques are used across the organisation, ensuring data governance complies with relevant legislation and standards
• embed a culture of data ethics and explain why this is so important
• ensure ethics guidance is appropriately applied to the formulation, implementation and evaluation of policies and programmes
• assess and constructively challenge proposed policies and programmes

You can:

• explain how research and analytics inform user-centred design
• frame your ideas as design hypotheses to be tested
• identify common sources and types of data that inform user-centred design

You can:

• analyse, synthesise and clearly explain evidence relevant to users or a service, for example, web analytics data
• work with researchers or analysts to use evidence to inform, develop and test a design idea

You can:

• analyse, synthesise and clearly explain complex evidence relevant to users or a service, for example, large data sets
• help your team use design hypotheses effectively
• use complex research and data to develop and test design ideas

You can:

• embed a practice of hypothesis-driven design in a team
• guide the organisation in how to use evidence to improve services
• analyse, synthesise and use evidence to improve the way the organisation works
• ensure user insights are shared with and used by the wider organisation and across government

You can:

• understand the financial impact of the work you do and how cost and budgets are created

You can:

• balance cost versus value
• consider the impact of user needs
• report on financial delivery
• monitor cost and budget
• understand how and when to escalate issues

You can:

• negotiate, influence or set budgets in complex environments
• write or input into business cases and can communicate business-value propositions

You can:

• influence or create complex budgets across an organisation, programme or product view
• manage the budget you are given and make it work

You can:

• handle numbers confidently
• collate information ensuring the accuracy of financial and performance data

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• understand the marketplace
• realise the benefit of a product and persuade others that it's the right one to use
• integrate a product with other services
• ensure that products get used
• realise benefits by linking work in progress back to the business case
• build business cases based on user needs

You can:

• develop an Agile business case and own and iterate it throughout the product life cycle
• develop benefits with others within the portfolio
• understand the granularity of financial costs per sprint and the value delivered

You can:

• show an awareness of functional testing techniques
• execute test scenarios and identify defects, raising awareness of them
• run tests others have written and know the processes to do so
• show an understanding of a range of standard testing techniques

You can:

• design and execute test cases using standard testing techniques
• come up with different business scenarios for a feature, working with others in the team

You can:

• design and execute a wide range of testing techniques and communicate test results to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• make decisions on the environment for testing, and can coach others
• identify defects, alert the business to them, and help to prioritise them based on defect severity

You can:

• advise on up-to-date functional testing techniques
• assess and peer-review the work of others
• coach and mentor others
• write test approaches for major projects and provide guidance on risk approaches
• devise new test techniques and provide recommendations

You can:

• understand technical governance
• participate in the assurance of a service

You can:

• understand how governance works and what governance is required
• take responsibility for the assurance of a service and know what risks need to be managed

You can:

• evolve and define governance
• take responsibility for working with and supporting other staff in wider governance
• assure services across sets of services
• use tools such as standards, guardrails and principles to effectively govern delivery

You can:

• understand how technical governance works with wider governance (such as budget)
• assure corporate services by understanding important risks and mitigating them through assurance mechanisms

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• analyse and provide feedback on governance and project documents, and on governance boards, according to a predefined framework, assessing them against accessibility standards

You can:

• challenge teams, make full use of existing arrangements and build strong relationships to reduce or remove risk associated with not meeting accessibility standards

You can:

• analyse governance and assurance systems and add appropriate measures to ensure accessibility is built into all project, programme and change activity

You can:

• demonstrate a basic understanding of design, technology and data principles
• understand the range of available technology choices

You can:

• demonstrate a working understanding of design, technology and data principles
• understand the variety and complexity of users’ digital needs, and how the product will meet those needs
• show an awareness of assisted digital support and can explain why it’s important
• design services and make decisions to meet user needs

You can:

• demonstrate an advanced understanding of design, technology and data principles
• identify and implement solutions for assisted digital
• apply knowledge to work with other roles and groups in Government Digital and Data

You can:

• show knowledge of the wider digital economy and advances in technology
• understand Agile working at an organisational level
• create the environment for success
• initiate and support working with other roles and groups in Government Digital and Data

You can:

• identify and register incidents, gathering the required information and allocating it to the appropriate channel

You can:

• diagnose and prioritise incidents, investigate their causes and find resolutions

You can:

• lead the investigation and resolution of incidents

This skill level is currently not defined.

You can:

• demonstrate some awareness of the diversity of users of government services and the need to make government services usable and accessible for everyone

You can:

• understand the diversity of users of government services and the need to make services usable and accessible for everyone
• work with colleagues to include many kinds of users in appropriate research activities

You can:

• help teams understand the diversity of users of government services
• effectively include all kinds of users in appropriate research activities
• advocate inclusive practices and help teams design and deliver accessible services that work for all users

You can:

• help organisations understand the diversity of users of government services
• guide organisations to adopt inclusive practices and apply what they learn to design and deliver accessible services that work for all users