The criteria behind the assessment.

A challenge you might bring

An organisation is growing, but customers keep falling between teams. Map the whole service, clarify ownership and redesign the handovers.

The expertise here

Operating models; organisation and process design; business architecture; strategy and business cases; end-to-end service design.

Business architects, operating model leads, service designers and process specialists.

What your evidence can show

A model or service you shaped, the decisions you influenced and what changed. For process improvement, whether the change lasted matters too.

What the assessment draws on

BIZBOK for business architecture and operating models; BABOK for process and analysis; government service-design guidance for the whole service. Shingo informs the durability of process improvements.

A challenge you might bring

A digital service has plenty of features but people abandon it. Understand their needs, test the difficult moments and decide what to improve first.

The expertise here

Product strategy and ownership; discovery and user research; UX and interaction design; content, accessibility and design systems.

Product leaders and managers, researchers, designers and accessibility specialists.

What your evidence can show

A product you helped shape, the users you learned from and the decisions or outcomes attributable to your work.

What the assessment draws on

Government Digital and Data role guidance, SFIA’s product-management skill and the GOV.UK Design System. Roman Pichler’s competency framework adds a practitioner perspective.

A challenge you might bring

An organisation wants to use AI but has fragmented data and ageing systems. Explore the options, test the risks and shape a practical route into use.

The expertise here

Architecture; data, analytics and AI; engineering and service operations; analysis and functional consulting; technology strategy; testing and security.

CIOs and CTOs, architects, engineers, data and AI practitioners, technology analysts and security specialists.

What your evidence can show

Systems you built, ran, secured or advised on, with your responsibility, constraints and results made clear.

What the assessment draws on

SFIA 9 and Government Digital and Data role guidance, applied to the capabilities they cover. Package-specific functional consulting also draws on practice.

A challenge you might bring

A portfolio has more commitments than capacity. Make the trade-offs visible, reset priorities and create a credible route to the outcomes that matter.

The expertise here

Programme and portfolio direction; planning and control; agile delivery; assurance; PMO and TMO; benefits realisation.

Programme directors, delivery leaders, PMO professionals, agile coaches and assurance specialists.

What your evidence can show

Your actual responsibility, the delivery decisions you made and the outcomes achieved. Coaching a team and owning a programme are different contributions.

What the assessment draws on

The APM Competence Framework, supported by Government Digital and Data delivery-role guidance for iterative delivery and planning.

A challenge you might bring

AI is changing how a team works. Understand the impact on roles, involve people in the choices and build the confidence and capability to adapt.

The expertise here

Change leadership; learning, coaching, mentoring and leadership development; communications; organisation development and culture; people analytics; HR and workforce transformation.

CHROs and HR directors, change leaders, learning specialists, organisation-development practitioners and internal communicators.

What your evidence can show

The people affected, what you did with them and evidence of adoption, learning or lasting change.

What the assessment draws on

The CIPD Profession Map and the Institute of Internal Communication’s Profession Map. HR transformation combines relevant disciplines with practitioner experience.

A challenge you might bring

A service faces rising demand and a growing backlog. Find the constraints, balance capacity and improve flow without sacrificing quality.

The expertise here

Operational excellence and continuous improvement; customer service and customer success; service operations; workforce and capacity planning; performance and reporting.

Operations directors, service leaders, continuous-improvement practitioners, capacity planners and performance specialists.

What your evidence can show

An operation you ran or improved, its scale, the change in cost, quality or service and whether the improvement held.

What the assessment draws on

Operational practice underpins the rubric. The Shingo Model informs the specific question of whether continuous improvement is sustained; it is not a framework for the whole community.

A challenge you might bring

Demand is volatile and stock is in the wrong places. Revisit planning, inventory and the distribution network to improve availability and resilience.

The expertise here

Demand and supply planning; inventory and fulfilment; logistics and distribution; network design; supplier resilience.

Supply-chain directors, planners, logistics and distribution leaders, inventory specialists and network designers.

What your evidence can show

A supply chain you planned, ran or improved, with its scale and the effect on service, cost, inventory or resilience.

What the assessment draws on

ASCM’s SCOR reference model, using its processes and performance measures to explore the work. A process model is a source for the rubric, not a personal rating scale.

A challenge you might bring

A board needs confidence before a major change. Clarify the risks, decision rights and controls, then identify the evidence needed for assurance.

The expertise here

Risk management; compliance and regulation; governance design; controls and audit; security and resilience risk.

Risk and compliance leaders, internal auditors, governance advisers and resilience specialists.

What your evidence can show

A framework or control you applied, your judgement and a concrete outcome, such as a resolved finding or an embedded control.

What the assessment draws on

Institute of Risk Management and Institute of Internal Auditors frameworks, the Treasury Orange Book and government security standard GovS 007. Compliance also draws on practice specific to its context.

A challenge you might bring

An ambitious proposal needs a credible case. Test the assumptions, compare the options and shape an affordable commercial arrangement.

The expertise here

Investment and business cases; financial analysis and modelling; commercial and procurement; cost management.

Finance directors, finance business partners, commercial leaders, procurement specialists and investment analysts.

What your evidence can show

The investment, budget or contract involved, what you decided or delivered and the financial or commercial effect.

What the assessment draws on

The Treasury Green Book for business cases, CIPS for procurement and GovS 008 for the commercial lifecycle. Financial modelling and cost management also draw on practitioner experience.

A challenge you might bring

A healthy-looking pipeline is not converting into predictable revenue. Examine qualification, customer needs and deal progression, then test improvements with clear measures.

The expertise here

Consultative selling; account development; partnerships; negotiation; pipeline and forecasting; revenue operations; sales leadership and coaching.

Sales professionals, account managers, business development and partnership specialists, revenue operations practitioners and sales leaders.

What your evidence can show

An anonymised opportunity, account plan, partnership or process improvement: your contribution, the customer outcome and the commercial result. Consider territory, inherited accounts, resources and market conditions alongside revenue or quota attainment.

What the assessment draws on

The Institute of Sales Professionals’ Sales Capability Framework and relevant sales occupational standards, supplemented by practitioner experience in business development and sales leadership. Expectations reflect the member’s role and scope of responsibility.

A challenge you might bring

A strong offer is not reaching the right audience. Sharpen the proposition, choose the channels and test what produces meaningful demand.

The expertise here

Brand and proposition; campaigns and demand generation; digital performance; content and creative; market insight; product marketing.

Marketing directors, brand and campaign leaders, customer researchers, performance marketers and product marketers.

What your evidence can show

The brand and audience, your contribution and the result, such as acquisition, awareness or growth, with the context behind the numbers.

What the assessment draws on

CIM’s published qualification material and government communications guidance, including the OASIS campaign approach. Product marketing and broader creative work also draw on practice.