The Top Skills that Build Digital Competencies

Summary: Moving technology from a supporting role in business to a leading player in business innovation requires deep competencies plus more and different skills. Last month, Jim Sinur identified the top competencies that digital organizations will need to build over time. This month he outlines the top seven skills, by category, that business professionals, technology professionals, and entry-level workers would ideally possess in order to jumpstart the progress towards these competencies.

Jim Sinur VP and Research Fellow, Aragon Research Read Author Bio || Read All Articles by Jim Sinur

In my last column, I identified the top competencies that digital organizations had to build over time. In order to jumpstart the progress towards these competencies, there are top skills that business professionals, technology professionals, and entry-level workers would ideally possess. Even if the skills are not complete, effort to acquire them is what most organizations will be looking for in the future. Here are the top seven skills by category.

Business Professional Expertise

User Experience Design
Data Leverage
Business Architecture
Domain Knowledge
Business Analysis
Project Management
Application Specification or Development

Technology Professional Expertise

Logic & Creativity Combination
Mobile & HTML5
Android Development
IOS Development
Hadoop
Social Media
Project Management

Entry-Level Hire Expertise

WiFi Setup & Operations
Cloud Backup
Photo Editing or Video Editing
MS Office or Google Drive
Website Configuration
Basic Coding
Individual Branding via Social

Net; Net

Organizations looking to compete in the new digital era will be picking people that can get them there, so this is my initial shot at the skills that will be valued today. Over time these are likely to shift as the race for digital differentiation intensifies. Security is the one area that supersedes and is one of the primary needs in the digital world we are creating.

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Standard citation for this article:

Jim Sinur, "The Top Skills that Build Digital Competencies" Business Rules Journal, Vol. 17, No. 5, (May 2016)
URL: http://www.brcommunity.com/a2016/b859.html

About our Contributor:

Jim Sinur VP and Research Fellow, Aragon Research

Jim Sinur is an independent consultant and thought leader in applying business process management (BPM) to innovative and intelligent business operations (IBO). His research and areas of personal experience focus on business process innovation, business modeling, business process management technology (BPMT), processes collaboration for knowledge workers, process intelligence/optimization, business policy/rule management (BRMS), and leveraging business applications in processes. Mr. Sinur was critical in creating the first Hype Cycle and Maturity Model, which have become a hallmark of Gartner analysis, along with the Magic Quadrant. He has been active in the rules, data and computing communities, helping shape direction based on practical experience. Mr. Sinur has vertical industry experience on the investment and operational sides of the insurance and financial services.

Read All Articles by Jim Sinur