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DX Promotion Skill Standard v2.0 (IPA)

Common Skill List & Explanations

1. Business Transformation

1.1 Strategy Understanding and Architecture Design

Skill ItemDescriptionLearning Items ExampleCoverage
Understanding of Business Environment and Management Strategy• The skill to interpret the external environment of the organization, such as markets, competitors, and regulations, as well as higher-level policies like management strategies and guidelines that affect business and transformation activities.Macro-environmental/social trend analysis, industry structure/competitive environment analysis, understanding of customer/market environments, techniques for research and data collection/analysis, understanding of management strategy, communication with management.Partial
Formulation and Management of Business Strategy• The skill to collaborate with management and strategists, participate in the formulation of strategies for each business/product (product/service) unit based on customer value and business viability, promote them while ensuring alignment among stakeholders, and continuously update them through periodic effectiveness evaluations.Customer problem exploration and value hypothesis design, business strategy formulation and review, business model design, business viability verification and revenue model establishment, investment and resource allocation, market/competitor/positioning analysis, branding strategy and brand governance establishment, alignment between strategy and architecture, strategic partnerships.Partial
Examination of Organizational Maturity and Capabilities• The skill to analyze current organizational capabilities and maturity, and evaluate priority issues and the difficulty of transformation.Understanding the current state of organizational structure, human resources, processes, and culture; gap analysis between current status and organizational capabilities required for transformation; level evaluation using organizational maturity models; evaluation of implementation difficulty and priority for each transformation theme; examination of transformation roadmaps based on organizational issues.Partial
Business and Enterprise Architecture Design• The skill to translate management and business strategies into a system of goals, business processes, information, organization, and systems, drawing a structure and principles optimized for the whole.Structural organization and requirement definition of management/business strategy, definition of architecture principles with overall optimization in mind, overall structure design for business processes, information, organization, and systems; understanding of current architecture and problem identification; visualization of structures and dependencies to prevent sub-optimization; organization of activity units (programs/products) for implementation and roadmap creation.Full
Business Value Definition / ROI Estimation and Decision Support• The skill to define value hypotheses and metrics for the overall transformation, and comprehensively manage ROI, prioritization, and investment decisions for individual initiatives.Setting value/effectiveness hypotheses for the overall transformation, defining metrics to measure business value and outcomes (KGIs/KPIs), evaluating ROI for each initiative/project, investment prioritization and portfolio management, performance monitoring and review of investment decisions.Partial

1.2 Product Management

Skill ItemDescriptionLearning Items ExampleCoverage
Requirement Analysis and Management• The skill to organize specific requirements to be realized in individual products/programs and lead them to implementation while managing changes.Gathering and organizing requirements from stakeholders, clarifying the background, purpose, and value of requirements; organizing relationships, contradictions, and constraints among requirements; analyzing and managing the impact of requirement changes; building consensus to connect requirements to implementation and outcomes.Partial
Product Vision / Roadmap Formulation• The skill to clarify the purpose, provided value, and future direction of a product, organizing and updating it as a time-conscious roadmap aligned with business strategy and customer value.Clarifying product purpose and value proposition, designing a future vision based on customer value and business strategy, formulating product roadmaps from medium-to-long-term perspectives, reviewing and updating plans under uncertainty, sharing vision and building consensus with stakeholders.Partial
Design and Operation of Product Performance Metrics• The skill to design metrics for appropriately measuring product outcomes and continuously utilize them for improvement and decision-making through performance monitoring.Designing metrics to measure product outcomes, using quantitative and qualitative metrics appropriately, collecting, visualizing, and monitoring metrics; making improvement decisions based on metric results; reviewing the validity of and updating metric designs.Partial
Product Scope and Priority Management• The skill to define and adjust the scope of product realization and determine the priority of requirements and measures while considering constraints.Defining product scope (range and prerequisites), organizing constraints (cost, timeline, technology), prioritizing requirements and measures, making trade-off decisions and adjusting stakeholder expectations, impact evaluation and decision-making during scope changes.Partial
Hypothesis Verification and Learning Cycle Design• The skill to set value hypotheses and design/operate verification and learning cycles, thereby enhancing the quality of decision-making under highly uncertain conditions and driving continuous improvement.Hypothesis setting regarding market and customer value, designing verification methods (experiments and verification metrics), operating learning cycles (Build-Measure-Learn), interpreting verification results and reflecting them in decision-making, making decisions on improvements or pivots based on learning results.Partial
Marketing• The skill to establish Product-Market Fit (PMF) through customer definition and understanding market needs, and to design and execute Go-To-Market (GTM) strategies to deliver value to the right customers and continuously build and improve monetization mechanisms.Customer development, customer definition (ICP) and job-to-be-done (JTBD) definition, hypothesis design and MVP verification (product verification), PMF evaluation metric/measurement design (retention/churn/VOC), benefits and differentiation, GTM strategy design (positioning/pricing/channels/launch), web marketing, SEO, social media marketing, customer support, AI-powered marketing.Full
Product Decision Based on Technical Constraints and Architecture• The skill to engage in dialogue with technology experts like engineers by leveraging knowledge of software and infrastructure technologies (e.g., cloud, API design, microservices) and understanding the internal structure of software.Understanding basic software and IT infrastructure technologies; basic understanding of cloud, API, and data integration; understanding the impact of technology choices on business and products; smooth communication with engineers; decision support considering technical structures.Partial

1.3 Management of Transformation Activities

Skill ItemDescriptionLearning Items ExampleCoverage
Architecture Management & Governance• The skill to continuously manage architecture status and changes, detect deviations from principles and policies, and correct them.Understanding architectural principles and policies, continuously monitoring current and future architectures, change management and impact evaluation, detecting deviations from principles and deciding on corrective actions, building cross-organizational architectural consensus.Partial
Product Lifecycle Management• The skill to manage a product end-to-end from planning to release, operation, growth, and retirement, maximizing its continuous value.Overall understanding from product planning to retirement, understanding decision criteria for each phase, making decisions on growth, improvement, or retirement; reviews based on technological and market changes; management for continuous value creation.Partial
Program / Project Management• The skill to manage projects or programs under constraints of deadline, budget, and quality from planning to execution, monitoring, and closure, ensuring successful delivery.Project planning (scope, schedule, cost); execution, progress, issue, and risk management; stakeholder coordination and reporting; quality and deliverable management; project closure and review.Full
Risk & Compliance• The skill to identify risks related to laws, contracts, security, and social norms in transformation, and to evaluate, mitigate, and monitor them in cooperation with internal and external experts.Understanding legal, contractual, and regulatory requirements; protection of rights such as intellectual property; business and internal controls; business ethics and social responsibility; identifying information security and information management risks; risk assessment and mitigation; response, reporting, and correction when risks materialize or violations occur; continuous risk monitoring and review.Full
Change Management• The skill to evaluate the acceptance of transformation by affected stakeholders, and to achieve acceptance of change and behavioral transformation using communication, education, and transition design.Analyzing the scope of transformation and stakeholders, understanding resistance and acceptance of transformation, stakeholder engagement, designing communication and education plans, formulating transition plans and supporting adoption, evaluating acceptance/adoption levels and follow-up.Partial
Business Modeling and Collaboration• The skill to structure and abstract concepts and information, including non-visual elements such as experiences, values, business processes, rules, decisions, and data/information; organize causal relationships; make them visually and verbally explainable using various modeling techniques; and use them to facilitate communication with all stakeholders of an initiative to build co-creative relationships.Organizing and structuring information and analyzing causal relationships; abstracting information and generating context; applying frameworks to organize information and concepts (Business Model Canvas, SWOT, etc.); various business modeling techniques (BPMN, DMN, ArchiMate, UML, etc.); visualization techniques to convey intent to stakeholders (diagramming, generating sketches or images); techniques to generate these using AI (prompting, etc.); communication and building co-creative relationships using these.Full
Management of Organization Using Design Thinking• The skill to integrate diverse stakeholder perspectives to generate new ideas when tackling chaotic and complex business issues, and to refine solutions through trial and error using exploratory approaches.
• The skill to accelerate transformation by promoting mutual understanding among stakeholders with different backgrounds and aligning everyone in the same direction through building a shared cross-functional vision.
Vision design, stakeholder management, understanding diversity and inclusion (D&I), user-centered design, fostering design culture.Partial

1.4 Design

Skill ItemDescriptionLearning Items ExampleCoverage
Customer / User / Stakeholder Understanding• The skill to design and conduct user research (satisfaction surveys, usage data analysis, interviews, etc.) and market/competitor research.
• The skill to analyze user research results to understand expectations, pain points, new needs, competitors, and trends, and derive actionable insights.
• The skill to verify expectations, constraints, and interests of stakeholders (management, business units, external partners) and manage their engagement.
Interview design, workshop design, user research methods (A/B testing, card sorting, diary studies, focus groups, etc.), market/competitor research (quantitative/qualitative), research result analysis, participatory design, personas and journey maps, stakeholder maps, engagement planning.Partial
Value Discovery and Definition• The skill to facilitate stakeholders, generate diverse ideas based on customer/user needs, and define value propositions.Value discovery frameworks (Service Blueprints, Assumption Matrix, etc.), ideation methods (brainstorming, KJ method, scenario method, paper prototyping), value propositions, product/service concept formulation.Partial
Digital Product Design• The skill to clarify necessary functions and content based on customer/user needs.
• The skill to design the structure and skeleton of functions and content, ensuring clarity and findability for customers/users.
• The skill to design appealing appearances and dynamic elements (Look & Feel) for users.
Prototyping, information architecture (IA), content design, accessibility/usability design, UI design (wireframes, mockups, object-oriented/task-oriented design, etc.), design systems (sizes, fonts, components, colors, etc.), design based on human behavior principles and psychology, ethical reviews of finished products/services, communication design.Full
Verification (Customer / User Perspective)• The skill to verify whether the defined value proposition is actually experienced by customers through implemented products or services and whether it provides a useful experience.
• The skill to verbalize results from verification and continuously reflect them in subsequent improvements, design, prioritization, and decision-making.
Concept testing, planning and executing usability evaluations.Partial
Creative Direction• The skill to direct creative processes, including formulating and overseeing brand concepts and expression guidelines, production coordination, expression consistency, KPI design, and budget/quality management.Art direction, UX writing, copywriting, content planning, brand policy formulation, communication policy formulation.Partial
Design Production Practice• Practical skills for implementing designs.Graphic design, 3D design, illustration creation, editing, video production.Partial
Facilitation (Co-creation Design)• The skill to engage diverse stakeholders centered on co-creation design, formulate hypotheses, verify them rapidly, and translate them into value.Facilitation, workshop design.Partial
Experience Value Governance• The skill to structurally and continuously design, manage, and evolve the meaning and value generated and distributed by products/services in society.Brand guidelines formulation, design system construction, continuous improvement.Partial
Design Process Management• The skill to flexibly combine and apply design processes ("understanding", "vision concept", "concept development", "hypothesis testing") to plan, execute, evaluate, and create value while balancing constraints, feasibility, and business goals.Understanding design processes, resource management and feasibility analysis, business goal setting and evaluation, communication and team management, design principles.Partial

2. Data Preparation & Utilization

2.1 Strategic Utilization of Data and AI

Skill ItemDescriptionLearning Items ExampleCoverage
Understanding and Utilization of Data and AI• The skill to understand data from statistical and business perspectives and utilize it through insight, oversight, and visualization. Also, the skill to leverage generative AI based on an understanding of its basic mechanisms and risks.Data understanding (correct understanding of statistical information, understanding from a business perspective, extraction of implications and insights, bird's-eye/meta-thinking), data visualization, generative AI utilization.Partial
Insight into Data/AI Technologies and Social Trends• The skill to contextualize and translate society, industry, and business directions based on technological trends in data and AI.Understanding technological and social trends, understanding structural causality incorporating data and AI, forecasting changes, storytelling, and shaping organizational direction.Partial
Data/AI Utilization Strategy Design• The skill to design business models, system architecture, and operations leveraging data and AI technology based on business strategies, organizational challenges, and customer needs.Business and model design (value verification design), system and AI utilization design (cooperation structure design with AI, adaptive architecture design, integration of AI/data value context).Partial
Design, Business Implementation, and Operation of Data/AI Utilization Operations• The skill to perform data distribution, PoC/MVP development, continuous improvement through operation and monitoring, and model management on data and AI systems, aiming to achieve sustainable operations.Data preparation (data circulation/procurement, AI-ready data preparation), implementation and evaluation (PoC design/implementation, MVP development, operational modeling), continuous operation and improvement (operation/monitoring design, continuous learning/improvement).Partial
Construction and Operation of Governance System• The skill to maintain the quality and reliability of data and AI under laws, regulations, and ethics to promote their strategic utilization.Data governance (infrastructure, security/privacy, data integration, architectural design, operation/monitoring), AI governance (AI ethics, guideline preparation, responsible AI management, promotion/operation).Full
AI Implementation and Operation• The skill to implement AI system development (generative AI, AI agents, multimodal, IoT, etc.) and establish operation management in field practices.AI system operation (AutoML, MLOps, AIOps), generative AI (development/utilization, coding assistance, fine-tuning), AI implementation and operation (AI agents, multimodal AI, knowledge utilization, interfaces, ontology, IoT, robotics).Full

2.2 AI and Data Science

Skill ItemDescriptionLearning Items ExampleCoverage
Mathematical Statistics, Multivariate Analysis, and Data Visualization• The skill to analyze data using methods based on statistical knowledge and derive meaningful insights from the results.• Mathematical understanding (basic linear algebra, basic calculus, basic set theory)
• Basics of scientific analysis (basic mathematical statistics, hypothesis testing, insights, properties/relationships, estimation/testing, causal inference)
• Data preparation (sampling, data cleansing, data processing, feature engineering)
• Data visualization (defining directions, axis selection, data processing, representation/implementation techniques, meaning extraction)
• Regression/classification, statistical evaluation, time-series analysis
• Clustering, graphical models, network analysis
• Anomaly detection, recommendation
• Operations research (simulation, data assimilation, optimization)
Full
Machine Learning and Deep Learning• The skill to construct and evaluate appropriate models using techniques such as machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, image recognition, and speech recognition.Machine learning, deep learning, reinforcement learning, unstructured data processing (natural language processing, image recognition, video recognition, speech recognition), large language models, image generation models, audio generation models, video generation models.Full

2.3 Data Management

Skill ItemDescriptionLearning Items ExampleCoverage
Understanding of Data-Related Laws, Rule Establishment and Compliance Promotion• The skill to understand laws, regulations, ethics, and organizational rules and standards, and design rules/standards for data utilization including structured/unstructured data and AI utilization.
• The skill to formulate governance policies for data management and utilization, and disseminate/establish them within the organization.
• The skill to monitor compliance status and continuously operate and improve rules.
Domestic laws (AI act, intellectual property law, personal information protection law, etc.), overseas laws and standards, various rules such as industry or organizational regulations/codes, data governance, AI governance, data sovereignty, ELSI.Partial
Establishment of Data Management and Promotion of Data Utilization• The skill to instill the importance of data management in the organization and promote data-driven decision-making and new value creation.
• The skill to design data utilization and hypothesis verification workflows based on business challenges, and apply them to operations in cooperation with business units.
• The skill to establish data rules and operational processes in the organization and promote appropriate data utilization.
• The skill to improve operations based on feedback from data utilization in business units.
Relationship between business and data, data utilization cases by business content/operational process, KPI design in data strategy/utilization, scenario design for value creation via data utilization, cross-functional data utilization including internal and external stakeholders.Partial
Improvement of Data Quality and Safety• The skill to monitor and evaluate the status of data quality and metadata, continuously improving operations.
• The skill to formulate and implement standards and policies for standardization and cleansing to make data usable.
• The skill to design and operate mechanisms such as access permissions, paths, confidentiality protection rules, and risk assessments to ensure data safety.
Data quality (consistency, accuracy, freshness, completeness, etc.), data catalogs, metadata, data normalization/deduplication, data security, data risk assessment (confidentiality, impact, etc.), trust management (access, signatures, etc.).Full
Data Engineering (Design, Collection, Integration, Provision)• The skill to integrate data from diverse sources to ensure consistency and coherence, preparing it for various purposes.
• The skill to design and build data pipelines enabling users to efficiently utilize various data types (structured, unstructured, etc.).
Data definition (terms, IDs, update frequency, etc.), data integration, semantic technologies, knowledge graphs, machine-readability of data (AI-ready data), characteristics of structured/unstructured data, ETL/ELT, data pipelines, data marts.Full
Design and Improvement of Data Management Mechanism• The skill to design data architectures that achieve a consistent flow of data across the entire organization.
• The skill to formulate processes for data collection, storage, utilization, and disposal.
• The skill to monitor data quality, operational status, and utilization effects, continuously improving the architecture.
Data architecture, data lineage, reference data, data lifecycle management, data contracts, data products.Full
Design, Implementation, and Operation of Data Infrastructure• The skill to establish and improve a "data infrastructure" that enables efficient and effective data preparation and utilization.Databases (RDB, vector, graph, etc.), API management, schema management, DWH, data lakes, data mesh.Full

3. Technology

3.1 Software Development

Skill ItemDescriptionLearning Items ExampleCoverage
Computer Science• Skills related to data structures, algorithms, etc., required in software development.Software engineering, optimization, data structures, algorithms, computability theory.Full
Team Development• Skills required to enhance productivity in team-based software development.Git/Git workflow, team building, readable code, technical writing.Full
Software Design Methodology• The skill to examine data structures and internal architectures and translate them into designs to implement software that meets goals.Requirement definition methods, Domain-Driven Design (DDD), software design principles (SOLID), Clean Architecture, design patterns, non-functional requirement definitions.Full
Software Development Process• The skill to manage development plans, quality, etc., in software development.Software development management (CCPM, agile development methodologies, software estimation), TDD (Test-Driven Development), software quality management, OSS license management.Full
Web Application Core Technology• Basic skills required for the design and development of web applications.HTML/CSS, JavaScript, REST, WebSocket, SPA, CMS.Full
Front-end System Development• The skill to design and develop interfaces that serve as direct touchpoints for users.UI design, responsive design, mockup development, front-end frameworks, PWA, Search Engine Optimization (SEO).Full
Back-end System Development• The skill to design and develop server-side functions invisible to users.Database design, object storage, NoSQL, back-end frameworks, caching, load balancing, authentication and authorization.Full
Cloud Infrastructure Utilization• The skill to build and operate system infrastructure using cloud services.Cloud platforms (PaaS/IaaS), microservices, serverless, container technologies, IaC (Infrastructure as Code), CDN (Content Delivery Network).Full
SRE Process• The skill where development and operations cooperate, aiming for release cycle improvement and service stability.Observability, OpenTelemetry, DORA Four Keys, Chaos Engineering, CI/CD & DevOps.Full
Service Utilization• The skill to perform data and system integration with external services and other internal systems (including core systems).API management, data integration (iPaaS, ETL, EAI), RPA, low-code/no-code, AI agents.Full

3.2 Digital Technology

Skill ItemDescriptionLearning Items ExampleCoverage
Physical Computing• The skill to digitize and handle physical phenomena through sensors, robotics, IoT implementation of existing equipment, etc.Edge computing, IoT cloud, LPWA, IoT sensors, wearables, robotics, drones, SBC (Arduino, Raspberry Pi, etc.), IoT gateways, recognition technologies (image, voice, etc.), 3D sensing, 3D printers, positioning/location services.Full
Other Advanced Technologies• Knowledge of implementation technologies other than the above or with limited applied cases.• WebAssembly, HTTP/3, blockchain foundations, secure computation, Trusted Web, quantum computing, HITL: Human-in-the-LoopPartial
Technology Trends• Knowledge of businesses and services applying new digital technologies.• Generative AI, metaverse, smart contracts, digital currencies, informatics (materials, biotech, measurement fields, etc.), GX (green transformation/carbon tracking, etc.)Partial

4. Security

4.1 Security Management

Skill ItemDescriptionLearning Items ExampleCoverage
Security System Construction and Operation• The skill to smoothly establish and maintain an organizational structure for implementing security measures, including securing and training personnel.
• The skill to carry out activities to foster a security culture within the enterprise.
• Procedures for cooperating with security response organizations (security governance function, SOC, xSIRT, etc.)
• Clarifying roles and responsibilities within the organization regarding security measures for services and equipment
• Methods for fostering security culture in the organization
Partial
Security Management• The skill to appropriately implement security management processes for information, cyberspace, OT/IoT environments, etc., as an organization.Security-related legal systems, formulation of policies, rules, and manuals, risk awareness including threat intelligence utilization, risk assessment methodologies, security requirement definition, security features as functional requirements, types, features, and selection methods of authentication methods, information asset management, configuration management, security education/training, qualifications, and certification systems, information security audit methods.Partial
Incident Response and Business Continuity• The skill to suppress the impact when various risks (cyberattacks, negligence, internal fraud, disasters, failures, etc.) materialize as security incidents in digital utilization, enabling business continuity.Business continuity in digital utilization, Business Continuity Plan (BCP) preparation and training, coordination procedures between incident response and crisis management, information sharing and communication during normal and emergency times.Partial
Privacy Protection• The skill to understand and practice requirements for protecting privacy information like personal data.Legal systems related to privacy protection, examination of management systems for privacy protection based on business content, overview and procedures of PIA (Privacy Impact Assessment), privacy-related risks and countermeasures in data handling.Partial

4.2 Security Technology

Skill ItemDescriptionLearning Items ExampleCoverage
Secure Design, Development, and Construction• The skill to design, develop, and build digital services/products based on standards and requirements to mitigate the impact of cyberattacks and fraud.
• The skill to understand vulnerabilities in digital services/products and appropriately practice diagnostics (including outsourced diagnostics).
Secure system design overview and practice methods, DevSecOps concepts and practice methods, realization and implementation of security requirements and security functions, security measures in IT/OT/IoT devices, overview and configuration of security features in cloud services and network equipment, concepts of vulnerability, countermeasures, and diagnosis methods.Full
Security Operation, Maintenance, and Monitoring• The skill to appropriately practice maintenance and countermeasures to securely operate digital services.
• The skill to appropriately practice security monitoring and incident root-cause analysis.
Utilization of threat and vulnerability information, monitoring methods and utilization of observed data, AI application to operation/monitoring operations, impact investigation and triage methods in case of incidents, utilization of digital forensics services.Full

5. Personal Skill

5.1 Human Skill

Skill ItemDescriptionLearning Items ExampleCoverage
Leadership• The skill to build a team where various internal and external stakeholders can easily participate through communicating the image of goal achievement and building win-win relationships.
• The skill to materialize necessary tasks and encourage their execution based on the strengths and interests of each stakeholder.
Team building, communication that involves surroundings, D&I, empowerment, stakeholder management.Full
Collaboration• The skill to intentionally draw out opposing opinions and contradictions, deepen points of discussion, build consensus among people with diverse values (including customers/users), and collaborate toward the goal.Facilitation (active listening, questioning, structuring discussion points), psychological safety, types of organizations/teams.Full

5.2 Conceptual Skill

Skill ItemDescriptionLearning Items ExampleCoverage
Goal Setting• The skill to imagine the future through raising problems from various perspectives, and set the purpose of the initiative and the goal, which is the final destination.
• The skill to draw a vision of goal achievement by creating a story that appeals not only to rational judgment but also to emotions and unconscious psychological reactions.
Future thinking, storytelling, visionary leadership.Partial
Creative Problem Solving• The skill to creatively solve problems by restructuring experimental and novel ideas that did not exist before, as well as opinions of users and stakeholders, based on multiple fields of expertise and social/customer trends.Design thinking, lateral thinking, hypothesis thinking, fail-fast.Partial
Critical Thinking• The skill to evaluate obtained information without taking it at face value, and to think through logical processes based on reliable information.Critical thinking, logical thinking, systems thinking.Full
Adaptability• The skill to adapt to change, run cycles in short spans, and continuously improve by reflecting feedback.
• The skill to identify and learn new skills required throughout life (including business plans, proposals, concept charts, etc., not limited to digital solutions).
Agility, OODA loop, lean thinking.Partial