SIAM skills matter more than ever. As organizations navigate increasingly complex digital environments, one challenge keeps coming up time and time again – skills.
From managing multiple suppliers and service providers to understanding AI governance and driving workforce transformation, businesses need people with the right capabilities in the right roles. But before organizations can close skills gaps, they need a clear way to identify them.
That’s why Scopism and EXIN have launched new SIAM-specific capability models, giving Service Integration and Management (SIAM) professionals a practical way to assess, understand and develop their skills.
The launch brings together two connected initiatives.
The first is the introduction of SIAM capability models into Astride, the online digital skills assessment platform developed by EXIN and its parent company, Software Improvement Group (SIG).
The second is the release of the SIAM Skills Compendium recording, created by Suzanne Galletly, Helen Nunn and Simone Jo Moore.
Together, these resources are designed to help organizations move beyond theory and focus on practical capability development. They also reflect the growing maturity of SIAM as a profession, where conversations are increasingly focused on skills, career development and capability visibility.
Bringing Visibility to SIAM Skills
For many organizations, understanding the skills they already have and the skills they need is becoming a critical business challenge.
Claire Agutter from Scopism said: “Scopism’s Global SIAM Survey research highlights the broad range of skills necessary to adopt SIAM successfully. Organizations need to be able to map their existing skills, identify gaps and put plans in place to close them. We’re very happy to have worked with EXIN to add SIAM roles and skills to Astride, which helps bring greater visibility and structure to this area.”
The new capability models allow individuals to assess themselves against professional roles and competencies, understand capability gaps and identify relevant learning and development opportunities.
Turning Skills into Action
While many organizations understand the importance of skills development, translating that understanding into practical action can be more difficult.
Suzanne Galletly from EXIN explained: “With Astride SIAM we’re creating a practical new pathway for teams to understand their current capabilities and where they want to develop next. We recognise that skills have a major role to play in addressing many of the challenges organizations face today. Astride helps bridge the gap between theory and practical capability – and then specifically related to SIAM roles and skills.”
The goal is not simply to assess skills, but to help organizations build capability over time and support career development pathways for their people.
Built by the SIAM Community
The capability model itself was developed through a collaborative effort involving the SIAM community. Scopism and EXIN worked alongside industry experts to create the framework, with leadership from Barry Corless, Helen Nunn and Wouter Knigge, supported by contributions from members of the wider Scopism SIAM community.
Before launch, the model was reviewed and tested by professionals across five separate organizations to ensure it reflected real-world requirements.
Helen Nunn believes the timing couldn’t be more important: “Skills gaps and capability visibility are just two of many challenges organizations are facing as they tackle digital skills, supplier ecosystem complexity, AI governance and workforce transformation at scale.”
Barry Corless added: “This work started life as a career ladders model for SIAM but has evolved into much more than that. The framework allows us to explore existing capability against roles in a more structured way and see where the gaps really are.”
Supporting Today’s Biggest Skills Challenges
The new modules cover a range of topics that are becoming increasingly important for organizations, including:
- AI governance and readiness
- Skills visibility
- Career pathways
- Workforce transformation
The capability model also supports broader conversations around:
- Orchestrating complex supplier ecosystems
- Workforce transformation
- Skills visibility
- Career pathways in digital and service management
The initial release includes two dedicated SIAM roles within Astride, as well as SIAM capability integration across 13 existing roles. Additional SIAM roles are already planned as part of the ongoing development roadmap.
Looking Ahead
As organizations continue to face growing complexity across technology, suppliers and workforce development, having a clearer understanding of skills and capabilities is becoming increasingly valuable. The launch of the SIAM capability models in Astride provides another step towards helping organizations understand where they are today, where they need to be tomorrow, and how to get there.
To find out more about SIAM capability models, visit Astride.
