JOB COMPETENCY PROFILE

TEAM LEADER, CS 03
APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT
LARGE ORGANIZATIONS
JOB NUMBER GNCS030010

Organizational Readiness Office

V 1.0

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction ......................................................................................................... i

Job Competency Profile Team Leader, (Large Organizations)

Application Development
Competency Summary Team Leader, Application Development.................... 1
Analytical Thinking ............................................................................................. 2
Client Focus ....................................................................................................... 2
Communication .................................................................................................. 3
Decision Making................................................................................................. 3
Planning and Organizing.................................................................................... 4
Team Leadership ............................................................................................... 4
Application Development/Support & Maintenance ............................................. 5
Business Analysis .............................................................................................. 5
IT Procurement & Asset Management ............................................................... 6
IT Project Management...................................................................................... 6
Security/Information & Application Protection .................................................... 7
Testing ............................................................................................................... 7

INTRODUCTION
Job Competency Profiles (JCPs) are one of many products developed as part of IT
Community Generics. Our goal is to provide you with a consistent and coordinated
approach to managing resources across government, with IT employees regarded as
community resources. Within the IT community, jobs are categorized within a work
stream which represents a function. There are currently eight IT streams in the large
and medium organizations 1 and a competency profile has been developed for each
generic job/role within each stream. Because the Job Competency Profiles are
designed based on the organizational models and the Generic Work Descriptions, they
should only be used in conjunction with the implementation of IT Community Generics.
The Job Competency Profiles for the community describe the essential behavioural and
technical competencies that employees must demonstrate and maintain throughout the
course of their careers as IT professionals. In addition to representing current
requirements, the competencies also reflect the dynamic and evolving nature of the IT
discipline. They are therefore the foundation from which IT professionals can base their
continuing professional development. In summary, then, a JCP is a set of competencies
and associated behaviours at the appropriate proficiency level, that link directly to work
that needs to be done in order to achieve overall strategic priorities.
A competency profile can be used by individuals and groups as a source document for a
variety of human resources activities. The level of detail will depend on the application.
For example, when establishing the staffing requirements of a role/position, it is
generally necessary to focus only on the bring competencies those that are identified
as key to immediate successful performance on the job. These are often behavioural
and technical competencies the candidates must have learned, developed or acquired
prior to commencing in the position. The learn competencies, on the other hand, are
critical to successful performance once the employee is on the job. These would
therefore not be assessed during the recruitment and selection process but could be
included in the employees learning plan.
When you use the Job Competency Profiles for staffing, learning and development and
career planning, please provide us with your feedback. We intend to continue making
revisions to the Profiles based on your experience.
For further information, please refer to the following documents on the ORO website
www.ITgenerics.gc.ca:
o
o

Implementation Guide;
Behavioural and Technical Dictionaries, which provide an in-depth
description of competency proficiency levels.

The IT Job Competency Profiles were developed through a series of consultation

sessions with subject matter experts from across government. We wish to thank all
participants in the process for their assistance and guidance.

Large and medium organizations are based on the size of the CS population. Medium: 150
499. Large: greater than 500.
i

COMPETENCY SUMMARY
TEAM LEADER, (LARGE ORGANIZATIONS)
APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT
COMPETENCY

COMPETENCY DEFINITION

PROFICIENCY
LEVEL

Analytical Thinking

Interpreting, linking and analyzing information to

understand issues.

Client Focus

Identifying and responding to current and future client

needs; providing service excellence to internal and
external clients.

Communication

Listening to others and communicating in an effective

manner that fosters open communication.

Decision Making

Making decisions and solving problems involving varied

levels of complexity, ambiguity and risk.

Planning and
Organizing

Defining tasks and milestones to achieve objectives

while ensuring the optimal use of resources to meet
those objectives.

Team Leadership

Leading and supporting a team to achieve results.

Application
Development /
Support and
Maintenance

Knowledge and ability to design, define, construct,

enhance, support and maintain application software on
one or more platforms.

Business Analysis
IT Procurement
& Asset Mgmt

Knowledge and ability to apply the principles of business

analysis in the planning, reengineering, requirement
gathering for government business environments,
operations, processes and practices.
Knowledge and ability to evaluate, negotiate, procure,
track and manage IT assets including software licenses
and computer leases.

IT Project
Management

Knowledge and ability to apply formal project

management principles and practices during the
planning, implementation, monitoring and completion of
projects, ensuring effective management of scope,
resources, time, cost, quality, risk and communications.

Security /
Information &
Application
Protection

Knowledge and ability to ensure there are adequate

technical and organizational safeguards to protect the
continuity of IT infrastructure services by the
implementation of IT security principles, methods,
practices, policies and tools that are used in securing IT
resources including information and operations security,
physical security, business continuity/disaster recovery
planning, methods to deal with security breaches and
security assessment in a technical environment.

Testing

Knowledge and ability to perform testing of software

and/or hardware using a systematic approach (i.e., the
orderly progression of testing in which software and/or
hardware elements are combined and tested until the
entire system has been integrated).

Job Competency Profile

Team Leader, (Large Organizations) Application Development (CS 03)

v 1.0
Page 1

BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES

ANALYTICAL THINKING
Analytical thinking involves interpreting, linking and analyzing information to understand issues.

WHY THIS COMPETENCY MATTERS

Application Development Team Leaders must be able to both understand and respond to
complex issues. They interpret key messages, recognize and manage complexity, see the
connections between problems and issues, diagnose opportunities and manipulate all of this
information in order to develop short- and long-term plans. At the Team Leader level, individuals
must go beyond handling simple, pre-defined problems (which can be delegated) and be flexible
enough to change the level and style of their thinking when solving problems and analyzing
alternatives.

TARGET LEVEL: 3 Analyzes complex relationships

Fully competent Application Development Team Leaders:

Analyze complex situations, breaking each into its constituent parts

Recognize and assess several likely causal factors or ways of interpreting the information
available

Identify connections between situations that are not obviously related

CLIENT FOCUS
Client Focus means identifying and responding to current and future client needs and providing
service excellence to internal and external clients.

WHY THIS COMPETENCY MATTERS

Application Development Team Leaders realize that the effectiveness of technology should be
measured in terms of its ability to correctly and consistently deliver products, services and
information to the Canadian public. As a result, they build collaborative relationships with their
clients, visibly demonstrating an awareness of the bottom line do the organizations
applications enable clients to effectively and efficiently deliver results? When necessary,
Application Team Leaders must be prepared to be flexible in order to ensure that the assistance
they provide addresses their clients needs. They frequently ask for feedback from clients
regarding the service they provide and ensure that this feedback is reflected in any advice they
offer and any corrective action they take.

TARGET LEVEL: 2 Builds positive client relations

Fully competent Application Development Team Leaders:

Contact clients to follow up on services, solutions or products to ensure that their needs have
been correctly and effectively met

Understand issues from the clients perspective

Keep clients up-to-date with information and decisions that affect them
Monitor services provided to clients and make timely adjustments as required

Job Competency Profile

Team Leader, (Large Organizations) Application Development (CS 03)

v 1.0
Page 2

COMMUNICATION
Communication involves listening to others and communicating in an effective manner that
fosters open communication.

WHY THIS COMPETENCY MATTERS

Application Development Team Leaders serve as liaison between the IT/IM organization and the
business clients. Their ability to communicate effectively is critical to their success in this role.
They must use active listening skills asking questions to check their understanding,
summarizing and challenging to ensure they clearly understand both explicit and implicit
messages. As an intermediary between the technical and business areas and as a project
leader, they must also be able to adapt their communication style to the widely varying needs of
various groups senior management, colleagues, clients and subordinates.

TARGET LEVEL: 3 Adapts communication to others

Fully competent Application Development Team Leaders:

Adapt content, style, tone and medium of communication to suit the target audiences
language, cultural background and level of understanding

Take others perspectives into account when communicating, negotiating or presenting

arguments (e.g., presenting benefits from all perspectives)

Respond to and discuss issues/questions in an understandable manner without being

defensive and while maintaining the dignity of others

Anticipate reactions to messages and adapt communications accordingly

DECISION-MAKING
Decision-making involves coming to conclusions and solving problems with varied levels of
complexity, ambiguity and risk.

WHY THIS COMPETENCY MATTERS

Application Development Team Leaders recognize the boundaries of their personal decisionmaking authority which guides them when they are sizing up situations to determine the best
course of action. When coming to conclusions and making decisions, they apply policies and
procedures, common sense and past experience. After asking appropriate questions, Team
Leaders analyze the situation systematically, identifying the causes and consequences and then
determine whether they can make a decision or whether the issue should be escalated.

TARGET LEVEL: 2 Makes decisions by interpreting rules

Fully competent Application Development Team Leaders:

Apply guidelines and procedures that require some interpretation when dealing with
exceptions

Make straightforward decisions based on information that is generally clear and adequate
Consider the risks and consequences of action and/or decisions

Make decisions involving minor consequence of error

Seek guidance as needed when the situation is unclear

Job Competency Profile

Team Leader, (Large Organizations) Application Development (CS 03)

v 1.0
Page 3

PLANNING AND ORGANIZING

Planning and organizing involves defining tasks and milestones to achieve objectives while
ensuring the optimal use of resources to meet those objectives.

WHY THIS COMPETENCY MATTERS

The achievement of expected results through the successful and timely completion of
activities/projects and the delivery of products and services are the ultimate yardsticks of
performance. When planning work and deploying resources, Application Development Team
Leaders define work goals and milestones, form alliances when possible and conduct risk
analyses. They use proactive planning, based on project plans, to establish priorities and
allocate resources. They monitor the teams work and make adjustments as necessary to
accomplish goals and ensure they continue to meet the organizations business objectives.

TARGET LEVEL: 2 Applies planning principles to achieve work goals

Fully competent Application Development Team Leaders:

Establish goals and organize work by bringing together the necessary resources
Organize work according to project and time management principles and processes

Practice and plan for contingencies to deal with unexpected events or setbacks

Make needed adjustments to timelines, steps and resource allocation

Direct issues to appropriate bodies when unable to resolve them within own area of
responsibility

TEAM LEADERSHIP
Team Leadership involves leading and supporting a team to achieve results.

WHY THIS COMPETENCY MATTERS

Application Development Team Leaders recognize that, in order to build an effective, productive
team, they must lead in such a way that all team members are focused on the same goal. They
ensure that roles, tasks and objectives are clarified, that team members understand how formal
and informal leadership will work and how team members will be expected to work together.
Application Development Team Leaders ensure that training, coaching, mentoring and other
necessary resources are available, allowing team members to contribute to the best of their
abilities. They provide ongoing feedback regarding the teams and each members performance
and they reward success.

TARGET LEVEL: 2 Ensures the needs of the team and of members are met
Fully competent Application Development Team Leaders:

Make sure the practical needs of the team and team members are met

Make decisions by taking into account the differences among team members and overall
team requirements and objectives

Ensure that the teams tasks are completed

Accept responsibility for the teams actions and results

Job Competency Profile

Team Leader, (Large Organizations) Application Development (CS 03)

v 1.0
Page 4

TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES

APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT/SUPPORT & MAINTENANCE

Application Development/Support and Maintenance is the knowledge and ability to design, define,
construct, enhance, support and maintain application software on one or more platforms.

TARGET LEVEL: 3 Intermediate

Fully competent Application Development Team Leaders:

Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of several programming environments and a good

working knowledge of hardware and software interfaces

Write original multi-module/complex programs or apply reusable modules

Design, test and integrate software modules and resolve programming errors using various
debugging tools and techniques

Provide support, guidance and production assurance for common problems

Conduct impact analysis for proposed changes to or problems with the system
Prepare technical documentation (e.g., user guides, technical specifications)

Undertake routine analysis and work with designers and analysts to clarify and improve
specifications or to identify alternative programming solutions

Enforce standards (e.g., at walkthroughs)

BUSINESS ANALYSIS
Business Analysis is the knowledge and ability to apply the principles of business analysis in the
planning, reengineering and requirement gathering for government business environments,
operations, processes and practices.

TARGET LEVEL: 2 Basic

Fully competent Application Development Team Leaders:

Understand business lines

Understand basic government and departmental services
Draft simple requirements

Job Competency Profile

Team Leader, (Large Organizations) Application Development (CS 03)

v 1.0
Page 5

IT PROCUREMENT & ASSET MANAGEMENT

IT Procurement and Asset Management is the knowledge and ability to evaluate, negotiate,
procure, track, manage IT assets including software licenses and computer leases.

TARGET LEVEL: 3 Intermediate

Fully competent Application Development Team Leaders:

Know the procurement cycle and processes, gathering of information through RFIs and
RFPs, roles of interdepartmental partners and the proposal/evaluation processes

Demonstrate a general knowledge of procurement and conduct low-level procurement

Evaluate products and services and identify the vehicle(s) to use

Provide advice on reporting and inventory, policies and procedures

Establish partnerships with Finance
Understand IT asset business and language
Formulate and apply performance management guidelines to asset management

IT PROJECT MANAGEMENT
IT Project Management is the knowledge and ability to apply formal project management
principles and practices during the planning, implementation, monitoring and completion of
projects, ensuring the effective management of scope, resources, time, cost, quality, risk and
communication.

TARGET LEVEL: 3 Intermediate

Fully competent Application Development Team Leaders:

Manage a complete multi-stage project in own area

Identify, allocate and manage resources needed to meet project objectives
Develop and manage the project plan, including timelines, deliverables, milestones and costs
Identify potential roadblocks and risks; develop contingency plans to deal with them
Oversee implementation of project plan, monitor progress, resource usage and quality; make
needed adjustments

Job Competency Profile

Team Leader, (Large Organizations) Application Development (CS 03)

v 1.0
Page 6

SECURITY/INFORMATION & APPLICATION PROTECTION

Security/Information and Application Protection is knowledge and ability to ensure there are
adequate technical and organizational safeguards to protect the continuity of IT infrastructure
services by the implementation of IT security principles, methods, practices, policies and tools
that are used in securing IT resources including information and operations security, physical
security, business continuity/disaster recovery planning, methods to deal with security breaches
and security assessment in a technical environment.

TARGET LEVEL: 3 Intermediate

Fully competent Application Development Team Leaders:

Execute security test plans

Deal with low impact threats
Act to protect the integrity of system data at the operation level (e.g., single key incident)
Perform security certifications
Provide advice on disaster recovery planning
Participate in disaster recovery tests
Recommend security safeguards
Execute standards

TESTING
Testing is the knowledge and ability to perform testing of software and/or hardware using a
systematic approach (i.e., the orderly progression of testing in which software and/or hardware
elements are combined and tested until the entire system has been integrated.

TARGET LEVEL: 3 Intermediate

Fully competent Application Development Team Leaders:

Understand systems integration principles (i.e., the methods, practices and policies that are
used during a systems integration process, including hardware, software, network and
applications)

Understand release and certification processes

Prepare test cases/scripts

Carry out complex testing/validation (e.g., volume testing, integration testing)
Ensure other applications are not affected

Match results with expectations in the design document

Troubleshoot/resolve issues

Implement test tools

Apply standards for testing

Job Competency Profile

Team Leader, (Large Organizations) Application Development (CS 03)

v 1.0
Page 7