iCD Association

What iCD Association does

iCD Association (一般社団法人 iCD協会) is a Tokyo-based non-profit general incorporated association founded in 2018 to manage, promote, and expand adoption of the iCD (i Competency Dictionary) framework, originally developed by Japan's IPA (Information-technology Promotion Agency). The association offers a portfolio of task and skill dictionaries — including core iCD3.0 Task and Skill Dictionaries, AI Task Dictionary, Agricultural iCD, Sales Task Extension, and Cloud Engineering/UX task sets — alongside the Wings/Wings II/Wings III framework series that integrates ITSS with global SFIA standards and Japan's DSS-P. It serves enterprise IT companies (primary segment), vocational schools, agricultural organizations, sales organizations, and AI-focused organizations across 200+ member companies, generating revenue through multi-tier annual memberships (Regular, Associate, Supporting, Academy, Global), enterprise certification fees (Bronze through Gold★★★), consultant certification licensing, workshops and seminars (iCD College), and consulting services including framework analysis and job-type management support. The association distributes primarily through direct membership enrollment, twice-yearly iCD Conferences, regular user meetings, and co-development partnerships with NTT Data Group, NTT Data University, SFIA Foundation, and JSAI.

Name

iCD Association

Legal name

、一般般社法人 iCD協会

Website

https://icda.or.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Short description

iCD Association is a Japanese non-profit managing the iCD (i Competency Dictionary) framework — task and skill dictionaries plus the Wings SFIA-aligned framework series — serving 200+ enterprise members across IT, education, agriculture, and automotive verticals through membership fees, certification, and consulting.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Association operates with membership fees from regular members, associate members, supporting members, academy members, and global members. Various membership tiers with different fee structures.
2. iCD Certification Services: Enterprise certification programs (Gold★★★, Gold★★, Gold★, Silver Plus, Silver, Blue, Bronze) with application fees and renewal charges for businesses utilizing iCD frameworks.
3. iCD Workshops and Seminars: Training programs including iCD Introduction Seminars, Human Resource Development & Business Improvement Practical Courses, and specialized workshops for iCD implementation.
4. Job型マネジメント支援サービス: Job-type management consulting and support services for DX-driven organizational transformation.
5. Framework Analysis Services: Diagnostic data analysis services mapping iCD assessment results to Wings, SFIA, and other skill frameworks for organizational capability visualization.
6. iCD Consultant Certification: Professional certification program for individuals qualifying as iCD consultants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

iCD Association (一般社団法人iCD協会) develops and promotes the iCD (i Competency Dictionary) framework, comprising comprehensive Task Dictionaries and Skill Dictionaries that map IT professional competencies across industries. It offers enterprise certification programs, training workshops, framework analysis services, and consultant certification to support organizations in talent visualization, human capital management, and DX (digital transformation) initiatives. The association also licenses industry-specific extensions such as the AI Task Dictionary and Agricultural Task Dictionary through its Wings, Wings II, and Wings III frameworks.

Product overview

iCD Association offers the i Competency Dictionary (iCD), a comprehensive task and skill dictionary framework. The portfolio includes core iCD3.0 with expanded Task Dictionaries (covering AI, sales, agriculture, cloud, UX domains), the Wings/Wings II/Wings III framework series integrating ITSS and SFIA standards, job-type management support services, and enterprise/consultant certification programs. Additional offerings include iCD College training workshops, academy programs for educational institutions, framework analysis services for talent visualization, and community programs through user meetings and conferences. The organization provides a complete ecosystem supporting talent management from skill assessment to organizational development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• iCD Framework (Task and Skill Dictionaries) The flagship competency dictionary framework containing structured Task Dictionaries and Skill Dictionaries used by enterprises to define, assess, and visualize IT professional capabilities across roles.
• AI Task Dictionary

Quantifiable outcome

• Task-Qualification Mapping Table published connecting approximately 270 qualifications to business tasks
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• NTT Data Group (株式会社NTTデータグループ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 July 2026Strategic collaboration for comprehensive revision of AI Task Dictionary. NTT Data Group provides cooperation and NTT Data University provides joint development support for AI task updates aligned with latest AI technology trends and business implementation requirements.
• NTT Data University (株式会社NTTデータユニバーシティ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 November 2021Joint development partner for Wings and Wings II frameworks. Collaborated to create ITSS-based framework providing ITSS users with ability to define new roles and specialization areas while maintaining alignment with latest SFIA versions.
• SFIA Foundation (Skills Framework for the Information Age)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 July 2021Global framework collaboration enabling iCD-SFIA linkage solutions. SFIA is the world's most widely used skill standard for IT professional development and evaluation. Partnership allows iCD users to access global benchmark standards and enables international talent mobility.
• Artificial Intelligence Society / JSAI (人工知能学会)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 June 2021Collaboration for AI Task Dictionary development and AI Map-ICD linkage. Joint initiative to support AI implementation by mapping AI tasks to organizational capability requirements, combining academic AI research with practical industry frameworks.
• IPA / Information-technology Promotion Agency (独立行政法人情報処理推進機構)coreStrategic or Co-development PartneriCD was originally developed by IPA. iCD Association collaborates with IPA for ongoing iCD updates, DSS (Digital Skill Standard) integration, and maintaining alignment with government skill standards. iCD2022 released in coordination with IPA.
• IT Verification Industry Association / IVIA (IT検証産業協会)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for Third-party Verification Task Dictionary development, adding IT software industry quality assurance task definitions to iCD framework.
• Clavance Corporation (クラヴァンス株式会社)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint collaboration for continuous version updates of iCD Skill Dictionary. Partnership enables rapid response to IT technology evolution through professional practical knowledge integration and systematic skill vocabulary expansion.
• Skillte Corporation (スキルティ株式会社)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided Common Ability Task set for iCD3.0, enabling role and specialization-agnostic task definitions applicable across all industries.
• Japanese Association of Software Companies / CSAJ (コンピュータソフトウェア協会)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCSAJ co-sponsors events and collaborates on member company recruitment. Joint promotion of iCD utilization among member software companies.
• Various Regional IT Industry Associations (都道府県情報サービス産業協会)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional associations including FISA (Fukuoka), KIA (Kanagawa), and others serve as local promotion channels for iCD membership and certification programs.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Association for Talent Development (ATD): Large global professional association for talent development practitioners offering certifications (CPLP, APTD), training, and research. Comparable to iCD Association as a membership organization serving the workforce capability development space, but operating at much broader scope without a Japan-specific competency dictionary.
• SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management): Largest HR professional association globally with SHRM-CP/SCP certifications and an extensive Body of Competency & Knowledge. Comparable as a membership- and certification-driven HR/talent standards body, overlapping with iCD on the human capital management and DX-talent agenda.
• CompTIA: Global vendor-neutral IT certification body (A+, Network+, Security+, etc.) widely used in Japan. Comparable to iCD's certification portfolio as a multi-tier IT competency credentialing organization, though product-focused rather than dictionary/framework-focused.
• Information-technology Promotion Agency (IPA): Japanese government-affiliated agency that originally developed iCD and continues to coordinate with iCD Association on DSS/DSS-P and iCD2022. Comparable as the upstream standards body that iCD Association is operationally adjacent to and dependent on.

Regional players

• Japan Information Technology Services Industry Association (JISA): Japanese IT services industry trade association serving system integrators and software vendors. Comparable to iCD Association as a Japan-based industry association in the IT services space, though broader in scope and not focused on competency dictionary frameworks.
• SkillsFuture Singapore: Singapore national skills framework covering skills standards, competency frameworks, and training pathways across industries. Comparable as a government-driven skills taxonomy with associated certification pathways that competes conceptually with iCD for enterprise adoption.
• European e-Competence Framework (e-CF): EU-endorsed ICT competence framework defining 40 competences across five proficiency levels. Comparable to iCD as a regionally governed, standards-based competency dictionary for ICT professionals, but serving Europe rather than Japan.

Direct peers

• SFIA Foundation: Operates the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA), the most widely used global IT skill standard. Directly comparable to iCD because both define and version IT professional competencies, and iCD has an explicit 2021 collaboration/partnership with SFIA to provide the iCD × SFIA linkage solution.

Others

• HR Open Standards Consortium: Industry consortium developing open interoperability standards (including for HR and competency data). Comparable as an enabling standards organization adjacent to iCD's domain — relevant to iCD's API/data integration strategy for diagnostics and certification workflows.
• Digital Skill Standard (DSS) — METI/IPA: Japanese government's Digital Skill Standard (DSS/DSS-P) framework for DX personnel issued by METI/IPA. Directly comparable and partially overlapping with iCD's task dictionary, and an explicit integration partner via iCD's Wings III and DSS-P mapping services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about iCD Association