The Full-Stack Software Developer as a System Cohesion Architect: A Definitive Competency-Based Redefinition based on the K72T004 National Standard (Sri Lanka)
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The role of the Full-Stack Software Developer (FSD) is often ambiguously defined, primarily focusing on broad implementation skills across front-end and back-end development. This report addresses this definitional crisis by rigorously analyzing the Sri Lankan National Competency Standard for Full Stack Software Development (K72T004). The K72T004 standard mandates a two-tiered progression: NVQ Level 5 (Implementation Baseline) and NVQ Level 6 (Governance). Our analysis reveals that Level 6 competencies, encompassing comprehensive system integration management, holistic security ownership, and robust process governance, elevate the FSD beyond a mere generalist coder. We assert that the FSD, as defined by K72T004, functions as a System Cohesion Architect, responsible for designing and governing the integrity of data flow, security models, and quality pipelines across the entire application stack. This redefinition, grounded in a nationally recognized vocational standard, provides a clear framework for professionalization, mitigating architectural friction and aligning global industry expectations with the strategic value of an FSD possessing both deep implementation empathy and crucial architectural oversight.
Authors: W. A. Lakdimuthu Pasinda Weerasuriya, Senarath Mudiyanselage Nirodha Rupasinghe, J. H. U. S. Bhatiya Tissera, K. A. Achintha Chamara Lakshan, M. A. Tharaka Pathum Sankalpa
Language: English
Subfield: Information Systems
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W7106537455