Unit of competency details

Elements describe the essential outcomes of a unit of competency.

Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the required skills and knowledge section and the range statement. Assessment of performance is to be consistent with the evidence guide.

1

Analyse decisions to be made

1.1

Identify personnel to be included in the analysis process

1.2

Determine the consequences of the decisions in liaison with relevant personnel

1.3

Determine the variables which can be controlled

1.4

Determine the variables which cannot be controlled

1.5

Determine the consequences of a change in these variables in liaison with affected personnel

2

Define factors which cause variables to change

2.1

Identify factors which are able to be controlled

2.2

Identify factors which are not able to be controlled

2.3

Identify means of measuring these factors, or indicators for the values of these factors

2.4

Compile a list of measurements/indicators required.

2.5

Communicate with team members and involve them in development of factors and changes to ensure awareness and facilitate learning

3

Develop data collection protocols

3.1

Determine methods of making measurements

3.2

Determine methods of quantifying indicators

3.3

Determine the benefit/cost of automated (or other) collection of data

4

Develop systems to produce required information

4.1

Identify user of information and their needs and abilities

4.2

Determine data processing needs to produce required information

4.3

Determine information distribution channels

4.4

Determine skill development need for recipients of information

4.5

Implement systems to produce information

4.6

Monitor implementation and make adjustments, as required

This section describes the skills and knowledge required for this unit.

Required skills 

Required skills include:

• communicating and negotiating at all levels in the organisation and value stream and with individuals of different levels of literacy and numeracy
• negotiating with employees, suppliers and customers, where necessary, to achieve access to, or collection of, data
• undertaking self-directed problem solving and decision-making on issues of a broad and/or highly specialised nature and in a wide variety of contexts
• developing or sourcing indicators for factors not easily measured
• liaising with stakeholders on acceptable limits for benefits and costs in data collection procedures

Required knowledge 

Required knowledge includes:

• business needs of the organisation/section
• information needs of individuals within the organisation
• possible data available/potentially available to the organisation
• methods of collecting available data
• relationship between data available and information required
• methods of converting data into useful information
• methods of developing indicators for factors resistant to measurement

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit 

A person who demonstrates competency in this unit must be able to provide evidence of their ability to:

• determine relevant data, including variables for decisions
• determine factors and variables subject to control
• develop strategies for data collection that deliver the greatest overall benefit
• implement data collection systems.

Context of and specific resources for assessment 

Assessment of performance must be undertaken in a workplace using or implementing one or more competitive systems and practices.

Access may be required to:

• workplace procedures and plans relevant to work area
• specifications and documentation relating to planned, currently being implemented, or implemented changes to work processes and procedures relevant to the assessee
• documentation and information in relation to production, waste, overheads and hazard control/management
• reports from supervisors/managers
• case studies and scenarios to assess responses to contingencies.

Method of assessment 

A holistic approach should be taken to the assessment.

Competence in this unit may be assessed by using a combination of the following to generate evidence:

• demonstration in the workplace
• workplace projects
• suitable simulation
• case studies/scenarios (particularly for assessment of contingencies, improvement scenarios, and so on)
• targeted questioning
• reports from supervisors, peers and colleagues (third-party reports)
• portfolio of evidence.

In all cases it is expected that practical assessment will be combined with targeted questioning to assess underpinning knowledge.

Where applicable, reasonable adjustment must be made to work environments and training situations to accommodate ethnicity, age, gender, demographics and disability.

Guidance information for assessment 

Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate and appropriate to the oracy, language and literacy capacity of the candidate and the work being performed.

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Competitive systems and practices 

Competitive systems and practices may include, but are not limited to:

• lean operations
• agile operations
• preventative and predictive maintenance approaches
• monitoring and data gathering systems, such as Systems Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) software, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, Materials Resource Planning (MRP) and proprietary systems
• statistical process control systems, including six sigma and three sigma
• Just in Time (JIT), kanban and other pull-related operations control systems
• supply, value, and demand chain monitoring and analysis
• 5S
• continuous improvement (kaizen)
• breakthrough improvement (kaizen blitz)
• cause/effect diagrams
• overall equipment effectiveness (OEE)
• takt time
• process mapping
• problem solving
• run charts
• standard procedures
• current reality tree

Competitive systems and practices should be interpreted so as to take into account:

• the stage of implementation of competitive systems and practices
• the size of the enterprise
• the work organisation, culture, regulatory environment and the industry sector

Variables 

Variables for this unit are:

• measurable inputs, outputs or characteristic of processes or operations that have no fixed quantitative value.

Factors 

Factors include:

• any variable that is a part of, contributes to, or leads to the quantum of another variable. Ideally factors themselves should be able to be measured. However, in some operations there may be factors that are resistant to objective measurement (e.g. creativity in design, customer colour preferences and life cycles for new products). In these cases indicators for the value of these factors may need to be developed (e.g. through surveys, approximations or experiments)

Decision 

A decision may include:

• a change, improvement, new/altered process or system which requires data in order to monitor it or where data is required to make a decision regarding the selection of alternatives

Unit sector

Competitive systems and practices