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

Identify processes generating new knowledge

1.1

Identify any existing systems for organisational learning

1.2

Encourage the open discussion of current performance and problems

1.3

Facilitate consensus problem solving

1.4

Ensure both qualitative and quantitative knowledge are captured

1.5

Validate findings with relevant managers

2

Develop knowledge capture and retrieval systems

2.1

Obtain required approvals

2.2

Provide useable systems for recording of problems, causes and solutions

2.3

Facilitate the extraction of knowledge from records

2.4

Ensure all project work captures generated knowledge

2.5

Ensure knowledge is in a form able to be applied by the organisation and its personnel

2.6

Develop knowledge storage and retrieval systems

2.7

Monitor knowledge capture system use and suitability

3

Improve the application of organisational knowledge

3.1

Ensure knowledge is distributed to and available where needed

3.2

Ensure knowledge system is part of standard procedures and practices

3.3

Encourage the routine use of the knowledge system

3.4

Facilitate open discussion of knowledge and knowledge system

3.5

Identify inhibitors to greater use of knowledge

3.6

Take actions to improve application of organisational knowledge

4

Evaluate and improve learning processes

4.1

Review use of knowledge system

4.2

Evaluate benefits obtained from knowledge system

4.3

Identify areas where the knowledge system is not being fully utilised

4.4

Identify areas where greater benefits could be obtained from the knowledge system

4.5

Discuss areas of possible improvements with relevant managers and other stakeholders

4.6

Develop consensus improvement plans for the knowledge system

4.7

Obtain required approvals

4.8

Train personnel, as required, to improve use

4.9

Implement improvement plans

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

Required skills 

Required skills include:

• undertaking self-directed problem solving and decision-making
• communicating across all levels in an organisation
• preparing reports and recommendations
• implementing knowledge capture systems that cover:

• existing plant and equipment modifications
• changes to procedures and operations for information technology (IT) related systems and equipment
• operations procedure and practice changes
• new plant, equipment and processes
• daily problem solving and continuous improvement activities
• specific improvement events (e.g. kaizen blitz)
• incident reports
• reliability/maintenance reports
• customer feedback
• feedback from value stream members

• accessing and analysing current performance, including:

• output indicators
• input indicators
• health, safety and environment (HSE) indicators
• reliability/maintenance indicators
• continuous improvement indicators

• implementing, monitoring and adjusting improvements to the knowledge system, including:

• improving integration of knowledge system with other organisation and value stream development processes
• improving identification of new knowledge
• improving capture ease and efficiency
• improving search and application functionality

• analysing performance outside the normal range (good or bad) and assignable cause

Required knowledge 

Required knowledge includes:

• competitive systems and practices principles and tools, including:

• value stream mapping
• 5S
• Just in Time (JIT)
• mistake proofing
• process mapping
• establishing customer pull
• incremental and breakthrough improvement
• setting of key performance indicators (KPIs)/metrics
• identification and elimination of waste (muda)

• organisational goals strategies, operations and processes
• approval processes within organisation
• cost/benefit analysis methods
• methods of determining the impact of a change
• communication methods and media for a range of audiences
• customer perception of value
• reward systems
• learning and knowledge management systems

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 the ability to:

• review learning process across the organisation
• relate learning processes to implementation of competitive systems and practices
• identify components of current system that require improvement
• develop improvements to current learning system, including setting of system metrics
• manage implementation of improvements.

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 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
• 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

Codes of practice/standards 

Where reference is made to industry codes of practice, and/or Australian/international standards, the latest version must be used

HSE 

All changes implemented are expected to be at least neutral, or preferably beneficial, in their impact on HSE

Problems 

Problems may include:

• non-conformances and other opportunities for improvement

Develop 

Develop includes:

• establishing and improving

Organisational learning 

Organisational learning refers to learning intended to be applied across the whole organisation or by specific teams, work areas or individuals

Knowledge forms 

Knowledge may be:

• quantified or otherwise modified to make its outcomes measurable or observable as appropriate to the knowledge and its application

Improvements 

Improvements may:

• be to process, plant, service, procedures or practice
• include changes to ensure positive benefits are maintained

Manager 

Manager may include:

• any person who may have either a permanent or an ad hoc role in facilitating the function of multiple teams in a workplace, departments or entire organisations

Unit sector

Competitive systems and practices