Elements and Performance Criteria

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.

Motherboards
CMOS battery
central processing unit (CPU)
CD and DVD drives
interface cards
drives
fax/modem cards
RAM upgrades
CPU upgrades

personal use of emails and internet access
content of emails
downloading information and accessing particular websites
opening mail with attachments
virus risk
dispute resolution
document procedures and templates
communication methods
financial control mechanisms

how and what the organisation wants in regard to work environment
problem solution processes
preventative maintenance and diagnostic policy
roles and technical responsibilities in the IT department
vendor and product service-level support agreements

supervisor
teacher
authorised business representative
client

a person within a department
a department within the organisation
a third party

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

Evidence of the following is essential:

Assessment must confirm the ability to ascertain and meet client requirements for modification of a system's hardware.
An ability to plan the modification and to connect the internal hardware components according to vendor and technical specifications is essential.
Installation of components must be across a variety of situations and include unexpected contingencies.

To demonstrate competency in this unit the person will require access to:

Hardware components
Hardware system (e.g. subject personal computer, for installation of hardware components)
Technical manuals and tools

Context of and specific resources for assessment
The careful planning and promotion of hardware upgrades and changes is critical to the effective support of business functions. Hardware modifications need to be risk managed similar to other business processes. The effective management and execution of the component maintenance and replacement process may significantly determine the amount of down time a company encounters.
The breadth, depth and complexity of knowledge and skills in this competency would cover selecting, adapting and transferring skills and knowledge to new environments and providing technical advice and some leadership in resolution of specified problems. This would be applied across a range of roles in a variety of contexts with some complexity in the extent and choice of options available.

Assessment must ensure:

Performance of a defined range of skilled operations, usually within a range of broader related activities involving known routines, methods and procedures, where some discretion and judgement is required in the section of equipment, services or contingency measures and within known time constraints would be characteristic.
Applications may involve some responsibility for others. Participation in teams including group or team coordination may be involved.

Method of assessment
The purpose of this unit is to define the standard of performance to be achieved in the workplace. In undertaking training and assessment activities related to this unit, consideration should be given to the implementation of appropriate diversity and accessibility practices in order to accommodate people who may have special needs. Additional guidance on these and related matters is provided in ICA05 Section 1.
Competency in this unit should be assessed using summative assessment to ensure consistency of performance in a range of contexts. This unit can be assessed either in the workplace or in a simulated environment. However, simulated activities must closely reflect the workplace to enable full demonstration of competency.
Evidence for assessment from industry or vendor certified training may be presented for the whole or part of this unit depending on the range of variables and performance criteria.
Assessment will usually include observation of real or simulated work processes and procedures and/or performance in a project context as well as questioning on underpinning knowledge and skills. The questioning of team members, supervisors, subordinates, peers and clients where appropriate may provide valuable input to the assessment process. The interdependence of units for assessment purposes may vary with the particular project or scenario.

Guidance information for assessment

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:

ICAS3115B Maintain equipment and software in working order
ICAT3025B Run standard diagnostic tests

An individual demonstrating this competency would be able to:

Demonstrate some relevant theoretical knowledge
Apply a range of well-developed skills
Apply known solutions to a variety of predictable problems
Perform processes that require a range of well-developed skills where some discretion and judgement is required
Interpret available information, using discretion and judgement
Take responsibility for own outputs in work and learning
Take limited responsibility for the output of others
Maintain knowledge of industry products and services

Additionally, an individual demonstrating this competency would be able to:

Install hardware components safely
Keep appropriate records of changes to hardware
Apply hardware solutions to a variety of predictable problems
Interpret available information from hardware vendors and request clarification where needed
Take responsibility for hardware-related outputs