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.
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
Health, safety and environment (HSE)
All changes implemented are expected to be at least neutral, or preferably beneficial, in their impact on HSE
Organisational structure
A review of organisational structure may include:
operational and support functions and departments
links with value stream members
super-users and facilitators
roles and responsibilities with regard to problem solving
plans to broaden the users of problem solving approach
plans to improve the problem solving performance of personnel
Problem finding strategies
Problem finding strategies are the strategies used to identify:
problems before they become obvious or cause significant non-conformance or risk
situations not initially considered a problem but which may be hindering greater performance
strategies for finding opportunities for improvement
Complex problem
A complex problem may be described as one which has several of the following characteristics:
requires going into the extended value stream for data/information
is wider than just applying to a single job
applies to less common solutions or problems
requires a higher level of knowledge and skill (which may or may not be possessed directly by the person solving the problem), such as:
significant specialist knowledge
significant specialist skill
more theory/understanding of technology or process
data is not easily available and may need particular strategies to obtain, such as:
overcoming resistance from people, including employees, customers or suppliers
extracting data not regularly reported from SCADA or similar systems
the problem and/or proposed solutions require reporting or authorisations from a Board or external authorities, such as licensing or regulatory bodies
Effective solutions
Effective solutions will:
prevent recurrence
be within the control/ability of the organisation to implement
meet organisation goals and objectives
Required resources
Required resources may include:
plant
data processing equipment
measuring and diagnostic equipment
materials (e.g. raw materials, components, work in progress, other consumables, paper and forms in electronic or hard format)
energy (e.g. heating, cooling, fuel and power)
appropriately skilled people as employees and in the value stream
finances
feedback/visual operations resources
measuring equipment
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

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:
analyse and improve problem finding capabilities of the organisation
improve the problem solving capability of the organisation
set KPIs for organisation problem solving
ongoing review of systems and processes relevant to problem solving
increasing problem solving capability through identification of appropriate strategies, including where required, identifying:
training needs in problem finding and solving
changes in organisational structure, decision making and processes
appropriate metrics
need for outside assistance.
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.