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.

sponsor
user
development team
project team

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

ISO/IEC/AS standards
organisational standards
project standards (for further information refer to the Standards Australia website at:
Java coding standards, GNU coding standard

ISO/IEC/AS standards
audit trails
naming standards
version control
project management templates and report writing
maintaining equipment inventory
client training
satisfaction reports

verbal methods (e.g. telephone, meetings, video conferencing)
non-verbal methods (e.g. written messages, emails, memos)

development methodology
reporting mechanisms
project plan
change control
quality of software modules
sharing of code/libraries
ease of modification and maintenance
delivery against required milestones and budget

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 establish the standards associated with the IT technical requirements, taking into account quality assurance processes that are in place for the development of software.

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

Technical specifications
Organisational standards for documentation and version control
Project management process and hierarchy
Future organisational business processes
Software requirements specifications
Interface requirements specifications
System requirements
Design specifications
Project budget, timeframe

Context of and specific resources for assessment
Preparing a software development review will usually include observation of real or simulated software processes and procedures.
Data used in preparing the development review should be validated and come from other projects or related organisational activities.
The breadth, depth and complexity of knowledge and skills in this competency would cover a broad range of varied activities or application in a wider variety of contexts most of which are complex and non-routine. Leadership and guidance would be involved when organising activities of self and others as well as contributing to technical solutions of a non-routine or contingency nature.

Assessment must ensure:

Performance of a broad range of skilled applications including the requirement to evaluate and analyse current practices, develop new criteria and procedures for performing current practices and provision of some leadership and guidance to others in the application and planning of the skills would be characteristic.
Applications may involve responsibility for, and limited organisation of, others.

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.
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.

An individual demonstrating this competency would be able to:

Demonstrate understanding of a broad knowledge base incorporating some theoretical concepts
Apply solutions to a defined range of unpredictable problems
Identify and apply skill and knowledge areas to a wide variety of contexts, with depth in some areas
Identify, analyse and evaluate information from a variety of sources
Take responsibility for own outputs in relation to specified quality standards
Take limited responsibility for the quantity and quality of the output of others
Maintain knowledge of industry products and services