Elements and Performance Criteria

RANGE STATEMENT
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.
Organisationalrequirements may be in relation 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
System may include but is not limited to:
hardware and software components that run a computer, databases, applications, servers, operating systems, gateways, application service provider and ISP
Organisationalguidelines may include but are not limited to:
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
Network may include but is not limited to:
large and small LANs
VPNs
WANs
the internet
the use of the PSTN for dial-up modems only
private lines
data
voice
Security requirements may include but are not limited to:
security levels
trusted sites
privacy
SSL
encryption
User may include:
a person within a department
a department within the organisation
a third party
Policies may include:
incident response procedures
network intrusion detection systems
forensic procedures
training
awareness raising strategies
Systemrequirements may include but are not limited to:
system functionality
geography
environment
client user
cost constraints
Disk may include but are not limited to:
diskettes (floppy disks)
CD
CD-RW
DVD RW
zip disk
solid state hard drive

EVIDENCE GUIDE
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 monitor and maintain system software performance according to vendor and organisational benchmarks utilising a wide range of features and system tools.

To demonstrate competency in this unit the learner will require access to:
Organisational performance benchmarks
Live system
Client user requirements
Context of and specific resources for assessment
Breadth, depth and complexity of knowledge and skills would prepare a person to perform a range of tasks necessary in supporting systems software.

Operations must be undertaken in accordance with organisational polices and procedures.

Managing the system software should be done under competent supervision where there is a clearly defined range of contexts for ensuring minimal disruption of services to the organisation.


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, for example:
ICAS4107B Rectify system faults on a live system
ICAS4119B Monitor and administer systems security

An individual demonstrating this competency would be able to:
Demonstrate relevant understanding of policies and procedures related to support system software, with theoretical knowledge of implementation issues in the system context
Apply known solutions to a variety of predictable software problems and perform processes that require some discretion
Interpret available website for managing systems software information using discretion and judgement
Maintain knowledge of industry products and services

Additionally, 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