Elements and Performance Criteria

The range of variables relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that will affect performance.
Where reference is made to industry Codes of Practice, and/or Australian/international standards, it is expected the latest version will be used.
This unit of competency is relevant to experienced technical officers who have responsibility for the work outputs of a small work team.

Laboratory work could include
setup, pre-use and calibration checks of equipment
preparation and standardisation of solutions
maintenance of laboratory facilities, equipment and stocks
collection, preparation, storage/dispatch of samples
testing and analysis of raw materials, products and specimens
preparation of products (for example, sterile media) and product batches
trial and modification of methods.

Scheduling for a small team could include
identification of resources to maintain work flow including
interpreting production data
analysing job tasks
prioritising tasks within a work schedule
determining appropriate human resources in terms of skills and numbers
determining material and equipment requirements
monitoring information regarding orders, stocks and deliveries
monitoring of work outputs
adjustment of work schedules as agreed with senior personnel to accommodate unexpected events, such as;
processing abnormal and urgent results
delays in arrival of samples
seasonal variations, bad weather
analysing and solving operational problems resulting in unacceptable test results
unexpected events, such as equipment failure and sudden personnel absences
communication with senior personnel including;
determining and organising work priorities and schedules
analysing and solving problems affecting work schedules
adjusting work schedules as necessary
identifying possible problems for following shift
appropriate communication with team members in relation to;
explaining work schedules, priorities and sequences
distributing work schedules
maintaining required output
documentation of outputs and resource usage
quality and quantity of outputs
supplies of stock materials
maintenance and servicing of equipment.

Health, safety and environment
All operations to which this unit applies are subject to stringent health, safety and environmental (HSE) requirements, which may be imposed through State or Federal legislation, and these must not be compromised at any time. Where there is an apparent conflict between performance criteria and HSE requirements, the HSE requirements take precedence.
All operations assume the potentially hazardous nature of samples and require standard precautions to be applied. Users should access and apply current industry understanding of infection control issued by the National Health and Medical Research Council and State and Territory Departments of Health. All operations are performed in accordance with standard operating procedures.

The Evidence Guide describes the underpinning knowledge and skills that must be demonstrated to prove competence.
Critical aspects of competency

Competency must be demonstrated in the ability to perform consistently at the required standard and to schedule the work activities of a small team to meet operational requirements. In particular, the assessor should look to see that the candidate:

determines required resources accurately
plans schedules that are efficient and satisfy operational requirements without compromising safety, quality, accuracy and ethics
adheres to timelines whenever possible
recognises non-standard behaviour in samples and equipment
recognises potential disruptions to planned timetable
compensates for a variety of work environments (for example, outdoors or night work)
adjusts schedules and resource requirements efficiently in response to variations
communicates and documents schedule variations in accordance with procedures
recognises and uses capabilities of team members
communicates effectively with team members and appropriate to cultural and social contexts.

Underpinning knowledge
The candidate requires sufficient knowledge of the enterprise's information systems, procedures and equipment to schedule the laboratory work for a small team to meet operational requirements.

Competency includes the ability to apply and explain:

basic planning strategies
accurate scientific and technical terminology
scientific and technical details underpinning the processes or techniques involved
enterprise standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the processes or techniques involved
production schedules, analysis times for product range
operational factors that may affect the type of tasks scheduled
resource requirements of the work to be scheduled
hazards of operations, equipment and materials involved
enterprise procedures relating to OHS, access and equity, relevant sections of industrial awards and enterprise agreements
quality requirements for the tasks scheduled
relevant health, safety and environment requirements.
An appreciation of the laboratory's business goals is also required as a basis for decision making and actions.

Assessment context and methods
This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or simulated workplace environment.
Competency in this unit should be assessed by collecting evidence over sufficient time to demonstrate the candidate's ability to handle a variety of schedules and contingencies.

The following assessment methods are suggested:

review of documented work schedules prepared by the candidate which successfully met a variety of operational requirements
feedback from managers, supervisors and customers serviced by the team involved
feedback from team members regarding the effectiveness of team interactions
questions to check underpinning knowledge of relevant policies, procedures and scheduling principles and handling of possible contingencies
scenarios simulating disruption to workflow
questions to check scientific and technical details underpinning the processes or techniques involved.
In all cases, practical assessment should be supported by questions to assess underpinning knowledge and those aspects of competency which are difficult to assess directly. Questioning techniques should suit the language and literacy levels of the candidate.

Interdependent assessment of unit
This unit of competency may be assessed with technical units of competency relevant to the work of the team.

Resource implications

Resources may include:

workplace procedures
workplace documentation (for example, production data).

This competency in practice
A consulting laboratory working with construction industries receives 10-15 samples to test daily. The technical officer schedules the work for three other laboratory team members depending on the type of tests and equipment required. One of the technical officer's main tasks is to determine daily and weekly work priorities and distribute the work among team members to maximise their output and use of laboratory equipment. The technical officer monitors work outputs against the schedule and takes corrective action, if required, to ensure that customers receive results within the agreed timeframe.
At a regular team meeting a technical officer announced changes to the team's work schedules for the following week. The technical officer explained that the changes were part of a strategy to enable the team to become multiskilled. However, the technical officer neither documented nor distributed written confirmation of the changes, as required. On the set date, confusion and conflict arose as a number of team members insisted on using the old schedules. Valuable time was taken up resolving the problem and confirming the changes with personnel individually. Afterwards, the laboratory supervisor reviewed the relevant communication protocols with the technical officer to emphasise their importance.
The annual wastewater audit for a company required analysis of water samples collected at one-hourly intervals over a 24-hour period. The technical officer called his team together to find out what work priorities individual team members had and whether they had any personal commitments for the following two days. Afterwards, the officer drew up a roster for the annual audit, taking into account the commitments of team members. Following the audit, the officer analysed the results and compared them with the previous year's data.

The seven key competencies represent generic skills considered for effective work participation. The bracketed numbering against each of the key competencies indicates the performance level required in this unit. These are stand-alone levels and do not correspond to levels in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).
Level (1) represents the competence to undertake tasks effectively
Level (2) represents the competence to manage tasks
Level (3) represents the competence to use concepts for evaluating and reshaping tasks.
Communicating ideas and information
(2)

Collecting analysing and organising information
(3)

Planning and organising activities
(2)

Working with others and in teams
(2)

Using mathematical ideas and techniques
(2)

Solving problems
(2)

Using technology
(2)