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.

Organisational requirements may relate to:
preventative maintenance and diagnostic policy
problem solution processes
roles and technical responsibilities in the IT department
vendor and product service level support agreements
work environment.
Disk may include:
CD
CD-RW
diskettes (floppy disks)
DVD RW
solid state hard drive
zip disk.
System may include:
application service provider
applications
databases
gateways
hardware and software components that run a computer
ISP
operating systems
servers.
System requirements may include:
client or user
cost constraints
environment
geography
system functionality.
Policies may include:
awareness raising strategies
forensic procedures
incident response procedures
network intrusion detection systems
training.
User may include:
department within the organisation
person within a department
third party.
Organisational guidelines may include:
communication methods
content of emails
dispute resolution
document procedures and templates
downloading information and accessing particular websites
financial control mechanisms
opening mail with attachments
personal use of emails and internet access
virus risk.
Security requirements may include:
encryption
privacy
security levels
secure socket layer (SSL)
trusted sites.
Network may include:
data
large and small LANs
private lines
internet
use of the public switched telephone network (PSTN) for dial-up modems only
voice
virtual private networks (VPNs)
wide area networks (WANs).

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 ability to:
monitor system software performance according to vendor and organisational benchmarks
maintain system performance to these benchmarks
use a wide range of features and system tools.
Context of and specific resources for assessment
Assessment must ensure access to:
organisational performance benchmarks
live system
client user requirements
appropriate learning and assessment support when required
modified equipment for people with special needs.
Method of assessment
A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:
verbal or written questioning to assess knowledge of:
system software
benchmark performance
system software tools
direct observation of candidate:
liaising with client
upgrading system software
review of candidate's call documentation
evaluation of client feedback from candidate's communications.
Guidance information for assessment
Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, where appropriate.
Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate, and suitable to the communication skill level, language, literacy and numeracy capacity of the candidate and the work being performed.
Indigenous people and other people from a non-English speaking background may need additional support.
In cases where practical assessment is used it should be combined with targeted questioning to assess required knowledge.