Elements and Performance Criteria

Expected benefit
Expected benefit may be a benefit against:
business
ecological
social
sustainability goals
Capital improvements
Capital improvements covers:
the purchase, installation, construction and commissioning of new equipment
alterations to existing equipment designed to improve the sustainability of the organisation’s operations and which will be classed as capital in the organisation’s balance sheet
Production improvements
Production improvements are improvements to processes such as:
work re-organisation
eliminating or changing operating steps
use of different materials, components or supplies
changing equipment and process conditions
The improvements may or may not:
involve expenditure of a capital or operating nature
Maintenance related improvements
Maintenance related improvements are changes to maintenance procedures, such as increased:
condition monitoring
maintenance frequency
designed to improve the efficiency and sustainability of operating equipment
Maintenance improvements may require:
capital or non-capital expenditure
Product life cycle improvements
Product life cycle improvements are:
improvements to the entire life cycle of a product through design, manufacture, service and disposal
Regulatory HSE improvements
Regulatory HSE improvements are:
changes designed to improve the organisation’s compliance to sustainability related Acts and regulations
Personnel costs
Personnel costs may include:
costs related to recruiting new staff, retrenchments, training and retraining and use of contract labour for sustainability related improvements
Time-related costs
Time-related costs include:
the time value of money and may also include maintenance of new plant as part of the project
ROI
ROI means return on investment and relates in this unit to assessing the returns (positive and negative) on the investment required to make sustainability improvements. The actual formula used and the definitions of factors and hurdle rates adopted should be consistent with standard practice for the organisation

Overview of assessment
A person who demonstrates competency in this unit must be able to prepare a business case, including appropriate analyses, for sustainability related improvements.
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
Assessors must be satisfied that the candidate can competently and consistently apply the skills covered in this unit of competency in new and different situations and contexts. Critical aspects of assessment and evidence include:
identifying sustainability goals and relating these goals to current and future states
determining costs of sustainability related improvements across an organisation’s operation or value chain
making RoI calculations
preparing project proposals that clearly define and quantify costs and benefits and presents a cogent and valid argument for proceeding with the project (or otherwise).
Context of and specific resources for assessment
This unit of competency is to be assessed in the workplace or a simulated workplace environment.
Assessment should emphasise a workplace context and procedures found in the candidate’s workplace.
This unit of competency may be assessed with other relevant units addressing sustainability at the enterprise level or other units requiring the exercise of the skills and knowledge covered by this unit.
The competencies covered by this unit would be demonstrated by an individual working alone or as part of a team.
Method of assessment
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.
Where applicable, reasonable adjustment must be made to work environments and training situations to accommodate ethnicity, age, gender, demographics and disability.
The language, literacy and numeracy demands of assessment should not be greater than those required to undertake the unit of competency in a work-like environment.
Guidance information for assessment