Worlducation case study



 



First published 2021

Version 2.0


RTO Works

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© 2021 RTO Works 

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Business Works is a series of training and assessment resources developed for qualifications within the Business Services Training Package.









 

  Contents

Introduction 4

Assessment Task 1: Knowledge questions 5

Assessment Task 1: Checklist 8

Assessment Task 2: Project Portfolio 9

Assessment Task 2: Checklist 18

Final results record 24







  Introduction

The assessment tasks for BSBSTR601 Manage innovation and continuous improvement are outlined in the assessment plan below. These tasks have been designed to help you demonstrate the skills and knowledge that you have learnt during your course. 

Please ensure that you read the instructions provided with these tasks carefully. You should also follow the advice provided in the Business Works Student User Guide. The Student User Guide provides important information for you relating to completing assessment successfully.

Assessment for this unit

BSBSTR601 Manage innovation and continuous improvement describes the skills and knowledge required to sustain and develop an environment in which continuous improvement, innovation and learning are promoted and rewarded.

For you to be assessed as competent, you must successfully complete two assessment tasks:

Assessment Task 1: Knowledge questions – You must answer all questions correctly.

Assessment Task 2: Project – You must work through a range of activities and complete a project portfolio.  


  Assessment Task 1: Knowledge questions 

Information for students

Knowledge questions are designed to help you demonstrate the knowledge which you have acquired during the learning phase of this unit. Ensure that you:

review the advice to students regarding answering knowledge questions in the Business Works Student User Guide

comply with the due date for assessment which your assessor will provide

adhere with your RTO’s submission guidelines

answer all questions completely and correctly 

submit work which is original and, where necessary, properly referenced

submit a completed cover sheet with your work

avoid sharing your answers with other students.


  Assessment information

Information about how you should complete this assessment can be found in Appendix A of the Business Works Student User Guide. Refer to the appendix for information on:

where this task should be completed

the maximum time allowed for completing this assessment task

whether or not this task is open-book. 

Note: You must complete and submit an assessment cover sheet with your work. A template is provided in Appendix C of the Student User Guide. However, if your RTO has provided you with an assessment cover sheet, please ensure that you use that.

Assessment information

Information about how you should complete this assessment can be found in Appendix A of the Business Works Student User Guide. Refer to the appendix for information on:

1. where this task should be completed

2. the maximum time allowed for completing this assessment task

3. whether or not this task is open-book. 

4. Note: You must complete and submit an assessment cover sheet with your work. A template is provided in Appendix C of the Student User Guide. However, if your RTO has provided you with an assessment cover sheet, please ensure that you use that.Complete the following table regarding creativity and innovation theories and concepts. 

List one creativity and one innovation theory Summarise the theory, including key concepts

Creativity Theory: Guilford’s Structure of Intellect Guilford's model proposes that creativity is a mental process involving divergent thinking, which is the ability to generate multiple solutions to a problem. Key concepts include fluency (the number of ideas), flexibility (variety of ideas), originality (uniqueness of ideas), and elaboration (level of detail in ideas).

Innovation Theory: Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations This theory describes how new ideas and technologies spread within a society or from one society to another. Key concepts include the innovation-decision process (knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation, confirmation), adopter categories (innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, laggards), characteristics of innovations (relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, observability), and factors affecting the rate of adoption.

5. Discuss (in one or two paragraphs) three principles that are relevant to organisation learning. In your answer, identify the principles and explain what each one means as an organisational learning principle.

1. Knowledge Management: This principle is about systematically capturing, sharing, and using knowledge in an organization to improve outcomes. It ensures valuable insights and information are retained and accessible, enhancing decision-making and innovation.

2. Learning Culture: This principle advocates for an environment that encourages continual learning and knowledge exchange among all employees. It signifies an organization's commitment to employee development and openness to new ideas.

3. Continuous Improvement: This principle focuses on the constant pursuit of better ways to accomplish tasks and processes. It means the organization is always seeking to refine and enhance its operations, fostering a proactive approach to problem-solving and efficiency.

6. Complete the following table regarding quality management and continuous improvement theories. 

List one quality management and one continuous improvement theory Summarise the theory, including key concepts

Quality Management Theory: Deming’s System of Profound Knowledge Deming’s theory emphasizes a systemic approach to management and continuous improvement. Key concepts include the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle, understanding variation, systems thinking, and a theory of knowledge. Deming advocates for the transformation of management style and the organization to achieve quality improvements.

Continuous Improvement Theory: Kaizen Kaizen is a Japanese concept focusing on continuous improvement in all aspects of life, including business. It involves all employees from the CEO to the assembly line workers and focuses on small, daily improvements. Key concepts include eliminating waste, efficiency, standardization, and employee empowerment.

7. Discuss three concepts associated with risk management. As part of your answer, provide an example of how each concept may relate to organisational learning.

1. Risk Identification: Recognizing potential risks that could affect an organization's objectives. For example, in organizational learning, failing to keep up with technological advancements might be identified as a risk that could hinder competitive advantage.

2. Risk Analysis: Evaluating the likelihood and impact of identified risks. For instance, if an organization learns through analysis that a new market entrant could significantly capture market share, it could be seen as a high-impact risk.

3. Risk Mitigation: Implementing strategies to manage and minimize the impact of risks. An organization might develop training programs to continuously update the skills of its employees, thus mitigating the risk of obsolescence.








8. Explain how to conduct a gap analysis of an organisational system. 


1. Define the Current State: Document the current processes, resources, and capabilities of the organizational system.

2. Define the Target State: Clearly articulate the goals or desired state of the organizational system.

3. Identify the Gap: Compare the current state to the target state to identify discrepancies in performance, resources, skills, or capabilities.

4. Analyze the Gap: Understand the reasons behind the discrepancies and the risks or opportunities they present.

5. Develop Improvement Initiatives: Based on the gap analysis, create a plan of actions that will bridge the gap, including assigning responsibilities, resources, and timelines.

6. Implement and Monitor: Execute the improvement plan and monitor progress, making adjustments as necessary to ensure alignment with the target state.

Assessment Task 1: Checklist 

Student’s name:

Did the student provide a sufficient and clear answer that addresses the suggested answer for the following? Completed successfully? Comments

Yes No

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

Question 5

Question 6

Question 7

Question 8

Task outcome: Satisfactory Not satisfactory 

Assessor signature:

Assessor name:

Date:

  Assessment Task 2: Project Portfolio

Information for students

In this task, you are required to demonstrate your skills and knowledge by working through a number of activities and completing and submitting a project portfolio.

You will need access to:

a suitable place to complete activities that replicates a business environment including a meeting space and computer and internet access 

your learning resources and other information for reference 

BSBSTR601 Simulation Pack or access to relevant team members, information and workplace documentation and resources at your organisation

Project Portfolio template.

Ensure that you:

review the advice to students regarding responding to written tasks in the Business Works Student User Guide

comply with the due date for assessment which your assessor will provide

adhere with your RTO’s submission guidelines

answer all questions completely and correctly 

submit work which is original and, where necessary, properly referenced

submit a completed cover sheet with your work

avoid sharing your answers with other students.


  Assessment information

Information about how you should complete this assessment can be found in Appendix A of the Business Works Student User Guide. Refer to the appendix for information on:

where this task should be completed

how your assessment should be submitted.

Note: You must complete and submit an assessment cover sheet with your work. A template is provided in Appendix B of the Student User Guide. However, if your RTO has provided you with an assessment cover sheet, please ensure that you use that.


Activities

Complete the following activities:

1. Carefully read the following:

  This project requires you to complete a range of activities relevant to managing continuous improvement and innovation for one organisation as a whole or one work area within an organisation (e.g., a department of a company). 

To do this, you will assume a managerial role and communicate with team members and other stakeholders to improve the work environment for the organisation or work area. 

Vocational education and training is all about gaining and developing practical skills that are industry relevant and that can help you to succeed in your chosen career. For this reason, we are giving you the choice to base this project on your own business, one you work in or a familiar with, or you can use the case study provided. This will mean that you are applying your knowledge and skills in a relevant, practical and meaningful way to your own situation!

If you are using the case study business, all relevant information for you to complete this assessment can be found in the Simulation Pack.

If you are basing this assessment on your own choice of business or work area, make sure you have access to all required information (read through the requirements in the green boxes below for further information). Speak to your assessor to get approval if you want to base this on your own business. 

You will be collecting evidence for this unit in a Project Portfolio. The steps you need to take are outlined below. Before you begin, complete page 4 of your Project Portfolio. 

Start working on Section 1 of your Project Portfolio. Steps 2 to 4 form part of Section 1.

If you are basing this assessment on your own business, you need access to at least two written documents that provide information about your organisation or work area’s:

processes and systems (including supply chain)

plans 

continuous improvement systems, processes, and innovations

performance (including mathematical information).

You also access to policies and procedures that outline processes for approvals, project management, change management and knowledge management.

Examples of such documents include:

Strategic Plan

Operational Plan

Project documentation (such as the Schedule, Project Briefing and Status Reports)

Continuous improvement Policies and Procedures

Project Management Policy and Procedures

Change Management Policy and Procedures

Communication Policy and Procedures

Performance Reports.

Examples of mathematical information include:

budgets (forecast and actual)

number of customer complaints

amount of rework required.

2. Review organisational documentation.

  Read at least two written documents that provide information about the business, its operations/processes, plans and continuous improvement systems, processes, and innovations.

Also read at least one policy and procedures that outlines the organisation’s processes for approvals, project management, change management and knowledge management.

  Make notes (for example using comments, highlighting or other review tools) on the documents as you read them to help you interpret the information.

If you are basing this assessment on the case study, read the following documents: 

Case study details

Strategic and Operational plans

Organisational structure

Internal and External Communication Policies and Procedures.

  Summarise the information you’ve collected. Your summary should address:

key objectives

key decision makers

key operational processes

supply chain details

strategies to monitor and evaluate performance and sustainability of key systems and processes

current continuous improvement systems, processes, and innovations in place

requirements for approvals, change management, project management and knowledge management.

3. Summarise and analyse current performance for the organisation or work area to identify required changes or improvement opportunities. 

  Collect information about your business’ performance. Do this by reading available performance reports (that include mathematical information).

  If you are using the case study, review the 2021. Performance Overview in the Simulation Pack.

  Based on the information you’ve collected, summarise and analyse the current performance of your chosen organisation or work area to identify changes or improvement opportunities. To do this first:

summarise current performance (including mathematical information) and identify variances from existing plans 

identify and analyse trends and opportunities relevant to the organisation or work area 

analyse supply chains and the operational and service systems using Gap analysis and determine the cost-benefits of the changes, improvements, or new ideas.

  As you analyse the way things are currently done, remember that this is just one way of doing things and improvement or changes are possible.

In your gap analysis, identify areas needing improvement or changes and suggest new ideas that may be trialled and tested to meet the need or opportunity. 

  After your analysis, set objectives for continuous improvement and the way things work. 

4. Identify team members and seek their input.

  Identify team members who can assist with continuous improvement and innovation in the workplace. 

Describe best practice ways of working that teams can use to achieve continuous improvement and to be innovative. 

Also identify learning opportunities for the team to improve their skills and knowledge in relation to continuous improvement and innovation.

  Draft an email to these team members seeking their input for continuous improvement in the organisation or work area. In your email:

promote the value of creativity, innovation, and sustainability

communicate the objectives for improving the way things work, expectations and desired outcomes

summarise the changes, improvements, and new ideas you’ve already identified including the cost-benefit of the new ideas.

seek their advice to identify further opportunities for improvement and to select three changes/improvements/new ideas to focus on.

  The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.

If you are using the case study, your assessor will respond to your email in the role of a team member when they mark Section 1 of your Project Portfolio.

If you are using their own business, the actual team members may provide the advice, or you may ask your assessor to play the role of the team members and provide feedback instead.

  Make sure you have answered all questions in Section 1. 

You are required to attach certain documents as part of your evidence – review the documents you need to attach as outlined in Section 1 of the Project Portfolio.  

Submit Section 1 to your assessor.

Start working on Section 2 of your Project Portfolio. Steps 5 to 8 form part of Section 2.

If you are using your own business, you need access to team members willing to participate in mentoring and coaching. These people must agree to their participation being viewed by your assessor.

5. Plan for continuous improvement.

  Select three changes, opportunities, or new ideas to focus on as part of your continuous improvement efforts. Justify your choice, considering the need, resources available, and constraints.

Develop a Continuous Improvement Plan. Your plan must include:

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) associated with the continuous improvement objectives

continuous improvement systems and processes

key actions, resources, constraints, and timeframes to achieve continuous improvement and innovation as you implement your chosen changes/opportunities/new ideas

impact the changes/opportunities/new ideas will have on the organisation, the consequences for people and the related transition plans

risk management to determine risks, outcomes, risk responses and contingencies for the Continuous Improvement Plan (including non-performance of staff members)

communication plans to manage changes associated with continuous improvement efforts

rewards for staff who have succeeded in their continuous improvement efforts

the knowledge management system to be used to capture continuous improvement plans and learnings.

  Use the work you’ve done in Section 1 of the Project Portfolio as well as the input provided by your assessor (in the role of a team member) to select and plan for continuous improvement.

 Use the template provided in the Project Portfolio. 

Your communication plans should adhere to any project management and change management requirements of your organisation. Remember to consider the audience when determining what to communicate, how to communicate, when to communicate and why the communication is necessary.

6. Coach and mentor team in continuous improvement and innovation.

  Prepare to coach and mentor the continuous improvement team members (identified in step 4). To do this:

Read through the steps below and make notes to use at the meeting. 

Explain how you will facilitate effective group interaction and build rapport with the team members to ensure positive working relationships.

Set questions to ask team members about their vision for continuous improvement to guide your mentoring (e.g., how can you contribute to the continuous improvement team, what benefits do you want to obtain from being part of this team? etc).

Prepare to coach team on how to be innovative (e.g., select a creative thinking tool such as opposite thinking that you will introduce them to and demonstrate).

Create a questionnaire that you will use to seek feedback from team members on how you ran the meeting.

  Keep in mind that coaching focuses on the present immediate situation whereas mentoring focus on the future.

  Meet with at least two team members (identified in Section 1 of your Project Portfolio). At your meeting:

Thank the team members for their contribution to further identify improvement opportunities and agree with their input (your assessor provided this input in the role of the team members when marking Section 1 of your Project Portfolio).

Collaborate to create a list of why creativity and innovation are vital for your organisation (or work area) to achieve its outcomes.

Share the best practices (you identified in step 4) on continuous improvement and innovation with the team.

Mentor the team members on how they could in the future work to contribute towards continuous improvement.

Coach team members on how they can be innovative (e.g., by demonstrating how to use a creative thinking technique such as opposite thinking).

Briefly discuss your Continuous Improvement Plan and confirm with the team members that objectives, timeframes, measures, and communication plans are in place so that the plan can be implemented.

Seek feedback (using the questionnaire you created) from each team member on your own performance at the meeting.

  As you conduct the meeting, make sure you facilitate effective group interaction and build rapport to establish positive working relationships

This meeting may take place with actual people who work for/are associated with your chosen business. Alternatively, classmates or your assessor may play the role of the team members. This can either be viewed in person or online by your assessor or you may like to video record the session for your assessor to watch later. Your assessor can provide you with more details at this step. Make sure you follow the instructions above and take no longer than 20 minutes. If this session is not viewed in person by your assessor, you will attach proof of the meeting to Section 2 of your Project Portfolio. 

7. Implement changes or improvements.

  Choose one change/opportunity/new idea (described in your Continuous Improvement Plan) and implement it.

  Examples of implemented changes or improvements could be:

Develop a flowchart to show a new, more efficient process and place it in a convenient location (e.g., flow chart showing how to decide whether to print a document should be placed at the printer).

Place a compost bin in the staff kitchen to improve sustainability.

Download the software for a new information management system and set up the folder structure.

If you are using the case study, you are required to notify sales staff of the new cloud-based product and schedule their training in its use. This should be done by creating a bulletin notice for the staff bulletin and creating a calendar invite for staff to attend training.

8. Address impact of change.

  Choose one transition plan (described in your Continuous Improvement Plan) that addresses the impact of the change or improvement and implement it.

  Examples of implemented actions or transition plans include:

create a social media post to communicate the change to customers

send an email to staff notifying them of the change

create and distribute a fact sheet about the changes or improvements.

If you are using the case study, you are required to create a social media post advertising the new product to existing and new customers.

  Make sure you have answered all questions in Section 2. 

You are required to attach certain documents as part of your evidence – review the documents you need to attach as outlined in Section 2 of the Project Portfolio.  

Submit Section 2 to your assessor.

Start working on Section 3 of your Project Portfolio. Steps 9 and 10 form part of Section 3.

Assume that your Continuous Improvement Plan has been approved and a period has passed. Your assessor will have provided you with simulated performance outcomes relevant to your unique Continuous Improvement Plan to use to complete the next steps.

9. Monitor and evaluate continuous improvement and innovation.

  Provide an evaluation of how well you believe continuous improvement systems are working.

  Base your evaluation on the Staff Survey comments (in the Simulation Pack).

  Recognise successes by drafting an email to the project team congratulating them on their successes.

  The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.

  Describe at least one non-performance failure and analyse the causes. Implement your contingency plan for non-performance (as described in your Continuous Improvement Plan).

  If you are using the case study, you are required to develop a fact sheet that can be used as training to help the relevant staff members perform as required. The contents of your fact sheet will depend on the unique non-performance details supplied by your assessor. For example, if the non-performance is related to using automated systems, the fact sheet could explain the benefits of process automation.

  Identify and manage new challenges and opportunities by updating your Continuous Improvement Plan. As you update the plan, confirm that learning from activities are captured and managed using the relevant knowledge management systems.

10. Submit your completed Project Portfolio.

  Make sure you have completed all sections of your Project Portfolio, answered all questions, provided enough detail as indicated and proofread for spelling and grammar as necessary. 

Submit to your assessor for marking. 

Assessment Task 2: Checklist 

Student’s name:

Did the student: Completed successfully? Comments

Yes No

Review and summarise:

two written organisational documents that provide information about the business, its operations/processes, plans and continuous improvement systems, processes, and innovations

at least one policy and procedures that outlines the organisation’s processes for approvals, project management, change management and knowledge management?

Summary includes:

key objectives

key decision makers

key operational processes

supply chain details

strategies to monitor and evaluate performance and sustainability of key systems and processes

current continuous improvement systems, processes, and innovations in place

requirements for approvals, change management, project management and knowledge management?

Summarise and analyse the current performance of the organisation or work area to identify changes or improvement opportunities, including:

summarising current performance (including mathematical information) and identifying variances from existing plans 

identifying and analysing trends and opportunities relevant to the organisation or work area 

analysing supply chains and the operational and service systems using Gap analysis and determining cost-benefits of options?

Identify team members:

Identifying team members who can assist with continuous improvement and innovation in the workplace

Describe best practice ways of working that teams can use to achieve continuous improvement and to be innovative

Identifying learning opportunities for the team to improve their skills and knowledge in relation to continuous improvement and innovation?

Seek team member input by drafting an email to team members seeking their input for continuous improvement in the organisation or work area. The email:

promotes the value of creativity, innovation, and sustainability

communicates the objectives for improving the way things work, expectations and desired outcomes

summarises the changes, improvements, and new ideas already identified including the cost-benefit of the new ideas

seeks advice to identify further opportunities for improvement and to select three changes/improvements/new ideas to focus on?

Plan for continuous improvement, including:

selecting three changes, opportunities or new ideas to focus on as part of the continuous improvement efforts and justifying their choice (considering the need, resources available, and constraints)

developing a Continuous Improvement Plan that include:

o Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) associated with the continuous improvement objectives

o continuous improvement systems and processes

o key actions, resources, constraints, and timeframes to achieve continuous improvement and innovation 

o impact the changes/opportunities/new ideas will have on the organisation, the consequences for people and the related transition plans

o risk management to determine risks, outcomes, risk responses and contingencies (including non-performance of staff members)

o communication plans to manage changes associated with continuous improvement efforts

o rewards for staff who have succeeded in their continuous improvement efforts

o the knowledge management system to be used to capture continuous improvement plans and learnings?

Coach and mentor team in continuous improvement and innovation, including:

preparing to meet with team by:

o explaining how they will facilitate effective group interaction and build rapport with the team members to ensure positive working relationships

o setting questions to ask to guide mentoring and preparing to coach team members

o creating a questionnaire to seek feedback from team members on how you ran the meeting

meeting with at least two team members to:

o facilitate effective group interaction and build rapport to establish positive working relationships

o thank the team members for their contribution to further identify improvement opportunities and agree with their input

o collaborate to create a list of why creativity and innovation are vital for the organisation (or work area) to achieve its outcomes

o share the best practices on continuous improvement and innovation 

o mentor the team members on how they could in the future work to contribute towards continuous improvement

o coach team members on how they can be innovative

o briefly discuss your Continuous Improvement Plan and confirm with the team members that objectives, timeframes, measures, and communication plans are in place so that the plan can be implemented

o seek feedback (using the questionnaire you created) from each team member on your own performance at the meeting?

Choose one change/opportunity/new idea and implement it?

Choose one transition plan that addresses the impact of a change or improvement and implement it?

Monitor and evaluate continuous improvement and innovation by:

evaluating how well continuous improvement systems are working

recognising successes by drafting an email to the project team congratulating them on their successes

describing at least one non-performance failure and analysing the causes

implementing a contingency plan for non-performance

identifying and managing new challenges and opportunities by updating the Continuous Improvement Plan

confirming that learning from activities is captured and managed using the relevant knowledge management systems?

Task outcome: Satisfactory Not satisfactory 

Assessor signature:

Assessor name:

Date:





  Final results record


Student name:

Assessor name:

Date:

Final assessment results

Task Type Result

Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Did not submit

Assessment Task 1 Knowledge questions S U DNS

Assessment Task 2 Project Portfolio S U DNS

Overall unit results C NYC

Feedback




My performance in this unit has been discussed and explained to me. 

I would like to appeal this assessment decision. 


Student signature: Date:



I hereby certify that this student has been assessed by me and that the assessment has been carried out according to the required assessment procedures. 


Assessor signature:    Date: 


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