MSS408007 - Develop problem solving capability of an organisation assessment tool

Assessor Resource

MSS408007
Develop problem solving capability of an organisation

Assessment tool

Version 1.0
Issue Date: May 2024

This unit of competency covers the skills and knowledge required to develop problem solving skills of individuals within an organisation and as a consequence the problem solving capability of the organisation as a whole. The unit does not supply the skills to undertake formal problem solving on individual problems.

This unit is intended for organisation leaders/managers and people with a similar sphere of influence and scope of authority and responsibility. It applies where problem solving is already routine in the organisation and improving individual and organisational problem solving capability has been accepted as part of the organisationâ€™s improvement processes.

The unit applies to individuals who are already familiar with formal problem solving processes.

This unit may also be applied to service organisations applying competitive systems and practices principles.

No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

You may want to include more information here about the target group and the purpose of the assessments (eg formative, summative, recognition)

Evidence Required

List the assessment methods to be used and the context and resources required for assessment. Copy and paste the relevant sections from the evidence guide below and then re-write these in plain English.

Elements describe the essential outcomes.		Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element.
1	Develop an appropriate organisational framework	1.1	Determine or review available problem finding strategies in the organisation.
		1.2	Analyse the current selection and application of problem solving tools and gauge effectiveness.
		1.3	Determine preferred problem solving strategies for the organisation.
		1.4	Determine or review the desired outcomes from use of selected problem solving strategies.
		1.5	Review organisational structure to facilitate improvement in problem solving.
		1.6	Develop a training strategy to improve problem solving ability.
		1.7	Develop reporting framework and guidelines.
		1.8	Develop corrective action identification and tracking systems.
		1.9	Obtain support from relevant process/system owners for proposed changes.

2	Improve problem solving ability	2.1	Implement training strategy.
		2.2	Ensure problem solving occurs using groups or teams.
		2.3	Provide resources to ensure problem solving occurs.
		2.4	Confirm with teams and groups that training and resources deliver capability to solve complex problems.
		2.5	Monitor problem solving to determine if improvement in developing problem solving solutions is achieved.
		2.6	Provide resources to ensure solutions are implemented.
		2.7	Ensure reporting and corrective action tracking occurs.

3	Review problem solving effectiveness	3.1	Review corrective action tracking.
		3.2	Determine benefit/cost from solutions.
		3.3	Analyse interactions of multiple problems with each other and the organisation.
		3.4	Review problem solving strategy.
		3.5	Make improvements to problem solving strategy and approach.

Evidence required to demonstrate competence in this unit must be relevant to and satisfy the requirements of the elements and performance criteria and include the ability, across an organisation or department/section, to:

analyse and improve problem finding capabilities of the organisation

improve the problem solving capability of the organisation

set key performance indicators (KPIs) for organisation problem solving

ongoing review of systems and processes relevant to problem solving

increase problem solving capability through identification of appropriate strategies.

Must provide evidence that demonstrates sufficient knowledge to interact with relevant personnel and be able to develop problem solving capabilities, including knowledge of:

competitive systems and practices principles

competitive systems and practices at both a strategic and tools level

problem solving methodologies

organisation strategy and vision

value stream and value as defined by the organisationâ€™s customers

corrective action tracking methods.

The unit should be assessed holistically and the judgement of competence shall be based on a holistic assessment of the evidence.

The collection of performance evidence is best done from a report and/or folio of evidence drawn from:

a single project which provides sufficient evidence of the requirements of all the elements and performance criteria

multiple smaller projects which together provide sufficient evidence of the requirements of all the elements and performance criteria.

A third-party report, or similar, may be needed to testify to the work done by the individual, particularly when the project has been done as part of a project team.

Assessment should use a real project where the problem solving skills of individuals within their teams are developed in an operational workplace.

Knowledge evidence may be collected concurrently with performance evidence or through an independent process such as workbooks, written assessments or interviews (provided a record is kept).

Assessment processes and techniques must be appropriate to the language, literacy and numeracy requirements of the work being performed and the needs of the candidate.

Conditions for assessment must include access to all tools, equipment, materials and documentation required, including relevant workplace procedures, product and manufacturing specifications associated with this unit.

Foundation skills are integral to competent performance of the unit and should not be assessed separately.

Assessors must satisfy the assessor competency requirements that are in place at the time of the assessment as set by the VET regulator.

The assessor must demonstrate both technical competency and currency.

Technical competence can be demonstrated through:

relevant VET or other qualification/Statement of Attainment AND/OR

relevant workplace experience

Currency can be demonstrated through:

performing the competency being assessed as part of current employment OR

having consulted with an organisation providing relevant environmental monitoring, management or technology services about performing the competency being assessed within the last twelve months.

Submission Requirements

List each assessment task's title, type (eg project, observation/demonstration, essay, assingnment, checklist) and due date here

Assessment task 1: [title] Due date:

(add new lines for each of the assessment tasks)

Assessment Tasks

Copy and paste from the following data to produce each assessment task. Write these in plain English and spell out how, when and where the task is to be carried out, under what conditions, and what resources are needed. Include guidelines about how well the candidate has to perform a task for it to be judged satisfactory.

Elements describe the essential outcomes.		Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element.
1	Develop an appropriate organisational framework	1.1	Determine or review available problem finding strategies in the organisation.
		1.2	Analyse the current selection and application of problem solving tools and gauge effectiveness.
		1.3	Determine preferred problem solving strategies for the organisation.
		1.4	Determine or review the desired outcomes from use of selected problem solving strategies.
		1.5	Review organisational structure to facilitate improvement in problem solving.
		1.6	Develop a training strategy to improve problem solving ability.
		1.7	Develop reporting framework and guidelines.
		1.8	Develop corrective action identification and tracking systems.
		1.9	Obtain support from relevant process/system owners for proposed changes.

2	Improve problem solving ability	2.1	Implement training strategy.
		2.2	Ensure problem solving occurs using groups or teams.
		2.3	Provide resources to ensure problem solving occurs.
		2.4	Confirm with teams and groups that training and resources deliver capability to solve complex problems.
		2.5	Monitor problem solving to determine if improvement in developing problem solving solutions is achieved.
		2.6	Provide resources to ensure solutions are implemented.
		2.7	Ensure reporting and corrective action tracking occurs.

3	Review problem solving effectiveness	3.1	Review corrective action tracking.
		3.2	Determine benefit/cost from solutions.
		3.3	Analyse interactions of multiple problems with each other and the organisation.
		3.4	Review problem solving strategy.
		3.5	Make improvements to problem solving strategy and approach.

This field allows for different work environments and conditions that may affect performance. Essential operating conditions that may be present (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) are included.
Competitive systems and practices include one or more of:	lean operations agile operations preventative and predictive maintenance approaches statistical process control systems, including six sigma and three sigma Just in Time (JIT), kanban and other pull-related operations control systems supply, value, and demand chain monitoring and analysis 5S continuous improvement (kaizen) breakthrough improvement (kaizen blitz) cause/effect diagrams overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) takt time process mapping problem solving run charts standard procedures current reality tree.
Organisational structure review includes one or more of:	operational and support functions and departments links with value stream members super-users and facilitators roles and responsibilities with regard to problem solving plans to broaden the users of problem solving approach plans to improve the problem solving performance of personnel.
Problem finding strategies are used to identify one or more of:	problems before they become obvious or cause significant non-conformance or risk situations not initially considered a problem but which may be hindering greater performance strategies for finding opportunities for improvement.
Complex problem includes one or more of:	requires going into the value stream for data/information is wider than just applying to a single job applies to less common solutions or problems requires a higher level of knowledge and skill requires significant specialist knowledge requires significant specialist skill requires more theory/understanding of technology or process data is not easily available and may need particular strategies to obtain requires overcoming resistance from people including employees, customers or suppliers requires extracting data not regularly reported from SCADA or similar systems the problem and/or proposed solutions require reporting or authorisations from a Board or external authorities, such as licensing or regulatory bodies.
Effective solutions will include one or more of:	prevent recurrence be within the control/ability of the organisation to implement meet organisation goals and objectives.
Required resources include one or more of:	plant data processing equipment measuring and diagnostic equipment materials (e.g. raw materials, components, work in progress, other consumables, paper and forms in electronic or hard format) energy (e.g. heating, cooling, fuel and power) appropriately skilled people as employees and in the value stream finances feedback/visual operations resources measuring equipment.