Unit of Competency Mapping – Information for Teachers/Assessors – Information for Learners

MSS015007A Mapping and Delivery Guide
Develop a business case for sustainability improvements

Version 1.0
Issue Date: March 2024


Qualification -
Unit of Competency MSS015007A - Develop a business case for sustainability improvements
Description This unit of competency covers developing an appropriate business case for proposed changes which will deliver improvements to the sustainability of a process or organisation.It includes benefit/cost and return on investment (ROI) analyses.
Employability Skills This unit contains employability skills
Learning Outcomes and Application This unit applies inside organisations and their value chains. The unit has been developed with manufacturing operations as a focus. However, because of the range of organisations in a typical manufacturing value chain it may also be applied to other types of organisations. The unit applies to the development of a business case for sustainability related improvements to an organisation’s products or processes. The business case may relate to the whole or part of an organisation, or to the whole or part of the value chain (e.g. suppliers of goods or services or customers). The business case may be required for sustainability related improvements in response to regulatory, Board, employee, shareholder or community requests or pressure. The business case may be completed by an individual or be prepared by a team. It would typically be undertaken by a manager or technical specialist who had a major responsibility for sustainability as part of a broader work role, or sustainability may be their primary work responsibility. The manager or technical specialist may undertake this alone or as part of a team.The technical measurement of operational performance or measurement of emissions or other environmental impact is not covered by this unit. However, there is a requirement to present and organise data. The complexity of this requirement will vary according to the type and scale of the organisation’s processes. Where required, appropriate mathematics and statistics units should be selected from the MEM05 Metal and Engineering Training Package or other appropriate Training Package.
Duration and Setting X weeks, nominally xx hours, delivered in a classroom/online/blended learning setting.
Prerequisites/co-requisites Not applicable.
Competency Field
Development and validation strategy and guide for assessors and learners Student Learning Resources Handouts
Activities
Slides
PPT
Assessment 1 Assessment 2 Assessment 3 Assessment 4
Elements of Competency Performance Criteria              
Element: Define the intended sustainability improvement project
  • Define the purpose of the project
  • Determine the project goals
  • Determine regulatory requirements
  • Determine stakeholders for project
  • Clarify the critical success factors for the project
  • Quantify the current state
       
Element: Quantify expected benefits from the project
  • Determine cost of any capital improvements from the project
  • Determine production improvements
  • Determine maintenance improvements
  • Determine product life cycle improvements
  • Determine regulatory health, safety and environment (HSE) improvements
  • Estimate total benefit of proposed project
       
Element: Determine costs required to implement project
  • Estimate fixed capital costs required
  • Estimate personnel costs required
  • Estimate financial costs required
  • Estimate time required for project and time-related costs
  • Estimate total costs of project
       
Element: Prepare a proposal justifying project
  • Determine ROI, sustainability and other project benefits
  • Determine costs if any of not proceeding with the project
  • Compare benefits to costs using appropriate methods
  • Prepare proposal for project
       


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.

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


Submission Requirements

List each assessment task's title, type (eg project, observation/demonstration, essay, assignment, 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.

Required knowledge includes:

characteristics of good project purposes and goals

regulatory environment and requirements for sustainability related project, including HSE aspects

concept of capital versus operational improvements

characteristics of good critical success factors and key performance indicators

internal and external data sources

project costing methods for capital, personnel, financial and time related costs

methods of quantifying project benefits

ROl calculations

cost-benefit calculation

relevant accounting conventions and requirements and the alternative lean view, where appropriate

AS/NZS ISO 14000 Environmental Management Standards

Required skills include:

analysing processes, logistics, material usages, costs and benefits

analysing the regulatory environment as it applies to an organisation and determining implications for products and processes

collating, interpreting, and presenting statistical data sets and other numeric information, including data series, means and averages

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

Copy and paste from the following performance criteria to create an observation checklist for each task. When you have finished writing your assessment tool every one of these must have been addressed, preferably several times in a variety of contexts. To ensure this occurs download the assessment matrix for the unit; enter each assessment task as a column header and place check marks against each performance criteria that task addresses.

Observation Checklist

Tasks to be observed according to workplace/college/TAFE policy and procedures, relevant legislation and Codes of Practice Yes No Comments/feedback
Define the purpose of the project 
Determine the project goals 
Determine regulatory requirements 
Determine stakeholders for project 
Clarify the critical success factors for the project 
Quantify the current state 
Determine cost of any capital improvements from the project 
Determine production improvements 
Determine maintenance improvements 
Determine product life cycle improvements 
Determine regulatory health, safety and environment (HSE) improvements 
Estimate total benefit of proposed project 
Estimate fixed capital costs required 
Estimate personnel costs required 
Estimate financial costs required 
Estimate time required for project and time-related costs 
Estimate total costs of project 
Determine ROI, sustainability and other project benefits 
Determine costs if any of not proceeding with the project 
Compare benefits to costs using appropriate methods 
Prepare proposal for project 

Forms

Assessment Cover Sheet

MSS015007A - Develop a business case for sustainability improvements
Assessment task 1: [title]

Student name:

Student ID:

I declare that the assessment tasks submitted for this unit are my own work.

Student signature:

Result: Competent Not yet competent

Feedback to student

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assessor name:

Signature:

Date:


Assessment Record Sheet

MSS015007A - Develop a business case for sustainability improvements

Student name:

Student ID:

Assessment task 1: [title] Result: Competent Not yet competent

(add lines for each task)

Feedback to student:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall assessment result: Competent Not yet competent

Assessor name:

Signature:

Date:

Student signature:

Date: