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

MSS015008A Mapping and Delivery Guide
Develop strategic sustainability plans

Version 1.0
Issue Date: March 2024


Qualification -
Unit of Competency MSS015008A - Develop strategic sustainability plans
Description This unit of competency covers developing plans to transition an organisation to sustainability and also to improve the sustainability of an organisation. This would typically be done before the development of a business case. An implementation plan would typically follow sanction of the business case.
Employability Skills THis unit contains employability skills
Learning Outcomes and Application This unit covers the strategic planning skills needed for sustainability related improvements. The sustainability related improvements often affect all or major parts of an organisation and it’s value chain and as a result detailed strategic planning is usually required to ensure the support of all stakeholders to minimise disruption to the organisation’s business.The need for a strategic approach to sustainability may be in response to regulatory, Board, employee, shareholder or community requests or pressure International agreements, reporting requirements, codes of practice, business efficiency, energy cost reduction, waste reduction goals and consumer demand and expectations. The development of the strategic plan may be done individually or as part of 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.This unit does not cover the development of a formal business case which is covered by MSS015007A Develop a business case for sustainability improvements.
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: Determine current sustainability status of the organisation
  • Determine main organisational motivations and drivers for improved sustainability
  • Determine current regulatory environment
  • Determine current availability of data required for sustainability indicators
  • Arrange for sustainability related audits if required
       
Element: Identify priority areas for improvement
  • Identify strategic goals of the organisation and how these are impacted by sustainability
  • Determine suggestions for major improvement
  • Rank suggestions
  • Short-list improvements to be progressed
       
Element: Establish an appropriate project team
  • Arrange for a team leader to be allocated for each short-listed suggestion
  • Ensure an appropriate project team is established for each suggestion
  • Define expected outcomes and performance indicators for each suggestion
  • Ensure appropriate project plans are developed
       
Element: Design potential improvement
  • Arrange for project designs to be developed
  • Ensure appropriate evaluation is undertaken of each project
  • Select suggestions to be implemented
       
Element: Develop strategic plan
  • Identify implications of strategic sustainability plan for the organisation
  • Estimate implementation timelines
  • Identify strategic approvals for implementation
  • Identify required documentation
  • Draft plan to guide proposal to sanction
       


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 develop formal plans for sustainability strategy, including establishing project teams and designing 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:

determining sustainability drivers of an organisation and its value chain

determining sustainability improvement options and rank by benefit/cost

developing sustainability project plans, including key performance indicators and timelines

integrating sustainability improvement plans with other goals and strategic directions of the organisation.

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:

strategic directions of the organisation

common strategic planning tools, such as SWOT analysis

methods of identifying possible sustainability improvements

cost-benefit determination processes

project planning and monitoring methods and principles

project, product and process design principles

evaluation methods

planning principles

AS/NZS ISO 14000 Environmental Management Standards

relevant codes, schemes and legislation/regulation

Required skills include:

analysing implications for processes, logistics, material usages, costs and benefits of a strategic approach to sustainability

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

undertaking strategic planning, including SWOT analyses and analysis of the organisation’s current and future political, economic, social and technological position, and the impact of each on sustainability options

communicating and negotiating with stakeholders and regulators to identify key sustainability issues and options

analysing data from sustainability related audits and operational performance indicators

Sustainability status

Sustainability status may include:

resource footprint (e.g. carbon, water and energy) of product and process

current and future availability of raw materials

current and future availability of energy

waste generation and disposal

efficiency of process

the extent to which the production process and product affects the environment, including effects on:

climate

quality of local air and water

ecology

noise

relationship with the local and broader community (e.g. effect of operations on aesthetic appearance, preservation of heritage, and proximity to schools and religious facilities)

extent of regulatory oversight and cost of compliance

Sustainability indicators

Sustainability indicators include:

water usage

energy usage

emissions

indicators for ethical/sustainable supply chain

community relationships/complaints

staff turnover

safety record

compliance with regulations and codes of practice

reduced waste

increased recycling

product improvement

meeting consumer expectations for sustainable use of resources

other indicators appropriate to the organisation, its value chain, processes and operations

Suggestions for major improvement

Suggestions for major improvements might come from:

non-compliances/near misses/incident reports

kaizen and other improvement processes

benchmarking activities

regulatory and non-regulatory related audits

community pressure

Board directions

changes in market

suppliers

customers

Suggestions may be improvements to one or more of:

products

processes

employee, health, safety and environment (HSE) or amenity

impact on the community

impact on the environment

efficiency and profit

waste management

emergency/incident response

facility/building design and management

Rank suggestions

Suggestions may be ranked by:

need

benefit/cost

strategic impact

Teams

Teams for strategic plan development may be:

formal or informal teams and may be devoted to the project for its duration or it may be part of other duties

Strategic approvals for implementation

Strategic approvals for implementation might include:

regulatory approvals

financial approvals

internal approval processes including determining:

senior management/shareholder approvals

human resource implications, such as career paths and position descriptions

operational management approvals

supplier/client/contractor approvals

Required documentation

Required documentation might include:

formal report or plan

business case

environmental impact statement

Sanction

Sanction is the process the organisation requires for approval to proceed to be granted

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
Determine main organisational motivations and drivers for improved sustainability 
Determine current regulatory environment 
Determine current availability of data required for sustainability indicators 
Arrange for sustainability related audits if required 
Identify strategic goals of the organisation and how these are impacted by sustainability 
Determine suggestions for major improvement 
Rank suggestions 
Short-list improvements to be progressed 
Arrange for a team leader to be allocated for each short-listed suggestion 
Ensure an appropriate project team is established for each suggestion 
Define expected outcomes and performance indicators for each suggestion 
Ensure appropriate project plans are developed 
Arrange for project designs to be developed 
Ensure appropriate evaluation is undertaken of each project 
Select suggestions to be implemented 
Identify implications of strategic sustainability plan for the organisation 
Estimate implementation timelines 
Identify strategic approvals for implementation 
Identify required documentation 
Draft plan to guide proposal to sanction 

Forms

Assessment Cover Sheet

MSS015008A - Develop strategic sustainability plans
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

MSS015008A - Develop strategic sustainability plans

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: