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

MSS405041A Mapping and Delivery Guide
Implement improvement systems in an organisation

Version 1.0
Issue Date: April 2024


Qualification -
Unit of Competency MSS405041A - Implement improvement systems in an organisation
Description This unit of competency covers the skills and knowledge required to introduce and institutionalise continuous improvement and breakthrough improvement processes in an organisation.
Employability Skills This unit contains employability skills.
Learning Outcomes and Application This unit applies to an individual responsible for the introduction of improvement systems across an organisation. The systems will include a continuous improvement system sometimes also known as kaizen, and breakthrough improvement sometimes known as kaizen blitz. The continuous improvement (kaizen) system consists of strategies for continuously monitoring for and implementation of incremental improvements to processes, operations and products. Breakthrough improvement ‘events’ (kaizen blitz) covers the identification of improvement opportunities that are best undertaken in a single exercise.This unit primarily requires the application of skills associated with teamwork, problem solving, initiative and enterprise, and planning and organising skills in order to identify, implement and institutionalise kaizen activity. Communication skills are required to gather information and consult with team members and other stakeholders. This unit also requires aspects of self-management and learning to ensure feedback and new learning is integrated into continual improvement. Depending on the starting point for the continuous improvement program in the enterprise other relevant units may need to be selected, including:MSS402080A Undertake root cause analysis MSS405011A Manage people relationships MSS405040A Manage 5S system in an organisationMSAPMSUP390A Use structured problem solving tools.
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: Prepare for improvement systems implementation
  • Determine scope of improvement systems
  • Identify key performance indicators (KPIs) for inclusion in improvement systems
  • Prepare operating instructions and other required documentation for continuous and breakthrough improvement systems
  • Ensure compliance with health, safety and environment (HSE) and other regulatory requirements are addressed in improvement instructions
  • Identify and brief implementation team
  • Prioritise areas operation, or processes requiring early action
  • Prepare communication strategy for employees and other stakeholders
  • Make infrastructure and support arrangements for improvement systems
  • Obtain required approvals for commencement of improvement systems
       


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.

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

A person who demonstrates competency in this unit must be able to provide evidence of the ability to:

interpret operations, processes and products in terms of customer features/benefits and then set appropriate KPIs

prepare appropriate documentation for continuous and breakthrough improvement processes

establish decision making processes for considering system level continuous improvement suggestions

encourage and lead others in implementing continuous improvement system

problem solve implementation issues with continuous improvement system

lead and motivate others in planning, implementing and sustaining improvements.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment of performance must be undertaken in a workplace using or implementing one or more competitive systems and practices.

Access may be required to:

workplace procedures and plans relevant to work area

specifications and documentation relating to planned, currently being implemented, or implemented changes to work processes and procedures relevant to the assessee

documentation and information in relation to production, waste, overheads and hazard control/management

reports from supervisors/managers

case studies and scenarios to assess responses to contingencies.

Method of assessment

A holistic approach should be taken to the assessment.

Competence in this unit may be assessed by using a combination of the following to generate evidence:

demonstration in the workplace

workplace projects

suitable simulation

case studies/scenarios (particularly for assessment of contingencies, improvement scenarios, and so on)

targeted questioning

reports from supervisors, peers and colleagues (third-party reports)

portfolio of evidence.

In all cases it is expected that practical assessment will be combined with targeted questioning to assess underpinning knowledge.

Where applicable, reasonable adjustment must be made to work environments and training situations to accommodate ethnicity, age, gender, demographics and disability.

Guidance information for assessment

Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate and appropriate to the oracy, language and literacy capacity of the candidate and the work being performed.

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 skills

Required skills include:

implementing continuous and breakthrough improvement in a variety of contexts, including a mixture of supportive and non-supportive team environments

undertaking self-directed problem solving and decision-making

communicating across all levels in the organisation and to people of different levels of literacy

analysing customer features/benefits, organisation goals and past performance and setting KPIs for inclusion in a continuous improvement system

prioritising improvement suggestions in terms of:

the extent to which they add to customer features/benefits

feasibility

cost

preparing operating procedures and other documentation, including establishing version control and amendment procedures

analysing information and data to identify variation and evaluate improvements

measuring and calculating performance variables

solving problems to root cause

identifying waste (muda)

Required knowledge

Required knowledge includes:

continuous and breakthrough improvement (kaizen and kaizen blitz) philosophy and process

competitive systems and practices, including:

value stream mapping

5S

Just in Time (JIT)

mistake proofing

process mapping

establishing customer pull

setting of key performance indicators/metrics

types of KPIs and their impacts on performance

improvement processes, including implementation, monitoring and evaluation strategies

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Competitive systems and practices

Competitive systems and practices may include, but are not limited to:

lean operations

agile operations

preventative and predictive maintenance approaches

monitoring and data gathering systems, such as Systems Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) software, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, Materials Resource Planning (MRP) and proprietary systems

statistical process control systems, including six sigma and three sigma

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

Competitive systems and practices should be interpreted so as to take into account:

the stage of implementation of competitive systems and practices

the size of the enterprise

the work organisation, culture, regulatory environment and the industry sector

Scope of improvement systems

The scope of the improvement systems includes:

target divisions, operations, work processes, products and sites that stakeholders want included in a particular improvement system

goals and objectives of the organisation:

levels of targeting for the continuous improvement system, including the system level focusing on the value stream and the overall achievement of customer defined features/benefits

process level focusing on individual processes, teams and team leaders

Relevance of KPIs

Relevance of KPIs includes:

appropriateness (did they lead to/encourage desirable performance?)

currency (are they still encouraging desirable performance?)

unintended consequences (do they lead to outcomes which are not desirable – even if some performance is desirable?)

signal/noise (is the balance between desirable and undesirable outcomes strong and positive?)

Instructions for incremental or breakthrough improvement processes

Instructions for incremental or breakthrough improvement process include:

methods for employees to suggest incremental or breakthrough improvement

criteria for identifying a breakthrough improvement need

approval processes

monitoring and reporting processes

Procedures

Procedures may include:

work instructions

standard operating procedures

formulas/ recipes

batch sheets

temporary instructions and similar instructions provided for the smooth running of the plant, process or operation

good operating practice as may be defined by industry codes of practice (e.g. good manufacturing practice (GMP) and responsible care)

government regulations

required procedures under legislation or regulation, awards and enterprise agreements

Procedures may be:

written, verbal, computer based or in some other format

Waste

Waste (also known as muda in the Toyota Production System and its derivatives) is any activity which does not contribute to customer benefit/features in the product or process. Categories of waste include:

excess production and early production

delays

movement and transport

poor process design

inventory

inefficient performance of a process

making defective items

activities which do not yield any benefit to the organisation or any benefit to the organisations customers

Solve performance issues

Solving performance issues includes:

generating improvement ideas (brainstorming/asking experts)

selecting most appropriate improvement ideas to proceed with

conducting experiments where required to test idea

making final selection of improvement ideas

determining most appropriate improvement strategy (i.e. incremental or breakthrough (kaizen blitz) improvement)

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 scope of improvement systems 
Identify key performance indicators (KPIs) for inclusion in improvement systems 
Prepare operating instructions and other required documentation for continuous and breakthrough improvement systems 
Ensure compliance with health, safety and environment (HSE) and other regulatory requirements are addressed in improvement instructions 
Identify and brief implementation team 
Prioritise areas operation, or processes requiring early action 
Prepare communication strategy for employees and other stakeholders 
Make infrastructure and support arrangements for improvement systems 
Obtain required approvals for commencement of improvement systems 

Forms

Assessment Cover Sheet

MSS405041A - Implement improvement systems in an organisation
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I declare that the assessment tasks submitted for this unit are my own work.

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Assessment Record Sheet

MSS405041A - Implement improvement systems in an organisation

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Student ID:

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

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Overall assessment result: Competent Not yet competent

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