Application
This unit of competency specifies the outcomes required to manage quality systems within an organisation to ensure that business processes consistently deliver Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) assessments that meet customers’ and other stakeholders’ quality expectations and legal and regulatory requirements.
The unit supports the work of NatHERS assessors engaged in managing quality assurance of their assessments.
In some jurisdictions, this unit of competency may form part of the accreditation, licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements for NatHERS assessors.
Elements and Performance Criteria
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the range of conditions. | ||
1. | Establish quality NatHERS assessment system. | 1.1. | Quality assurance policy is established, documented and communicated to all people in the organisation. |
1.2. | Quality standards are identified that are relevant to the provision of NatHERS assessment services and the scope of the organisation. | ||
1.3. | Systems, plans and resources are established to ensure quality standards are met and maintained. | ||
1.4. | Risks of shortfalls in the quality of processes, products and services are identified and assessed, and preventative actions are taken to mitigate these risks. | ||
1.5. | Plans are developed to ensure that all people in the organisation are continuously updated about their roles in meeting quality standards and are competent to fulfil their roles. | ||
1.6. | Procedures for review and maintenance of quality system are implemented. | ||
2. | Assess service quality. | 2.1. | Sufficient, valid information is obtained from quality assurance system and other sources, including clients, to allow accurate evaluation of whether processes and NatHERS assessments meet required standards. |
2.2. | Feedback is provided to motivate people to maintain quality standards and continuously improve performance. | ||
2.3. | Shortfalls in the quality of processes, products and services are investigated and prompt remedial action is implemented. | ||
2.4. | Performance against quality standards, including shortfalls and corrective actions taken, is reported in lien with organisational requirements. | ||
3. | Promote quality improvement. | 3.1. | Quality awareness is continuously communicated to all people in the organisation. |
3.2. | Clients and those involved in delivering NatHERS assessments are encouraged to identify and recommend quality improvements. | ||
3.3. | Accurate records of monitoring activities are maintained. | ||
3.4. | Resourced plans are developed to implement quality improvements that deliver significant benefits at reasonable cost and acceptable level of risk. | ||
Evidence of Performance
A person demonstrating competency in this unit must satisfy the requirements of the elements, performance criteria, foundation skills and range of conditions of this unit.
The person must also establish and maintain a quality system for one organisation or section of an organisation providing Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) assessment services.
In doing the above, the person must:
assess the services of the organisation providing NatHERS assessment services, including:
identifying shortfalls in performance against quality standards
specifying appropriate corrective actions
implement approaches that promote quality improvement within the organisation, including:
engaging staff and clients in identifying opportunities for quality improvement
developing plans for implementing suggestions for quality improvement.
Evidence of Knowledge
A person demonstrating competency in this unit must demonstrate knowledge of:
building thermal performance standards, including the National Construction Code (NCC) energy efficiency requirements
commonwealth, state and territory, and local government legislation and regulations impacting on thermal performance assessment relating to:
building and construction
building thermal performance
consumer protection and trade practices
employment and industrial relations
energy conservation
environment protection
occupational licensing
privacy
sale and lease of residential property
work health and safety (WHS)
NatHERS:
accredited software
administrative and governance arrangements
assessor accreditation
assessor accrediting organisations
regulatory framework
quality management:
clients’ and other stakeholders’ expectations regarding quality
current developments, tools and techniques in quality management
key concepts:
philosophies of quality management
principles of quality management
quality management cycle
tools of quality management
system:
corrective actions that may be taken to address shortfalls in performance
documentation requirements of quality systems, including levels and their roles in the functioning of the system, including the requirement for effective and secure quality record-keeping systems
feedback systems and strategies
legal and regulatory requirements
monitoring systems and strategies
plan
quality marks, awards and accreditation
recording systems and strategies
review and maintenance of quality system
role of audit in quality systems
software packages
standards
techniques for gathering sufficient, valid information to evaluate whether processes and products/services are meeting the required quality standards
risk management principles.
Assessment Conditions
The following must be present and available to learners during assessment activities:
equipment:
computer equipment suitable to collect, collate and analyse information relating to quality systems for organisations providing NatHERS assessment services
materials:
relevant codes, standards and government regulations
technical reference library with current publications on quality management and the administrative and governance arrangements for NatHERS
relationships with team members and supervisor:
assessment activities are performed on an individual basis under general supervision.
Assessor requirements
As a minimum, assessors must satisfy the assessor requirements in the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) current at the time of assessment.
Foundation Skills
This section describes the language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills essential to performance in this unit but not explicit in the performance criteria. | |
Skill | Performance feature |
Learning skills to: | maintain up-to-date knowledge of quality assurance procedures and techniques. |
Numeracy skills to: | interpret and analyse statistics perform mental calculations record and collate quality-related data undertake complex computations. |
Oral communication skills to: | ask questions to clarify customer requirements. |
Reading skills to: | read and interpret a variety of texts, including legislation, regulations and quality documentation. |
Writing skills to: | prepare detailed text identifying specific courses of action and detailing alternatives after defining the needs of the audience and the purpose of the information write complex flow charts in order to identify and distil information. |
Range Statement
This section specifies 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. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. | |
Quality standards must include those found in at least one of the following: | Australian standards codes of practice international standards legislative requirements NatHERS accreditation and licensing requirements NatHERS protocols NatHERS regulatory framework National Construction Code (NCC) organisational policies and procedures organisational values, aims and objectives quality marks or awards standard operating procedures work health and safety (WHS) legislation. |
Sectors
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