Application
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to develop strategies for dealing with customers, operational staff and associated system restoration.
It applies to individuals working as network engineering staff involved with the management of planned outages resulting from the fast changeover of new and existing equipment in telecommunications networks, including digital switching and transmission, wireless and optical networks.
No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENT | PERFORMANCE CRITERIA |
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. |
1. Prepare for implementation of planned outage | 1.1 Determine requirements and purpose of the outage from the outage plan, obtained from relevant personnel 1.2 Analyse all relevant data to determine likely impact of the outage on clients and the network 1.3 Notify customer of outage work and disruption to service 1.4 Prepare for contingencies according to contingency plan, as specified in the outage plan |
2. Implement planned outage | 2.1 Conduct and monitor outage work safely as prescribed, and implement contingency plan if required 2.2 Restore system to normal operational status and conduct performance tests of the system according to specifications 2.3 Analyse test results and certify system is operating to manufacturer's specifications 2.4 Notify relevant personnel of competed outage work and of service restoration |
3. Undertake administrative tasks | 3.1 Document problems that occurred during outage or restoration of service and report these as continuous improvement according to enterprise quality assurance policy 3.2 Complete required documentation and update records to reflect any changes made in the course of service restoration, according to enterprise policy |
Evidence of Performance
Evidence of ability to:
implement outage plan
comply with service assurance guidelines
comply with work health and safety (WHS) requirements and work practices
conduct performance tests to verify normal operation.
Note: If a specific volume or frequency is not stated, then evidence must be provided at least once.
Evidence of Knowledge
To complete the unit requirements safely and effectively, the individual must:
explain electrical and optical principles
summarise legislation and licensing surrounding installation of telecommunications equipment
outline power requirements and electrical safety
summarise protection switching
clarify telecommunications networks
describe test equipment types suitable for tests to be undertaken
explain transmission hierarchy and switching principles
summarise transmission type and signals that may be encountered.
Assessment Conditions
Gather evidence to demonstrate consistent performance in conditions that are safe and replicate the workplace. Noise levels, production flow, interruptions and time variances should be typical of those experienced in the telecommunications networks engineering field of work and include access to:
sites on which outage management may be conducted
testing equipment currently used in industry
manufacturer's and enterprise equipment documentation.
Assessors of this unit must satisfy the requirements for assessors in applicable vocational education and training legislation, frameworks and/or standards.
Foundation Skills
This section describes language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills incorporated in the performance criteria that are required for competent performance.
Skill | Performance Criteria | Description |
Reading | 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2 | Identifies, analyses and evaluates technical documentation and applies appropriate strategies to construct meaning from complex texts |
Writing | 1.3, 2.4, 3.1, 3.2 | Prepares clear and concise written reports and workplace documentation, incorporating technical language to communicate complex information clearly and effectively |
Oral Communication | 1.1, 1.3, 2.4 | Liaises and negotiates with customers and technical staff to ensure service level agreement requirements are known and can be met within timeframes Employs listening and questioning techniques to confirm understanding |
Numeracy | 1.2, 2.3 | Uses mathematical formulae to interpret technical data and make appropriate calculations to determine equipment calibrations |
Navigate the world of work | 2.1, 3.1, 3.2 | Takes personal responsibility for adherence to organisational policies and protocols relevant to own work |
Interact with others | 1.1, 1.3, 2.4 | Selects and uses appropriate conventions and protocols when communicating with customers and personnel in a range of work contexts |
Get the work done | 1.4, 2.1, 2.2 | Uses a combination of formal, logical planning processes and an increasingly intuitive understanding of context to implement outage management plans and contingency plans Understands key principles and concepts underpinning design and operation of digital systems and tools, and applies these as required Makes decisions quickly and intuitively in familiar situations requiring immediate attention, drawing on past experience to identify key variables and determine the best course of action Uses analytical processes to decide on a course of action, establishing criteria for deciding between options |
Sectors
Telecommunications – Telecommunications Networks Engineering