This unit applies to network engineers, telecommunications officers, installers, maintenance staff and manufacturers or equipment specialists. It also applies to NOC staff in advisory roles and technical rectification roles.

ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

1. Research fault background

1.1. Analyse the current relevant data and previous actions taken by other personnel

1.2. Research areas of similarity to network fault

1.3. Develop commercial and technical strategies with the equipment vendor and NOC for diagnosing the fault

1.4. Obtain appropriate clearance and access to network equipment, software and firmware codes where they apply

2. Diagnose fault

2.1. Apply a methodical approach to isolate and diagnose the problem

2.2. Simulate the fault in a workshop or laboratory environment if possible

2.3. Seek support from the vendor while the investigation progresses

2.4. Instruct on site technical staff to run appropriate tests and analyse results

2.5. Diagnose network fault using established methodical strategies in a timely fashion without undue disruption to other services

2.6. Develop a plan to rectify the fault

3. Organise fault rectification

3.1. Recommend the fault rectification plan to the NOC, including any outages, seek approval and adjust plans accordingly

3.2. Instruct on site repairers with clear and methodical instructions on how to proceed in rectifying the fault

3.3. Organise the replacement or repair of faulty equipment with appropriate advice from vendors and manufacturers

3.4. Reconfigure replaced or repaired equipment and test the rectified fault to ensure required performance

3.5. Notify the NOC, affected customers and on site staff of the rectification of the fault

4. Report and document fault details and rectification

4.1. Notify vendors of repair details and recommend

changes to equipment design where appropriate

4.2. Conduct cause and effect studies and forward results to the appropriate area for necessary action

4.3. Complete all administrative tasks and prepare a report including deficiencies, analysis and recommendations

Required skills

analytical skills to interrogate and evaluate complex information from multiple sources and to develop positions and recommendations

communication skills to:

liaise with vendors, customers, and technical experts on technical and operational matters

negotiate with other repair and support staff

raise occupational health and safety (OHS) matters

literacy skills to:

explain and justify faults and rectification actions

incorporate technical language into written tasks such as records and reports

interpret technical documentation and standards

numeracy skills to interpret technical data, such as specifications of equipment

problem solving skills to apply methodology in fault diagnosis

research skills to access technical information and sources to assist fault identification

safety awareness skills to adhere to all related OHS requirements and work practices

technical skills to:

instruct site technical staff to run appropriate tests

diagnose network fault using methodical strategies

develop a plan to rectify fault

Required knowledge

fault escalation procedures

fault finding techniques and use of test equipment

fault types and rectification

integrated packet optical transport networks (P-OTNs)

International Telecommunication Union (ITU) ITU-T G.709 standard

network protocols

safety requirements and standards

service agreements

synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH)

transmission control protocol (TCP)-internet protocol (IP)

types of networks and equipment:

Access

broadband deployment

cabling

customer premises equipment (CPE)

IP networks for enterprise and customer systems and installations

local area networks (LAN)

telephony

wide area networks (WAN)

workplace environment and practices

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.

Overview of assessment

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

Evidence of the ability to:

diagnose network fault using established methodical strategies to rank likely causes without undue disruption to other services

recommend fault rectification plan to the NOC

instruct on site repairers

facilitate the replacement or repair of faulty equipment with appropriate advice from vendors and manufacturers

facilitate the final testing of the rectified fault to ensure required performance

prepare report including deficiencies, analysis and recommendations.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must ensure:

a site where highly complex network faults may be demonstrated and analysed without jeopardising live traffic

equipment currently used in industry

design specifications and manufacturer's manuals and reference materials.

Method of assessment

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:

oral report and direct observation of the candidate establishing a test regime

direct observation of the candidate undertaking tests on equipment and systems

review of reports completed by the candidate for different equipment types, test results and situations, analysing results with recommendations and supporting reasons.

Guidance information for assessment

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:

ICTNPL6046A Undertake network performance analysis

ICTTEN6044A Coordinate fault rectification and restoration of service following network outages.

Aboriginal people and other people from a non-English speaking background may have second language issues.

Access must be provided to appropriate learning and assessment support when required.

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

In all cases where practical assessment is used it will be combined with targeted questioning to assess required knowledge. Questioning techniques should not require language, literacy and numeracy skills beyond those required in this unit of competency.

Where applicable, physical resources should include equipment modified for people with special needs.

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.

Relevant data may relate to:

alarm conditions

client reports

environmental factors

historical

industry and vendor

NOC

service level degradation

technical reports

test results from remote interrogation.

Network fault may include:

compatibility

compliance

interference

intermittent performance problems

interoperability

network dropout

out of specification faults

software compatibility

system configuration problems

traffic congestion.

Network Operations Centre may include:

engineering unit within a carrier responsible for:

coordinating repairs or changes to the network

monitoring the network

performing diagnostic tests.

Simulate the fault may include:

circuit simulation software

computer modelling

equipment test bed.

Tests may include:

bandwidth

bit interleaved parity (BIP-8) error detection

blocking

call rate

congestion

distortion

drop out rate

functionality

interference

intrusive through mode testing capability

latency

network tests

optical transmission

packet loss rate

quality of service (QoS)

radio transmission

recovery rate

redundancy

signal to noise ratio

transmitted power measurements

upload and download rates.

Methodical strategies may relate to:

analysing test results

conducting tests

coordinating maintenance staff

isolating fault progressively to eliminate probable causes

monitoring path

reloading software

scheduling diagnosis for low traffic times

monitoring section

substituting hardware

trail trace identifier.

Outages may include:

loss of service to customers due to a network fault or upgrade

planned outage in the case of network upgrade

unplanned outage in relation to faults.

On site repairers may include:

carrier's engineers, technical officers and technicians

contractors

equipment vendors and manufacturers.

Administrative tasks may relate to:

completing job orders and submitting to appropriate enterprise organisational unit

completing test sheets according to specification and logging test instrument usage

correct labelling of all equipment and amending where required

following quality control procedures

handing over installation briefs, documents and equipment manuals to operational staff

recording test results and updating appropriate databases

tasks that comply to enterprise requirements and policy

update fault history log with details of fault and details of repair

updating design specifications and returning to design area as required by enterprise requirements.

Unit sector

Telecommunications

Telecommunications networks engineering

This unit contains employability skills.