The unit covers the skills needed to ensure that process improvements are sustained and opportunities taken to suggest further improvements.

Improvement initiatives can be made by any of a number of methods and by teams or individuals. The unit assumes that desired levels of performance or quality are known to employees.

This unit applies to an environment where continuous improvement in a manufacturing enterprise is being undertaken. The identification of the improvement may occur independently of the application of this unit. The unit can be applied to all areas of a manufacturing enterprise including production, maintenance, logistics and office functions.

This unit requires the application of skills associated with problem solving, initiative and enterprise and self management in order to understand, implement and monitor improvement practices with the operation of plant, equipment and manufacturing processes. It also requires the ability to identify and address personal skill gaps in order to manage own ability to implement change.

ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

1. Implement corrective actions

1.1. Identify impact of process improvements on systems in own work area

1.2. Examine process improvements to equipment, processes or products

1.3. Clarify changes to process improvements as required

1.4. Identify any additional, personal skill gaps and seek skill development

1.5. Adopt improved process

2. Check changes

2.1. Identify claimed improvements

2.2. Identify methods of observing claimed improvements

2.3. Check if claimed improvements are occurring and report problems in accordance with procedures

3. Check for further improvements

3.1. Look for areas of possible further improvement

3.2. Discuss further improvements with peers and supervisors

3.3. Take action to make improvements in accordance with procedures

Required skills

technical competence to perform job

problem solving

teamwork

communication

Required knowledge

existing procedures

modified procedures

The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, the range statement and the assessment guidelines for this training package.

Overview of assessment requirements

The person will be able to demonstrate their willing adoption of new equipment, processes, procedures and practices as well as their expertise at implementing them and making critical reviews of their performance in line with their level of competence and authority.

What critical aspects of evidence are required to demonstrate competency in this unit?

Evidence of having sustained improvements in their own job and of assessing these improvements for their real impact.

What are the specific resource requirements for this unit?

Access to a workplace implementing competitive manufacturing strategies or appropriate simulated environment is required. No other specific resources are required.

In what context should assessment occur?

Assessment will need to occur in a workplace where improvements are occurring which impact on the operator's job and they are required to implement changes which sustain these improvements.

The unit may also be assessed on a project basis in a simulated environment.

Are there any other units which could or should be assessed with this unit or which relate directly to this unit?

This unit may be assessed concurrently with appropriate units on continuous improvement/kaizen.

This unit relates to improvements in a person's own area of responsibility. MSACMS401A Ensure process improvements are sustained is an intermediate skill level unit in the CM.

What method of assessment should apply?

Assessors must be satisfied that the person can consistently perform the unit as a whole, as defined by the Elements, Performance Criteria, skills and knowledge. A holistic approach should be taken to the assessment.

Assessors should gather sufficient, fair, valid, reliable, authentic and current evidence from a range of sources. Sources of evidence may include direct observation, reports from supervisors, peers and colleagues, project work, samples, organisation records and questioning. Assessment should not require language, literacy or numeracy skills beyond those required for the unit.

The assessee will have access to all techniques, procedures, information, resources and aids which would normally be available in the workplace.

The method of assessment should be discussed and agreed with the assessee prior to the commencement of the assessment.

What evidence is required for demonstration of consistent performance?

Evidence should be available from multiple small changes, or from a large change which has had multiple facets implemented over a period of some months.

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.

Performance

Performance may be thought of as the rate of output of the plant compared to the rate required to meet demand.

Performance might also be thought of in terms of takt where takt time is the allowable time to produce one product at the rate customers are demanding it. This is NOT the same as cycle time, which is the normal time to complete an operation on a product (which should be less than or equal to takt time).

Procedures

All work instructions, standard operating procedures, formulas/recipes, batch sheets, temporary instructions and similar instructions provided for the smooth running of the plant. They may be written, verbal, computer based or in some other form.

For the purposes of this Training Package, 'procedures' also includes good operating practice as may be defined by industry codes of practice (eg Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), Responsible Care) and government regulations.

Improvements

Improvement procedures in some enterprises is also known by baka-yoke which is a manufacturing technique of preventing mistakes by designing the manufacturing process, equipment and tools so that an operation literally cannot be performed incorrectly. An attempt to perform incorrectly, as well as being prevented, is usually met with a warning signal of some sort; the term poka-yoke is sometimes referred to as a system where only a warning is provided.

Unit Sector

CM Systems

This unit contains employability skills.