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Evidence Guide: ICASAS415A - Optimise IT system performance

Student: __________________________________________________

Signature: _________________________________________________

Tips for gathering evidence to demonstrate your skills

The important thing to remember when gathering evidence is that the more evidence the better - that is, the more evidence you gather to demonstrate your skills, the more confident an assessor can be that you have learned the skills not just at one point in time, but are continuing to apply and develop those skills (as opposed to just learning for the test!). Furthermore, one piece of evidence that you collect will not usualy demonstrate all the required criteria for a unit of competency, whereas multiple overlapping pieces of evidence will usually do the trick!

From the Wiki University

 

ICASAS415A - Optimise IT system performance

What evidence can you provide to prove your understanding of each of the following citeria?

Identify areas of poor performance

  1. Collect system performance data, during various usage conditions and times, using available technical tools
  2. Evaluate the collected system performance data related to organisational benchmarks and client feedback to identify areas of poor performance
Collect system performance data, during various usage conditions and times, using available technical tools

Completed
Date:

Teacher:		 Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evaluate the collected system performance data related to organisational benchmarks and client feedback to identify areas of poor performance

Completed
Date:

Teacher:		 Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Investigate methods to improve system performance

  1. Identify options to improve performance through discussing the system performance findings with appropriate person and accessing technical resources
  2. Create a report for appropriate person, including cost analysis and identified options for alternative courses of action designed to measurably improve performance
  3. Present report to appropriate person for decision as to preferred course of action
Identify options to improve performance through discussing the system performance findings with appropriate person and accessing technical resources

Completed
Date:

Teacher:		 Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Create a report for appropriate person, including cost analysis and identified options for alternative courses of action designed to measurably improve performance

Completed
Date:

Teacher:		 Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Present report to appropriate person for decision as to preferred course of action

Completed
Date:

Teacher:		 Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Develop an implementation plan for system optimisation

  1. Develop a plan for implementing the approved optimisation, with prioritised tasks and minimum disruption to clients
  2. Factor project budget and staff availability into the implementation plan
  3. Submit the implementation plan to the appropriate person for approval and revision, if necessary
Develop a plan for implementing the approved optimisation, with prioritised tasks and minimum disruption to clients

Completed
Date:

Teacher:		 Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Factor project budget and staff availability into the implementation plan

Completed
Date:

Teacher:		 Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Submit the implementation plan to the appropriate person for approval and revision, if necessary

Completed
Date:

Teacher:		 Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Modify system to optimise performance

  1. Install or configure system components according to installation procedures and organisational guidelines, following the implementation plan
  2. Measure and record the change in performance resulting from the system modification, in order to assess that the required level of optimisation has been achieved
  3. Update appropriate documentation according to organisational guidelines, to reflect the system optimisation
Install or configure system components according to installation procedures and organisational guidelines, following the implementation plan

Completed
Date:

Teacher:		 Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Measure and record the change in performance resulting from the system modification, in order to assess that the required level of optimisation has been achieved

Completed
Date:

Teacher:		 Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Update appropriate documentation according to organisational guidelines, to reflect the system optimisation

Completed
Date:

Teacher:		 Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monitor ongoing system performance

  1. Implement and maintain a performance register
  2. Review and assess benchmarks and performance regularly with the work team to enable timely optimisation and updates
Implement and maintain a performance register

Completed
Date:

Teacher:		 Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Review and assess benchmarks and performance regularly with the work team to enable timely optimisation and updates

Completed
Date:

Teacher:		 Evidence:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assessed

Teacher: ___________________________________ Date: _________

Signature: ________________________________________________

Comments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Instructions to Assessors

Evidence Guide

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:

identify inadequacies in system performance

analyse system performance

tune the system to keep the system balanced and performing well.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must ensure access to:

system components and software for performance tuning

technical manuals and resources

fault logs

diagnostic tools

appropriate learning and assessment support when required

modified equipment for people with special needs.

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:

direct observation of candidate performing system tests

verbal or written questioning to assess candidate’s knowledge

review of documentation recording system optimisation process.

Guidance information for assessment

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, where appropriate.

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

Indigenous people and other people from a non-English speaking background may need additional support.

In cases where practical assessment is used it should be combined with targeted questioning to assess required knowledge.

Required Skills and Knowledge

Required skills

basic analytical skills to:

evaluate the collected system performance data

review and assess benchmarks and performance

communication skills to:

evaluate system performance data related to organisational benchmarks

follow up on client feedback

liaise with technical team members

literacy skills to:

document initial problem and make recommendations to solve problem

implement and maintain a performance register

read technical manuals, organisational guidelines and support agreements

write reports that include cost analysis details

planning and organisational skills to:

develop an implementation plan for system optimisation

develop plans with prioritised tasks

make contingency arrangements

minimise disruption to client

organise maintenance

problem-solving skills to:

determine problems based on diagnostic tests

identify options to improve performance

solve unknown problems in a range of contexts

teamwork skills to review and assess benchmarks and performance with the work team

technical skills to:

collect system performance data using available diagnostic and technical tools

install and configure system components

measure and record changes in performance resulting from system modifications

measure system performance against predefined benchmarks.

Required knowledge

business scheduling requirements

current industry-standard hardware and software monitoring tools and how to interpret information produced from monitoring

system performance, change control procedures and theoretical concepts

one or more change-management tools

quality assurance practices with regard to proposed changes to IT systems

role of stakeholders and the degree of stakeholder involvement

features and functions of the system under modification

current system functionality.

Range Statement

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.

Tools may include:

electronic test equipment:

data analyser

oscilloscope

voltmeter

software.

System performance may be related to:

allocation of files across disk space

disk speed

I/O channel availability

imbalances in disk use and available space

memory availability and use

number of concurrent users

physical limitations of system

poor design in a programs

processor use

queue depth

seek time

work load.

Client may include:

employee

external organisation

individual

internal department.

Improving performance may include:

load balancing between servers or other network devices using switches or routers

reducing total load by tuning the operating system

tuning applications to reduce the load they impose

tuning the disk sub-system

using various system tools to adjust system parameters, including hardware or software upgrade.

Appropriate person may include:

authorised business representative

client

project manager

supervisor.

Components may include:

CD and DVD drives

central processing unit (CPU)

complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) battery

fax or modem cards

interface cards

motherboards

random access memory (RAM).

Organisational guidelines may include:

communication methods

content of emails

dispute resolution

document procedures and templates

downloading information and accessing particular websites

financial control mechanisms

opening mail with attachments

personal use of emails and internet access

virus risk.

Documentation may follow:

audit trails

International Organization for Standardization (ISO), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and Australian Standards (AS)

naming standards

project management templates

report writing principles

version control.