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.

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

A person who demonstrates competency in this unit must be able to provide evidence of the ability to:

interpret office processes in terms of customer demand and flow of work

establish and/or optimise office related levelled pull systems

motivate others to implement, sustain and improve office related levelled pull systems.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment of performance must be undertaken in a workplace using or implementing one or more competitive systems and practices.

Access may be required to:

workplace procedures and plans relevant to work area

specifications and documentation relating to planned, currently being implemented, or implemented changes to work processes and procedures relevant to the assessee

documentation and information in relation to production, waste, overheads and hazard control/management

reports from supervisors/managers

case studies and scenarios to assess responses to contingencies.

Method of assessment

A holistic approach should be taken to the assessment.

Competence in this unit may be assessed by using a combination of the following to generate evidence:

demonstration in the workplace

workplace projects

suitable simulation

case studies/scenarios (particularly for assessment of contingencies, improvement scenarios, and so on)

targeted questioning

reports from supervisors, peers and colleagues (third-party reports)

portfolio of evidence.

In all cases it is expected that practical assessment will be combined with targeted questioning to assess underpinning knowledge.

Where applicable, reasonable adjustment must be made to work environments and training situations to accommodate ethnicity, age, gender, demographics and disability.

Guidance information for assessment

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

Required skills

Required skills include:

gathering and analysing data on customer demand, customer demand cues, and signals and variations in flow of work

communicating complex information to others

solving problems to root cause

identifying solutions to barriers to flow

facilitating the team to implement and sustain new routines and/or systems

Required knowledge

Required knowledge includes:

methods of calculating rates of demand and flow of work (e.g. takt and pitch)

application to office work of demand signals, such as kanban and electronic demand signal systems

techniques for achieving a smooth and consistent flow of work, such as:

levelling the flow of work

balancing the allocation of resources

balancing the allocation of work

Just in Time (JIT)

Heijunka boxes

visual displays

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.

Competitive systems and practices

Competitive systems and practices may include, but are not limited to:

lean operations

agile operations

preventative and predictive maintenance approaches

monitoring and data gathering systems, such as customer relationship management (CRM) database, accounting packages, business intelligence or other office process-related database programs

statistical process control systems, including six sigma and three sigma

JIT, kanban and other pull-related operations control systems

supply, value, and demand chain monitoring and analysis

5S

continuous improvement (kaizen)

breakthrough improvement (kaizen blitz)

cause/effect diagrams

takt time

process mapping

problem solving

run charts

standard procedures

current reality tree

Competitive systems and practices should be interpreted so as to take into account:

the stage of implementation of competitive systems and practices

the size of the enterprise

the work organisation, culture, regulatory environment and the industry sector

Pull system

A pull system controls the flow of work by doing what is required by the customer (downstream step) only when/as it is required. Typically implemented through a system of signals to trigger the activity. Signals may include:

visual cues or signs

kanban cards/tickets

computer alerts or computer-based workflows

Pull systems assist in decisions, such as:

what to work on and when to work on it

how to minimise overproduction

where to allocate resources

how to meet service standards (e.g. response time)

Identified demand

Indentified demand is based on:

identifying a process and its internal and external customers

gathering data on rate and amount of demand

Variations and barriers

Variations and barriers may include:

unnecessary movement of work due to physical layout of office

incorrect or incomplete procedures

lack of training or cross-skilling

inadequate or inappropriate equipment

slow or inappropriate communication systems

levels of authority and delegation

incomplete information required to complete task

interruptions

complex and/or unusual situations

bottlenecks

peaks and troughs in demand

Routines and/or systems to level the flow

Routines to level the flow are defined systems and/or work practices that assist in:

minimising bottlenecks

responding to peaks

managing interruptions, non-standard or complex issues

coordinating other tasks/work responsibilities

They may include:

Heijunka boxes

types and location of signals

triggers, such as minimum and maximum queue limits and items that are replaced at particular dates

sequencing (e.g. fly in/fly out (FIFO) and due dates

safety resources

buffer resources

back-up systems, such as maintaining critical hard copy documentation

visual tracking displays

Optimal flow of work

Optimal work is not only work undertaken in minimum time, but also work which keeps all persons/work stations equally busy (not necessarily on the same job).

It can be supported by activities, such as:

calculating takt time and pitch or similar

levelling the flow

allocating resources

allocating and scheduling work

cross-skilling

Takt time

Takt time is the time required to complete one job cycle if the customer’s time and volume expectations are to be met, i.e. the available time divided by the number of units required, and may include, but is not limited to):

time per piece where applied to piece work

time per tonne or litre when applied to bulk product

time per work item when applied to an office or service environment

deadlines required to meet delivery dates when applied to project work

Pitch

Pitch is the takt time averaged over a defined period and with available resources giving the rate of flow required to meet customer demand

Standardised work practices

Standardised work practices include:

defined procedures for how and when tasks are performed and prioritised