Student Declaration
To be filled out and submitted with assessment responses
◻ I declare that this task and any attached document related to the task is all my own work and I have not cheated or plagiarised the work or colluded with any other student(s)
◻ I understand that if I am found to have plagiarised, cheated or colluded, action will be taken against me according to the process explained to me
◻ I have correctly referenced all resources and reference texts throughout these assessment tasks.
◻ I have read and understood the assessment requirements for this unit
◻ I understand the rights to re-assessment
◻ I understand the right to appeal the decisions made in the assessment
| Unit Title
Unit Code |
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| Student name | ||
| Student ID number | ||
| Student signature | Date | |
| Task Number | ||
| ——OFFICE USE ONLY—–
For Trainer and Assessor to complete: ◻ Student requested reasonable adjustment for the assessment |
| Marking Sheet
Completed successfully Did the student satisfactorily: |
Comments | Y | N | DNS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The student has satisfactorily completed and submitted the following:
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☐ | ☐ | ☐ | |
The student attended the consultation meeting with the Project Sponsor in week 4:
Feedback provided in comments. |
☐ | ☐ | ☐ | |
Demonstrated ability to:
This is evidenced by:
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☐ | ☐ | ☐ | |
Demonstrated ability to:
This is evidenced by:
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☐ | ☐ | ☐ | |
Demonstrated ability to:
This is evidenced by:
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☐ | ☐ | ☐ | |
| When collaborating with the group, the student has actively participated in group work with a substantial contribution that can be assessed individually for all the requirements of this task. | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | |
| Task Outcome: Satisfactory ☐ Not Yet Satisfactory ☐ | ||||
| Student Name: | ||||
| Assessor Name:
Assessor Signature: Date: |
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Task 2 – Establish continuous improvement systems and processes
| Task summary and instructions | |||||||||
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| What is this assessment task about? | Refer to and read the documents saved in a separate folder:
You have been recently engaged by XYZ Pty Ltd trading as MMI as a Project Manager (PM) to develop and implement a project to open a new campus in Sydney (refer to MMI strategic objectives).
The project includes:
Ideally, there will be enough room for 5-7 classes, one meeting room, one computer lab, 1 x student kitchen, student lounge, 1 x staff kitchen, three offices for staff, toilet facilities
The project steering committee is composed of:
The project sponsor is Taylor Varin (Client Service Manager), played by the trainer and assessor. You will have to:
Each unit covered in your Diploma of Project Management will address a part of the project:
BSBSTR502 addresses continuous improvement in project work. Having a clear vision of the project and its structure will help you plan and implement it in simulated work conditions. Your trainer and assessor will provide support and mentorship in the role of Project Sponsor (PS). You will work in a project team of max four students. You will both lead the team and be a part of it to experience different project roles in the simulated work environment, project manager being the main one. Take turns playing the role of PM when the task requires project team collaboration. The trainer and assessor will observe project work and provide feedback on the Marking Sheet. Form or join a project team (3-4 students in the team). Document the name of the students in the table below:
You will collaborate with the project team in a simulated work environment to carry out the responsibility of your role as a PM relevant to continuous improvement. Although you will lead and collaborate with the project team in some of the tasks as instructed, your assessment’s work must be individual, and it will be marked as such. This task comprises of the following assessment methods:
It has been designed to evaluate your ability to/competency in:
Your assessor will be looking for demonstrated evidence of your competency in the above. You are required to address the following:
Although the assessment requires group collaboration to simulate a work environment, the assessment submission is individual, and it will be marked as such. |
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| What do I need to do to complete this task satisfactorily? |
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| Specifications | You must deliver/participate in:
You must submit to GOALS
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| Resources and equipment |
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| Re-submission opportunities | You will be provided feedback on your performance by the Assessor. The feedback will indicate if you have satisfactorily addressed the requirements of each part of this task. If any parts of the task are not satisfactorily completed, the assessor will explain why, and provide you written feedback along with guidance on what you must undertake to demonstrate satisfactory performance. Re-assessment attempt(s) will be arranged at a later time and date. You have the right to appeal the outcome of assessment decisions if you feel that you have been dealt with unfairly or have other appropriate grounds for an appeal. You are encouraged to consult with the assessor prior to attempting this task if you do not understand any part of this task or if you have any learning issues or needs that may hinder you when attempting any part of the assessment. | ||||||||
Complete the following activities:
As a Project Manager, you have decided to improve sustainable workplace practices and would like to introduce the following initiatives in project work:
- Encourage sustainable eating habits by minimising the use of disposable containers
- Go paperless
- Manage food waste at work using brown bin solutions
- Implement energy savings policies
- Encourage the use of sustainable transportation to work
To do so, you will:
- Apply continuous improvement (CI) processes and systems
- Encourage team members to participate in the decision-making process and commit to the improvements
- Coach and mentor team members on CI
- Ensure that insights and experience from the sustainability activities are captured and shared
- Develop strategies, systems and processes to implement and sustain a continuous improvement culture
Task 2.1 Ci initiatives and practices
Meet with the project team and use part of the meeting to deliver a coaching and mentoring session to ensure that the team understands what CI is and its value for a business. This will ensure that team members will implement and support the CI initiatives and participate in the decision-making process.
- Review the learning material and undertake independent research. Prepare a training session for the team to cover:
- Definition of continuous improvement
- The benefits of implementing continuous improvement systems and processes in the workplace
- Continuous improvement models that may be suitable for project work, such as the Plan Do Check Act, DMAIC or TQM approach to continuous improvement. Select two models for the training session.
- Current CI policy at MMI and proposed improvements
- Prepare to conduct a brainstorming activity on what actions could be taken to:
- Encourage sustainable eating habits by minimising the use of disposable containers
- Go paperless
- Manage food waste at work using brown bin solutions
- Implement energy savings policies
- Encourage the use of sustainable transportation to work
- Prepare to facilitate a collaborative planning session to plan the implementation of the brainstormed activities using a Plan Do Check Act approach.
- Prepare to obtain commitment to the CI initiatives from the team and agree on responsibilities.
Schedule a time with the trainer and assessor in week 3 of class and conduct the meeting with the project team.
All team members will have to take turns to present, facilitate and train as Project Managers (instructions provided below).
The trainer and assessor will evaluate your performance during the training session.
If you are absent from class, you are responsible for making alternative arrangements with the trainer and assessor to perform the Role-Play.
Duration: 60-90 minutes
Meeting Minutes
Time – 10:00 am
Duration – 10 min
Attendees – Project team and project Manager
Venue – Conference hall
Date – 18th July
Meeting
Manager – Good morning team!
Team – Good morning, sir!
Manager – How are you all?
Team – We are good sir, what about you?
Manager – I am also fine. I have conducted this meeting to give an overview of continuous improvement as we are going to conduct a training session for you. In that training session, I will be going to describe to you the advantage of continuous improvement and various things about it that will be beneficial for all of us.
Team – Okay sir, we will consider all your points and will focus on everything that you will describe as continuous improvement.
Manager – Okay then please do not forget to attend the training session as it is mandatory to attend the training session and brainstorming session.
Team – Yes sir, we will attend this surely.
Before the training session
- Prepare a PP presentation to cover all the required points. Submit the PP with your assessment.
- Review the current CI policy and identify improvements
- Prepare the coaching session
- Prepare to facilitate the brainstorming and planning session
Observation Checklist
| Observation | Yes | No |
| sustainable eating habits |
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| Paperless in CI Policy |
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| Manage food waste |
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| Energy saving Policy |
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| sustainable transportation to work |
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| continuous improvement systems |
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| Encourage team members to participate in the decision-making process |
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During the training session
- Present:
- Definition of continuous improvement
- The benefits of implementing continuous improvement systems and processes in the workplace
- Continuous improvement models that may be suitable for project work, such as the Plan Do Check Act, DMAIC or TQM approach to continuous improvement. Select two models for the training session.
- Current CI policy at MMI and proposed improvements. Ask the team for feedback and inputs.
Note: each student must present to the rest of the project team as the Project Manager.
Training Session
Venue – Auditorium
Date – 18th July 20XX
Time – 03:00 pm
Attendees – Project Manager, team and trainer
Trainer – Good afternoon all!
Team – Good afternoon sir!
Trainer – How are you all?
Team – We are good sir, what about you?
Trainer – I am also good. As you all know I have conducted this training session to discuss with you CI initiatives and their advantages also. Shall I start this training are you all ready?
Team – Yes sir, we are ready.
Trainer – Okay great then. Firstly I will give you the definition of continuous improvement. It is the continuing effort to improve products, processes, systems and services for minimizing individual results. Do you get this?
Team – Yes sir we got this.
Trainer – Now I will tell you the advantages of implementing continuous improvement initiatives in the organization. So, the benefits of continuous improvement are given below:
- Increased quality of services
- Increment in productivity and inefficiency
- Waste is reduced
- Employees are satisfied
Team – Okay sir.
Trainer – Now I will give you information about the models of continuous improvement that will be appropriate for the work of the project. These models mainly include TQM and DMAIC.
Team – What are these models?
Trainer – I will tell you about each model. First I will take TQM, its main goal is to improve the whole organizational process and also consumer focus. Now DMAIC is the roadmap for mainly Six Sigma, utilized for improving the quality of outcomes that the process of the organization generates.
Team – Okay sir.
Trainer – Now I will tell you the current policy of CI at MMI and also proposed enhancements.
Team – Okay sir.
Trainer – The policy and procedures are:
- Maintain the culture of open and clear communication
- Managing business by utilizing facts
- Focus on mainly satisfying and understanding the clients
- Review all the methods and approaches daily
The proposed improvements are given below:
- Employees and clients surveys are regularly conducted
- The Manager of every area is accountable to conduct the audit of performance
Team – Okay sir.
Trainer – Now, I want to ask your opinion and feedback about all these things.
Team – Sir, all the policies and procedures are accurate as these will be beneficial for the organization and also for us.
Trainer – Okay then, thank you for attending this training session.
Team – It is all our pleasure, sir.
- Lead a brainstorming session on what actions could be taken to implement the following CI initiatives:
- Encourage sustainable eating habits by minimising the use of disposable containers
- Go paperless
- Implement energy savings policies
- Encourage the use of sustainable transportation to work
Note: each student in the project team must lead one brainstorming session on one of the initiatives listed above. All initiatives must be covered, so split the topics among the group.
Additionally, during the brainstorming session, evaluate how each initiative would meet sustainability requirements.
Brainstorming session
Project Manager – Good morning everyone!
Team – Good morning, sir!
Project Manager – How are you all?
Team – We are all good sir, what about you?
Project Manager – I am also fine. I have conducted this brainstorming to make you aware of the sustainability practices that we all must follow at the workplace.
Team – Okay sir.
Project Manager – We should mainly save energy and use renewable energy in the workplace. We should go paperless and mainly use email and SMS for sharing information. This can help to save resources at the workplace.
Team – Okay sir.
Project Manager – We should also manage and control the waste of food at the workplace by utilizing brown bin solutions. Also, I want to say that you should eat food disposable and not use plastic containers as disposable are eco-friendly and they are disposable items.
Team – Okay sir, we will consider all your points. Thank you for making us aware of sustainable practices.
Project Manager – It is all my pleasure.
- Select three key actions/initiative in collaboration with the team.
- Facilitate a collaborative planning session for the implementation of the CI initiatives using a Plan-Do-Check-Act approach.
Note: all team members must demonstrate the ability to facilitate a planning session, take the lead in turns.
Obtain commitment to the CI initiatives from the team and agree on responsibilities.
After the training session
- Summarise the outcome of the session in the table below.
| CI initiative | Key actions (Three/initiative) | How organisational sustainability requirements are met |
|---|---|---|
| Encourage sustainable eating habits by minimising the use of disposable containers | 1. Do not use plastic bottles.
2. Utilize the disposable items for eating 3. Utilize eco-friendly packaging products (Bellouard, et al., 2012). |
By getting continuous valuable feedback |
| Go paperless | 1. Create the policy for the paperless company
2. Encourage reuse and recycling in the workplace 3. Utilize digital applications |
By encouraging the team to use digital technology |
| Implement energy savings policies | 1. Utilize some artificial lights in the particular areas
2. Educate the employees and staff regarding features of saving energy 3. Switch off unnecessary lights and fans at the office |
By describing the advantages of saving energy in the workplace |
| Encourage the use of sustainable transportation to work | 1. By making sustainable transportation more cost-efficient
2. Make proactive transport further seamless at the facilities 3. Give discounted memberships of car shares (Bellouard, et al., 2012). |
By encouraging the team to use the sustainable transportation |
- Document the Plan-Do-Check-Act approach for one of the CI initiatives (your choice of initiative).
| CI Initiative: <Go paperless > | |
| Plan
Recognise the opportunity and plan a change |
We will move all the finance work to digital and utilize digital applications for sharing information and data. We will also implement a system of visitor management (Hewlett, 2013). |
| Do
Test the change. |
By implementing the system of visitor management, the visitors will be able to particularly sign in digitally without any use of paperwork. All the finance-related work will be done through digital applications that will also reduce the waste of paper. |
| Check
Review the test, analyse the results, and identify what you’ve learned. |
By making all these changes, the systems are accurately implemented as the paperwork is reduced and the technology has made it easy to work and maintain all the data online and also the data is safe and secure. |
| Act
Take action based on what you learned in the study step. |
In this, we have learnt that we should avoid paperwork and utilize digital applications for sharing information. This is also eco-friendly and also cost-efficient (Hewlett, 2013). |
- Update the Project CI register adding the improvements that were discussed during the training session:
- CI initiatives to improve sustainability practices
- Improvements to the CI Policy
| Date | Suggested Improvement | CI Category | Actions | Timeline | Responsibility | Completed Y/N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-07-2022 | Maintain waste management | Audit feedback | 1. Do not use water bottles or plastic.
2. Utilize the disposable items for eating 3. Utilize eco-friendly packaging products (Verderber, et al., 2013). |
1 month | Project Manager | Yes |
| 18-07-2022 | Utilize digital applications | Staff feedback | 1. Create the policy for the paperless company
2. Encourage reuse and recycling in the workplace 3. Utilize digital applications |
2 months | Project Manager | Yes |
| 18-07-2022 | Save energy | Industry engagement feedback | 1. Utilize some artificial lights in the particular areas
2. Educate the employees and staff regarding features of saving energy 3. Switch off unnecessary lights and fans at the office (Verderber, et al., 2013). |
3 months | Project Manager | Yes |
CI Categories: Industry Engagement Feedback; Audit Feedback; Complaint Feedback; Staff Feedback
- Write an email to the Project Sponsor.
The email must address the following:
- Inform the Project Sponsor about the CI initiatives to improve sustainability practices in the project team. Suggest testing the practices in the project environment and then implement them across the organisation.
- Inform the Project Sponsor of the proposed improvements to the existing CI policy.
- Explain how change and improvement processes meet sustainability requirements.
- Attach the CI Register to the email.
The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.
(100-150 words)
Template 1 -Email
| Email to Project Sponsor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| To: projectsponsor@au.in | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cc: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bcc: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subject: Regarding CI initiatives | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date email is sent: 18th July | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attachments: CI Register | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Respected sir,
This mail is written to you for informing you that we are going to implement the CI initiatives at the workplace for maintaining sustainability practices in the organization. This will help to improve the sustainable environment and also make every staff aware of the benefits of sustainability in the organization. Also, we have provided some proposed improvements that will help to maintain sustainability and it is cost-effective. I am attaching the CI register with this mail. I request you to go through with that and give your valuable feedback. With regards, Project Manager
|
Task 2.2 CI strategies, processes and systems
Develop CI strategies, processes and systems:
- Strategies to ensure that team members are actively encouraged and supported to participate in decision-making processes, assume responsibility and exercise initiative as appropriate.
Two strategies, 50-100 words.
- A system to ensure that the organisation’s continuous improvement processes are communicated to stakeholders.
Describe the communication channel, technology used and process. Include who the information needs to be communicated to and when. (50-100 words)
- A process to ensure that insights and experiences from business activities are captured and accessible through knowledge management systems.
Step by step process. Indicate who is responsible for each step.
- Strategies to ensure that systems and processes are used to monitor operational progress and to identify ways in which planning and operations could be improved.
Three strategies (30-50 words each), consider using project monitoring and controlling system.
- A process to ensure that project team members are informed of outcomes of continuous improvement efforts.
Step by step process. Indicate who is responsible for each step.
Document your work below:
| A | 1. Allow the employees for setting their goals and targets of performance.
2. Execute a flexible working environment in the organization (Rosenfield, 2013). |
| B | 1. By conducting the formal meeting.
2. By sharing information through formal mail. The information needs to be communicated to team members after taking final decisions (Rosenfield, 2013). |
| C | 1. Collecting data – Manager
2. Organizing data – Manager 3. Summarizing Data – Manager 4. Analysing data – Manager 5. Synthesizing data – Manager 6. Making a decision – Manager |
| D | 1. Monitor the performance of employees
2. Assists employees by utilizing tools of self-monitoring 3. Review the performance of employees (Castells, 2013). |
| E | 1. Select manageable, small enhancements
2. Monitor enhancements by plan-do-check-act strategy 3. Give feedback 4. Motivate the employees (Castells, 2013). |
Task 2.3 Communication
- Social media post
Prepare a social media post to announce one of the CI initiatives from the project team to improve sustainability practices in the workplace to all MMI staff.
Note: the post could be as simple as a text with a picture.
Record the post in the space provided below:
- Consultation
Schedule a brief consultation session (5-10 minutes) time with the trainer and assessor ( playing the role of the Project Sponsor in the simulated work environment) in week 4 of class, and discuss the CI strategies, processes and systems developed in Task 2.2.
Record the feedback from the Project Sponsor in the space provided below:
| Project Sponsor – Good morning, sir!
Trainer – Good morning! Project Sponsor – How are you, sir? Trainer – I am good. What about you? Project Sponsor – I am also good. I have conducted this session to discuss the systems, processes and strategies of CI. The strategies include that employees will be allowed for setting their goals and objectives so that it will be easy for them to work on those objectives. Trainer – Okay sir. Project sponsor – We will communicate all this information by conducting formal meeting sessions or by formal emails. Trainer – Okay sir. I understand all the systems and processes. Thank you for consulting this with me. It will help me a lot. Project Sponsor – It is all my pleasure. |
Apply the feedback received to the CI strategies, processes and systems developed in Task 2.2 before submitting the assessment. The trainer and assessor will check that the feedback was applied when marking the assessment.
The trainer and assessor will evaluate your performance during the consultation session and provide feedback on the marking sheet.
If you are absent from class, you are responsible for making alternative arrangements with the trainer and assessor to attend the consultation session.
References
Bellouard, Y., Champion, A., Lenssen, B., Matteucci, M., Schaap, A., Beresna, M., … & Lopez, J. (2012). The femtoprint project. Journal of Laser Micro/Nanoengineering, 7(1), 1-10.
Castells, M. (2013). Communication power. Oxford University Press.
Forman, M. L., Stosich, E. L., & Bocala, C. (2021). The internal coherence framework: Creating the conditions for continuous improvement in schools. Harvard Education Press.
Hewlett, S. A. (2013). Forget a mentor, find a sponsor: The new way to fast-track your career. Harvard Business Review Press.
Liebowitz, J., & Beckman, T. (2020). Knowledge organizations: What every manager should know. CRC press.
Rosenfield, S. (2013). Instructional consultation. Routledge.
Svinicki, M. (2014). McKeachie’s Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Verderber, K. S., Verderer, R. F., & Sellnow, D. D. (2013). Communicate!. Cengage Learning.
Appendix 1 – CI Policy
Continuous Improvement
Purpose
This policy provides details of XYZ Pty Ltd (XYZ) approach to continuous improvement.
The purpose of the policy is to provide principles to guide the continuous improvement practices of XYZ staff to:
- encourage continuous improvement in the workplace
- ensure that all XYZ activities, processes and systems support our focus on quality
This policy applies to all XYZ staff.
Policy and Procedures
Continuous improvement (CI) is at the core of the management strategy of XYZ, and it is recognised as a competitive factor in the marketplace.
CI covers all aspects of the operation of XYZ driving organisational excellence to improve value delivery to all XYZ stakeholders, including both clients and employees.
By implementing a culture of continuous improvement, the company will:
- focus on understanding and satisfying the clients;
- regularly review approaches and methods with improvement cycles and conclusions implemented;
- benchmark and regularly measure the performance of key processes;
- manage business using facts rather than opinion;
- maintain a culture of clear, open communication;
- work to reduce cycle-time in all aspects of the business;
- promote active teamwork as a normal way of achieving outcomes;
- recognise and promote improvement efforts;
- develop a culture where continuous improvement involves everyone, and the process of change becomes routine; and
- develops and values key partnerships with employees, clients and other stakeholders.
Several processes are used by XYZ to implement and maintain a system of continuous improvement:
- Every area Manager is responsible for conducting a performance audit once/year and to present its findings to the CEO
- Client and employees surveys are conducted regularly, and the results of the surveys are presented to the CEO to be discussed in the monthly management meeting
- Complaints are an opportunity for constructive feedback to improve performance standards
- The Marketing department is responsible for conducting external business environment analysis to monitor trends, technology and standards relevant to the industry
- Attendance to conferences and networking events is encouraged to gather ideas for improvement
- Professional development of staff on quality management practices is part of the management development plans
- Quality Circle groups work cross-functionally in the organisation (with meetings scheduled each month)
The HR Manager is responsible for coordinating the CI program and its initiatives.