Application
This unit of competency covers the knowledge and skills required to facilitate implementation of discrete targeted improvement activities to achieve breakthrough improvements in selected processes, operations or products. Typically this approach is used for improvements in areas of waste identified through value stream mapping.
This unit applies to team leaders and others who are providing guidance and support to assist a team of employees to identify improvements that can be implemented to operations, processes or products in a brief intensive project.
The unit also covers ensuring that the improvements are sustained. The process of achieving breakthrough improvements is often called kaizen blitz in lean terminology.
This unit assumes that one or more processes and operations have been mapped.
No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.
Elements and Performance Criteria
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. | ||
1 | Prepare for improvement event | 1.1 | Engage team members in the improvement event. |
1.2 | Identify process or processes to be targeted in the improvement event. | ||
1.3 | Assist team members to identify how their own roles contribute to value to the customer. | ||
1.4 | Assist team to identify the boundaries of the event, including any imposed exclusions. | ||
1.5 | Identify key process indicators and other information required for improvement event. | ||
1.6 | Identify skill needs for personnel engaged in breakthrough improvement event and arrange for any required training. | ||
1.7 | Establish communication processes with sponsor and stakeholders. | ||
2 | Identify improvements | 2.1 | Assist team to review current processes, operations or products and identify options for radical improvements. |
2.2 | Facilitate team activities and other relevant personnel to evaluate the options and agree on improvements to be made. | ||
2.3 | Encourage and assist team and others to plan the activities and identify metrics to be monitored. | ||
2.4 | Facilitate allocation of resources and strategies to manage impact on routine work. | ||
3 | Facilitate the event | 3.1 | Assist team to gather baseline data on the selected metrics. |
3.2 | Assist team to identify and address barriers to making the improvements. | ||
3.3 | Monitor team dynamics and facilitate team focus and cooperation. | ||
3.4 | Liaise with sponsor to communicate progress and maintain their support. | ||
4 | Evaluate improvements | 4.1 | Assist team to gather and interpret data on the metrics. |
4.2 | Facilitate team activities to evaluate the outcomes of the event. | ||
4.3 | Identify causes for areas of poor performance from changes and identify any additional changes to address them. | ||
4.4 | Report to sponsor and other stakeholders on the outcomes of the event. | ||
5 | Embed improvements | 5.1 | Establish mechanisms to ensure new systems and/or practices are communicated to relevant personnel. |
5.2 | Motivate team to apply the new systems and/or practices and sustain improvements. | ||
5.3 | Ensure the new systems and/or practices are reflected in relevant procedures. | ||
Evidence of Performance
Evidence required to demonstrate competence in this unit must be relevant to and satisfy the requirements of the elements and performance criteria and include the ability, for one (1) or more breakthrough improvement events, to:
interpret operations, processes and products in terms of value to the customer
identify, analyse and evaluate information from a variety of sources to identify opportunities for breakthrough improvements
lead and motivate others in planning, implementing and sustaining improvements.
Evidence of Knowledge
Must provide evidence that demonstrates knowledge relevant to their job role sufficient to fulfil their job role independently, including:
team and organisation deliverables and processes used to achieve them
how organisation operations and processes contribute to the value stream
types of waste (muda) and imposed exclusions
methods of identifying and evaluating options
work health and safety (WHS) requirements relevant to the target work areas.
Assessment Conditions
The unit should be assessed holistically and the judgement of competence shall be based on a holistic assessment of the evidence.
The collection of performance evidence is best done from a report and/or folio of evidence drawn from:
a single project which provides sufficient evidence of the requirements of all the elements and performance criteria
multiple smaller projects which together provide sufficient evidence of the requirements of all the elements and performance criteria.
A third-party report, or similar, may be needed to testify to the work done by the individual, particularly when the project has been done as part of a project team.
Assessment should use a real project in an operational workplace.
Knowledge evidence may be collected concurrently with performance evidence or through an independent process such as workbooks, written assessments or interviews (provided a record is kept).
Assessment processes and techniques must be appropriate to the language, literacy and numeracy requirements of the work being performed and the needs of the candidate.
Conditions for assessment must include access to all tools, equipment, materials and documentation required, including relevant workplace procedures, product and manufacturing specifications associated with this unit.
Foundation skills are integral to competent performance of the unit and should not be assessed separately.
Assessors must satisfy the assessor competency requirements that are in place at the time of the assessment as set by the VET regulator.
The assessor must demonstrate both technical competency and currency.
Technical competence can be demonstrated through:
relevant VET or other qualification/Statement of Attainment AND/OR
relevant workplace experience
Currency can be demonstrated through:
performing the competency being assessed as part of current employment OR
having consulted with an organisation providing relevant environmental monitoring, management or technology services about performing the competency being assessed within the last twelve months.
Foundation Skills
This section describes those required skills (language, literacy and numeracy) that are essential to performance.
Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.
Range Statement
This field allows for different work environments and conditions that may affect performance. Essential operating conditions that may be present (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) are included. | |
Competitive systems and practices include one or more of: | lean operations agile operations preventative and predictive maintenance approaches statistical process control systems, including six sigma and three sigma Just in Time (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 overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) takt time process mapping problem solving run charts standard procedures current reality tree. |
Team in this unit is any group of employees engaged in a breakthrough improvement event and includes one or more of: | a permanent formally identified team a sub-group of a team a formally designated teams an informal groups of employees other stakeholders who may be brought together for a breakthrough improvement event a specially established group for the breakthrough event (e.g. a combined production/administration/ logistics group convened for a breakthrough event addressing delivery issues). |
Scope and benefit statements include one or more of: | description of the business the target work process what key stakeholders seek from the improvement project a mission for the event a set of goals a statement of the do's and don'ts for the improvement project. |
Boundaries define one or more of: | the start and end point of the process being targeted the steps of the process to be included and excluded specific job roles or related processes to be included or excluded timeframe for the event. |
Breakthrough improvement (also known as kaizen blitz) is characterised by one or more of: | using a formal process being a discrete targeted activity that is achieved in a relatively short timeframe delivering significant level of improvement. |
Mechanisms to communicate and sustain improvements include one or more of: | scheduled audits regular monitoring and/or reporting activities use of visual aids, such as targets and progress boards, process charts and procedure posters communications, such as standing items for team meetings, email reminders or updates. |
Imposed exclusions include one or more of: | equipment excluded from efficiency or layout review because of budget constraints regulatory requirements that do not add value organisation requirements, policies or procedures beyond the influence of the team other required muda. |
Key process indicators include one or more of | statistical process control data/charts orders lost time, injury and other work health and safety (WHS) records equipment reliability charts. |
Sectors
Not applicable
Competency Field
Competitive systems and practices