Reference no: EM132316987

Manage innovation and continuous improvement Assignment -

Performance Criteria -

1. Review programs, systems and processes -

1.1 Establish strategies to monitor and evaluate performance and sustainability of key systems and processes.

1.2 Undertake detailed analyses of supply chains, and operational, product and service delivery systems.

1.3 Identify performance measures, and assessment tools and techniques, and evaluate their effectiveness.

1.4 Analyse performance reports and variance from plans for key result areas of the organisation.

1.5 Identify and analyse changing trends and opportunities relevant to the organisation.

1.6 Seek advice from specialists, where appropriate, to identify technology and electronic commerce opportunities.

2. Develop options for continuous improvement -

2.1 Brief groups on performance improvement strategies and innovation as an essential element of competition.

2.2 Foster creative climate and organisational learning by promoting interaction within and between work groups.

2.3 Encourage, test and recognise new ideas and entrepreneurial behaviour where successful.

2.4 Accept failure of an idea during trialling and recognise, celebrate and embed success into systems.

2.5 Undertake risk management and cost-benefit analysis for each option or idea approved for trial.

2.6 Approve innovations through agreed organisational processes.

3. Implement innovative processes -

3.1 Promote continuous improvement and sustainability as essential to doing business.

3.2 Address the impact of change and consequences for people and implement transition plans.

3.3 Ensure objectives, timeframes, measures and communication plans are in place to manage implementation.

3.4 Implement contingency plans in the event of non-performance.

3.5 Follow up failure by prompt investigation and analysis of causes and manage emerging challenges and opportunities effectively.

3.6 Ensure that learnings from activities are captured and managed to inform future work.

3.7 Regularly evaluate continuous improvement systems and processes.

3.8 Communicate costs and benefits of innovations and improvements to relevant groups and individuals.

Assessment Requirements -

Performance Evidence - Evidence of the ability to:

• Analyse and evaluate systems and performance in key areas of the organisation and identify opportunities for improvement, seeking advice from experts as appropriate.
• Promote the value of creativity, innovation and sustainability and recognise successes.
• Support the testing and trialling of new ideas and undertake risk management and cost-benefit analysis for options.
• Plan for and implement improvements using organisation's processes for approvals, project management and change management.
• Facilitate effective contributions to and communications about continuous improvement and innovation.
• Capture insights, experiences and ideas for improvements and incorporate them into the organisation's knowledge management systems and future planning.

Note: If a specific volume or frequency is not stated, then evidence must be provided at least once.

Knowledge Evidence - To complete the unit requirements safely and effectively, the individual must:

• Outline cost-benefit analysis methods.
• Describe creativity and innovation theories and concepts.
• List organisational learning principles.
• Identify quality management and continuous improvement theories.
• Describe relevant risk management concepts.
• Outline relevant sustainability practices.

Assessment Conditions - Assessment must be conducted in a safe environment where evidence gathered demonstrates consistent performance of typical activities experienced in the management and leadership field of work and include access to:

• Relevant workplace documentation and resources.
• Case studies and, where possible, real situations.
• Interaction with others.

Assessors must satisfy NVR/AQTF assessor requirements.

Activities -

Complete the following activities individually or in a group (as applicable to the specific activity and the assessment environment).

Where applicable, a signed observation by either an approved third party or the assessor will need to be included in these activities as proof of completion.

Activity 1A -

Objective - To provide you with the opportunity to describe different methods of analysing and evaluating the performance and sustainability of your key systems and processes.

Activity - Describe five different methods of analysing and evaluating the performance and sustainability of your key systems and processes.

Activity 1B -

Objective - To provide you with the opportunity to outline the stages of the supply chain.

Activity - Outline the stages of the supply chain process relative to your business.

Activity 1C -

Objective - To provide you with the opportunity to identify and describe performance measures within your organisation.

Activity - Describe the use of three methods which may be used to measure performance within your organisation.

Activity 1D -

Objective - To provide you with the opportunity to outline the analytical steps that you should follow when considering the amount of variation from the plans and key result areas of your organisation.

Activity - What are the analytical steps that you should follow when considering the amount of variation from the plans and key result areas of your organisation?

Activity 1E -

Objective - To provide you with the opportunity to describe/identify sources of trends and types of trend analysis.

Activity - 1. Describe three sources of information about trends specific to your business

2. Name the three types of trend analysis.

Activity 1F -

Objective - To provide you with the opportunity to identify specialists, who can identify technology and electronic commerce opportunities.

Activity - Name three types of digital specialists and outline the services that they provide.

Activity 2A -

Objective - To provide you with the opportunity to identify continuous improvement strategies.

Activity - Name three continuous improvement strategies and outline the ways that they apply to your business.

Activity 2B -

Objective - To provide you with the opportunity to identify work groups in your business, and how to promote interaction within them.

Activity - 1. What are the types of work groups that exist within your business?

2. How could you promote interaction within and between the work groups?

Activity 2C -

Objective - To provide you with the opportunity to identify methods of promoting innovation.

Activity - What methods does your business use to inspire and reward the generation of new ideas?

Activity 2D -

Objective - To provide you with the opportunity to identify how to trial innovative ideas.

Activity - Outline three ways of trialling innovative ideas.

Activity 2E -

Objective - To provide you with the opportunity to identify the steps for risk assessment.

Activity - Which five steps should you follow when carrying out a risk assessment?

Activity 2F -

Objective - To provide you with the opportunity to identify how to approve innovations through agreed organisational processes.

Activity - Outline the steps that should be taken for the approval of innovations within your organisation. You may use a flow chart if so desired.

Activity 3A -

Objective - To provide you with the opportunity to identify which continuous improvement frameworks are used by your business.

Activity - Which continuous improvement frameworks are used by your business? How are these frameworks implemented and what effect do they have?

Activity 3B -

Objective - To provide you with the opportunity to name positive consequences and negative consequences of business change and identify communication methods for change implementation.

Activity - 1. Name three positive consequence and three negative consequences of business change.

2. What communication methods does your organisation use to manage the implementation of change?

Activity 3C -

Objective - To provide you with the opportunity to complete a contingency plan template.

Activity - Apply the following contingency plan template to a negative event which may impact your business.

Type of event	Likelihood	Potential impact	Appropriate response	Staff members involved	Resources required

Activity 3D -

Objective - To provide you with the opportunity to identify the importance of following up promptly upon failure and why failures should be followed up, and how to resolve them.

Activity - 1. Why is it important to follow up promptly upon failure?

2. What methods can be used to identify and resolve the different forms of failure?

Activity 3E -

Objective - To provide you with the opportunity to identify your organisation's preferred methods of collecting information about the impact of innovation.

Activity - What are your organisation's preferred methods of collecting information about the impact of innovation? How are these methods used?

Activity 3F -

Objective - To provide you with an opportunity to describe the methods you can use to evaluate continuous improvement systems and processes and list potential benefits and potential costs of business innovations and improvements.

Activity - 1. Describe the methods you can use to evaluate continuous improvement systems and processes.

2. List three potential benefits and three potential costs of business innovations and improvements.

Summative Assessments -

The summative assessments are the major activities designed to assess your skills, knowledge and performance, as required to show competency in this unit. These activities should be completed after finishing the Learner Guide. You should complete these as stated below and as instructed by your trainer/assessor.

Skills, knowledge and performance may be termed as:

• Skills - skill requirements, required skills, essential skills, foundation skills.
• Knowledge - knowledge requirements, required knowledge, essential knowledge, knowledge evidence.
• Performance - evidence requirements, critical aspects of assessment, performance evidence.

Section A: Skills Activity

The Skills Activity is designed to be a series of demonstrative tasks that should be assessed by observation (by the assessor or third party, depending on the circumstances).

It will demonstrate all of the skills required for this unit of competency - your assessor will provide further instructions to you, if necessary.

Section B: Knowledge Activity (Q & A)

The Knowledge Activity is designed to be a verbal questionnaire where the assessor asks you a series of questions to confirm your competency for all of the required knowledge in the unit of competency.

Section C: Performance Activity

The Performance Activity is designed to be a practical activity performed either in the workplace or a simulated environment. You should demonstrate the required practical tasks for the unit of competency and be observed by the assessor and/or third party, as applicable to the situation. If the third party is required to observe you, you will need to make the required arrangements with them.

If necessary for the activities, you should attach completed written answers, portfolios or any evidence of competency to this workbook.

Section A: Skills Activity

Objective: To provide you with an opportunity to show you have the required skills for this unit.

A signed observation by either an approved third party or the assessor will need to be included in this activity as proof of completion.

This activity will enable you to demonstrate the following skills:

Learning

• Plans and implements strategies to review and improve own performance.

Reading

• Analyses, evaluates and integrates facts and ideas to construct meaning from a range of text types.

Writing

• Integrates information and ideas from a range of sources, utilising appropriate support materials.
• Communicates complex relationships between ideas and information, matching style of writing to purpose and audience.

Oral Communication

• Participates in a variety of spoken exchanges with co-workers and stakeholders when developing options and implementing the continuous improvement plan.

Numeracy

• Selects and interprets mathematical information to analyse performance.
• Performs calculations required to establish timeframes, cost-benefits and measures for continuous improvement and innovation processes.

Navigate the world of work

• Adheres to organisational policies and procedures and considers own role in terms of its contribution to broader goals of the work environment.

Interact with others

• Recognises the importance of taking audience, purpose and contextual factors into account when making decisions about what to communicate, with whom, why and how.
• Recognises the importance of building rapport to establish positive and effective working relationships.
• Collaborates with others to achieve joint outcomes, playing an active role in encouraging innovation and facilitating effective group interaction.

Get the work done

• Plans, organises, implements or reviews organisational strategies, systems and processes.
• Applies problem-solving processes to identify risks, evaluate options and determine solutions.
• Uses lateral and analytical thinking to evaluate options against needs, resources and constraints before making decisions.
• Facilitates a climate in which creativity and innovation are accepted as an integral part of achieving outcomes.
• Recognises that the current way is only one way of doing something and explores possibilities that challenge current approaches.
• Actively identifies systems, devices and applications with potential to meet current and or future needs, with the help of specialists.

Answer the activity in as much detail as possible, considering your organisational requirements.

1. Plan and implement strategies to review and improve own performance using key performance indicators.

2. Interpret at least two different texts through analysing, evaluating and integrating facts and ideas - for example:

• Performance reports
• Questionnaires/interview data/stakeholder feedback
• Organisational records e.g. financial, sales, etc.

3. Using appropriate support materials, integrate information and ideas from a range of sources - for example:

• Magazines
• Networking sessions
• Financial accounts

Use this information to communicate information to a relevant group or person, adapting your style of writing to the purpose and audience.

4. Use oral communication skills to speak with co-workers and stakeholders when developing options or implementing the continuous improvement plan including:

• Active listening
• Questioning techniques

5. Analyse performance by interpreting mathematical information. You may adopt the following methods:

• Past trend analysis
• Internal trend analysis
• External trend analysis

6. Describe your own role, the policies and procedures you have to follow and the contribution of your role to broader goals in the work environment.

7. What is the importance of taking audience, purpose and contextual factors into account when making decisions about what to communicate, with whom, why and how?

8. What is the importance of building rapport to establish positive and effective working relationships?

9. Under observation from an assessor or approved third party, collaborate with others (e.g. colleagues, other learners) and facilitate effective joint outcomes.

10. Under supervision/observation from an assessor or third party (approved by the assessor), demonstrate how you have:

Planned, organised, implemented or reviewed three organisational strategies, systems or processes - for example using;

• benchmarking
• financial analysis
• questionnaires and interviews
• mystery shopping visits
• social media monitoring
• business meetings
• quantitative employee analysis

Applied problem-solving processes to identify risks, evaluate options and determine solutions - for example using:

• brainstorming
• root analysis

Used lateral and analytical thinking to evaluate options against needs, resources and constraints before making decisions - for example

• identifying strengths and weaknesses of ideas e.g. using SWOT analysis.
• using fishbone and Catwoe analysis.

Facilitated a climate in which creativity and innovation are accepted as an integral part of achieving outcomes - for example, by employing specific strategies to foster creativity.

Recognised that the current way is only one way of doing something and explores possibilities that challenge current approaches - for example by offering new ideas and approaches to work, accepting other people's ideas and embracing change.

Actively identified systems, devices and applications with the potential to meet current and or future needs, with the help of specialists - for example, development of software specific to a particular business need.

Present your evidence as a portfolio of work, which has been observed by an assessor or third party (approved by the assessor).

The tasks can be completed in either the workplace or a simulated environment.

Section B: Knowledge Activity (Q & A)

Objective: To provide you with an opportunity to show you have the required knowledge for this unit.

The answers to the following questions will enable you to demonstrate your knowledge of:

• Outline cost-benefit analysis methods.
• Describe creativity and innovation theories and concepts.
• List organisational learning principles.
• Identify quality management and continuous improvement theories.
• Describe relevant risk management concepts.
• Outline relevant sustainability practices.

Answer each question in as much detail as possible, considering your organisational requirements for each one.

1. Outline a cost-benefit analysis method, considering each of the steps you need to take.

2. Describe a theory of creativity and innovation/concept.

3. List five organisational learning principles.

4. Identify two quality management and continuous improvement theories/frameworks.

5. Describe two relevant risk management concepts; probability and likelihood.

6. Outline two relevant sustainability practices at your organisation.

Section C: Performance Activity

Objective: To provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate the required performance elements for this unit.

A signed observation by either an approved third party or the assessor will need to be included in this activity as proof of completion.

This activity will enable you to demonstrate the following performance evidence:

• Analyse and evaluate systems and performance in key areas of the organisation and identify opportunities for improvement, seeking advice from experts as appropriate.
• Promote the value of creativity, innovation and sustainability and recognise successes.
• Support the testing and trialling of new ideas and undertake risk management and cost-benefit analysis for options.
• Plan for and implement improvements using organisation's processes for approvals, project management and change management.
• Facilitate effective contributions to and communications about continuous improvement and innovation.
• Capture insights, experiences and ideas for improvements and incorporate them into the organisation's knowledge management systems and future planning.

Answer the activity in as much detail as possible, considering your organisational requirements.

1. Analyse and evaluate systems and performance in key areas of the organisation and identify at least one opportunity for improvement, seeking advice from experts as appropriate.

Learners may:

• Analyse supply chains or delivery systems.
• Analyse performance reports.
• Evaluate performance measures and assessment tools/techniques.
• Analyse changing trends.
• Use continuous improvement frameworks to identify improvements.

2. Promote the value of creativity, innovation and sustainability and recognise successes at your workplace or in a simulated environment. Learners may:

• Brief workers on the value of creativity, innovation and sustainability.
• Encourage interaction and collaboration between work groups.
• Give out rewards and praise to workers' achievements.

3. Support the testing and trialling of new ideas and undertake risk management and cost-benefit analysis for options. Learners may:

• Use trailing methods to test/assess feasibility of ideas.
• Undertake risk management (including risk analysis and control) of an idea approved for trial.
• Undertake cost-benefit analysis of an idea approved for trial.

4. Plan for and implement improvements using organisation's processes for approvals, project management and change management. Learners may:

• Identify the correct person to approve the improvements.
• Use a formal approval process.
• Follow project management plan/phases for improvements.
• Address change and implement transition plans.

5. Facilitate effective contributions to and communications about continuous improvement and innovation. Learners may:

• Using different methods, ask for colleagues input/ideas about continuous improvement and innovation.
• Create and implement a communication plan.

6. Capture insights, experiences and ideas for improvements and incorporate them into the organisation's knowledge management systems and future planning. Learners may:

Use the following methods to capture insights, experiences and ideas:

• performance reviews
• peer appraisals
• dashboards
• financial records
• marketing research
• employee monitoring
• customer research

Incorporate insights, experiences and ideas for improvements by:

• recording insights, experiences and ideas.
• evaluating ideas in light of any improvements needed.