MANAGE BUSINESS OPERATIONAL PLANS

PROJECT PORTFOLIO

BSBOPS502

Contents

TOC o "1-3" h z t "RTO Works Heading 1,1" Section 1: Planning for an operational plan PAGEREF _Toc57212970 h 5Section 2: Developing an operational plan9Section 3: Managing operational performance14

Student name: Assessor: Date: Business this assessment is based on: Documentation reviewed as preparation:

Section 1: Planning for an operational planAbout the organisation

Provide an overview of the organisation and product/services/programs.

Describe the key functions and activities of the work area you will develop an operational plan for.

Briefly describe at least two objectives outlined in the strategic plan (if there is no strategic plan for your business, develop two objectives for your work area or business).

Describe your job role.

Explain how your job role contributes to the broader goals of the business or work area.

Source information

Identify stakeholders who will contribute to the operational plan and provide relevant approvals:

Who are they (consider escalation, specialist resource manager, colleague, client)?

What contribution will they make?

What will they approve (if relevant)?

Identify and summarise any legislation relevant to the operational plan you develop.

Identify and summarise any organisational policies and procedures relevant to the operational plan you develop. (Attach proof to this section of your portfolio).

Summarise the financial information (e.g. budget and forecast) that will inform spending and (attach proof to this section of your portfolio)

Sales targets to achieve 10% profit

Total cost of development $2 million

2022 revenue will amount to $55 million, net profit of $5 million and net cash flow of negative $3 million.. Identify potential activities

What potential activities are required to address the objectives (at least three per objective)?

What are your suggested time frames for each activity?

Who will be responsible for the completion of each activity? Strengthen the skills of our people, to better support customers

Establish potential human resource requirements

For each potential activity in the operational plan, list the human resources required (at least one new human resource should be required).

For each human resource:

research and summarise information on resource options and how the resource may be sourced (e.g. can internal staff do the job, are consultants required etc.?).

analyse options and choose one.

explain how the resource will be recruited and inducted following policy and procedure.

explain any financial implications (e.g. approval required, amount to be budgeted for etc.).

explain any Intellectual Property (IP) requirements, rights and responsibilities linked to the resource. Activities relate to the first objective include: increase sales to increase donations to needy classrooms

Activity 1: Create an online advert for the new product (quoted price of $25000)

Activity 2: Arrange a live demonstration for existing customers

Activity 3: Create rewards program to reward school based on number of downloads

Activities related to the second objective include: strengthen the skills of our people, to better support customers.

Activity 1: Train sales staff to use new product

Activity 2: Organise school visits

Activity 3: Sponsorship program to develop personal relationships between less fortunate children and sales staff

Establish potential physical resource requirements

Use the information from your research and knowledge of your work area.

For each potential activity in the operational plan, list the physical resources required (identify at least one).

For each physical resource:

research and summarise information on resource alternatives (e.g. RPA vs human input)

analyse options and choose best one

explain how the resource will be obtained/purchased following policy and procedures

explain any financial implications (e.g. approval required, amount to be budgeted for etc.)

explain any Intellectual Property (IP) requirements, rights and responsibilities linked to the resource (other than those already considered). Activities relate to the first objective include: increase sales to increase donations to needy classrooms

Activity 1: Create an online advert for the new product (quoted price of $25000)

Activity 2: Arrange a live demonstration for existing customers

Activity 3: Create rewards program to reward school based on number of downloads

Activities related to the second objective include: strengthen the skills of our people, to better support customers.

Activity 1: Train sales staff to use new product

Activity 2: Organise school visits

Activity 3: Sponsorship program to develop personal relationships between less fortunate children and sales staff

Establish potential KPIs

For each activity, establish measurable KPIs.

Show how you approached establishing the KPIs in a mathematical way using problem-solving.

How do the KPIs reflect financial requirements?

List ways to monitor the KPIs. Activity 1: Create an online advert for the new product (quoted price of $25000)

Activity 2: Arrange a live demonstration for existing customers

Activity 3: Create rewards program to reward school based on number of downloads

Activities related to the second objective include: strengthen the skills of our people, to better support customers.

Activity 1: Train sales staff to use new product

Activity 2: Organise school visits

Activity 3: Sponsorship program to develop personal relationships between less fortunate children and sales staff

Identify data security issues

Identify any data security requirements or issues associated with the activities. Activity 1: Create an online advert for the new product (quoted price of $25000)

Activity 2: Arrange a live demonstration for existing customers

Activity 3: Create rewards program to reward school based on number of downloads

Activities related to the second objective include: strengthen the skills of our people, to better support customers.

Activity 1: Train sales staff to use new product

Activity 2: Organise school visits

Activity 3: Sponsorship program to develop personal relationships between less fortunate children and sales staff

618594143510 Attach: Proof of policies and procedures relevant to work area and/or operational plan

Proof of financial information and relevant calculations (e.g. budget, graphs)

Section 2: Developing an operational planConsult with others

Summarise the outcomes of your meeting with relevant stakeholders:

Which stakeholders did you consult with?

Why were these stakeholders part of the consultation process?

Were any changes to your suggested activities, resources, timeframes, KPIs and monitoring processes requested?

Describe how you collaborated to achieve joint outcomes.

How did you seek feedback, advice and support?

Objective Activity/

strategy to achieve objective Person responsible for completion Timeline Resources required KPI Budget

Objective selected from strategic plan Activity required to realise objective

Person responsible for the activitys successful completion When must the activity be completed by or during which period is it to be completed Human and physical resources required to complete activity KPI to measure and monitor success of the activity Total should not exceed $2 million

Increases sales to needy classroom Strengthening skills

Develop a contingency plan.

Activity/strategy to achieve objective Potential risks Planned Response

Activity required to realise objective Risk associated with the activity How you will mitigate the risk

All the six activities should be discussed Live demonstration Rewards for more downloads Training the staff Organise school visit

Approve plan

Follow organisational policies and procedures to seek approval for your operational plan:

Who will you seek approval from?

How will you seek approval?

Attach proof of approval (e.g. minutes of executive team meeting, draft email) to this section of the portfolio.

You can attach your operational plan in your draft email. Document resource requirements

Document the resource requirements (following organisational policy and procedures).

Attach proof to this section of the portfolio. Explain plan to team

Attach proof to this section of the portfolio (if not already viewed in person by the assessor). 618594143510 Attach: Proof of stakeholder meeting (if relevant)

Documented resource requirements

Operational plan (if you did not use the provided table)

Contingency plan (if you did not use the provided table)

Proof of operational plan approval

Explanation to team (if relevant)

Section 3: Managing operational performanceConfirm human resource acquisition

Confirm that any new staff members required to complete the activities in the operational plan were recruited and inducted according to the organisations policies, practices and procedures (e.g.via email, face-to-face conversation, survey etc.)

Attach proof to this section of the portfolio. Recruitment policy and procedures

Email screenshot is needed to be attached ( email to CEO about recruiting new trainer)

Confirm physical resource acquisition

Confirm that any new physical resources and services required to complete the activities in the operational plan were acquired according to the organisations policies, practices and procedures (e.g. via email, face-to-face conversation, invoices, quotes etc.)

Attach proof to this section of the portfolio. see requirements in the New Supplier Policy and Procurement policy as applicable to the individual situation.

You can attach any quote or invoice here.

Incorporate Intellectual Property (IP) requirements

Take necessary steps to ensure any IP requirements (established in Section 1 of your Project Portfolio) are incorporated in the execution of activities (e.g. memo to staff, contractual agreement, email to include it in induction process etc.)

Attach proof to this section of the portfolio. Meeting to discuss IP Property rights

Plan and implement monitoring

Choose one activity and its related KPI.

Establish a process that can be used to monitor and document performance of the KPI (either using a flowchart or words).

Implement the process (e.g. by placing a poster in the office, sending an email etc.)

Attach proof of your implementation to this section of your portfolio. Out of 6 activities , you have to choose one.

Create an online advert for the new product (advert released by due date and within budget).

Email to the team

Assess progress

Assess and document the progress of the activity you selected to monitor in the previous step(use the data showing underperformance).

You may consider:

Is it likely to be completed within the timeframe set?

Will it meet budget?

Are any additional resources required?

Are any resources under-performing (identify at least one)?

Attach relevant data/proof of progress to this section of your portfolio.

Attach documented performance to this section of your portfolio. Create online advert

Negotiate and approve variations

Summarise the outcomes of your negotiations with relevant stakeholders:

Who was part of the negotiation?

What are reasons for underperformance and how can it be solved?

What did you negotiate (e.g. adjusted timeframe to allow for additional training)?

How can you support the resource going forward?

Which variations were approved?

Attach proof of your negotiation to this section of your portfolio (if not already viewed in person by your assessor). Approve variations.

Gain approval from relevant stakeholders for the negotiated variation(s).

Attach proof to this section of your portfolio (e.g. minutes of executive team meeting, email etc.). Address underperformance

Confirm that support is provided where necessary according to policy and procedures (e.g. email to arrange training).

Attach proof of confirmed support to this section of your portfolio. Email shot

618594143510 Attach: Proof to confirm recruitment and induction processes

Proof to confirm physical resource acquisition processes

Proof of incorporated IP requirements

Proof of implementation of monitoring process

Proof of data/progress (if relevant)

Documented performance

Proof of negotiation (if relevant)

Proof of approval

Proof to confirm additional support

self-study guide

BSBOPS502

MANAGE BUSINESS OPERATIONAL PLANS

About this document

This document is to be used as a self-study guide at home/in your own time to complement the formal learning you are doing as part of your classroom or online studies. It is a requirement of your course that you complete the activities in this guide.

You will need to take your notes/completed activities to class, or follow your trainers direction about how to complete activities.

If you are unsure about anything, talk to your trainer/assessor.

Self-study Guide

Unit code and title BSBOPS502 Manage business operational plans

Instructions

You are to complete each of the self-study tasks below. Each activity is a mandatory part of your study. After completing each of the tasks, tick the box below to show that you have completed the activity and bring evidence of this to class to share.

Activity Task Expected time Completed

Watch& research Watch one of the videos from the RTO Works video series:

Resource Management

Conduct your own research to answer the following questions:

How does Resource Management help organisationsavoid underperformance?

How can Resource Management guide a business to recruit and assign the correct people to the correct job?

In which ways does Resource Management affect physical resources and services? 2 hours

Practical activity Choose a local grocery store and talk to the general manager about their operational plan, how they monitor performance and give feedback. Compile a report for all the information gathered.

Ask the manager the following questions as part of your practical activity:

How does the business monitor physical resources?

Do they understand the importance of feedback? What method do they use to give feedback to their employees?

What policies and procedures do they have in place to address under-performance?

What continuous improvement methodologies do they use and why?

How has COVID-19 affected their operations? 4 hours

Research Research some of the risks that affect a business overall. Research a variety of methods to identify what areas of the business each risk affects.

Which methods work best?

How will a contingency plan be able to mitigate risks in a business?

Does a contingency plan link to an operational plan?

Would you say that information sources are necessary when developing an operational plan?

Take notes to share in class. 4 hours

Review Review your assessment requirements for this unit and read through your Project Portfolio so you know what you will be required to do. Make sure you review your Student Guide if you need to revisit some areas of your training. Ask your trainer any questions before you begin your assessment to ensure you understand all of the learning and are ready to be assessed. 3 hours

Reflection Reflect on the following:

Information learned during your traning

Your main key takeaways from this unit

What did you learn that you didnt know already? How can you apply this in your study/work/life?

What did you find challenging or confronting? How did you over come these challenges or barriers? 2 hours

Case Study WORLDUCATION

Worlducation is a social startup that manufactures tablet computers for primary school students. They not only focus on the hardware, but they also have a competitive team creating software, content and activities to better engage and educate the students.

So far, Worlducation only sells their tablet computers business to business (B2B) as they realised that their content and hardware proved most effective when a whole classroom was using it, and a teacher was coordinating the activities. Also, this helped the sales team focus on larger sales, and minimised the potential number of problems that could arise from individual customers. However, the long-term plan is to also tackle a business to consumer strategy (B2C).

What makes Worlducation completely different from their competition is that they envision a world in which every child learns how to read and write a world without illiteracy. Given this vision, for every classroom that buys their products, they donate and train a classroom somewhere around the world that cant afford the same technology. Furthermore, they connect the two classrooms (those who bought the products and services and those who received the donation) so that they can grow together and collaborate throughout their learning cycle.

Worlducation was founded in 2016, and by the end of 2019 they had sold over 35,000 tablets to over 550 schools in 23 countries, generating revenue in hardware sales and software subscriptions.

Worlducation headquarters are in Sydneys CBD but they have a development team in Bulgaria, a manufacturing team in Hong Kong, and operation and marketing staff in Colombia, Egypt, Iceland, Russia and the Philippines.

Worlducation has a complex supply chain that begins when a sale is made usually via a sales representative or through and online enquiry that is handled by the sales team. Sales are recorded in an internal Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP System) which notifies the operations team that an order needs to be delivered. The operations team verify the sales order and authorise the delivery of a manufacturing request to the factory in Hong Kong. Manufacturing team in Hong Kong notes the order specifications and delivery details and incorporates this within its production schedule. The order is manufactured and the operations team arrange freight and shipping directly to the customer.

Worlducation started 2020 with a huge sale to a school in Portugal. Although it was a great start, the context for the rest of the quarter was highly uncertain due to COVID-19. Surprisingly the pandemic brought hundreds of new leads and that led to an unprecedented growth that brought alongside dozens of operation and production problems.

The factory in Hong Kong closed down for 1 month due to government restrictions limiting supply, the sales team was overwhelmed with sale meetings over ZOOM, the tech-support team had to re-adapt the software to remote learning for many of the schools, and the founders had to start thinking on how education was going to change after this worldwide event.

Since COVID-19 and the closure of the factory due to government restrictions, of the 2000 tablets due to be shipped by April, only 500 were completed on schedule. This resulted in numerous customer complaints.

In 2019, Worlducation generated a revenue of $35 million, a net profit of $7 million and net cashflow of $4 million. They budgeted revenue of $45 million for 2020, net profit of $9 million and net cashflow of $5 million. However, following the unprecedented growth in demand and disruptions to the supply chain, management now projects 2020 revenue will amount to $55 million, net profit of $5 million and net cashflow of negative $3 million. The decrease in profit was a result of the disruption to the manufacturing process and the associated solutions implemented by Management.

The projected growth in revenue is expected to require a significant investment in working capital (both inventory and debtors) and this combined with an expected decline in profit margin is projected to result in significant cash flow pressure in the latter half of 2020. Management is considering its options to fund this investment.

In the past, senior executives met to brainstorm and provide cost estimates for future business models to ensure the sustainability of the business. Options included:

establishing a second manufacturing facility (forecasted cost $5 million)

outsourcing manufacturing to a third party (forecasted lost margin of $200 per unit sold or $2 million per year assuming 10 000 units are sold)

developing a cloud-based solution where customers can access the software remotely on their own devices (forecasted cost of $2 million)

purchasing off the shelf tablets (forecasted lost margin of $300 per unit sold or $3 million per year)

repurposing used tablets (forecasted $100 per unit sold or $1 million).

Information specific to developing an operational plan

At a recent board meeting, the Board of directors approved the development of a cloud-based solution where customers can access the software remotely on their own devices.

The CEO has asked every manager to create an operational plan to implement this model in their department. The manager must operate within the forecasted cost amounts.

The Sales manager has decided to address the objectives increase sales to increase donations to needy classrooms and strengthen the skills of our people, to better support customers.

Activities relate to the first objective include:

Activity 1: Create an online advert for the new product (quoted price of $25000)

Activity 2: Arrange a live demonstration for existing customers

Activity 3: Create rewards program to reward school based on number of downloads

Activities related to the second objective include:

Activity 1: Train sales staff to use new product

Activity 2: Organise school visits

Activity 3: Sponsorship program to develop personal relationships between less fortunate children and sales staff

A dedicated new in-house trainer will be required to provide training on the new product to staff and clients and am advertising consultant is needed to create a multi-media advert.

Information specific to monitoring an operational plan

After a period of time, the project schedule shows that the advertising consultant is delivering according to specified timeframes. The advertising consultant has issued the following invoices:

Invoice for three draft examples: $10000

Invoice for video production: $15000

Invoice for running the advert: $7000.

Strategic Plan 20202022

WelcomeWelcome to the Strategic Plan for Worlducation.

This document sets out our vision for the next two years and how we hope to achieve it.

We hope you enjoy reading this document.

Lucas Lopez

CEO

WorlducationExecutive SummaryFounded in 2016, Worlducation is asocial startup that manufactures tablet computers for primary school students. Our focus is not only on the hardware, but also creating software, content and activities to better engage and educate primary school students.

Worlducation aims to change the way children learn at school by implementing artificial intelligence technology that can follow up on each childs progress and adjust to their needs as they learn, creating the optimal path learning experience. Worlducation envisions a world in which every child learns how to read and write a world without illiteracy. This is why, for each classroom that buys our product, we donate and train a classroom somewhere around the world that cant afford the same technology. We then connect the classrooms together so that they can grow and collaborate throughout their learning cycle.

Vision Statement

To see a world without illiteracy.

Mission StatementTo be the change and facilitate a world without illiteracy by changing the way children learn at school and the number of schools that have access to technology.

Our values are:Core values underpinning our activities are:

Ethical principles

Innovation

Collaboration.

Strategic PrioritiesTo be well led, high performing, profitable and accountable.

Ensure that all financial operations, performance indicators and results support the strategic policies

Identify new and expand existing sources of revenue and ways to help more classrooms in need.

Achieve profits of at least 10% per annum.

Increase our reach

Increase range of products and services offered to reach a larger target market

Increase sales to increase donations to needy classrooms.

Continue building deeper customer relationships

Customer-centred practice, with a focus on meeting their total needs for high-quality technology

Strengthen the skills of our people, to better support customers

Drive innovation to better meet customer demands

Attract, engage and develop the best staff

Continuing the drive to a customer centred, high performance workforce and culture

Strengthening the skills of our people, to better support customer needs

Empowering innovation and responsiveness to change

Continuing to enhance the diversity of our workforce

Exploring the use of technology in human resources.

The MarketThe technology market is a growing and ever-changing industry due to the rapid rate that technology is being updated. Emerging technologies include artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IOT). There is an increasing focus on cyber security.

Due to the global pandemic, the issues with the manufacturing industry have impacted on the supply of hardware components.

The trend for consumer spending during the pandemic has taken a downturn but this has not affected the ICT industry as due to more people working from home, consumer appetite for tablets has increased.

Situation AnalysisStrengths Weaknesses

Value and quality

Strong management

Customer loyalty

Friendly organisational culture

Level of available finance for investment Brand name not developed as well it could be

Growing organisation

Opportunities Threats

Schools needing to upgrade technology

Opportunities to offer a range of services

Opportunities for synergies across all services and products High level of competition

Economic downturn meaningless spent generally

Failing to satisfy clients demands

Marketing StrategiesOur marketing strategies aim to:

Build our brand

Generate leads now

Convert those leads quickly

Have every part of the business supporting each otherWe plan to develop our market share by:

Improving our marketing and advertising

Continually improving the quality of service given to clients

Maintaining effective communication channels with all stakeholders to ascertain industry requirements and then develop products and manage services accordingly

Continually improving communication channels with all our stakeholders, ensuring a flow of timely and accurate information to facilitate effective planning and decision making

Targeting identified growth markets with planned, market appropriate campaigns employing a variety of promotional strategies and advertising mediums

Offering attractive fee structures to our clients

Continually improving the skills, knowledge and effectiveness of our team through our commitment to training and development

Regularly reviewing the effectiveness of all our operations and making improvements when and where necessary

Finance Authorisation Policy and Procedures

Purpose of the Policy

All finance transactions as noted in this policy are to be authorised by the noted authorised person prior to the transaction being undertaken.

This policy is to be read in conjunction with other specific finance policies where relevant.

ProceduresPrior to any finance transactions being undertaken, Anna Armstrong must authorise the transaction.

Use of Business Credit Card Purpose of the PolicyThis policy provides guidelines for the issue and use of business credit cards.

ProceduresAn employee will only be issued a credit card once the Credit Card Authorisation Form has been completed.

The business credit card can only be used for travel, authorised entertainment and purchases of small value expenses or equipment up to the value of $500.

No cash advances are to be taken using the business credit card unless authorised by Anna Armstrong.

Where a business credit card is lost or stolen, the owner of this card is to notify the Business Manager, who is responsible for notifying the issuing agency and ensuring the card is cancelled.

The business credit card is not to be used for personal expenses.

All holders of business credit cards are required to reconcile the monthly credit card statement to the expense form, attach all receipts for payments made on the credit card and have the expense statement authorised by Anna Armstrong.

Upon completion and authorisation of the monthly expense statement, these documents are to be forwarded to the Business Manager for payment of the credit card statement.

All business credit cards are to be returned to the business when the person is requested to by the Business Manager or where they are no longer an employee of the business.

New supplier policy

Purpose of the PolicyAll new suppliers to the business must be reviewed and accepted in accordance with this policy to ensure that the supplier service is aligned with the business objectives.

ProceduresChoosing a New SupplierA new supplier must provide our business with quality products, great service, competitive pricing and efficient delivery.

The following information table must be completed prior to agreeing to services

Supplier Selection Background InformationBusiness Name of Supplier:

Location of Supplier:

Products/Services provided by supplier: (Attach a list if necessary)

Name of business owner/ sales representative:

For how many years has the supplier been trading?

Supplier Selection Review ChecklistFor each new supplier being considered the following checklist must be completed:

Is the supplier pricing competitive? Attach list to this checklist:

What are the payment terms for this supplier?

What is the return policy for this supplier?

Does the supplier provide warranties, guarantees etc.?

Are the suppliers representatives knowledgeable of the products/ services and industry?

Is there an alternative to this supplier, has the alternative supplier been considered?

What are the delivery services of the supplier?

Has a credit check been undertaken for the supplier? (attach to this checklist)

Has the Personal (PPSR).been reviewed?

Has the supplier been trade checked? (attach this to this checklist)

insert relevant additional information to assist in the decision of appointing a new supplier

Appointment of SupplierThe appointment of a new supplier will be authorised by the Business Manager.

The Business Manager will independently verify the bank account or other payment details of the supplier to ensure payments made are to the correct supplier

Supplier Payment TermsAll purchases from suppliers must be supported by a purchase order.

Payment terms for all suppliers must be reviewed by the Business Manager at least once a year.

All supplier payment terms must be a minimum of 30 days.

Any variation to the above must be authorised by the Business Manager.

All supplier payments are to be reviewed once a quarter to ensure that payment terms are adhered to. For payments made to any suppliers earlier or later than the agreed terms.

Scope

This privacy policy outlines how Worlducation protects and handles personal information in accordance with its obligations under the National Privacy Principles (APPs) contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act).

Collection of information

Worlducation collects personal information relating to individual creators, publishers, licensees and IT professionals as part of the normal course of its business.

Where possible, Worlducation collects personal information directly from the individuals themselves.

Third party collection: Worlducation may also collect personal information from third parties in accordance with the requirements of the APPs, including:

From other rights holders of a work, including the publisher. This is restricted to information which will assist in member recruitment or payment to rights holders, such as contact and entitlement information. If Worlducation cannot collect that personal information from other rights holders, its ability to efficiently recruit and pay rights holders will be restricted;Worlducation has agreements with similar organisations in other countries that enable the use of foreign text and images in Australia, and the collection of fees and royalties for the use of Australian works overseas and may collect information in this process;From the public domain from third party sources such as social networking services, industry directories, industry guides, and the Internet; and

Through purchased mailing lists and business database lists which are used for sending Worlducation marketing material, where recipients have consented to receiving such communications or it would be reasonably expected of us to use or disclose the information for that purpose.

Websites and online services: a variety of information is collected by users of our Websites and online services.

Emails and electronic forms: our servers may record an email address if a message is sent online. An email address will only be used for the purpose for which it has been provided and it will not be added to a mailing list or used for any other purpose without consent.

Google Analytics: Worlducation uses Google Analytics to collect data about users usage and behaviour on Websites. This information is used to improve the Websites and is not used by Worlducation to personally identify users of the site. All tracked data is anonymously collected in accordance with Google Analytics privacy policy. Refer to Googles privacy policy for further information: http://www.google.com.au/policies/privacy/Cookies: Worlducation uses session cookies to help analyse how users use their Websites. The cookie-generated information generated about the use of the website (including IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by our service providers on servers hosted in Australia. By using our website, users consent to the processing of data about them in the manner and for the purposes set out above.

Anonymity

2.1 We provide the option for individuals to not identify themselves, or of using a pseudonym when dealing with us. In some circumstances, if a choice is made not to provide the information requested we may not be able to provide certain services.

2.2 We do not provide this option in circumstances where it is impracticable to do so or where Worlducation is legally required to deal with identified individuals only.

Use and disclosure of personal information

3.1 Worlducation uses and discloses personal information for the primary business purposes for which it is collected (set out above) and related management purposes.

3.2 Worlducation uses and discloses personal information for any other purposes to which consent has been given.

3.3 Worlducation will not otherwise use or disclose personal information without consent being given unless otherwise required or authorised by law.

3.4 Subject to the requirements of the APPs, Worlducation may also use and disclose personal information for any other related purpose that one would reasonably expect the information to be used or disclosed.

Marketing material

4.1 Worlducation may use personal information, from time to time, to send to marketing material that we consider will be useful, or other material about our activities.

4.2 Worlducation will only do this if we collected the information and one would reasonably expect us to use or disclose the information for that purpose, or if consent has been given to receiving such communications.

Personal information storage and security

5.1 Worlducation takes reasonable steps to protect personal information from loss, unauthorised access, modification, disclosure, interference or other misuse. These steps include electronic access restrictions for electronic files that contain personal information, securing paper files containing personal information in locked cabinets and physical access restrictions.

5.2 Once collected, Worlducation holds personal information in a number of different formats, including on servers (located both onsite and offsite, including in the cloud), databases, filing systems and in offsite backup storage.

5.3 Worlducation only retains personal information for as long as it is required for its business purposes or for as long as required by law. Any information that we no longer require is destroyed securely. An exception to this may be retention of the information for data analysis. However, if this occurs, the information will be retained in a form that does not allow you to be identified from that information.

5.4 Worlducation undertakes not to disclose your personal information in any manner that would be considered direct marketing.

Digital security

6.1 Input devices such as thumb drives or other external memory devices should only be used if they come from a trustworthy source.

6.2 Before opening a thumb drive folder, ensure that a malware scan is run on it.

6.3 Files that are to be modified should first be saved to the computers desktop and the thumb drive ejected before beginning work on the files.

6.4 All files should be saved to the relevant folder, and not left on the desktop.

6.5 Back up of data should be performed at the end of every week. The data should be backed up onto an external memory device, which will be stored in the security cupboard in the Administration office.

Internet security

7.1 A mailbox should be created for each email sender so they can be accessed efficiently.

7.2 Before logging off from your inbox, ensure that it is empty. All emails should be placed in their senders mailbox.

7.3 Suspicious or potentially dangerous emails should be deleted immediately. Attachments should not be opened.

7.4 Personal emails should not be opened at work, or on King Edward VII Colleges computers. If an email of a personal nature is received on a King Edward VII Colleges email address, forward it immediately to a private email address, and open it outside work. Delete the original email from the inbox once it has been forwarded.

7.5 Returned email should be examined to ensure that the address in correct. If in doubt as to the correct address, contact the source of the address and ask for verification.

7.6 Email attachments should only be opened if they come from a trusted source. Attachments are to be stored and sent only as pdf, Word, PowerPoint or Excel files. If trustworthy emails are received in other formats, they should be converted before filing.

7.7 New staff must be assessed on their email competence by their manager before they are given access to their company email address and access to company files. This assessment is to be carried out on an external email account.

Employee Training and Development Policy and Procedures

Policy brief & purpose

This policyrefers to Worlducations learning and development programs and activities for all staff members. Worlducation aims to help employees extend their knowledge and acquire new skills to do their jobs better. We want our employees to feel confident to find new ways towards personal development and success.

Scope

This policy applies to all permanent, full-time or part-time, employees of the company. Employees with temporary/short-term contracts might attend trainings at their managers discretion.

Employees, managers and executives should collaborate to build a continuous professional development (CPD) culture:

The employee is responsible to seek new learning opportunities

The manager is responsible to coach their teams and identify employee development needs

Training and development includes:

Formal training sessions (individual or corporate)

Employee Coaching and Mentoring

Participating in conferences

On-the-job training

Job shadowing

Job rotation

Subscriptions or educational material

Individual training programs

All employees that have worked for the company more than four months are eligible to participate in external training programs individually or in teams.

Employees can choose to attend as many training programs as they want, provided they dont exceed the budget and day limit.

All trainings should consider what employees need and how they can learn best. This is why, we encourage employees and managers to consider multiple training methods like workshops, e-learning, lectures and more.

Corporate training programs.

Expert training

Experts (internal or external) may be required at certain times, for example:

Equal employment opportunity training

Diversity training

Leadership training for managers

Conflict resolution training for employees

Training new employees

Training teams in company-related issues (e.g. new systems or policy changes)

Training employees to prepare them for promotions, transfers or new responsibilities

Other types of training

Both employees and their managers are responsible for continuous learning. Employees should show willingness to improve by asking their managers for direction and advice. Managers should do the same with their own superiors, while encouraging and mentoring their subordinates.

Employees and managers are responsible for finding the best ways to approach learning. They can experiment with job rotation, job shadowing and other types of on-the-job training (without disrupting daily operations). We also encourage employees to use their rights for self-paced learning by asking for educational material and access to other resources within allocated budget.

General guidelines:

Managers should evaluate the success of training efforts. They should keep records for reference and better improvement opportunities.

All employee development efforts should respect cost and time limitations, as well as individual and business needs.

Employees should try to make the most out of their trainings by studying and finding ways to apply knowledge to their work.

Internal Communication Policy and Procedures

Worlducation aims to enhance and streamline communications (internal and external) to reinforce the vision and strategic priorities. As such, we will continue to develop and trial new communication platforms, channels, and tools to improve information sharing and collaboration between all staff members.

This policy is to be implemented in a way that ensures compliance with relevant legislative requirements and standards of best practice.

Worlducation expects that staff will use the channels and for business purposes only and comply with all relevant policies and procedures, the Code of Conduct.

Communication channels

Worlducation has a number of internal communication channels available, including:

Channel Purpose

Staff bulletin This contains Information from the executive to staff which is important and relevant to their interests, including training, employment vacancies and important announcements.

Contributions for the Staff Bulletin must be approved in advance by the contributors relevant manager before being sent to the communications officer for review and inclusion.

Staff surveys These are used to gather information and feedback from all staff members. Surveys should be sent to staff via email link.

Worlducation intranet The intranet provides important information for staff in an easily accessible location.

The intranet is to be used for conveying information which is important and relevant from the executive team to staff. It is the responsibility of the person contributing the content to ensure the content is factually correct. All contributions must be approved in advance by the contributors relevant manager.

Enterprise social networks (e.g. Yammer, Facebook) These may be used by groups of staff to collaborate and communicate on projects online (e.g. to share and comment on work-related ideas, news and activities). Personal use of these platforms may not be used during work hours. Use of these networks must comply with the Social Media Policy.

All Staff emails Emails are used for messages to and between staff. Staff are required to read all their work-related emails. Approvals must be sought via email with relevant documents attached or a link to the document provided.

Email distribution lists Email distribution lists may only be used by the executive team and should adhere to the Privacy policy.

External Communication Policy and Procedures

This policy is adheres to national laws and regulations where Worlducation does business. It applies to any information that is material and proprietary. Information is material if it is likely to have an impact on the financial performance Information is proprietary, if it provides Worlducation with a competitive advantage.

This includes annual and quarterly reports, news releases, verbal communication (with external people such as analysts, investors, and the media), senior management presentations and information on the web site and intranet.

Employees must not discuss material, non-public matters or developments with outsiders (including family members, relatives or friends).

Spokespersons

There are three main groups of designated spokespersons for Worlducation Corporation:

National and international media The Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Office

Local media Managers

Trade media Marketing managers, Sales managers

Any news release being issued to the media or public must be approved by Worlducation's executive management team. This includes (but not limited to) blogs, newspapers, magazines, adverts, social media and press statements.

Emergency communication

Crisis and emergency situations that may affect Worlducation and its employees include items such as fires, explosions, accidents, floods, hazardous material emissions, acts of violence or terrorism and many others. In the event of a crisis, safety should be your immediate concern. Employees should notify their direct manager and/or facilities manager, who will in turn notify the executive team as soon as possible. When dealing with the media during a crisis make sure you are available for comment and:

state the facts truthfully

do not from disclose names of the injured or deceased

show empathy - express concern for employees and the community as appropriate

do not offer personal opinion or speculate

describe steps you are taking to manage the crisis

Say "I need to confirm that information first" if you are unsure.

Communication of Financial, Market, and Customer Information

Any reports, slides, presentations, or any other written material that contains Worlducation financial information must be accurate and complete.

Social networking policy

Worlducation employees must use these forums appropriately and responsibly, especially when discussing or disclosing any information related to Worlducation or to their employment at Worlducation.

While social networking opens up new opportunities to have a positive impact on our brand reputation and business growth, it also carries significant business risk when used inappropriately. Failure to follow Worlducation's social media and networking policy or other abuse of social media and networking tools may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.

In the event anything in the policy may conflict with local law concerning internet use and data privacy, local law will control the interpretation and application of the policy.

Documentation Policy and Procedures

All employees are required to use Worlducations templates for all workplace documentation.

Documents should be named [Department_Type_Detail_Version]

Documents are to be saved using Worlducations cloud-based storage system.

In-built software review functionality should be used, and all comments recorded in a feedback register. Feedback register should contain the date, project number, name of reviewer, person receiving feedback, comments and action required.

Procurement Policy and Procedures

This policy outlines how Worlducation manages its purchasing activities to maximise value, minimise cost and support company strategies.

The policy applies to all employees who have the delegated authority to procure goods, services and/or works on behalf of the company.

For the purpose of this Policy, the term supplier includes all suppliers, contractors and consultants engaged to provide goods, services and/or works to the company.

Procurement Practices

The procurement of goods, services and/or works must be consistent with the Health and Safety Policy.

All procurement activities must take into consideration the environmental impact and value for money over the whole-of-life of the goods and/or services.

Consideration needs to be given to ongoing operational costs including the use of water and energy, greenhouse performance, disposal, recyclability and other relevant factors.

CFO holds the overall responsibility for procurement, including compliance and drives business initiatives that help manage risk, control optimal spend, achieve vendor consolidation and cost efficiency.

The authority to approve expenditure must be in accordance with the companys Delegation and Sub-Delegation of Authority and limited to the cost centres and/or activities within control of the position.

Procurement activities should be delivered or overseen by the position or Business Unit with the appropriate expertise in that field.

Procurement Principles

Employees should first check if the goods and/or services can be provided through one of the companys current preferred or contracted suppliers, or a supplier that has already been set up to do business with the company.

For one-off or simple price-based purchases with a supplier, credit cards are a low cost and efficient means of purchasing, rather than setting up a new supplier in the finance system. Employees should confirm with the supplier that a credit card is an acceptable method of payment, prior to committing the company to the purchase.

The aggregate spend over the year should be considered -if the procurement is for repeated volumes, a fixed term contract should be negotiated to secure favourable price, service and conditions over an extended term.

Records that are created or received during the procurement process should be maintained in line with the companys current document and records management practices and systems.

Sound judgement and discretion should be exercised in determining the most appropriate sourcing strategies.

The purchase value will determine the bidding process:

Value <$2000 $2000 - $5000 $5000 - $15000 $15000 - $30000 >$30000

Method Direct purchasing Written quote More than one written quote 3 or more written quotes Proposal or tender required

Approval Team leader Team manager Department manager Senior executive CFO

Recruitment Policy and Procedures

The Staff Recruitment Policy has been established to ensure Worlducation has the opportunity to attract the best available staff and volunteers for all vacant positions. This policy relates to employment of all staff and volunteers other than the CEO.

Worlducation is committed to providing high quality programs and services to our community. To support the achievement of this objective we recognise the importance of employing the most suitable applicant for all vacant positions.

Principles

Worlducation will ensure it has the best opportunity to attract the best available staff by broadly advertising (internally and externally as deemed appropriate) all vacant remunerated positions and volunteer vacancies.

Worlducation will take all reasonable steps to ensure that applicants may be safely entrusted with the duties of their position.

Worlducation will internally advertise all vacant positions to current staff and volunteers to encourage career advancement and increase participation.

Worlducation is committed to providing a work environment that is free from harassment and discrimination.

All recruitment and selection procedures and decisions will reflect Worlducations commitment to providing equal opportunity by assessing all potential candidates according to their skills, knowledge, qualifications and capabilities.

No regard will be given to factors such as age, gender, marital status, race, religion, physical impairment or political opinions.

ResponsibilitiesReThe CEO (or a delegated authority) is responsible to implement this policy and to monitor its performance.

It is the responsibility of Managers and Supervisors to ensure that:

They are familiar with the recruitment policies and procedures, and that they follow them accordingly;Staffing levels for their department are determined and authorised;All roles have current position descriptions that specify role requirements and selection criteria.

It is the responsibility of the Human Resources Department to ensure that:

All Managers are aware of their responsibilities in the recruitment and selection process;Managers are given continuous support and guidance in regards to recruitment and selection issues.

Procedures

Managers should carefully consider the requirements for the position, and the key selection criteria including skills, experience and qualifications.

If no position description exists for the available position, or if it requires revising, this is the responsibility of the appropriate Manager.

Once the new position description or amendments have been drafted, it should be forwarded on to Human Resources and, if appropriate, approved by the CEO and/or Board.

Prior to commencing the recruitment process, the responsible Manager is required to gain approval from the CEO / Board or delegated authority and forward this to the Human Resources Officer.

In situations where a Manager wishes to promote an employee who meets the specific selection criteria for the vacant position into the internal vacancy, the appointment must be authorised by the appropriate Manager, and the approval is to be forwarded to the Human Resources Department.

Where appropriate, Worlducation will advertise all vacancies internally.

Where a position cannot be filled internally, the available position should be advertised through relevant networks, on relevant websites, and through local employment services. All advertisements must be approved by the CEO. If required, the Human Resources Department will prepare an appropriate recruitment advertisement for the position and submit it for review and approval by the relevant Manager. The Human Resources Department will administer the placement of the advertisement and monitor applications received.

Resumes must be screened by relevant managers against the position description so that assessments can be made of their suitability for the specific role.

Applicants who are assessed as suitable will then be selected for interview.

Previous employers and referees shall be contacted, and transcripts, qualifications, publications and other certification or documentation shall be validated.

If an internal candidate is selected, the Manager is required to notify the successful candidate and their Manager. If an external candidate has been selected, the Manager is to make a verbal offer to the candidate.

The Human Resources Department will prepare a written letter of offer for the successful candidate.

Once the Human Resources Department or Manager has received the candidates signed letter of offer, the Human Resources Department is to notify all unsuccessful candidates.

The Manager is responsible for liaising with the Human Resources Department to ensure that the necessary documentation, equipment and access privileges are prepared for the new employee.

The Human Resources Department will forward an induction kit to the new employee for their completion.

Student Name: _________________________________________

Date: / / 20 .MANAGE BUSINESS OPERATIONAL PLANS

BSBOPS502

STUDENT ASSESSMENT TASK

Table of Contents

TOC h z t "RTO Works Heading 1,1" Introduction PAGEREF _Toc57212272 h 4Assessment Task 1: Knowledge questions PAGEREF _Toc57212273 h 5Assessment Task 1: Checklist PAGEREF _Toc57212274 h 10Assessment Task 2: Project PAGEREF _Toc57212275 h 11Assessment Task 2: Checklist18Final results record21

IntroductionThe assessment tasks for BSBOPS502 Manage business operational plans are outlined in the assessment plan below. These tasks have been designed to help you demonstrate the skills and knowledge that you have learnt during your course.

Please ensure that you read the instructions provided with these tasks carefully. You should also follow the advice provided in the Business Works Student User Guide. The Student User Guide provides important information for you relating to completing assessment successfully.

Assessment for this unit

BSBOPS502 Manage business operational plans describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to manage business operational plans for products, programs, processes or services to an operational level.

For you to be assessed as competent, you must successfully complete two assessment tasks:

Assessment Task 1: Knowledge questions You must answer all questions correctly.

Assessment Task 2: Project You must work through a range of activities and complete a project portfolio.

Assessment Task 1: Knowledge questionsInformation for studentsKnowledge questions are designed to help you demonstrate the knowledge which you have acquired during the learning phase of this unit. Ensure that you:

review the advice to students regarding answering knowledge questions in the Business Works Student User Guide

comply with the due date for assessment which your assessor will provideadhere with your RTOs submission guidelinesanswer all questions completely and correctly

submit work which is original and, where necessary, properly referenced

submit a completed cover sheet with your workavoid sharing your answers with other students.

i Assessment information

Information about how you should complete this assessment can be found in Appendix A of the Business Works Student User Guide. Refer to the appendix for information on:

where this task should be completed

the maximum time allowed for completing this assessment taskwhether or not this task is open-book.

Note: You must complete and submit an assessment cover sheet with your work. A template is provided in Appendix C of the Student User Guide. However, if your RTO has provided you with an assessment cover sheet, please ensure that you use that.

Questions

Provide answers to all of the questions below:

Explain:

the purpose and content of an operational plan

the role of an operational plan in achieving the organisations objectives

the purpose and content of a contingency plan.

Explain the difference between an operational plan modelled on the organisation as a whole and one that has been modelled to suit a specific organisational goal or department.

Describe typical methods for developing an Operational Plan.

Complete the table below to describe information sources necessary to develop and present operational plans. The first row has been completed as an example for you to follow.

Information source Description Examples (provide 1)

Colleagues/Employees Colleagues may be part of the same team, or from another team. Team member

CFO

Manager of a different team

External consultants Strategic plan Budgets and forecasts Legislation and regulatory authorities Organisational policies and procedures List four ways to consult with stakeholders:

Complete the table below to describe the requirements for resources included in operational plans:

Resource Type Description of the resources and 2 examples: How to acquire the resource:

Physical How do you acquire physical resources and/or services?

What does a procurement process include (list at least four considerations)?

Relevant organisational policies and procedures (at least one):

Financial What workplace documents provides information about financial resources? (describe at least one):

How does the budgeted and actual finances influence profitability and productivity of the operational plan?

Explain how to obtain additional finances:

Human How do you recruit staff?

List at least two induction strategies:

Relevant organisational policies and procedures (at least one):

Explain the purpose of key performance indicators.

List four different approaches to developing key performance indicators.

Explain the procedure for documenting performance, including records that should be kept.

Provide a definition of a PCBU and outline their key responsibilities under WHS laws.

Outline the aim and scope of the Fair Work Act 2009.

Assessment Task 1: ChecklistStudents name:

Did the student provide a sufficient and clear answer that addresses the suggested answer for the following? Completed successfully? Comments

Yes No Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Question 5 Question 6 Question 7 Question 8 Question 9 Question 10 Question 11 Task outcome: Satisfactory Not satisfactory

Assessor signature: Assessor name: Date:

Assessment Task 2: ProjectInformation for studentsIn this task, you are required to demonstrate your skills and knowledge by working through a number of activities and completing and submitting a project portfolio.

You will need access to:

a suitable place to complete activities that replicates a business environment including a meeting space and computer and internet accessyour learning resources and other information for reference

Project Portfolio template

Simulation Pack (if you need a case study).

Ensure that you:

review the advice to students regarding responding to written tasks in the Business Works Student User Guide

comply with the due date for assessment which your assessor will provideadhere with your RTOs submission guidelinesanswer all questions completely and correctly

submit work which is original and, where necessary, properly referenced

submit a completed cover sheet with your workavoid sharing your answers with other students.

i Assessment information

Information about how you should complete this assessment can be found in Appendix A of the Business Works Student User Guide. Refer to the appendix for information on:

where this task should be completed

how your assessment should be submitted.

Note: You must complete and submit an assessment cover sheet with your work. A template is provided in Appendix B of the Student User Guide. However, if your RTO has provided you with an assessment cover sheet, please ensure that you use that.

ActivitiesComplete the following activities:

Carefully read the following:

This project requires you to develop and manage an operational plan for one business or work area by:

sourcing information relevant to your work area/business and its related operational plan.

consulting with others to develop and approve an operational and contingency plan.

managing resource acquisition and performance according to organisational policies and procedures.

addressing underperformance.

negotiating and approving variations to the operational plan.

Vocational education and training is all about gaining and developing practical skills that are industry relevant and that can help you to succeed in your chosen career. For this reason, we are giving you the choice to base this project on your own business, one you work in or a familiar with, or you can use the case study provided. This will mean that you are applying your knowledge and skills in a relevant, practical and meaningful way to your own situation!

It is important that you are able to access enough information for your chosen business in order to be able to do your assessment. As a minimum this should include organisational policies and procedures related to operational plans. You will also need data to review and assess operational progress in step 5.

Relevant policies and procedures may include:

Recruitment, Induction and Development

Procurement and Suppliers

Reporting and Documenting

Hierarchy of control/ Approval

Any other relevant policies and procedures.

You will need to communicate with people who work for, or are involved, in this business or work area several times. Your communication may be either directly with actual staff members or fellow students/your assessor can play the roles of relevant people/parties. Communication can be in any appropriate format (e.g. face to face, video conference, email) as long as it meets the requirements outlined in the Project Portfolio.

You will be collecting evidence for this unit in a Project Portfolio. The steps you need to take are outlined below.

Preparation

Make sure you are familiar with the organisation you are basing this assessment on and have read through the necessary background information. For the case study business, this is all of the documents included in the Simulation Pack.

If its your own business or a business where you are working or are familiar with, have your business approved by your assessor and identify a work area to develop an operational plan for.

If you are using the case study, you will assume the role of sales manager and develop an operational plan for the approved business model develop a cloud-based solution.

Complete Page 4 of your Project Portfolio for this unit.

Read through the requirements of Section 1, 2 and 3 of your Project Portfolio.

Planning for an operational plan

Complete Section 1 of your Project Portfolio.

To complete Section 1, you need to:

source information relevant to the development of an operational plan for your work area, including stakeholders, legislative, organisational, financial and intellectual property requirements.

identify potential activities and resource requirements (including their financial implications and KPIs) for the operational plan (include at least one human resource and one physical resource).

identify data security issues.

Make sure you have answered all questions in Section 1. Submit to your assessor for review.

You are also required to attach certain documents as part of your evidence review the documents you need to attach as outlined in Section 1 of the Project Portfolio and make sure you attach these upon submission.

You will use the work done in this section of the Portfolio to consult with others and lead teamwork to develop an operational plan in the next activity. In preparation, read through step 4.

Developing an operational plan

Meet with at least two of the stakeholders you identified as part of Section 1 of your Project Portfolio. One of the stakeholders must be a client.

Consult with stakeholders to agree on activities, resources, timeframes, KPIs and monitoring processes.

i This meeting should take 20 minutes.

This meeting may take place with actual people who work for/are associated with your chosen business. Alternatively, classmates or your assessor may play the role of one or more team members.

This can either be viewed in person by your assessor or you may like to video record the session for your assessor to watch later. Your assessor can provide you with more details at this step. Make sure you follow the instructions below and meet the timeframes allocated. If this session is not viewed in person by your assessor, you will attach proof of the meeting to Section 2 of your Project Portfolio.

As part of this meeting, you are required to demonstrate your ability to:

take a leadership role in the meetingfacilitate effective group interactioninfluence the direction of the discussionpresent information using appropriate style, language, register and vocabularylisten to others and comprehend what theyre sayingseek advice, feedback and support.

You will be assessed on this.

Complete Section 2 of your Project Portfolio.

To complete Section 2, you need to:

develop and approve an operational and contingency plan.

document resource requirements.

i Approval can be sought in any way as long as you adhere to any organisational communication and approval requirements.

Approval may for example be:

question and answer session (each stakeholder has a copy of the operational plan)

executive team meeting

email requesting approval

updated project schedule

Explain your operational plan to relevant work team(s). Meet with at least one stakeholder who is a co-worker and part of a team who will be responsible for an activity in the operational plan.

i This meeting should take 20 minutes.

This meeting may take place with actual people who work for/are associated with your chosen business. Alternatively, classmates or your assessor may play the role of one or more team members.

As part of this meeting, you are required to demonstrate your ability to:

take a leadership role in the meetingpresent information using appropriate style, language, register and vocabularyYou will be assessed on this.

Make sure you have answered all questions in Section 2. Submit to your assessor for review.

You are also required to attach certain documents as part of your evidence review the documents you need to attach as outlined in Section 2 of the Project Portfolio and make sure you attach these upon submission.

Managing operational performance

i Assume a period of time has passed.

If you are basing this on your own business, make sure you have data (that shows underperformance) available for the activity/KPI you selected to monitor.

If you are basing this on the case study, assume:

invoices show that the advertising consultant has spent more than what was budgeted for.

a project schedule shows the advertising consultant is still delivering within agreed timeframes.

Complete Section 3 of your Project Portfolio.

To complete Section 3, you need to:

confirm resources were acquired following organisational policy, practices and procedures.

incorporate intellectual property rights and responsibilities (e.g. via memo to staff).

plan and implement the monitoring and documentation of the performance for one activity.

assess the progress performance of the activity (using relevant data).

address the underperformance of a human or physical resource (at least one resource) and confirm support.

Meet with relevant stakeholders to discuss underperformance and negotiate variations to the operational plan. Meet with at least one of the stakeholders you identified as part of Section 1 of your Project Portfolio who is associated with the underperformance.

Negotiate with stakeholder(s) to:

establish reasons and solutions for underperformance.

negotiate variations to the operational plan required due to the underperformance.

establish support requirements.

i This meeting and negotiation should take 10 minutes.

This meeting and negotiation may take place with actual people who work for/are associated with your chosen business. Alternatively, classmates or your assessor may play the role of one or more team members.

As part of this meeting, you are required to demonstrate your ability to:

You will be assessed on this.

Make sure you have answered all questions in Section 3.

You are also required to attach certain documents as part of your evidence review the documents you need to attach as outlined in Section 3 of the Project Portfolio and make sure you attach these upon submission.

Submit your completed Project Portfolio

Make sure you have completed all sections of your Project Portfolio, answered all questions, provided enough detail as indicated and proofread for spelling and grammar as necessary. Remember to submit all necessary attachments as indicated.

Assessment Task 2: ChecklistStudents name:

Did the student: Completed successfully? Comments

Yes No Plan for an operational plan by:

Outlining their role and its contribution to broader organisational objectives.

Sourcing information regarding:

stakeholders

relevant legislation

relevant organisational policies and procedures

financial situation.

Researching and analysing potential physical and human resource requirements and alternatives (including IP requirements, rights and responsibilities.

Showing mathematical calculations and reasoning related to budget and/or KPI requirements.

Identifying data security requirements or issues related to potential activities. Develop an operational plan by:

meeting with relevant stakeholders to collaborate with stakeholders to agree on the contents of an operational plan.

developing an operational plan according to organisational requirements including:

two objectives

three activities per objective

person responsible for completion of activity

time line requirements

resources required (both physical and human)

KPIs

budget for the activity.

Developing a contingency plan for each activity on the operational plan, including:

potential risks

planned response to the risk.

Approving their operational plan.

Documenting resource requirements.

Explaining the approved operational plan to team members via oral communication. Manage operational performance by:

confirming human resource acquisition processes

confirming physical resource acquisition processes

incorporating intellectual property requirements in the execution of activities

plan and implement monitoring processes for one activity and its related KPIassess the progress of one activity to achieve profit/productivity and document performancenegotiate variations to the operational plan with relevant stakeholders

address underperformance and confirm support for the resource. Demonstrate effective oral communication skills, including:

Assessor signature: Assessor name: Date:

Final results recordStudent name: Assessor name: Date Final assessment results

Task Type Result

Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Did not submit

Assessment Task 1 Knowledge questions S U DNS

Assessment Task 2 Project S U DNS

Overall unit results C NYC Feedback

My performance in this unit has been discussed and explained to me.

I would like to appeal this assessment decision.

Student signature: Date:

I hereby certify that this student has been assessed by me and that the assessment has been carried out according to the required assessment procedures.

Assessor signature: Date:

BSBOPS502

STUDENT guide

MANAGE BUSINESS OPERATIONAL PLANS

Table of Contents

TOC h z t "RTO Works Heading 1,1" Overview PAGEREF _Toc57211368 h 4Topic 1: Establishing an operational plan PAGEREF _Toc57211369 h 5Topic 2: Managing resource acquisition21Topic 3: Monitoring and reviewing operational performance30

OverviewThe Student Guide should be used in conjunction with the recommended reading and any further course notes or activities given by the trainer/assessor.

Application of the unit

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to develop and monitor the implementation of operational plans to support efficient and effective workplace practices and organisational productivity and profitability.

The unit applies to individuals who manage the work of others and operate within the parameters of a broader strategic and/or business plans.

No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

Learning goals

Learning goals include:

You are able to develop an operational plan.

You understand principles of resource acquisition and intellectual property rights and adhere to organisational policies and procedures when acquiring resources.

You are able to monitor and review operational performance.

Topic 1: Establishing an operational planWe all love success stories. Vuly, Afterpay and Atlassian are examples of successful Australian businesses who have used innovation and strategic thinking to make their mark.

Activity: Reflect

Reflect on what has made these businesses successful. Is innovation and strategy enough to sustain the ongoing operations of a business?

While innovation is necessary to meet existing as well as future needs and strategy is vital to create vision and direction, its the ongoing operations that provide the products or services which define the business and influence productivity and profitability. Careful planning is required to make sure the organisations vision and goals are realised through its daily operations.

An operational plan describes the activities of an organisation, team or department that are needed to reach the organisation's goals. Its the link between strategy, resources and desired end result.

Usually, operational plans fit within the parameters of a broader strategic plan and multiple operational plans may exist for a business.

Activity: Read

To make sure you understand how an operational plan and strategic objectives are linked, read about the differences between the strategic plan and operational plan in the article below.

Article: https://www.clearpointstrategy.com/strategic-planning-vs-operational-planning/Take any notes to summarise what you have read and keep for future reference.

What is an operational plan?

An operational plan can be used at the macro level of the organisation to meet objectives but can also be used at a more micro level to meet certain goals within departments or new projects. The differences are that each will be set up to meet certain goals and have their own budgets allocated to them. An operational plan is usually focussed on a one-to-three-year time frame and answers the questions: What must be achieved or completed? What does successful completion look like? Who is responsible for each activity? When must the activity be completed? Where will the activity take place? How much does it cost to complete the activity?

While the style and contents of every team or departments operational plan may differ, there are certain features common to all operational plans. Before we continue, make sure youre familiar with what an operational plan looks like and what it contains.

Activity: Explore

Browse through the examples of operational plans:

Website 1: http://www.leoisaac.com/operations/top026.htmWebsite 2: http://ngaruawahiafootball.co.nz/operational-plan/You will be using these operational plans throughout this section to apply what youre learning.

Activity: Discuss

In a group, discuss the sample operational plans from the websites above and write a list of the information contained in them.

Take notes and keep them for future reference.

Who is involved in establishing operational plans?

Operational plans should be developed by the people who are responsible for implementing them. As you develop an operational plan, consult with a variety of stakeholders and information sources. This will give you a comprehensive and inclusive view of what is required.

The more people you consult, the greater the chance is for your operational plan to be adopted and owned by your organisation, department or team.

To identify the stakeholders, think about:

Who do I report to?

Which other departments/teams are creating operational plans?

Who is currently part of my team or department?

Who allocates my budget?

Do my activities impact other departments or resources?

Do I require authorisation or approval from anyone?

Does my organisation specify any hierarchy of control or have an escalation policy?

Because an operational plan is directly linked to the organisations strategy, cross-departmental input is important for management to remain unified and consistent. This will also prevent any conflict of interest and ensure that resources are distributed and used optimally.

Activity: Brainstorm

There are many creative ways to consult with others (for example round-table discussions, surveys and face-to-face meetings). Work in small groups to brainstorm different ways to include stakeholders in discussions as you develop an operational plan.

Your trainer will facilitate a group discussion to create a comprehensive list.

Take notes and keep them for future reference.

Activity: Practical

Use one of the operational plans you viewed previously to apply what youre learning:

Identify at least four stakeholders who may have been involved in developing the operational plan.

Compare your work with another student and discuss why you identified the stakeholders.

Image by Ivan Samkov on PexelsWhich key information sources should I consult?

Activity: Reflect

In the ICT industry Garbage in, garbage out(GIGO) is the concept that flawed or incorrectinput data produces flawed or incorrectoutputor "garbage".

Reflect on how this concept applies to sourcing reliable information when developing operational plans.

Information sources relevant to developing an operational plan are described in the table below.

Information source Description Examples

Colleagues/Employees Colleagues may be part of the same team, or from another team. Team member

CFO

Manager of a different team

External consultants For more complex organisations, external consultants may be required to create consistency across all operational plans and resource allocations. Resource requirement specialists

Management consultants

Strategic plan Actions in the operational plan stem from the objectives in the strategic plan. (Operational plans can be developed without a strategic plan). Strategic objective of Strengthening club culture is addressed in the operational plan by the action hold social events

Budgets and forecasts These provide financial information required to allocate resources and establish KPIs. Forecasted sales may impact how many sales representatives are employed.

Legislation Laws that have been made by the state and/or country and must be followed. Fair trade laws

WHS

Corporations Act

Privacy Act

Regulatory authorities Authorities that regulate legislative compliance Environmental Protection Agencies

Australian Financial Security Authority

Organisational policies and procedures These are created by the organisation to explain and guide expectations. Policies show the why behind an action.Procedures, explain the how with step-by-step instructions for specific tasks. Templates

Hierarchy of control

Employment process

Performance review process

Industry standards Standards may be internationally accepted practices, government requirements or industry regulations. ISO standards

Standards issued by regulatory authorities

Codes of practice Codes of practice provide information on a specific issue and help you achieve legal standards.

Regulatory authorities often provide information on codes of practice. WHS codes of practice

Best practice examples The concept of best practice refers to good practices, procedures or guidelines that have been proven to achieve successful results. Literature reviews

Case studies

Analogy thinking e.g. Uber of public transport

Table 1: Sources of information

Image by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels Activity: Brainstorm

Work as a group to brainstorm a few more examples for each information source listed in the table above. Think of examples that cover a range of industries and work departments (e.g. ICT, Sales, Manufacturing, Finance etc.).

Take notes and keep them for future reference.

Activity: Research and discuss

Research legislation relevant to your workplace or industry of interest (such as mining, manufacturing, transport, building, education or health) that may be associated with an operational plan.

You may consider Corporations Act, Workplace Health and Safety Acts (industry specific), Fair trade laws, Privacy Acts, Corporate governance legislation, Chain of responsibility legislation, Employment practises legislation, Equal employment opportunity legislation, Discrimination (age, sex, disability) legislation, Reporting and compliance legislation, Natural justice and procedural fairness.

Take notes and keep them for future reference.

Your trainer will facilitate a group discussion to summarise legislation related to operational plans.

Activity: Practical

Use the operational plans viewed previously in this section to apply what youre learning:

Identify at least five sources of information that may have been consulted as the operational plans were developed. Be specific.

Compare your work with another student and discuss why you identified the stakeholders.

What resource requirements should I consider?

When developing an operational plan, identify the financial, human and physical resource requirements and manage them to maximise productivity and profitability.

Activity: Discuss

If effectiveness is doing the right thing and efficiency is doings things right, then productivity is doing the right things right.

In a group, discuss how the explanations of effectiveness, efficiency and productivity apply to the resource requirements of an operational plan and overall profitability of the organisation.

Finances

The operational plan must ensure that the financial forecasts and budget are met.

Financial forecasts are usually included in an organisations strategic plan. These forecasts set out the expected sales, predicted costs and anticipated profit or loss. A budget is established for the financial year and quantifies what a business aims to achieve.

Activity: Read

Read the article that explains the differences between budget and forecasts. Keep these differences in mind as the operational plan should take both into account.

Article: https://www.accountingtools.com/articles/what-is-the-difference-between-a-budget-and-a-forecast.html#:~:text=The%20key%20difference%20between%20a,a%20 business%20wants%20to%20achieve.

Financial requirements of an operational plan may include:

capital expenses (e.g. equipment that needs to be purchased for operational activities to take place)

cash flow management (e.g. when money is spent)

consultancy fees

internal costs (e.g. recruitment of staff needed to implement operational plan).

Activity: Watch

Watch the video explaining different types of budgets for a business.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elS2jLPhlsw (04:26)

Take notes and keep them for future reference.

Activity: Practical

Use the internet to source an example of a business budget and forecast.

Highlight any information in the budget and forecast that may be relevant when developing an operational plan.

Compare your work with another student and provide each other with feedback.

Activity: Read

For more information about financial forecasting and budgeting, read the articles below:

Article 1: https://www.thebalancesmb.com/writing-a-business-plan-financial-projections-1200842Article 2: https://business.gov.au/Finance/Accounting/How-to-create-a-budgetHuman resources

Identify the people required to complete the operational activities of the organisation. This includes:

personnel responsible for decision-making (e.g. when escalation is required)

special resource managers (e.g. CFO, HR manager, ICT manager)

colleagues (e.g. person actually performing the activity).

Human resources may be internal (e.g. existing staff members or new employees) or external (e.g. consultants).

Physical resources

Physical resources include equipment, hardware, software, facilities and transport. The operational plan should specify exactly what resources are required and plan for the resources to be put in place.

A physical resource may be specialised (e.g. a specific machine to produce a product or software required to manage a process) or general (e.g. office furniture, computers and phones).

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is becoming increasingly important as a tool to automate routine work practices and should be considered as a potential resource in the operational plan.

Activity: Watch

Watch the video explaining RPA.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW95yb6J1eU (03:35)

Activity: Research and discuss

Work in small groups to research how RPA may be used in an industry or work team of your choice.

Share your research with a larger group for their future reference (e.g. by sharing a link to your document or video presentation).

Your trainer will facilitate a group discussion to summarise your findings.

How do I develop KPIs to meet business objectives?

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) measure the performance of activities specified in the operational plan.

This enables organisations to:

monitor whether or not strategic objectives and their related operational activity requirements are being achieved

identify areas requiring improvement.

KPIs will differ depending on the nature and objective of the organisation.

Ensure that they represent the business and goals of the organisation and have a numerical/financial component to make them measurable.

Approaches to writing KPIs include:

Strategic approach: key performance indicators are based on strategic objectives

Operational approach: key operational activities determine the KPIs

Leading indicators: indicate future success at achieving organisational goals

Lagging indicators: indicate past performance in achieving targets.

Activity: Brainstorm

In a group, brainstorm which organisational documents provide the information needed to establish numerical/financial KPIs.

Examples of KPIs are:

customer satisfaction (e.g. less than 5 negative reviews received per month)

quality (e.g. less than 2 products returned per month)

speed (e.g. delivery of online orders to be shipped within 24 hours)

sales (e.g. 50 units sold per week)

compliance (e.g. 100% regulatory compliance)

budget (e.g. meet budget within 2% threshold).

data (e.g. from Customer Relationship Management System or Accounting System) should be collected to see if the KPI has been achieved.

Activity: Research and discuss

Work in small groups. Choose one KPI and research ways that data can be collected for the KPI to be monitored.

Present your work to the larger group.

Take notes of all group presentations for future reference.

Activity: Practical

Consider the first sample operational plan you viewed previously in this section. (http://www.leoisaac.com/operations/top026.htm):

Develop KPIs for each strategy in the plan (make sure the KPIs are measurable).

Explain how the KPI can be monitored.

Compare your KPIs to those developed another student and discuss your differences and similarities.

How do I develop and adopt an operational plan?

The operational plan can be developed by reviewing the companys or the departments objectives as per the strategic plan and then developing activities to ensure objectives are achieved. The operational plan should include timing, resources required and key performance indicators.

An operational plan can also be developed in the absence of a strategic plan by identifying and agreeing on activities that need to occur relevant to the business operations. The operational plan should include timing, resources required and key performance indicators.

Activity: Watch

Watch the videos that summarise and further explain what weve learnt so far.

Video 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvOpH3YpLrw(04:58)

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gFSJ4OA454 (06:13)

As you watch the video, add notes to the relevant sections in this topic.

As you develop the operational plan, collaborate and negotiate variations with stakeholders remembering that your ultimate goal is to maximise profitability and productivity.

Activity: Reflect

What do you think of when you hear the word negotiation?

Activity: Watch

Watch the video showing a negotiation scene.

Website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CdixDzE7I0 (1:00)

Activity: Discuss

As a group, discuss how the video youve just watched is similar AND dissimilar to workplace negotiation.

Activity: Read

Read the articles on negotiation skills and techniques:

Article 1: https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/negotiation.htmlArticle 2: https://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/negotiation-skills-daily/top-10-negotiation-skills/

What happens when things go differently to how I planned?

Life is full of risk the chance of something going wrong or not as planned. No outcome is ever one hundred percent certain. In business, risk involves the possibility of financial and/or operational difficulties.

Contingency plans are a way of mitigating risk. The following example explains what a contingency plan is:

Think back to when you were a teenager and you decided to ask someone out on a date. The night before your mind reeled with all the possible outcomes:

they laugh at you

they laugh at you and tell all their friends

they say yes but dont turn up

they smile and say yes.

By the next day you have decided what you will do in each situation (i.e. your contingency plan):

pretend you were only joking

tell everyone that you were asked out and said no and thats why this person has made up rumours

have a friend discreetly waiting, just in case

smile back and make arrangements.

To make a contingency plan:

identify all the risks associated with an operational plan:

risks that affect the business overall (e.g. fire, theft)

risks specific to the operational plan and associated activities (e.g. website not developed on time)

identify what areas of the business or operational plan each potential risk affects

put an action plan in place to address risks in the quickest time possible with the least disruption to the overall performance of the organisation.

Activity: Practical

Work in a small group to develop a contingency plan for one of the sample operational plans you viewed previously in this course.

Compare your work with another group and make any necessary adjustments.

Activity: Develop

Its time to put what youve learnt into practice. You are required to develop an operational plan.

Select a team that falls within your area of interest (e.g. Finance team).

Use the internet to source an example of a strategic plan that is suitable for your chosen team:

list the objectives

choose two objectives to focus on.

Identify at least two activities that will address each of the objectives you chose (i.e. two activities per objective).

Identify stakeholders who may be associated with developing an operational plan and explain how you will consult with them (include escalation points, colleagues and specialist resource managers).

Identify 4 sources of information required to develop the operational plan and state what information the source can provide.

Establish legislative and regulatory requirements for your operational plan.

Research, analyse and document the resource requirements for each activity identified in step 3 (include numerical and financial data).

Develop an operational plan that:

addresses at least two objectives

has at least four activities

has measurable KPIs

Explain how you will go about monitoring the KPIs.

Explain how you would seek approval for your plan and which aspects may require negotiation.

Develop a contingency plan for each activity in your operational plan.

Image by Gladson Xavier on Pexels

Topic 2: Managing resource acquisitionOnce the operational plan has been developed, resources required to implement the plan (both human and physical) must be acquired and monitored.

This topic explores aspects related resource acquisition strategies.

How do I make sure I have the right person for the job?Human resources can either be recruited from outside the business, or the job roles can be filled by current employees.

If you decide to use existing employees to action your operational plan, make sure they are skilled and provide training if necessary. If you decide to recruit employees from outside the business, adhere to the organisations human resource management policies and procedures as well as legislative requirements.

Activity: Reflect

Have you ever been applied for a job and been for an interview? How did you find out about the role? What did you like about the process? What would you do differently if you were in charge of recruitment at the organisation?

Requirement will vary from organisation to organisation and may include the use of:

social media e.g. LinkedIn

online advertising e.g. Seek

external recruitment consultants

internal recruitment departments

word of mouth.

Image by Tracy le Blanc on Pexels Activity: Reflect

Think back to what you learnt about sources of information in topic 1. Did you identify any legislative requirements for recruitment?

Activity: Explore

Explore a few of the recruitment policies and procedures below:

Website 1: https://www.sydney.edu.au/policies/showdoc.aspx?recnum=PDOC2011/120&RendNum=0Website 2:https://www.tourism.australia.com/content/dam/assets/document/1/7/1/u/d/2008597.pdfWebsite 3: https://hrexpert.com.au/resources/recruitment-selection/recruitment-policy/ Activity: Discuss

In a group, discuss the similarities and differences between the policies and procedures youve just read.

Take notes and keep them for future reference.

Generally, recruiting new staff members will include:

creating a job description

advertising the position

conducting interviews

evaluating candidates and choosing the most suitable person

communicating interview results to all applicants.

The table below provides more details on each of these steps.

Recruitment step Description Details

Create job description Before deciding to hire a new employee, it is important to document the job role and responsibilities. You need to:

set out the individual tasks and/or projects that need to be completed by the person (as required by the activity in the operational plan)

document how you will measure the individuals progress towards the goals (think about the KPIs you established)

set a remuneration band (based on budget and market averages).

Advertise the position The position must be advertised (sometimes this is a legal requirement). You could also ask a recruitment agency for help in recruitment. Generally, a recruitment agency will cost more, but the recruitment process will take less time and is likely to reach a larger number of potential employees in a shorter amount of time.

Conduct an interview All potential employees need to be interviewed and their skills and suitability assessed. In order to assess a candidates skills, you can ask them technical questions based on the job description. It is important that the person conducting the interview has a clear idea of the level and degree of skill required to carry out the role. The questions should be prepared prior to the interview.

In order to assess a candidates suitability to a role you can also ask questions relating to the soft skills that are required for the role. Increasingly, organisations are using Targeted Behavioural Interviewing (TBI) to assess the skills and suitability of candidates. This method is based on the belief that past behaviour is a better indicator of future behaviour than are the answers to hypothetical questions. Candidates are asked to give specific details about a time in the past when they have used a relevant technical skill or soft skill.

In answer to each question the interviewer is looking for:

some background on the situation

the specific actions that the candidate carried out (not the team)

the result of those actions (not the overall achievement of the team).

Evaluate candidates and choose best one Avoid bias and any conflict of interest as you compare candidates to one another. Usually more than one person must agree on who the best candidate is. On completion of the interview the interviewer needs to make a judgement call based on the facts that were gathered.

The interviewer must decide whether:

the candidate has the necessary skills to reach the goals

the candidate has the necessary level of maturity to carry out the responsibility in a discrete and professional manner

the candidate is a good fit to the dynamics of the existing team and whether any changes will have positive or negative impact

the candidate will be committed to the company and challenged by the role

the salary offered matches the experiences of the individual and therefore the candidate will not start to look elsewhere for work.

Communicate results Communicate the interview results to all applicants in a timely manner. Be prepared to provide constructive feedback on why an applicant was unsuccessful.

Table 2: Recruitment processes

Activity: Brainstorm

As a group, brainstorm ways jobs can be advertised.

Take notes and keep them for future reference.

Activity: Watch

Watch the video on how to conduct a job interview.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0zyf05GlIg (04:14)

Take notes and keep them for future reference.

Activity: Practical

Consider one of the sample operational plans you viewed previously in topic 1 and identify one job role that may require a new employee. Develop 4-5 appropriate questions that could be used at a job interview for the role.

Compare your questions with another student and give each other feedback.

How do I retain staff?

Activity: Reflect

How many jobs have you had? How long on average do you stay at a particular business? What makes you want to remain employed by a particular organisation? What makes you want to leave?

Hiring an employee is a lengthy and expensive process. Therefore, put measures in place to minimise staff turnover and make sure that high performing current staff do not leave so that the knowledge base within the company is protected.

In order to retain current high performers, keep employees challenged with new information, projects and change and ensure that the salary that they receive is competitive with similar roles in the market. Be inclusive in your work practices and provide training.

In order to retain new staff, make sure that the role outlined in the interview process matches the role the person is actually doing. Offer a thorough induction program.

How do I induct new staff?

Induction is a new staff members lifeline.

There is no set way to induct new staff, and a variety of platforms and methods can be used such as:

face-to-face group training for all new employees

online interactive training course to be completed by the employee over a period of time

informal discussions

employee handbooks.

Usually, a record is kept of all activities completed by the employee as part of their induction.

Activity: Read

Read the articles on how to induct new employees:

Article 1: https://employmentlawhandbook.com.au/how-to-induct-new-employees-into-your-workplace/Article 2: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMM_99.htmTake notes and keep them for future reference.

How do I go about acquiring physical resources and services?

In topic 1, we discussed the physical resources that may be required for the operational plan to be implemented. If you need to refresh your memory, take a moment to review topic 1 before continuing.

When acquiring physical resources, it is important to follow the organisations policies and procedures. For example, an organisation may have a purchasing policy, which sets out how goods and services are to be purchased or how suppliers should be chosen.

A purchasing/procurement policy may specify:the overall process for procurement

quotes that may be required

details of preferred suppliers

process for additional expenditure

tender processes

supplier identification

invoicing procedures for goods and services procured.

Image by Negative Space on Pexels

Activity: Read

Browse the following examples of policies and procedures that outline organisational resource acquisition requirements:

Article 1: http://www.outotec.cn/globalassets/company/about-outotec/suppliers/ote_supplier_policy.pdfArticle 2: https://www.iso.org/files/live/sites/isoorg/files/about%20ISO/working_with _iso/docs/Procurement_Procedures.pdfArticle 3: https://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/3823/?dsn=policy.document;field= data;id=6865;m=viewHow to I protect my resources?

Intellectual property (IP) is the property of a persons mind or their proprietary knowledge. Intellectual property could be an invention, trademark, design, brand or the application of an idea.

Activity: Explore

Take your time to explore the following links to better understand IP:

Website 1: https://business.gov.au/Planning/Intellectual-Property/Intellectual-Property-explainedWebsite 2: https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/understanding-ipTake notes and keep them for future reference.

Activity: Discuss

After exploring the websites, discuss:

how IP is related to the operational plan and acquiring resources

which type of resources are typically registered for IP rights?

What is required to obtain IP rights for certain resources?

how IP can be used to protect resources acquired by a business?

The importance of data privacy in the digital world.

Take notes and keep them for future reference.

Activity: Develop

Its time to put what youve learnt into practice. Continue working on the develop activity you did at the end of topic 1.

Which workplace policies and procedures may affect how you acquire resources?

Select one human resource from your operational plan and explain how you will go about recruiting that person.

Select two physical resources from your operational plan:

how will you acquire the resource?

show financial/numerical calculations to justify the acquisition

Do any of the resources in your operational plan qualify for IP rights?

Explain how your operational plan considers (or does not consider) data security.

Create a presentation about the resource requirements and acquisition information:

Present the information to someone playing the role of your superior.

The information must be professionally presented and in a clear, easy to follow structure.

The presentation should be visually appealing.

During the presentation you must demonstrate effective communication skills including:

speaking clearly and concisely

using non-verbal communication to assist with understanding

asking questions to identify required information

responding to questions as required

using active listening techniques to confirm understanding.

Topic 3: Monitoring and reviewing operational performanceEven though a lot of time, thought and effort is put into developing an operational plan, changed circumstances and implementation realities mean that the plan may need to be adapted over time.

Activity: Reflect

The COVD-19 pandemic interrupted world-wide business operations in 2020. How do you think operational plans were affected?

This topic addresses issues related to monitoring and reviewing operational performance.

Image by fauxels on PexelsHow do I monitor performance?

Each activity in the operational plan must be monitored. Think back to what you learnt about monitoring KPIs in topic 1 (if you need to refresh your memory, page back and look at that section before continuing). Data is required to monitor whether or not the activity (and related KPIs) are on track to be achieved as planned.

Depending on the organisation, what is monitored and how it is monitored will vary. You can consider:

Financial resources (is the allocated budget being met? Is additional spending required?)

Physical resources (is the equipment/hardware/software being used efficiently and effectively by staff?)

Human resources (are people doing their jobs as laid out in their job description?)

The use of balanced score cards is a performance management approach which considers both financial and non-financial contributions of employees to business strategic and operational goals. Typically, a balance scorecard will list targets for teams or individuals that address a broad range of key results areas such as financial, customer satisfaction, professional development, etc.

Benchmarking a business is a way of measuring performance against competitors and therefore can give information about potential improvement, for example identifying opportunities for improvement, new ideas and innovative practices and forecasting the impact of any changes and see how to prepare for growth.

Activity: Read

Read the articles on how to monitor business performance:

Article 1: https://gordontredgold.com/5-ways-to-monitor-your-business-performance/Article 2: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/monitor-improve-workplace-operations-48158.htmlTake notes and keep them for future reference.

Technology plays a key role in monitoring operational performance.

Activity: Research

Work together in small groups to research how technology can be used to monitor the performance of either financial, physical or human resources (choose one).

As part of your research:

identify processes that are used to monitor the resource

explain how technology can aid the process

provide an example.

Share your research with the larger group (e.g. via presentation, email or link to a document).

Read and keep the shared research documents for future reference.

How do I give feedback?

Workplaces need timely, accurate and constructive feedback in order to succeed.

Provide constructive feedback to team members on as they perform the given tasks associated with the operational plan. They can use the feedback to improve.

Feedback can be given informally (e.g. a quick discussion during lunch) or formally (e.g. as part of a performance review). Whether its informal or formal, general principles for clear feedback should be considered (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: Clear communication

Activity: Read

Read the article on how to deliver effective feedback in the workplace.

Article: https://hub.highspeedtraining.co.uk/feedback-in-the-workplace/Take notes and keep them for further reference.

Remember that as part of your feedback, identify any additional support required by the team or individual.

Activity: Practical

Work together with another student.

Read through the work your partner completed in the develop activityin topic 2.

Using the suggestions for constructive feedback provided above, give feedback to your partner.

As part of your interaction with your team, its important that you continuously look for ways to establish connections and genuinely understand their needs, strengths, weaknesses and potential. An under performer may be identified as part of this process.

How do I address under-performance?

Always follow organisational policies and procedures to address under-performance. Here are a few ways to address under-performance:

meet with the employee

outline your specific concerns using specific examples

refer to the agreed performance objectives or KPIs

ask if there are any reasons for non-achievement or what the obstacles to achieving are

discuss obstacles and outline what will be done about them (remove if possible or give the employee the tools (knowledge) to deal with them)

set mutually agreeable targets to be achieved within one month

explain the consequences of the targets not being met

set a date for the next meeting to review performance

supply training, coaching or mentoring, if necessary.

Activity: Discuss

As a group, discuss the differences between training, coaching and mentoring.

Take notes and keep them for future reference.

Activity: Brainstorm

In a group, brainstorm creative ways to support staff. Here are a few examples to get you started:

Job rotation

Workplace competitions

Posters

Take notes and keep them for future reference.

How can I improve operations?

The data obtained when monitoring performance can be used to identify areas needing improvement. Most of us strive to do our best at work (or in our studies) and are committed to producing or providing quality products and services. Often when we stop and reflect on our plans, work, products, services or processes we can identify areas of improvement.

Activity: Discuss

Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection (Mark Twain).

As a group, discuss how this quote applies to monitoring and reviewing operational performance.

Many continuous improvement methodologies exist. A few of them are described in the table below.

Method Description

Agile Agile promotes people to work where, when and how they choose by promoting maximum flexibility and minimum restraints to optimise their performance and deliver the best product or service.

Six sigma Six Sigma is focuses on eliminating any defects in products or service delivery and strives to achieve consistent and reliable results.

Lean management Lean management has a background in manufacturing and is an approach that supports incremental process improvement over time to increase efficiency and quality. Lean management eliminates factors that waste time, effort or money or that do not provide value to the client.

Kaizen Kaizen is the Japanese word for change for the better. Similar to Lean management, Kaizen focuses on continuous improvement by making many small changes over time. Kaizen holds every person accountable for continuous improvement.

Table 3: Continuous improvement methods

Activity: Reflect

Many workplaces have established their own continuous improvement methodology to manage their processes. If you have a workplace, does your work use a specific method? If you are not currently working, think back to a place you used to work or have volunteered at.

As you seek to improve the operational performance at work, make sure you provide any necessary support.

What should I do if changes to the operational plan or budget are required?

Depending on what needs to be changed or adjusted, different actions apply. You may be in a position to make decisions yourself, or you may need to communicate changes, seek approval and/or negotiate changes.

Include the perspectives of a variety of stakeholders as you consider what changes to make. This may mean that you facilitate a group discussion before making changes.

Remember that the way you communicate will influence whether your request or decision is accepted or not (regardless of how good it is).

The size and nature of the change will influence:

how you communicate (face-to-face discussion, email, formal letter, phone call, social media, webpage statement, legal notice, meeting agenda etc.)

to who you communicate your decision (individual or group, senior management, employees, public, customers/clients, contractors etc.)

Activity: Reflect

Reflect on the list above. How do you usually communicate decisions?

Activity: Brainstorm

As a group, brainstorm the different ways an operational plan and related budget may need to be adapted or changed.

For each way, explain what communication is required and whether or not approval and/or negotiation is necessary.

Image by Christina Morillo on PexelsIn some cases, the resources required by a manager may mean spending more than what was budgeted. If additional budget is required for unanticipated or unplanned expenditure, the expense must be justified. Justification for unplanned budgetary expenditure may include:

explanation of relevant changes leading to the new budget requirements

customer feedback that may have led to the requirements

calculations of long-term savings

any planned expenditure in the budget that can be cancelled due to new expenditure

outline of benefits

expected performance improvements

alignment to organisational goals

implementation plan of new purchase

effects and impacts of new purchase

contingency plan.

Activity: Reflect

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the physical resource expenditure for many businesses?

How do I document my work interactions and deliverables?

Record keeping and file management is key to maintain productivity in any organisation. The organisations policy and procedures will specify when, where, how and what documents should be maintained and stored.

The policy and procedures may outline:

document naming protocol

file storage (e.g. cloud-based system)

minutes of meetings

performance review documentation

style guides and templates.

Activity: Brainstorm

In a group, brainstorm a list of records organisations may keep relating to operational plans (e.g. Resource requirements, register of changes etc.).

Activity: Practical

Explain how you save, store and submit documents for your college.

Explainthe file-naming conventions used by your college.

The trainer/assessor will facilitate a discussion to summarise your findings.

Activity: Develop

Its time to put what youve learnt into practice. Continue working on the develop activity you did at the end of topic 2.

Explain how you will monitor the physical, financial and human resources outlined in your operational plan.

Explain how you will support staff as they perform the activities/tasks in the operational plan.

Select one employee who is responsible for an activity or task in the operational plan. Assume that over a period of time, the employee has underperformed. Explain how you would approach the underperformance.

Select one activity in the operational plan. Assume that additional resources are required.

Explain how you would negotiate and seek approval for the changes.

Write a proposal for the additional resources.

Image by Alexas Fotos on Pexels Activity: Summary

You have completed all the content in this course congratulations!

Make sure that you understand and are able to apply what youve learnt by considering the questions:

What is an operational plan?

Who is involved in establishing operational plans?

Which key sources of information should I consult?

What resource requirements should I consider?

How do I develop KPIs to meet business objectives?

How do I develop and adopt an operational plan?

What happens when things go differently to how I planned?

How do I make sure I have the right person for the job?

How do I retain staff?

How do I induct new staff?

How do I acquire physical resources and services?

How do I protect my resources?

How do I monitor performance?

How do I give feedback?

How do I address underperformance?

How can I improve operations?

What should I do if changes to the operational plan or budget are required?

How do I document work interactions and deliverables?

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