Reference no: EM133653137

Apply critical thinking for complex problem solving

Assessment Task 1: Knowledge questions

Provide answers to all of the questions below:

Question 1. Outline two methods for conducting cost-benefit analysis.

Question 2. List three ways that knowledge management systems can be established in an organisation.

Question 3. Complete the table to identify and explain three types of continuous improvement systems/processes that can be used in an organisation. The first row has been completed as an example for you to follow.
System or Process Explanation
Continuous improvement plan This sets out actions to be taken into the future.

Question 4. Complete the following table regarding creativity and innovation theories and concepts.
List one creativity and one innovation theory Summarise the theory, including key concepts

Question 5. Discuss (in one or two paragraphs) three principles that are relevant to organisation learning. In your answer, identify the principles and explain what each one means as an organisational learning principle.

Question 6. Complete the following table regarding quality management and continuous improvement theories.
List one quality management and one continuous improvement theory Summarise the theory, including key concepts

Question 7. Discuss three concepts associated with risk management. As part of your answer, provide an example of how each concept may relate to organisational learning.

Question 8. Explain how to conduct a gap analysis of an organisational system.

Assessment Task 2: Project Portfolio

Activities
Complete the following activities:

1. Carefully read the following:
This project requires you to complete a range of activities relevant to managing continuous improvement and innovation for one organisation as a whole or one work area within an organisation (e.g., a department of a company).
To do this, you will assume a managerial role and communicate with team members and other stakeholders to improve the work environment for the organisation or work area.
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!
If you are using the case study business, all relevant information for you to complete this assessment can be found in the Simulation Pack.
If you are basing this assessment on your own choice of business or work area, make sure you have access to all required information (read through the requirements in the green boxes below for further information). Speak to your assessor to get approval if you want to base this on your own business.
You will be collecting evidence for this unit in a Project Portfolio. The steps you need to take are outlined below. Before you begin, complete page 4 of your Project Portfolio.
Start working on Section 1 of your Project Portfolio. Steps 2 to 4 form part of Section 1.
If you are basing this assessment on your own business, you need access to at least two written documents that provide information about your organisation or work area's:
• processes and systems (including supply chain)
• plans
• continuous improvement systems, processes, and innovations
• performance (including mathematical information).
You also access to policies and procedures that outline processes for approvals, project management, change management and knowledge management.
Examples of such documents include:
• Strategic Plan
• Operational Plan
• Project documentation (such as the Schedule, Project Briefing and Status Reports)
• Continuous improvement Policies and Procedures
• Project Management Policy and Procedures
• Change Management Policy and Procedures
• Communication Policy and Procedures
• Performance Reports.
Examples of mathematical information include:
• budgets (forecast and actual)
• number of customer complaints
• amount of rework required.

2. Review organisational documentation.
Read at least two written documents that provide information about the business, its operations/processes, plans and continuous improvement systems, processes, and innovations.
Also read at least one policy and procedures that outlines the organisation's processes for approvals, project management, change management and knowledge management.
Make notes (for example using comments, highlighting or other review tools) on the documents as you read them to help you interpret the information.
If you are basing this assessment on the case study, read the following documents:
• Case study details
• Strategic and Operational plans
• Organisational structure
• Internal and External Communication Policies and Procedures.
Summarise the information you've collected. Your summary should address:
• key objectives
• key decision makers
• key operational processes
• supply chain details
• strategies to monitor and evaluate performance and sustainability of key systems and processes
• current continuous improvement systems, processes, and innovations in place
• requirements for approvals, change management, project management and knowledge management.

3. Summarise and analyse current performance for the organisation or work area to identify required changes or improvement opportunities.
Collect information about your business' performance. Do this by reading available performance reports (that include mathematical information).
If you are using the case study, review the 2021. Performance Overview in the Simulation Pack.
Based on the information you've collected, summarise and analyse the current performance of your chosen organisation or work area to identify changes or improvement opportunities. To do this first:
• summarise current performance (including mathematical information) and identify variances from existing plans
• identify and analyse trends and opportunities relevant to the organisation or work area
• analyse supply chains and the operational and service systems using Gap analysis and determine the cost-benefits of the changes, improvements, or new ideas.
As you analyse the way things are currently done, remember that this is just one way of doing things and improvement or changes are possible.
In your gap analysis, identify areas needing improvement or changes and suggest new ideas that may be trialled and tested to meet the need or opportunity.
After your analysis, set objectives for continuous improvement and the way things work.

4. Identify team members and seek their input.
Identify team members who can assist with continuous improvement and innovation in the workplace.
Describe best practice ways of working that teams can use to achieve continuous improvement and to be innovative.
Also identify learning opportunities for the team to improve their skills and knowledge in relation to continuous improvement and innovation.
Draft an email to these team members seeking their input for continuous improvement in the organisation or work area. In your email:
• promote the value of creativity, innovation, and sustainability
• communicate the objectives for improving the way things work, expectations and desired outcomes
• summarise the changes, improvements, and new ideas you've already identified including the cost-benefit of the new ideas.
• seek their advice to identify further opportunities for improvement and to select three changes/improvements/new ideas to focus on.
The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.
If you are using the case study, your assessor will respond to your email in the role of a team member when they mark Section 1 of your Project Portfolio.
If you are using their own business, the actual team members may provide the advice, or you may ask your assessor to play the role of the team members and provide feedback instead.
Make sure you have answered all questions in Section 1.
You are 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.
Submit Section 1 to your assessor.
Start working on Section 2 of your Project Portfolio. Steps 5 to 8 form part of Section 2.
If you are using your own business, you need access to team members willing to participate in mentoring and coaching. These people must agree to their participation being viewed by your assessor.

5. Plan for continuous improvement.
Select threechanges, opportunities, or new ideas to focus on as part of your continuous improvement efforts. Justify your choice, considering the need, resources available, and constraints.
Develop a Continuous Improvement Plan. Your plan must include:
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) associated with the continuous improvement objectives
• continuous improvement systems and processes
• key actions, resources, constraints, and timeframes to achieve continuous improvement and innovation as you implement your chosen changes/opportunities/new ideas
• impact the changes/opportunities/new ideas will have on the organisation, the consequences for peopleand the related transition plans
• risk management to determine risks, outcomes, risk responses and contingencies for the Continuous Improvement Plan (including non-performance of staff members)
• communication plans to manage changes associated with continuous improvement efforts
• rewards for staff who have succeeded in their continuous improvement efforts
• the knowledge management system to be used to capture continuous improvement plans and learnings.
Use the work you've done in Section 1 of the Project Portfolio as well as the input provided by your assessor (in the role of a team member) to select and plan for continuous improvement.
Use the template provided in the Project Portfolio.
Your communication plans should adhere to any project management and change management requirements of your organisation. Remember to consider the audience when determining what to communicate, how to communicate, when to communicate and why the communication is necessary.

6. Coach and mentor team in continuous improvement and innovation.
Prepare to coach and mentor the continuous improvement team members (identified in step 4). To do this:
• Read through the steps below and make notes to use at the meeting.
• Explain how you will facilitate effective group interaction and build rapport with the team members to ensure positive working relationships.
• Set questions to ask team members about their vision for continuous improvement to guide your mentoring (e.g., how can you contribute to the continuous improvement team, what benefits do you want to obtain from being part of this team? etc).
• Prepare to coach team on how to be innovative (e.g., select a creative thinking tool such as opposite thinking that you will introduce them to and demonstrate).
• Create a questionnaire that you will use to seek feedback from team members on how you ran the meeting.
Keep in mind that coaching focuses on the present immediate situation whereas mentoring focus on the future.
Meet with at least two team members (identified in Section 1 of your Project Portfolio). At your meeting:
• Thank the team members for their contribution to further identify improvement opportunities and agree with their input (your assessor provided this input in the role of the team members when marking Section 1 of your Project Portfolio).
• Collaborate to create a list of why creativity and innovation are vital for your organisation (or work area) to achieve its outcomes.
• Share the best practices (you identified in step 4) on continuous improvement and innovation with the team.
• Mentor the team members on how they could in the future work to contribute towards continuous improvement.
• Coach team members on how they can be innovative (e.g., by demonstrating how to use a creative thinking technique such as opposite thinking).
• Briefly discuss your Continuous Improvement Plan and confirm with the team members that objectives, timeframes, measures, and communication plans are in place so that the plan can be implemented.
• Seek feedback (using the questionnaire you created) from each team member on your own performance at the meeting.
As you conduct the meeting, make sure you facilitate effective group interaction and build rapport to establish positive working relationships
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 the team members. This can either be viewed in person or online 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 above and take no longer than 20 minutes. 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.

7. Implement changes or improvements.
Choose one change/opportunity/new idea (described in your Continuous Improvement Plan) and implement it.
Examples of implemented changes or improvements could be:
• Develop a flowchart to show a new, more efficient process and place it in a convenient location (e.g., flow chart showing how to decide whether to print a document should be placed at the printer).
• Place a compost bin in the staff kitchen to improve sustainability.
• Download the software for a new information management system and set up the folder structure.
If you are using the case study, you are required to notify sales staff of the new cloud-based product and schedule their training in its use. This should be done by creating a bulletin notice for the staff bulletin and creating a calendar invite for staff to attend training.
 
8. Address impact of change.
Choose one transition plan (described in your Continuous Improvement Plan) that addresses the impact of the change or improvement and implement it.
Examples of implemented actions or transition plans include:
• create a social media post to communicate the change to customers
• send an email to staff notifying them of the change
• create and distribute a fact sheet about the changes or improvements.
If you are using the case study, you are required to create a social media post advertising the new product to existing and new customers.
Make sure you have answered all questions in Section 2.
You are 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.
Submit Section 2 to your assessor.
Start working on Section 3 of your Project Portfolio. Steps 9 and 10 form part of Section 3.
Assume that your Continuous Improvement Plan has been approved and a period has passed. Your assessor will have provided you with simulated performance outcomes relevant to your unique Continuous Improvement Plan to use to complete the next steps.

9. Monitor and evaluate continuous improvement and innovation.
Provide an evaluation of how well you believe continuous improvement systems are working.
Base your evaluation on the Staff Survey comments (in the Simulation Pack).
Recognise successes by drafting an email to the project team congratulating them on their successes.
The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.
Describe at least one non-performance failure and analyse the causes. Implement your contingency plan for non-performance (as described in your Continuous Improvement Plan).
If you are using the case study, you are required to develop a fact sheet that can be used as training to help the relevant staff members perform as required. The contents of your fact sheet will depend on the unique non-performance details supplied by your assessor. For example, if the non-performance is related to using automated systems, the fact sheet could explain the benefits of process automation.
Identify and manage new challenges and opportunities by updating your Continuous Improvement Plan. As you update the plan, confirm that learning from activities are captured and managed using the relevant knowledge management systems.

10. 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.
Submit to your assessor for marking.

Attachment:- Project_Portfolio and Simulation_Pack.rar