Reference no: EM132314426

Assessment Task 1

Project report: Identify change and develop change management strategy

Performance objective

The candidate will demonstrate the ability to determine strategic change requirements and opportunities; and to develop, implement and evaluate change management strategies.

Assessment description
This assessment consists of preparing a project report based on the given scenario. In response to the given scenario and instructions, candidate is required to identify changes and develop change management strategy in a report format. You may consult with your trainer/assessor if any additional support and guidance is required.

Procedure
1. Read and understand the given scenario. You may seek help from your trainer/assessor if required.
2. Conduct a research to identify changes required in the given organisation.
3. Develop a change management strategy in a report form.
4. There is no particular format for your report. However, you are required to cover all the given points in your report.
5. Submit all documents required in the specifications below to your assessor. Ensure you keep a copy of all work submitted for your records.

Specifications

You must:
• meet with your assessor to clarify any confusion
• submit the project report that you have developed
• prepare report as instructed
• submit your notes and any additional documents.

If you utilise material from published authors make certain that you cite and reference appropriately. If you do not know how to reference discuss this with your assessor. Plagiarism is unacceptable.

Your assessor will be looking for your ability to:
• analyse and interpret information about the organisation's internal and external environment and consult with stakeholders to identify requirements and opportunities for changes that support organisational objectives
• prioritise opportunities for changes with input from managers
• develop a change management project plan for the priority changes incorporating resource requirements, risk management and timelines
• develop strategies to communicate or educate the changes and embed them
• obtain approvals and agree reporting protocols with relevant managers and implement the plan including addressing barriers to change
• review and evaluate the change management project plan and modify as needed to achieve objectives.
Adjustment for distance-based learners
• No variation of the task is required.
• Documentation can be submitted electronically or posted in the mail.

Scenario: BD Corp

You are a senior manager within BD Corp., a private training organisation delivering customized training to corporate clients throughout Australia. Since starting 5 years ago, BD Corp. has focused on three main streams of courses, including:
• Customer services
• Time management
• Leadership development

BD Corp. has now recognised that one of the most important assets is its trainers. BD Corp. employs 18 trainers - 4 training customer services, 6 training time management, and the remainder training leadership development. Of the 18 trainers, 4 have been employed since the company started, but the remaining 14 trainers are not stable. The average employment length of these trainers is 3 - 7 months. The management is not sure why this is the case, as the trainers are paid well above industry standard wages, and offered flexibility within the workplace.

All recruitment is undertaken by the CEO, who has many years' experience delivering training in the corporate sector. The CEO is highly recommended by his clients, and has a comprehensive network within Australia's top 100 Blue Chip companies.
Currently BD Corp does not have any "formal" recruitment policies, but in general follows the following steps
• positions are advertised on seek.com.au
• the CEO's wife (who does not officially work in the company) looks over each one, then short lists them for the CEO to interview
• the company administration team then contacts each shortlisted applicant and invites them to attend a group interview, where they are required to sell themselves to the CEO
• if the applicants are successful at this stage, they are invited to a one-on-one interview with the CEO, who discusses the position requirements and company expectations
• successful applicants are then offered a position with salary negotiated directly with the CEO.
In relation to staff management, the CEO undertakes the following:
• Team meetings are run with all staff every 3 months. The meetings discuss company performance, new clients, new system / processes and issues that have arisen over the past 3 months
• Annual performance reviews are undertaken, but are not recorded. Sometimes the reviews are undertaken around 9 months, sometimes around 15 months (where there are no issues).
• The CEO has an open-door policy, however is often out of the office networking and creating sales for the company.
The CEO has developed a 2-year strategic plan (provided)

Task:

Your task is to develop a comprehensive change management plan for the organisation.

This plan will:
• Confirm the business or organisations vision and mission;
• Include relevant organisational values
• Identify and consider strengths and weaknesses of existing and potential competitors and allies
• Analyse organisation's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats through a detailed SWOT analysis
• Document relevant research and background for inclusion in the strategic plan
• Formulate strategic objectives and strategies needed for the future
• Detail each strategy with an assigned priority, a timeframe, responsible parties and measurable performance indicators
• Provide for due diligence

Your aim is to identify any change requirements / opportunities that can be established within BD Corp.

You will also need to
• Ask further questions as needed directly to your CEO (role-played by your assessor). Remember, your CEO is a busy person, so you must be prepared during all communications.
• Monitor the trends within the external business environment (other corporate training organisations)
• Consider performance gaps / business opportunities or threats / or management opportunities
• Review and prioritise all change requirements

Once you have identified an appropriate change requirement / opportunity, you are to develop a change management strategy. This strategy must include:
• A situational awareness that
– Discusses your change characteristics
– Identifies and describe your organisational attributes
– Identifies your impacted
• A supporting structure
– Team structure
– Sponsor coalition
• A strategy analysis including
– Risk assessment
– Anticipated resistance
– Special tactics
• A cost benefit analysis for high priority change opportunities
• A change management project plan
• Relevant communication / education pans

2 - year strategic plan

Goal:
We will develop a high-performance culture in an environment which encourages collaboration and focuses on exceeding customer expectations

Assessment Task 2:

Role play: Prepare and implement change management plan

Performance objective
The candidate will demonstrate the ability to determine strategic change requirements and opportunities; and to develop, implement and evaluate change management strategies.
Assessment description
This assessment task is continuation from assessment task 2.It consists of preparing and implementing change management plan developed in task 2. Assessment Task 3 consists of two parts.

Procedure
Following Assessment Task 2, you are required to prepare for and implement your change management plan in part.
Your implementation will encompass running a meeting for your team in which you:
• Explain and discuss the change management plan in detail
• Allocate responsibilities for at least 2 different strategies outlined within the plan
• Instruct / mentor each person to whom you have allocated a responsibility to, to ensure they understand and are empowered to perform their allocated task
• Allocate / assign resources to the team
• Discuss and agree on reporting protocols to be followed throughout the change management process

It is important that you are prepared for this session, ensuring you:
• prepare for the session to ensure everything is covered
• develop and provide relevant documentation / supporting materials to your team

Your assessor will observe you running the meeting.

Specifications
You must:
• meet with your assessor to clarify any confusion
• participate in the role play as instructed
• prepare documents as instructed
• submit your notes and any additional documents.
If you utilise material from published authors make certain that you cite and reference appropriately. If you do not know how to reference discuss this with your assessor. Plagiarism is unacceptable.

Your assessor will be looking for your ability to:
• analyse and interpret information about the organisation's internal and external environment and consult with stakeholders to identify requirements and opportunities for changes that support organisational objectives
• prioritise opportunities for changes with input from managers
• develop a change management project plan for the priority changes incorporating resource requirements, risk management and timelines
• develop strategies to communicate or educate the changes and embed them
• obtain approvals and agree reporting protocols with relevant managers and implement the plan including addressing barriers to change
• review and evaluate the change management project plan and modify as needed to achieve objectives.
Adjustment for distance-based learners
• No variation of the task is required.
• Documentation can be submitted electronically or posted in the mail.

Meeting context:
Each meeting will consist of yourself (running the meeting), and at least 2 other people, who will role-play the employees. These employees will be role-played by persons who are not students within your course (such as other trainers or assessors)
Things to consider whilst performing this task:
• Be organised - prepare and plan for the session thoroughly.
• Know your position
• Know your company
• Arrange access to all required documentation for this process
• Be prepared to ask questions
• Be prepared to be asked questions

Things to consider whilst role-playing an employee:
• Be prepared
• Act professionally throughout the process
• Be prepared to ask questions when you require more information
• Answer all questions to the best of your ability
• Make sure that by the end of the session, you are fully aware of the strategy you have been allocated, along with the actions you would need to perform to achieve this.
Remember, you will be required to both run the meeting, and role-play an employee (during another student's assessment), so be sure to perform at your best at all times.

Task:
You are to submit the following
• Your meeting plan,
• Copies of documentation provided to employees

Attachment:- Assessment Tasks.rar