IMPLEMENT WORKPLACE INFORMATION SYSTEM FACILITATOR MANUAL & ASSESSMENT BSBINM401A

Transcription

1 IMPLEMENT WORKPLACE INFORMATION SYSTEM FACILITATOR MANUAL & ASSESSMENT BSBINM401A

2 Precision Group (Australia) Pty Ltd 9 Koppen Tce, Cairns, QLD, info@precisiongroup.com.au Website: BSBINM401A Implement Workplace Information System ISBN: Copyright Notice No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by an information retrieval system without written permission from Precision Group (Australia) Pty Ltd. Legal action may be taken against any person who infringes their copyright through unauthorised copying. These terms are subject to the conditions prescribed under the Australian Copyright Act Copying for Educational Purposes The Australian Copyright Act 1968 allows 10% of this book to be copied by any educational institute for educational purposes, provided that the institute (or the body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to the Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act. For more information, info@copyright. com.au or visit for other contact details. Disclaimer Precision Group has made a great effort to ensure that this material is free from error or omissions. However, you should conduct your own enquiries and seek professional advice before relying on any fact, statement or matter contained in this book. Precision Group (Australia) Pty Ltd is not responsible for any injury, loss or damage as a result of material included or omitted from this material. Information in this course material is current at the time of publication.

3 Table of Contents 2 Legend 3 Qualification Pathways 4 Qualification Rules 5 Introduction 7 BSBINM401A/01 Identify and Source Information Needs Key Points Determine and locate information required by teams Acquire and review information held by the organisation to determine suitability, accessibility, currency and reliability according to organisational policies 13 True or False Quiz 15 BSBINM401A/02 Collect, Analyse and Report Information Key Points Collect information, which is adequate and relevant to the needs of teams, in a timely manner Ensure information is in a format suitable for analysis, interpretation and dissemination Analyse information to identify and report relevant trends and developments in terms of the needs for which it was acquired 27 True or False Quiz 29 BSBINM401A/03 Implement Information Systems Key Points Implement management information systems effectively to store, retrieve and regularly review data for decision making purposes Use technology available in the work area to manage information effectively Submit recommendations for improving the information system to designated persons and/or groups 37 True or False Quiz 39 BSBINM401A/04 Prepare for Information System Changes Key Points Collect information about information system future needs in consultation with colleagues, including those who have a specialist role in resource management Ensure estimates of information system future needs reflect the organisation s business plans, and customer and supplier requirements Support proposals to secure resources by clearly presenting submissions that describe realistic options, benefits, costs and outcomes Prepare team members to work with new technology and information system changes 45 True or False Quiz 46 Summary 47 Bibliography 49 Assessment Pack 1

4 Use considered risk taking in your grey area...and others will follow you! Legend This symbol indicates the beginning of new content. The bold title matches the content of the competency and they will help you to find the section to reference for your assessment activities. Activity: Whenever you see this symbol, there is an activity to carry out which has been designed to help reinforce the learning about the topic and take some action. This symbol is used at the end of a section to indicate the summary key points of the previous section. This symbol is used to indicate an answer to the Candidate s questions or notes to assist the Facilitator. 2

5 Qualification Pathways There are always two choices. Two paths to take. One is easy. And its only reward is that it s easy. Source Unknown This unit of competency is provided to meet the requirements of BSB07 Business Services Training Package although it can be used in a range of different qualifications. The BSB07 Business Services Training Package does not state how a qualification is to be achieved. Rather, Registered Training Organisations are required to use the qualification rules to ensure the needs of the learner and business customer are met. This is to be achieved through the development of effective learning programs delivered in an order that meets the stated needs of nominated Candidates and business customers. 3

6 Qualification Rules You re either part of the solution or part of the problem. Eldridge Cleaver Qualification requirements include core and elective units. The unit mix is determined by specific unit of competency requirements which are stated in the qualification description. Registered Training Organisations then work with learners and business customers to select elective units relevant to the work outcome, local industry requirements and the qualification level. All vocational education qualifications must lead to a work outcome. BSB07 Business Services Training Package qualifications allow for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) to vary programs to meet: Specific needs of a business or group of businesses. Skill needs of a locality or a particular industry application of business skills. Maximum employability of a group of students or an individual. When packaging a qualification elective units are to be selected from an equivalent level qualification unless otherwise stated. 4

7 Introduction Whether as an individual, or as part of a group, real progress depends on entering whole-heartedly into the process and being motivated to make you a more deeply satisfied human being. Source Unknown This unit of competency is all about being able to implement workplace information systems in your workplace. It will help you with the skills you need to demonstrate competency for the unit BSBINM401A Implement Workplace Information System. This is one of the units that make up the Certificates in Business. This training is broken up into four distinct sections. They are: 1. Identify and source information needs In the first section we will examine the process of determining information needs and establishing how to obtain this information. 2. Collect, analyse and report information Then we will look at how you should go about gathering relevant information, analysing it, and finally writing a report to present the information. 3. Implement information systems Here we will examine the implementation of information systems in an organisation. 4. Prepare for information system changes Next we will examine the preparations for a new information system and examine the types of information that you are required to provide. At the conclusion of this manual you will be asked to complete an Assessment Package for this unit of competency. The information contained in this resource will assist you to complete this task. On conclusion of this unit of competency you will have demonstrated your ability to identify, acquire, analyse and use appropriate information which will play a significant part in an organisation s effectiveness. 5

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9 PART 1: Identify and Source Information Needs Key Points Section 1 Once you know what sort of information is required to make a given decision, you must establish where this information can be found. Once you have acquired the information you need to examine it to decide how well it fits your needs. Consider the information s suitability, accessibility, currency and reliability when making this decision. If information is not available immediately, you should produce a plan which outlines how you will obtain it. 7

10 Part 1: Identify and Source Information Needs How Can Information Be Used? This unit is designed to teach you how to implement information systems in your workplace in order to gather information for a specified purpose. If we go back to basics, information can be defined as data that has been processed in such a way that it becomes useful for the end user. Information can be used for many purposes. It can be used to monitor progress, determine where problems exist, and look at how successful our plans have been. With regards to information gathering, as the saying goes, it is often difficult to see the forest for the trees. This is especially true of managing quality. There is so much information available in the average workplace that often you are unable to zero in on an important concept simply because you cannot get the right information that you need to make a decision effectively. The first stage of this process is to examine the information needs of the end user. We are trying to establish the purpose of the information gathering activities. By examining the priorities of the end user, and what they require from the information provided to them, you should be able to determine the most appropriate information to provide them with. A useful way to start your examination of information needs is to examine the purpose for which the end user requires the given information. By attempting to ascertain the information purpose, you will be able to determine the type of information that you should provide. If the information is needed to make a decision related to a quality initiative, what will be required are the pros and cons of the various initiatives. However, if the end user will simply be reporting the information they will simply require the facts. Therefore the purpose that the end user requires information for will affect the nature of the information that you are required to present to them. When considering the information s purpose it is important to ensure that the purpose meets with the objectives of your organisation, the requirements set out by the organisation and the organisation s capabilities. Therefore, at this stage it is important to assess whether the information being gathered will meet with your organisation s requirements. All organisations have a set of objectives that they want to achieve. Managers have a key responsibility to ensure that your organisation is achieving its objectives, and thus you should carefully evaluate the purpose of your information gathering to ensure that it meets with the objectives of your organisation. Ensure that the information will assist in meeting the required objectives. For example if the information is being gathered to assess your customer service within your organisation, look at the customer service objectives set for your organisation, and ensure that the types of information that you will gather will assist in measuring those particular objectives. It is likely that for any information gathering project you will be provided with a brief by your managers. This brief will outline exactly what it is that your managers want you to achieve - these are the requirements set out by your organisation. All information that you gather needs to be aligned to the specific requirements of your organisation. Some of the requirements that you should ensure that your information meets include: 8

11 Part 1: Identify and Source Information Needs Possible Information Gathering Requirements Scope Form Presentation The scope of the information will also affect the information gathered. Is information only required for your organisation, or is information required for your organisation as well as averages for the entire industry? Just one year or for multiple years? As you can imagine, the greater the scope that is required, the more work will need to be done to obtain all the required information. Determining the scope of the required information will enable you to determine the amount of data you will need to obtain and the amount of processing that is likely to be required. Both data and information comes in many forms. To be able to make an effective decision, that information needs to be in the most suitable form for the decision maker. This means that in the early stage you should attempt to determine the most suitable form for this information to take. Should you provide written information, present the information orally to the decision maker, or should you use visual aids, charts and graphs? These many and varied types of information each have their own relative advantages and disadvantages. The end presentation format of the data also needs to be strongly considered. Should the data be a report, a chart, or a speech? What level of presentation does your organisation require of you? Will this information need to be provided in draft form, or in a final, finished and polished report? Finally, we need to look at whether the information that you are being asked to gather is within the capabilities of your organisation to gather. The level of resources available to you is an important consideration. Resources available are a significant matter when looking at information processing. With unlimited resources, you would be able to collect all the information you could possibly imagine, and this could be used to make the most effective decision possible. However in the real world there are limits to what we can do. Budgets, time, and expertise constrain our ability to gather the best information. Whether we like it or not, the accountant will play an important role in our ability to provide the right information. Before you begin the process, it is important to determine the amount of money that you are able to utilise on the project. This will affect spending in terms of your time, the types of information you gather, and expertise you are able to bring in. Let s look at the three major resource constraints that may be placed on us by budgets: 9

12 Part 1: Identify and Source Information Needs Resource Constraints Scope Time Expertise We mentioned scope previously. Essentially scope is how wide your information will be. Will it only cover a single facet of the topic, or will you attempt to cover a much broader range. While the initial proposal you are given will state the scope of the study that is desired, the actual budget that you are provided may dictate whether this scope is feasible or not. If the budget provided is not high enough, you may find that you cannot conduct the data collection and information processing as widely as you would have hoped. Time is money in business, and your provided budget will have a significant effect on the time you can put into a given project. The wider the project is, the more primary resource sources you use, the more time it is going to take. The time that you can put into the project will be affected by the money that you receive to do it. If only a small amount of money is received, you will not be able to spend as long on the project as you could if a large amount of money is received. Expertise is likely to be related to the effects of budget. Essentially the less money you have, the fewer experts you are able to employ. For example you may not be able to hire consultants to help you put together and run a survey program if you do not have enough money, so you may be forced to conduct the program yourself. You may not have the expertise to run this program as well as a market research house, and so the information provided may not be as accurate as could be achieved. One method of attempting to ascertain whether the expenditure is justified is through the use of cost benefit analysis. For a particular project to be seen as being useful, the benefits of gathering the information must outweigh the costs associated with gathering it. You will find that for the most part, this will always be true. Your costs associated with gathering the required information will be low, as most quality information will be easily found. However if extensive analysis, market research, expensive software or difficult procedures are required to gather the information you may find that the costs outweigh the benefits. In these cases you may find that the information gathering is not fully justifiable. When identifying your information purpose, it is extremely useful to write your purpose as a set of objectives. These objectives will outline exactly what it is that you want to achieve. When it comes to gathering the information, and presenting it, you can assess the finished product against these objectives to ensure that your information gathering has met with the purpose set at the beginning of the process. Like all types of objectives, there are a number of features that should be present for the objectives to be found useful in the information gathering process. 10

13 Part 1: Identify and Source Information Needs Objectives Specific Measurable Achievable Time-Based Agreed by relevant stakeholders Objectives need to specifically state what it is you want to achieve. Being specific allows you to ensure that you will meet the needs of the end user. Don t just state gather information on customer service quality what aspects of customer service quality are required, what types of information? By being specific you can ensure that the information that you are gathering best meets the end users needs. Objectives need to be measurable. If possible try to include specific measures that can be used to assess the information you gather. Does the information need to be 100% accurate? Is a margin of error acceptable? If so, how much? This may assist you in determining the best methods to adopt for a given information gathering project, as different methods may produce different levels of accuracy. Measures such as how much information may also be useful. Is information for one year, two years, six months required? Don t set your objectives too high! While it would be nice to achieve a perfect result every time, this is not always possible due to compromises that have to be made that is the nature of information gathering. Set your objectives high enough to achieve everything you have to, but try not to go beyond this. Setting objectives too high (100% accuracy of information within 1 working day, for example) may mean that your project is doomed to failure from the start. All objectives should have a time based element to them. This may outline the timeframe for the information gathered (from the last 90 days) or it might be when the information is needed to be supplied (to be supplied by 31 July). In either case, having time constraints allows you to ensure that you are meeting the requirements of the end user. All objectives and the overall purpose of the information gathering plan should be agreed on by the stakeholders. Stakeholders may be project sponsors or the intended users of the information. Ensure that you get your objectives agreed on by these individuals so that everybody is clear on where you are heading from the very beginning of the project. 11

14 Part 1: Identify and Source Information Needs Activity One You have been tasked with writing a proposal for a new machine in your organisation what types of information would you think would be pertinent for this proposal? Facilitator s Notes for Activity One There are a wide range of solutions to this question. Some possible answers include: Information on possible machines from manufacturers Information on staff skill levels Information on required training Budget information Floor plan for production line There are many other possible solutions. 12

15 Part 1: Identify and Source Information Needs Section 1 - True or False Quiz Information is data that has been processed in a way that makes it useful. True False Data and information are the same thing. Information is processed data. If you know what the end user will use the information for, you can better understand the type of information you should provide. The scope of the information dictates what form it will take. The form dictates what form information will take. When undertaking information gathering the needs of the end user are not a priority. The end user is who you are obtaining information for, their needs count above everything else. Presentation of information is at the discretion of the information gatherer with no input from the end user. The needs of the end user must be considered. Resources available to you will be unlimited. Generally there will be budgetary and time constraints. If benefits outweigh costs, a project should be undertaken. Objectives should be set higher than you expect to be able to achieve. This can result in projects not being completed. 13