Recent Question/Assignment

Establish team performance plan
Submission details
Candidate’s name Phone no.
Assessor’s name Phone no.
Assessment site
Assessment date/s Time/s
The assessment task is due on the date specified by your assessor. Any variations to this arrangement must be approved in writing by your assessor.
Submit this document with any required evidence attached. See specifications below for details.
Performance objective
For this task, you will demonstrate the skills and knowledge required for establishing a team performance plan.
Assessment description
In response to a simulated business scenario, you will build a work team, help assign responsibilities for a team project, develop a performance plan, and support team members to carry out assigned responsibilities. You will develop and propose strategies to ensure each team member participates in the project planning and develops policies and procedures for carrying out teamwork.
Procedure
1. Review the simulated workplace information for Apparel Brands Pty Ltd in Appendix 1.
2. In consultation with your assessor:
a. form a team
b. agree to meet to discuss team objectives and develop performance plans for each team member.
3. Prepare to work with your team and complete the following:
a. Consider several strategies to ensure each team member has input into the planning process.
b. Consider several ideas for policies to ensure team members take responsibility for own work.
c. Consider team goals and how team can achieve goals.
d. Consider strategies for gaining consensus among your team.
e. Consider group behaviour and how best to present your ideas and work effectively within the group.
f. Review the third-party report in Appendix 3 to ensure that you are familiar with the team performance expectations.
g. Prepare to take notes to provide evidence of team meeting.
4. In team meeting, consult to establish ground rules for teamwork:
a. propose and agree on strategies for ensuring participation of team members
b. develop policy and procedures to ensure team members take responsibility for own work; these should contain ground rules for group work to ensure fairness and high performance.
5. Discuss and determine team goals and how goals can be achieved.
6. Referring to the task requirements in Appendix 1, assign and agree on responsibilities to achieve team goals:
a. Determine outcomes, outputs and KPIs for each team member – for example, determine agreed responsibilities, quality standards and how performance quality or achievement of tasks will be measured, i.e. number of pages of research, number of network contacts, number of credible sources, hours spent on research, number of coaching sessions conducted to improve performance of other team members, number of inputs into team meetings.
b. Ensure work is fairly distributed among team members.
7. Determine and agree on specific duties to support team members with assigned responsibilities.
8. Using the template provided in Appendix 2, develop an individual performance plan in consultation with your team to help achieve team goals:
a. Include your support duties in your individual performance plan.
b. Your performance plan should be at least three pages long.
Note: Together, all individual performance plans must achieve all team goals.
9. Ensure each team member completes the third-party report, included in Appendix 3, to provide evidence on your team performance.
10. Meet with your assessor to discuss your participation in team activities.
11. Submit all documents to your assessor as per the specifications below. Ensure you keep a copy of all work submitted for your records.
Specifications
You must submit:
? detailed performance plan (three pages)
? team policy and procedures
? notes from team meeting/s
? third-party reports from each team member.
Your assessor will be looking for:
? planning and organisational skills to consult and develop individual performance plans in team environment
? evidence of knowledge of group dynamics
? knowledge of strategies for gaining consensus
? knowledge of how to support team members to achieve goals through coaching, mentoring, training etc.
Adjustment for distance-based learners
? No changes to the assessment procedure or specification are required.
? The meeting may be conducted via video or teleconferencing. Team members’ participation in meetings may take place via Skype, or through use of messaging and message board, confirmation emails and so on.
? Documentation may be submitted electronically.
? A follow-up interview may be required (at the discretion of the assessor).

Appendix 1: Apparel Brands Pty Ltd
Apparel Brands, founded in 1901, is an Australian based manufacturer and distributor of generic clothing and footwear. The company takes orders from retailers and supplies retailers with clothing products that have been manufactured to retailers’ specifications. These clothing products are then sold to consumers under the retailers’ various brands.
Recently, Apparel Brands has found its market share in decline due to a strong Australian dollar and increased overseas competition. In addition, labour costs are eating into profit margins. Trends in the Australian textile industry suggest that the company, although it is in a strong financial position now, will struggle to make a profit within two years.
To ensure the continued existence of Apparel Brands, the company has embarked on a bold new strategic direction:
? develop own brands and product range and sell direct to consumers
? leverage e-commerce opportunities to reduce distribution costs and increase profit margins.
Company vision: In the next five years, Apparel Brands will establish a range of innovative and exciting online clothing brands and help secure a future for Australian clothing manufacturing.
Assessment Task 1
Your team has been charged with the task of identifying an e-commerce opportunity for Apparel Brands and developing a proposal to put to the board of directors. For example, your team could decide to propose setting up an online business in which customers design their own custom t-shirts.
Your budget for setting up the e-commerce venture is $30,000.
For your proposed e-commerce venture, your team will need to determine:
? Value proposition: What will you offer consumers? What products? What price? What quality? How will the products benefit your customers?
? Who your target market is: What are the characteristics of the people who will buy your products? What do they need or desire?
? How you will gather necessary information for setting up the venture?
? Who you will consult or network with to benefit from others’ expertise?
? What steps you will need to take to set up the e-commerce venture? This will range from website design, to ensuring a system for payment, to establishing an online presence through web search engines, etc.
? How you will determine the benefit to Apparel Brands: What is the benefit? Reduced costs? Increased productivity?
? How you will determine cost?
Once you have determined the above requirements, your team will need to plan specific activities to carry out in order to obtain the required information for your proposal. Assign tasks to each team member. Consult with each member of the team to develop individual performance plans.
Important reference: For information on setting up e-commerce opportunities and example case studies refer to http://www.digitalbusiness.gov.au .

Appendix 2: Performance plan
Action 1 Action 2 Action 3
Description
Dependencies
Timeline
Responsibility
Resources
Review dates
Measurement: KPI; Outcome

Appendix 3: Third-party report
Assessment 1 – Third-party report for candidate:
Did the candidate propose and agree on strategies for ensuring participation of team members? Y / N
Describe how:
Did the candidate help develop policy and procedures to ensure team members take responsibility for own work? Y / N
Describe how:
Did the candidate work with group to determine common understanding of organisational requirements and team goals? Y / N
Describe how:
Did the candidate work with group to determine and agree on specific duties to support team members with assigned responsibilities? Y / N
List the candidate’s support duties:
Did the candidate demonstrate knowledge of group behaviour and how to gain consensus and work within groups to enhance team effectiveness? Y / N
Describe how the candidate demonstrated this knowledge in their interactions with the team:
Team member/observer’s name: Signature and date:

Candidate’s name: Signature and date:

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